Creamed Spinach Recipe (Steakhouse Copycat)

Home-style creamed spinach is a classic side dish that needs less than 20 minutes to be ready. Skip steakhouse cream spinach, and easily make your favorite side dish at home with basic pantry ingredients! It’s a great side dish for any meal, and a delicious addition to Thanksgiving dinner.

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Cream spinach recipe
Ingredients needed
How to make it
Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
📋Classic Creamed Spinach

Cream spinach recipe

In 20 minutes you’ll have life-changing cream spinach ready. I know that may be a bit bold statement to make, but if you are one of those who never got yourself to like spinach, give this creamed spinach recipe a try.
My kids fuss about eating spinach, but when it’s drenched in cream sauce they gobble it up without complaining. I couldn’t be happier to see my kids eat their greens!
The recipe may not be the exact copycat of steakhouse creamed spinach that you love, but it’s TASTY.
A definite crowd-pleaser! Truly a winning side dish!
It’s so flavorful, you won’t look at leafy greens the same again.
Spinach lovers delight, haters – get prepared, you might become a convert!
It’s easy and quick to make. It only takes 5 minutes of prep work and less than 15 minutes of cook time!
A perfect fit for your Holiday dinner table. Don’t worry about leafy green haters, add this to your Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter dinner table, even the haters would go back for seconds.

Ingredients needed

Here’s what you need –

all ingredients for creamed spinach on white board

2 tablespoon butter, unsalted
1 lb (3 bags of 10 oz) frozen chopped spinach (or 1 lb fresh baby spinach)
1 large shallot or 1 medium yellow onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon all purpose flour
½ cup whole milk (plus extra as needed)
½ cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Spinach – I used frozen spinach. Thaw it in the fridge, the liquid is squeezed out. Alternatively, thaw frozen spinach in the microwave and squeeze out the liquids. Use cheesecloth or fine sieve or a layered paper towel to squeeze out water well. If there is water left in spinach it will make creamed spinach runny. The sauce will split too. It’s crucial to squeeze out all the water from spinach. You can use fresh spinach as well. Either cook it briefly by sautéing in butter in a pan or blanching it in boiling water for 2 minutes. Whichever way you choose make sure you squeeze out the liquids before using them in the recipe.
Butter – unsalted butter. If using salted butter you may want to cut down on the amount of salt added to the recipe.
Shallots (or) yellow onion – onions add a ton of flavor to the dish. I prefer shallots for it’s flavor.
Garlic – if you love garlic feel free to add more garlic to the dish. Garlic adds tons of flavor.
All purpose flour – to make the roux.
Milk – I recommend full-fat milk or whole milk for the recipe.
Cream – use heavy cream.
Nutmeg (optional but highly recommended) – a hint of nutmeg adds depth of flavor. It’s not too strong and you won’t taste it immediately. When the flavor hits the back of your tongue, it’ll make you go wow!
Parmesan Cheese – freshly grated Parmesan.
Season (Salt & pepper) – season to taste. Don’t skip seasoning. If using salted butter taste spinach first and then add salt as required.

Additions and substitutions

Instead of heavy cream use cream cheese or sour cream.

Use half n half in place of milk.

Top it with crispy bacon before serving.

How to make it

You can use frozen spinach (thaw, liquid squeezed out) or fresh baby spinach in this recipe.

If using regular spinach, you may want to chop it into smaller bites first.

Use cheesecloth or fine sieve or a layered paper towel to squeeze out the water well. If there is water left in the spinach it will make spinach runny. The sauce will split too. It’s crucial to squeeze out all the water from spinach.

Melt butter.
Sauté shallots in butter for a minute (do not brown shallots).
Add minced garlic and cook for 1 or 2 minutes until garlic is fragrant.
Whisk flour into butter onion garlic and mix on low flame. Cook flour on low flame stirring it constantly for about 1 minute.
Pour milk slowly while stirring constantly.
Add the cream too.
Whisk everything together and cook on low flame. Keep whisking to prevent lumps.

step by step picture collage of creamed spinach cooked in skillet

Once the sauce begins to thicken grate about ⅛ teaspoon of nutmeg into the sauce. Season sauce with salt (taste test before adding salt) and freshly ground pepper.
Whisk until combined.
Add spinach and cook for 2 minutes while whisking it constantly on low flame.
Turn off the flame. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese and stir until Parmesan cheese is melted and combined into the sauce spinach mix.
Serve hot with some more grated Parmesan sprinkled on top.

