this easy vegan creamed spinach is 10 ingredients and the perfect side dish for the holidays! made with frozen spinach it has so much flavor you will love.
the inspiration
Honestly, I just really love creamed spinach and I feel that it doesn’t get enough love. Creamed spinach typically makes me think of steakhouses and while I don’t eat at those very often for obvious reasons, I do think the fun part is all the delicious side dishes. It has been so long since I have had creamed spinach and I just really wanted to make some. So, now you get to reap the benefits! Let’s make some vegan creamed spinach together.
the ingredients
- Frozen Spinach: for this vegan creamed spinach you will need 2 boxes of frozen spinach. I like using frozen spinach better because I personally like the consistency of it better in a creamed spinach.
- Garlic: this will add flavor to our vegan creamed spinach.
- Onion: this will add flavor to our vegan creamed spinach.
- Vegan Butter: to start off the vegan creamed spinach you will sauté the onion and garlic in vegan butter, this will add nice flavor.
- Vegan Cream Cheese: vegan cream cheese is a great way to add creaminess and flavor to our vegan creamed spinach very easily. I prefer to use the Kite Hill brand. You can also use my homemade recipe as well.
- Nutritional Yeast: in non-vegan creamed spinach parmesan cheese is used. So, I decided to opt for nutritional yeast to replace it. However, if you’d rather use a vegan parmesan you certainly can.
- Non-Dairy Milk: for this recipe I used unsweetened and unflavored almond milk. I prefer that for this recipe as the non-dairy milk is just here to help thin out the vegan cream cheese. However, any unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk will work (I would just say no coconut milk).
- Seasonings: you only need salt, black pepper, and garlic powder for my recipe. If you like nutmeg in your creamed spinach you can add it in as well.
cooking the spinach
First up let’s cook our spinach. The nice thing about using frozen spinach instead of fresh is there isn’t as much shrinking that occurs, what you see is what you get. Frozen spinach naturally has a lot of water, so all I do is pop the spinach into a pan and let it cook for 10 to 12 minutes until it is warm and most of the water is cooked out. You can also microwave the spinach if you’d rather save a burner.
squeezing the spinach
After the spinach is done cooking you need to squeeze the water out. This is important because spinach holds a lot of water. The best way I have found to do this is to take a few paper towels, lay it on the spinach, and press. I will then squeeze out the paper towels into the sink (or you can collect the water if you’d like) and repeat the process a few times. You don’t need to make the spinach dry but you want to remove some of the excess water.
Squeezing out the spinach will help to ensure that the creamed spinach doesn’t become too watery. While the creamed spinach should be creamy we don’t want it to be thin and too liquidy.
the creamy sauce
To make the creamy sauce for the vegan creamed spinach is so easy. In a large pan you will melt some vegan butter and then sauté the chopped garlic and onion, yum. From there you will add in the vegan cream cheese and cook that for 30 to 60 seconds all alone, this will help to start melting it. Then, you will pour in the non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, and seasoning. Use a whisk to mix it all up and to help ensure the vegan cream cheese is melting down smoothly. Give it a taste after a few minutes and adjust any seasonings to preferences.
combining it all together
Once your spinach is cooked and squeeze and your creamy sauce is done it is now time to combine! Just add in the spinach and mix it all together. Once you have it combined you can taste it and adjust any of the seasonings to what you like. I also decided to add in a little extra almond milk which is totally optional I just wanted a little extra creaminess.
why you’ll love this recipe
I think this recipe is perfect for everyone! You also will be amazed at how creamy and delicious this is without any dairy. This recipe is soy and gluten free too! It can be made nut free depending on the non-dairy milk and vegan cream cheese you use. If you love spinach and artichoke dip you need to make a vegan creamed spinach because it reminds me so much of spinach and artichoke dip.
Also, during the holidays I know we have a ton of comfort food going on but it is important to get some form of a green in. So, you can at least get your spinach on in a cozy way!
Unlike regular non-vegan creamed spinach this version is much lighter and won’t leave you feeling overstuffed and full. It hits the cozy, comfort food craving without feeling weighed down like dairy can do at times.
why didn’t i use nutmeg?
In most creamed spinach recipes you will find the use of nutmeg. Personally, I wanted to keep this easy for you guys and not feel like you need to buy another spice if you don’t have it. If you do have nutmeg on hand you can add in about ½ teaspoon to start and taste it to add more if you like. However, don’t feel like you need to run out and get nutmeg just for one recipe.
more holiday side dishes
vegan creamed spinach variations
While this recipe is delicious as is here are some fun ways you can change up this recipe:
- Add some vegan mozzarella to the top and broil for a few minutes to make a crispy cheesy topping.
- You can add fried onions to the top for a fun crunch.
- Sprinkle with toasted breadcrumbs.
- Make it a little spicy with some red pepper flakes.
vegan creamed spinach faq
- Is this recipe soy free? Yes, as long as your vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, and non-dairy milk are soy free.
- Is this recipe gluten free? Yes.
- Is this recipe nut free? Yes, as long as your vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, and non-dairy milk are soy free.
- How do I store leftovers? They can stay in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- How do I reheat the vegan creamed spinach? You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stove.
- Can I freeze it? While I didn’t try it, I think it would freeze nicely.
- I don’t want to use vegan cream cheese is there something else I can do? You can blend up ½ cup (60g) of soaked cashews with ½ cup (120ml) non-dairy milk to make a cashew cream and use that instead.
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Easy Vegan Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 (10 ounce) boxes frozen spinach
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic chopped
- ¼ Vidalia or sweet onion chopped
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese
- 1 ½ cups non-dairy milk unsweetened and unflavored *see note
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper or taste
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- In a large pan cook the frozen spinach for 10 to 12 minutes over medium heat. Stir occasionally and cook until all the water is cooked off and the spinach is no longer frozen.
- In a separate large pan melt down the vegan butter. Then, add in the garlic and onion and sauté for 5 minutes over medium heat or until fragrant.
- Add in the vegan cream cheese and let it melt down for a minute to 2 minutes. Then add in the non-dairy milk, seasonings, and nutritional yeast. Whisk and cook for 5 minutes over low heat until thickened.
- Once the spinach is done cooking use paper towels or a clean dish towel to squeeze out the excess water.
- Combine the cooked spinach and cream sauce together. Mix until the spinach is coated. Taste and add any seasonings to preference.
- Serve and garnish with a bit of black pepper and salt if desired.
Notes
- Nutrition facts are based on my gram measurements put into Cronometer. Yours may vary, they are to help you get an idea.
- For vegan butter I prefer Miyoko’s
- For vegan cream cheese I prefer Kite Hill
- For non-dairy milk I am using unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
- I first made this recipe with 1 cup (240ml) of non-dairy milk. However, after mixing it all together I added in another ½ cup (120ml) to the final dish to make it creamier.
Nutrition
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