This indulgent steakhouse-style Creamed Spinach is creamy, cheesy, and downright irresistible. Ready in just 20 minutes, it’s made with simple ingredients like frozen spinach, butter, garlic, cream, and two kinds of cheese.
This thick and lusciously rich creamed spinach recipe is just like the one you get at your favorite steakhouse alongside a juicy steak. So far, I’ve yet to taste a creamed spinach that’s this good.
It’s quick, oh-so-satisfying, and easily elevated with a touch of nutmeg or a breadcrumb topping. Perfect for pairing with grilled meats, a busy weeknight dinner, or serving as a holiday side. You can ever prepare it the day before and re-heat it when ready to serve. It will taste just as good as the day you made it!
“This creamed spinach recipe converts spinach skeptics into believers every time. Since we try to stay low-carb, it’s a side dish I make often and everyone always begs for the recipe. Don’t be scared to add the pinch of nutmeg, it really rounds out the flavors.” — Haley, busy mom of two and passionate home cook and baker.
Key Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Spinach: When making creamed spinach, I’m team frozen spinach all the way! While you can technically use both, fresh spinach takes a lot longer to cook down and prepare. You also need a much larger amount of fresh spinach vs frozen spinach.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic will give it the best robust flavor, but 1 tsp dried garlic can be used in a pinch.
- Cream Cheese: You can use full-fat or low-fat cream cheese, but I recommend using full-fat for the best creamy texture.
- Heavy Cream: Half-and-half works too, but use heavy cream if you want it to be as rich and creamy as possible.
- Mozzarella Cheese: I use pre-shredded mozzarella in this recipe, shredded fresh mozzarella is a tad too soft.
- Parmesan Cheese: Use freshly grated parmesan, not the preserved stuff in a green bottle.
- Nutmeg: While completely optional, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg adds just a bit of warmth and depth to take it to the next level.
- Salt and Pepper: Freshly cracked pepper makes all the difference here!
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How to Make Creamed Spinach
Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full instructions.
Squeeze out all of the water. Prepare the spinach according to package instructions and squeeze out all the excess moisture. This step is very important so it doesn’t water-down your creamed spinach. I recommend using cheese cloth, or a fine mesh sieve and a spoon, to squeeze the moisture out.
Sauté the onions and garlic until soft. This lets their natural sweetness come out and enriches the flavor of the sauce.
Let the cheeses melt. Keep stirring the cream cheese and heavy cream mixture until it’s completely smooth and melted. Then stir in the mozzarella and parmesan cheese until fully melted before stirring in the spinach. This creates the best overall texture!
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Both Parmesan and cream cheese are salty, so always taste before salting the final dish. You might not need as much as you think!
Variations To Try
- Spice It Up: Sprinkle in a little crushed red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper, for a kick of heat.
- Add a Smoky Flavor: Try using shredded smoked provolone or smoked gouda cheese in place of the mozzarella.
- Top with Breadcrumbs and Bake: Transfer the creamed spinach to a baking dish, sprinkle with buttered breadcrumbs (or crushed Ritz crackers), and broil for a golden topping.
- Add Artichoke Hearts: Stir in chopped canned or frozen artichoke hearts for a creamed spinach–meets–spinach-artichoke dip combo.
Storing, Reheating, and Freezing
This creamed spinach reheats beautifully, making it a great side to prepare the day before when needed. I always make a double batch to enjoy it again later with lunch or dinner throughout the week.
Store leftover creamed spinach in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently over low heat on the stovetop, or in 30-second intervals in the microwave, adding a splash of cream if it thickens too much. Avoid high heat so the sauce stays silky and doesn’t separate.
While you can freeze creamed spinach, the texture may change slightly after thawing due to the dairy, so it’s best enjoyed fresh or refrigerated and reheated within a few days.
Best Creamed Spinach Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 (10 oz) bags frozen chopped spinach
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 6 large garlic cloves, minced
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream, or half and half
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, optional
- salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
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Instructions
- Cook spinach in microwave according to package directions. Remove excess water, squeezing carefully using cheese cloth (or press it into a fine mesh sieve or a colander lined with a thin tea towel) and set aside. It's VERY important to remove the excess water to ensure your creamed spinach is not runny.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add cream cheese and cook, stirring, until melted. Add heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes. Add mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, optional nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir until combined.
- Fold the drained spinach into the cream sauce and cook for an additional minute to reheat the spinach. Serve immediately!
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Notes
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More Easy Spinach Recipes You’ll Love
- Spinach Puffs: Buttery puff pastry and creamy feta.
- Hot Spinach Dip: Extra cheesy and downright addictive.
- Strawberry Spinach Salad: Ready in 15 minutes with poppy seed dressing.
- Spinach Casserole: Made with gruyere cheese, it feels fancy.
- Spinach and Artichoke Dip: Takes just 10 minutes to assemble!
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So easy and everyone loved it!
I have been using this recipie for the past several years for family holidays and dinners it’s become my staple and signiture dish!I make a quadruple batch and everyone goes back for seconds.
Can you use can spinch have a ton ?
Sure! Just make sure you squeeze out all that extra liquid!