It serves well with baked or roasted chicken, grilled steak, pork chops, or crockpot ham.

We even love to serve this as a dip with tortilla chips.

Tips

Frozen spinach is the best option. Make sure to squeeze all water from it before using. Liquid from spinach will make it runny and split the sauce. If you want to use fresh spinach read the notes above about using fresh spinach.
Don’t skip shallots and garlic. It adds tons of flavor to the dish. If you don’t have shallots use yellow onion.
Full-fat milk or whole milk is best for a richer creamier spinach side dish.
While reheating, add whole milk if needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce if it’s too thick or dry instead of water. It will keep the creamed spinach creamier.
To add a kick to the dish, you can add ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper while cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is best – fresh or frozen spinach?

Both works! I prefer frozen!
You can use frozen spinach if you have it. Remember to thaw spinach completely (either in the fridge, microwave, or on the counter top) and countertop liquids out before using.
A few pointers if using fresh spinach – it’s best to use fresh baby spinach.
If you can’t find baby spinach use regular spinach and chop it up into smaller pieces.
Follow one of the below-mentioned steps :
add fresh spinach directly to the sauce in the end and cook it until wilted (but still green)
wilt spinach separately by sautéing it in butter in a separate pan until wilted. Once wilted rest the spinach to cool down. Squeeze out liquids and use them in the recipe.
blanch spinach in hot/boiling water to cook spinach for 2 minutes. Squeeze out all water then use.

Why did my spinach turn runny?

The water content in spinach is the culprit.
Use cheesecloth or fine sieve or a layered paper towel to squeeze out the water well. If there is water left in the spinach it will turn runny. The sauce will split too. It’s crucial to squeeze out all the water from spinach.

How to fix when spinach turns dry?

While heating/cooking milk will get evaporated and turn the cream sauce thick or even dry. To adjust the consistency of the cream sauce add little milk at a time while cooking or reheating to get the right consistency. You can add water too but milk will make it creamier. Water might dilute some of the flavors and sauce taste.

Can I skip nutmeg?

It’s optional. If you don’t like nutmeg, skip it.
I love the taste of nutmeg in this spinach dish. It’s not too strong and you won’t taste it immediately. When the flavor hits the back of your tongue, it’ll make you go wow!

Can I use other types of cheese?

Yes.
A mix of Parmesan and Mozzarella is my favorite.
A mix of shredded Provolone cheese and Parmesan cheese is another option.

Can I make it ahead?

Yes, it’s a great make-ahead side dish. It stays good for a few days in the fridge. Can be reheated in the microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl) or reheated on the stovetop.

Can it be frozen?

Yes, it freezes well.
It’s one of those side dishes that you want to make in a big batch and freeze it. Because it can be frozen and stored for up to 3 months.
To freeze – first, allow the cooked spinach to cool completely. Transfer to airtight containers or divide into portions and store in zip-lock bags. Place it in the freezer.

Reheat instructions

Remove the required portion from the freezer. Thaw it for 12 hours in the fridge and reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop. While reheating if the sauce turns too thick, add one or two tablespoons of milk to adjust the consistency of the sauce. Do not thin down the sauce too much. You want the spinach cream sauce to be thick enough.
You can directly reheat frozen spinach in a microwave-safe bowl. Reheat it for 60 seconds interval and stir often. Add a splash of milk if needed if the sauce turns too thick while reheating.

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Created by Jyothi Rajesh

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Jyothi Rajesh is the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail. She lives in Bangalore, India and is the mom of two beautiful kids. Her passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. She’s been blogging since 2007 and many of her recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.

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