This 5-star rated recipe for my favorite steakhouse style, extra creamy, Creamed Spinach recipe is so easy only 20 minutes to make. It is a tried and true family favorite and I guarantee you will love it!
If you are looking for more vegetable side dish recipes, check out these reader favorites: Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Creamy Baked Brussel Sprouts, Mashed Cauliflower, and Caprese Stuffed Avocados.

Creamed Spinach Recipe
Creamed Spinach has two main components, cream and spinach. However, they are many different ways to make it. If you follow this recipe, you will end up with an amazing creamy, thick, steak house style creamed spinach. As a bonus, it’s also a low carb side dish, just in case you are watching your carbs.
It is truly the BEST Creamed Spinach recipe, ever. No seriously, it’s been extremely well tested and has tons of 5 star reviews from very smart people, you my dear readers.
I have actually made this recipe for a group of 50+ people and was begged for the recipe. They all swore up and down it was the best one they had ever had and I was honored be handing out the recipe! It’s when I knew, I had to get this recipe out here on the site for all of you to enjoy too!
Ingredients Needed
- frozen chopped spinach
- butter
- yellow onion
- garlic
- cream cheese
- heavy cream (or half and half)
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
Yes, I know some of you are going to give me a side-eye right now, but I highly recommend frozen spinach over fresh spinach for this particular creamed spinach recipe! Do you think I’m crazy? Well, I might be, but I am right about the type of spinach to use!
If you use fresh spinach, you need to steam it or cook it down until it’s the texture of cooked and thawed spinach. This takes a lot of fresh spinach and to get enough spinach to make this style of creamed spinach recipe. Bonus: Fresh frozen spinach is really easy to use, is budget friendly and works quickly to get this side dish recipe on the table in 20 minutes or less! I promise you won’t know it was ever frozen once you take a bite of the finished recipe!
How to make creamed spinach
This recipe is crazy easy to make, with the use of frozen spinach, it’s ready in just 20 minutes!
- Cook frozen spinach in microwave and squeeze out the excess water.
- Sauté onion and garlic in butter. Add cream cheese and cook, stirring, until melted.
- Add heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Stir till combined.
- Fold in cooked spinach into cream sauce and cook for a few minutes to reheat spinach. Then serve hot!
Serving Suggestions
Creamed Spinach is a great side dish often served with grilled steaks, crockpot ham, or my favorite recipe for my favorite Baked Chicken Recipe. My husband has even been known to eat the leftovers reheated with tortilla chips.
Keto Side Dish
This creamed spinach recipe is a great keto side dish that is approved on the keto diet with a net carbs of 4 grams. If you are being extra tight with your carbs, you can also cut the chopped onion. I don’t recommend it on flavor basis, but understand it if you are really trying to stick tightly to your diet.
If you are concerned about the carbs in the onions and want to remove the onion, I recommend using dried onion to substitute some of that flavor back in. Start with 1 tablespoon worth of dried onion and then taste and add more as needed!
Make Ahead? Freezer Friendly?
Yes and Yes! This Creamed Spinach is an amazing make ahead side dish. You can make it up to a couple of days before and then reheat it on the stove top or microwave until warmed through. You will not loose any flavor or texture by making it ahead and refrigerating, or freezing, it in an airtight container.
Freezer Friendly: Freeze any creamed spinach in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I like to use freezer friendly ziplock bags. I honestly usually make a triple batch when I make this creamed spinach and freeze all the leftovers for easy dinners later. To thaw, you can go straight from the freezer into the microwave. Use a microwave safe bowl with an added tablespoon of water, heat in 60 second intervals, and stir often. Or, you can also remove it from the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw 24 hours before. Then reheat on stove top or microwave!
Tips for the best Creamed Spinach
- Use frozen spinach for the best soft, steakhouse style, creamed spinach! Just trust me!
- Don’t skip on the onion and garlic. They add a ton of flavor and really make this keto side dish shine.
- CHEESE. This recipe uses mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese to up the cream levels and give it that perfect texture you see in the photos. The two cheeses not only add to the texture, but they also give it great flavor.
- Lastly, salt and pepper. Creamed Spinach is a simple dish with simple ingredients. Before you serve it, make sure you taste it and give it a little more salt and pepper as needed!
This creamed spinach recipe is extra creamy, full of flavor, and only takes 20 minutes to make. Hallelujah! It is exactly like the creamed spinach you get at an old school fancy steak house and it’s epically delicious. Bonus: it’s a low carb, keto side dish and is also gluten free!
The Best Creamed Spinach Recipe

This 5-star rated recipe for my favorite steakhouse style, extra creamy, Creamed Spinach recipe is so easy only 20 minutes to make. It is a tried and true family favorite and I guarantee you will love it!
Ingredients
- 3 (10 oz) bags frozen chopped spinach
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 6 large cloves garlic, minced
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook spinach in microwave according to package directions. Remove excess water (squeeze carefully using cheese cloth, a tea towel, or a colander) and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 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, salt and pepper. Stir till combined.
- Fold in spinach into cream sauce and cook for an additional minute to reheat spinach.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. The leftovers reheat great and you can also freeze it!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8 servingsServing Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 249Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 315mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 7g
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Can you use can spinch have a ton ?
Sure! Just make sure you squeeze out all that extra liquid!
[…] The Best Creamed Spinach […]
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.
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?
I think you could cut the dairy, it won’t be the same, but hopefully still tasty!
Frozen spinach did not work for me. Ijs. Love recipe..just no Frozen Spinach. Unless you steam spinach for 30 -45 minutes more