Fresh Creamed Spinach
This creamed spinach recipe is made with fresh baby spinach and cream cheese. It's rich and creamy, but not over the top. Easy to make, too!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
Creamed spinach can go right or wrong, and this creamed spinach recipe is just right. The creaminess comes from cream cheese rather than heavy cream, which offers some delectable tanginess. Fresh baby spinach cooks down in mere minutes, no chopping required, so this recipe is ready in roughly twenty minutes.
Creamed spinach will never be the prettiest menu item on your Thanksgiving table, but the verdant color of freshly cooked spinach will liven up otherwise beige plates. The more greens the better, I say.
I didnโt grow up with creamed spinach at our Thanksgiving suppers. Iโve found it on steakhouse menus while searching for vegetarian options. The name โcreamed spinachโ doesnโt sound terribly enticing, does it?
I wasnโt sold on the general concept until I realized that itโs almost like spinach dip in side dish form. Creamed spinach earned my full attention in that moment.
After some trial and error, Iโm sharing this recipe because I think itโs worthy of your attention, too. Itโs delicious, creamy, comforting and just so nice!
How to Make the Best Creamed Spinach
Creamed spinach is easy to make with basic ingredients, yet the end result tastes like more than the sum of its parts. Itโs rich and creamy but not over the top. Hereโs why this recipe works so well (keep scrolling for the full recipe):
- First, sautรฉ mellow yellow onion in butter and simple seasoningsโsalt, pepper and an optional pinch of cayenne. This step smells amazing and forms the backbone of flavor for this dish.
- Then, add fresh baby spinach in handfuls, stirring after each. Sometimes Iโll suggest using frozen spinach, but fresh spinach is superior in flavor and texture in this case.
- Once the spinach is wilted, add garlic. Weโre adding the garlic later on so it doesnโt have a chance to burn, and weโll cook it just until itโs fragrant. As always, please use fresh garlic, not store-bought minced garlic.
- Finally, stir in cream cheese until itโs creamy and melted, followed by some Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper until the flavors really sing. Youโre done!
Watch How to Make Creamed Spinach
Please let me know how your creamed spinach turns out in the comments. I love hearing from you and hope this recipe makes an appearance at your Thanksgiving meal. For more Thanksgiving-worthy recipes, check out my Thanksgiving roundup.
Fresh Creamed Spinach
This creamed spinach recipe is made with fresh baby spinach and cream cheese. Itโs deliciously rich and creamy, but not over the top. Recipe yields 4 to 6 side servings.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butterย
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- ยฝ teaspoon fine salt
- Freshly ground black pepperย
- Tiny pinch of cayenne pepper (optional, for subtle heat)
- 16 ounces baby spinach
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1-inch chunks
- ยผ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a medium Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, salt, pepper and optional cayenne. Cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.ย
- Add the spinach in big handfuls, stirring after each one. Cook until all of the spinach is wilted, about 3 to 5 minutes.ย
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute.ย
- Add the cream cheese to the pot. Continue cooking and stirring until the cream cheese has completely melted and the mixture is creamy. Add the Parmesan and stir to combine.ย
- Remove the pot from the heat. Carefully taste, and season with additional salt and pepper, if youโd like. Serve warm.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Great recipie
Somple easy to make
Thank you
Thank you for your review, Clara!
Great flavor. Easy to make! Next time I will cut the stems off the baby spinach (I used fresh), but that is the only change I will make. definitely making again
This was perfectly seasoned. We put in over baked potatoes and it was scrumptious!
Very easy to make.
TY
This creamed spinach recipe sounds absolutely perfect! Using cream cheese for creaminess instead of heavy cream is a brilliant twist, adding that lovely tanginess. Plus, the fact that fresh baby spinach cooks down quickly with no chopping makes it both convenient and delicious. Ready in about twenty minutes, itโs a great choice for a quick yet indulgent side dish.
Great to hear you loved it! I appreciate your review.
Oh! My! Goodness! The only creamed spinach Iโve had previously was โstore-boughtโ. OK, but blah. Well, I had a partial bag of baby spinach (after using in another recipe) and with todayโs grocery pricesโฆwaste not, want not. I had to wing it in terms of measurements since I only had a partial bag but this was over-the-top delicious. I ended up with one large serving but Iโll be making this on a regular basis. That you can count on!! Excellent!
First time I have ever made this. Amazing easy and even more amazingly full of flavor. A big hit!
Great to hear, Kimberly!
Pretty darn delicious. Had a hankering for creamed spinach, which I had not had since I was a kid. I followed this recipe exactly, except I used 2 large shallots instead of one medium onion. I neglected to dry off the spinach after washing, which was dumb, so it turned out a bit watery but awfully good. Bringing it to Thanksgiving with dry spinach leaves!
Made this today. I followed the recipe to a T! Excellent! We will definitely be using this recipe for our creamed spinach from this day hence. In the spring, I want to try it with lambโs quarters weeds instead of spinach, as a foraging experiment.
I love the taste of lambโs quarter as an early spring salad green. Thank you for suggesting it for this recipe. My mouth is watering already.
Would creamed spinach topped over a baked potato be a good idea.
I made the creamed spinach recipe I looked it up because I had no heavy cream .. I will always make this recipe from now on
Thank you for your review, Nora!
Hi Kate! Iโm a longtime fan looking forward to subbing this recipe into my Thanksgiving menu this year! Do you have any advice on how to fully or partially prep it in advance so that I can serve it hot with our meal without needing to make the entire recipe at that time? Perhaps making the entire recipe (minus the spinach) in advance, and then reheating the onion/cream cheese/garlic mixture + stirring in the spinach right before serving? What is the concern with making the whole thing in advance and reheating? Does the texture change? I so appreciate any help!
Can I use a big pot instead of a dutch oven? Thanks!
Excellent very tasty. And youโre right. The cayan pepper is a perfect touch.
OMG. Theyโre gonna love me at Thanksgiving! Butter, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and onion. Pretty much everyoneโs faves. Yum!
Loved how quick and easy it was, too! Will make again, and again, and againโฆ
Thatโs great to hear, Cassie! Thank you for your review.
Absolutely delicious! So easy to make, and will definitely make again. I didnโt have baby spinach, only fresh normal spinach from our veggie garden โ it worked great! And the first to be finished on the plate.
Thank you for a great recipe ;-)
Thank you so much for this recipe! Iโd never attempted to make this dish before. I subbed onion powder for onions bc children. Will make this again & again.
Easy to make, and so good! My only add-on was a dash of fresh nutmeg at the end.
Iโll definitely put this recipe in rotation.
Have made this recipe a numbers of time now, sometimes with the added parmesan and sometimes without. Personally, I prefer it without. Itโs a much lighter vegetable dish without the added parmesan. Great recipe though.
Simple and delish! I didnโt have cayenne so I added a couple drops of hot sauce.
Truly that was the most delicious creamed spinach I have ever made or eaten! Thank you for this very easy and mouth-watering recipe. I am going to make it for holidays and every day meals.
Excellent. I added a can of artichoke hearts, chicken bullion and a smudge if heavy cream. Very tasty.
I didnโt have enough cream cheese and this recipe was still delicious!
Made this last night as an accompaniment to rosemary grilled chicken & wild rice. I had 12 oz of spinach on hand, so used 1/2 a small onion and a only a couple of tablespoons of whipped cream cheese (bc it, too, was what I had in fridge). Yum! Next time will likely add an extra pinch of cayenne.