Keto Creamed Spinach

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Keto creamed spinach is a rich and creamy low-carb side dish! Spinach and cream cheese, mixed with garlic, parmesan, butter, and spices combine to create a decadent side that’s a total crowd pleaser. This creamy dip is naturally gluten-free, family friendly, and super easy to make. The best part? It’s ready in just 15 minutes!

Creamed spinach is a classic dish found on restaurant menus and family dinner tables everywhere. It’s great any time of year, but is also popular around the holidays. Simple, easy creamed spinach is typically made with either milk or heavy cream, cheese, and spinach. But you can dress it up with herbs, cream cheese, parmesan, and even nutmeg!

The problem with most traditional creamed spinach recipes is that they include flour, to thicken the mixture, which means that it’s not gluten free or keto friendly. I’ve also found that this step is unnecessary – you can actually make a rich, creamy sauce without any flour.

Which is why, I created this keto creamed spinach recipe with no flour! It’s so simple to make, you only need seven ingredients, 15 minutes, and one pot to whip it up.

Without flour, this recipe has barely any carbs and is naturally gluten free. One serving of this keto creamy spinach is only 4 grams of net carbs. It’s fancy enough for the holidays or special occasions but easy enough for a busy weeknight! You can’t go wrong with this low carb spinach recipe.

If you’ve never had low carb creamed spinach, it’s similar to spinach dip, but you get to devour it like it’s part of the meal. It’s one of my favorite ways to use spinach, and the cream cheese + parmesan thicken into a rich cream sauce that everyone will love.

It checks all the boxes for a perfect side dish – creamy, cheesy, decadent and satisfying!

👩‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works

• Super easy, ready in just 15 minutes
• Delicious side dish
• Great any time of year
• Perfect for those on a keto or low carb diet
• Naturally gluten free
• 4 grams of total carbs per serving
• Fancy enough for Thanksgiving dinner, easy enough for a Tuesday!
• Great way to get picky eaters to eat their greens
• The best creamed spinach recipe ever!

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🥘 Ingredients

Easy keto creamed spinach with cream cheese requires seven basic ingredients plus salt and pepper. Three of the main ingredients are dairy products, but don’t worry! You can make this recipe dairy-free and vegan too (see variations below). For the detailed ingredients list and nutritional information, see the recipe card below.

• Butter: Butter is used to sauté the onion and garlic until fragrant. Olive oil works great too.
• Onion: Onions mellow and sweeten as they cook. You can use white, yellow, or sweet onions with great results. To cut back on prep time, buy pre-diced onions from the refrigerated section near the produce.
• Garlic: Garlic’s nutty taste gives a boost of flavor to savory dishes. You can buy it raw or pre-minced. A jar of minced garlic will last up to 3 months in the refrigerator.
• Baby Spinach: Spinach is very low in carbs, which makes it perfect for the ketogenic diet! It’s a powerhouse vegetable packed with nutrients and antioxidants. Baby spinach is best because it has a milder flavor than regular spinach. The tender and small leaves cook quickly and don’t need to be chopped. You can use frozen or fresh spinach in this cheesy spinach recipe. Frozen spinach will need to thaw first so you can squeeze out any excess water.
• Salt & Pepper: Don’t forget to season! Sometimes, the difference between a flat dish and an outstanding one is just a bit of salt and black pepper. You can also add 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning too or 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg for additional flavor.
• Cream Cheese: Cream cheese forms the base of the cheesy sauce! Sour cream would also work in a pinch.
• Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan is a key ingredient for this classic side dish. It’s nutty, salty, and cheesy! It’s best to grate your own but pre-grated or shaved parmesan works fine too.
• Heavy Cream: Heavy whipping cream brings all the melty cheeses together, and is an easy way to thicken the sauce for this keto spinach recipe without any flour!

🔪 Instructions

This is a family favorite recipe! It’s so simple and comes together in a snap.

Sauté Aromatics: In a large skillet, sauté the butter and onion over medium heat, cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. This will keep the garlic from burning.

Add Spinach: Add 10 ounces of spinach leaves and sauté until wilted.

Simmer With Cream: Add the cream and turn to medium-high heat. Once your low carb cream spinach mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the cream starts to thicken.

Stir In Cheese: Add the cream cheese and grated parmesan and stir to combine then cook until the sauce starts to thicken up.

Season: Season and enjoy this gluten free creamed spinach without flour immediately!

💭 Expert Tips

• Don’t add a thickening agent. This easy side dish recipe doesn’t need a thickening agent. The heavy cream and cream cheese will thicken up the sauce on their own. Adjust the thickness by adding more or less cream cheese. Remember: flour isn’t necessary to thicken keto cream spinach!
• For best results, use fresh baby spinach. I prefer raw, fresh, baby spinach for the best texture and flavor. If you choose to use frozen spinach, be sure to let it thaw and squeeze out the extra water. The extra liquid will make the dish runny instead of creamy. If you choose regular spinach (not baby spinach), you’ll need to make sure you chop it really well because otherwise the big leaves will become too stringy and will be harder to eat.
• You can serve keto creamed spinach in a variety of ways! This tasty side dish is a great addition to any spread. Here are some of our favorites:
  • With hearty main dishes like vegan turkey, or vegan meatloaf, or meat dishes like pan-seared steaks, roasted chicken, or roasted salmon.
  • Alongside less meaty mains like vegetable lasagna or sourdough grilled cheese.
  • With other great side dish options like air fryer tofu, loaded healthy baked potatoes, or roasted broccoli and potatoes.

📖 Variations

Customize this easy creamed spinach recipe to fit your dietary needs and preferences.

• No Cream Cheese: Don’t have cream cheese? That’s ok! Make creamed spinach with sour cream by replacing the cream cheese with 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream.
• Healthy Creamed Spinach with Greek Yogurt: Replace the cream cheese with Greek yogurt. Use olive oil in place of butter and cashew milk in place of the heavy cream for a lighter healthy cream spinach version.
• Low Fat Creamed Spinach: Replace the heavy cream with fat-free half and half. Use fat-free cream cheese in place of regular cream cheese. Follow the recipe as directed.
• Low Calorie Creamed Spinach: If you’re simply looking to cut calories, replace the cream cheese with fat-free cream cheese and the heavy cream with fat-free half and half. It’s that easy to make a low cal creamed spinach.
• Vegan: Use plant-based alternatives for the dairy products. Kite-hill and Violife both make delicious vegan cheeses (including parmesan), and have a vegan cream cheese option. Cashew milk is a mild and creamy alternative for the cream.
• Creamed Spinach With Gruyere: Not a fan of parmesan or want to change things up? Just replace the parmesan with shredded gruyere cheese instead!

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🍲 More Easy Keto Recipes!

• Keto Enchiladas
• Keto Marinara Sauce
• Keto Tomato Soup
• Keto Greek Salad
• Creamed Cottage Cheese
• Keto Breakfast Casserole
• 30 Low Carb Vegetarian Recipes

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