Simple Creamed Spinach with Heavy Cream

Here is a simple creamed spinach with heavy cream recipe. Use as a vegetable side dish or inside a quiche, either way it is simple to make and delicious. Using fresh or this is how to cook frozen spinach many ways too.

Easy Creamed Spinach Recipe

You can make this green leafy vegetable a number of ways. Our most popular is Instant Pot spinach. That is more plain without any sauce to it really. Still a great choice seasoned lightly with salt and pepper and healthier for sure but isn’t quite as creamy and delicous.

In order to make thicker dishes like a spinach dip or crustless quiche as we, you really need something denser like this. First let’s talk about the star of this dish though shall we?

Creamed Spinach Recipe on the Stove

If you have a vegetable garden at home you may have some growing as we speak. You can find this in the produce section of stores though year round so no worries if it isn’t in your back yard. Not frozen is best, always. You will get more texture and flavor in your end result.

You can make these leaves amazingly crispy with our air fryer spinach recipe as well. Totally different in the way that they come out as chips this way with hot air and just a bit of olive oil but a great alternative to regular snacks.

What can you use other than heavy cream to make creamed spinach?

If you wanted this to be dairy free you could use an alternative like cashew or almond milk but you’d need to thicken it up with a bit of cornstarch or flour roux / slurry. You could replace with an equal amount of milk and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter to add richness. Half-and-half is a good middle ground, or use about 4 ounces of cream cheese per cup of heavy whipping cream.

What is creamed spinach made of?

You only really need a few ingredients. The amount of heavy whipping cream used will vary depending on how much “sauce” you want to have. Garlic and parmesan cheese gives it some great flavors. Diced onion is optional.

Ingredients

• 9 oz fresh spinach leaves
• 1/2 c heavy cream or more depending on how thick you want it
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 c parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c butter
• Salt and pepper to taste, I will just add a small pinch at the beginning

If you want it quite dense to make air fryer quiche then you’d add less cream. Serving as an easy side dish? You can add more at the end until it’s the texture you want.

Here are some quick instructions. There are exact ingredients and a printable recipe with nutritional information below though too so keep scrolling down for that.

How to Make Creamed Spinach with Fresh Spinach

• In a large skillet over medium heat melt butter in a skillet. Then add your minced onion and garlic and cook together. Then cook stirring in your heavy cream slowly.
• Put the spinach leaves in and stir to coat leaves. Then cover pot with a lid. Cook spinach leaves until they are wilted and softened. Lift lid and add parmesan cheese.
• If you want more liquid to the dish add 1/4 c more of heavy cream.
  Allow to bubble, melt cheese, and let sauce thicken. The longer it is on the stove the more it will cook down and get thicker.

Turn off and allow to cool or use inside a quiche or other recipe of your choice. Of course if you can’t have cheese you could leave that out. It does add a bit of thickness, and flavor of course, so it will alter the results.

How to make creamed spinach with frozen spinach

If you only had a block of frozen you could still make this. The only real difference to the instructions would be that you’d want to follow the directions on the package to defrost the block first. Then add in with other ingredients to saute for less time. The end result will be softer than vs. using fresh leaves but works great as an alternative.

How do you Make Creamed Spinach Creamier?

There are many different ingredients you could add to this including cream cheese instead of parmesan. which is your best bet for an extra creamy really thick cream sauce. I suggest using fresh spinach to make this. If you use frozen you will need to defrost it first and remove the excess water. Without doing this it will come out runny.

Add the spinach when it says to do in the recipe card below. If you love creamed spinach this may become your go to recipe for a brunch idea or dinners throughout the week.

What goes well with creamed spinach?

Speaking about what you can serve with it I would recommend making prime rib or our air fryer roast. My go to is always a whole chicken in air fryer which is easy to throw together too.

How long does creamed spinach last in the fridge?

If you do have leftovers allow it to come to room temperature first. Then spoon it into a freezer bag or airtight container. Enjoy it again within 3 days for best results. Reheat spinach in a microwave safe bowls for about a minute stirring after 30 seconds. You could also put it back into a pan and heat on medium heat. Stir until it is warm and then enjoy some again the next day.

Our favorite easy creamed spinach recipe is to use it in our easy spinach quiche! That is why I created this in the first place. What is left can be transformed into various delicious dishes. Here are a few creative recipes to make the most of your leftover spinach:

What to Make with Leftover Creamed Spinach

1. If you want a great twist on the “old fashioned” you should try our tater tot crust quiche recipe too!!
2. Even my kids love it this way. I mean who doesn’t love tater tots period right??
3. Creamed Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms
   • Remove the stems from button mushrooms and stuff them with your leftover creamed spinach. Top each mushroom with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is bubbly.
4. Spinach Quesadillas
   • Spread leftover creamed spinach onto a tortilla. Add shredded cooked chicken, diced tomatoes, and grated cheese. Top with another tortilla and cook in a skillet until the tortillas are crispy and the cheese is melted. Slice into wedges and serve with salsa or sour cream.
5. Spinach Omelette
   • Use your leftover creamed spinach as a filling for an omelette. Whisk eggs, pour them into a heated skillet, and add the creamed spinach on one half. Fold the other half of the omelette over the filling and cook until set.

Creamed Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts – Cut a pocket into boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Stuff the pockets with leftover creamed spinach and secure with toothpicks. Season the outside of the chicken with salt, pepper, and your choice of herbs. Bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through.