I just made this and it’s the bomb. For several years I’ve made a creamed spinach casserole recipe by a noted celebrity chef which entailed a lot of time (sautéing then baking it )and work. I wanted something simpler and not requiring baking ( as if there’s not already enough going on in the oven). This was so quick to throw together. I used a lot of garlic and onion as recommended. The cheeses came together nicely. I did add a touch of nutmeg as previously mentioned by other commenters. I also topped it with additional grated Parmigiana Regiano. This is a definite keeper! Thank you for this gem of a time saver recipe.
Skip the mozzarella, texture is way off, takes over the dish
I made it with just a little left over bag of fresh spinach but cooked it like you said and WOW ! I think it tastes better than what I have had at fancy restaurants . Oh, I added a pinch of nutmeg.
Thanks for sharing !!!
I basically followed this recipe, but I DID go the extra mile and wilt fresh spinach. It does take a lot to get the moisture out of the spinach. The only other things I did was I simmered one or two whole cloves in with the simmering onion, left it in until I had cooked it with the cream. Once I remove it, I like the added zing of a touch of nutmeg, but mainly because I am used to that flavor in other creamed spinaches I have made. I have tasted this while making it and it is DIVINE! … without the trouble of making a roux. I plan to put it in a casserole dish, top with buttered breadcrumbs and extra parm and serve it tomorrow with a special meal. Thanks for the recipe!
Could you substitute goat cheese for the cream cheese?
Thanks and looks yummy.
Yes, I think it should work!
Great recipe, very easy to follow. I used less cream cheese just because that’s all I had. Turned out fine. It also warms up nicely as a left over.
I found this to be just OK. Considering it’s laden with cream cheese, parm, heavy cream and mozzarella – it wasn’t going to be terrible. But it was just meh. Compared to most of the other recipes on line this one is lacking nutmeg and also creating a roux prior to adding cheeses and spinach. Next time I will try one of those methods.
Hello. How many does this recipe serve?
6 to 8 servings depending on how hungry you are. 🙂
*Servings/Yield Amounts are always listed right above the recipe name!
I’m definitely going to make this again but the first go around it was very cream cheesy. I’m going to cut back on some cream cheese but I can tell it’s going to be good so can’t wait!
Hello,
You cook the spinach still frozen in the microwave, like right out of the freezer?
Yes! Cook your frozen spinach in the microwave, squeeze out the excess liquid and then add it to the pan.
Just made this tonight . I love it. Soooo good!
I didn’t have the hc to add so used regular milk and it still turned out delicious. Such a great way to change up the old regular side dishes.
I’m not a huge fan of creamed spinach but tried this last night. It was seriously so delicious! My teen son commented that he doesn’t like spinach but he really liked it. Will definitely be making again!
Absolutely amazing. I’m making it for the second time this month because my kids absolutely loved it. I used low fat cream cheese and half and half because it’s what I had on hand (and in my head, it cut some calories). I can only imagine the recipe as-is will be even more decadent and delicious!
Delicious! I had to make a few substitutions due to what I had available. I had the frozen spinach so I searched for a recipe using that. I had some diced red onion already to go so I used that. I did not have mozzarella and I used shredded parmesan instead of grated and it turned out perfect. I think it was plenty cheesy and creamy. I also added some real bacon bits. Made the perfect side dish for steak!
Could you substitute baby kale for spinach in this? I bought too much kale and an looking for some ways to use it up.
Hmmm, I’m sure you can! Not sure what it will taste like though, we have only ever made it with spinach! 🙂
Hi love this recipe!
I am trying to cut a bit of calories so I’m debating either adding more spinach to the dairy measurements or cutting the dairy measurements in half while leaving the garlic/onion the same.
I understand your recipe is made specific for best taste but in your opinion do you think it would still come out as a good “healthier” version?
Frozen spinach did not work for me. Ijs. Love recipe..just no Frozen Spinach. Unless you steam spinach for 30 -45 minutes more
I think you could cut the dairy, it won’t be the same, but hopefully still tasty!
Can you freeze leftovers
Linda, I thawed frozen spinach the day before in a colander, then placed in a gallon zip lock bag so juices would go to bottom of bag. Cut bag and drained….heated spinach in a dish in microwave before adding it to the cream cheese, cream, onions etc. that I cooked on the stove. It was excellent!
If I make this a day ahead of time, what is the best way to reheat it?
In the microwave or on the stove top in a skillet. It reheats wonderfully!
Yes! They reheat great!
Just made this tonight and it is absolutely the BEST creamed spinach I’ve ever tasted. I cannot believe it took me this long to find this recipe! It’s fantastic and will be a frequent rotation at this house. Thank you!
Omg it’s so delicious!!! I never knew how easy this could be to make!!!! I’m definitely making it again!! One of my favorite things to eat and I’m on Keto!! I eat it without chips 😉
What chips are you eating on Keto? I’ve been looking for something new. I’ve been taking the low carb wraps and making chips out of them.
My apologies I just re-read your comment.. “with out chips”
Well if anyone has any suggestions, I’m open. Thanks!
For keto chips: You can try a low carb tortilla, cut in 9-12 pieces, spray with cooking spray and heated in an air fryer until your desired crispness.
Jill, you can bake parmesan cheese into crips for dipping
This recipe is sooo amazing! I used half and half instead of heavy cream and baked it for 20 min at 350. My 14 month are FOUR helpings – it’s seriously a new family favorite.