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Easy Vegan Creamed Spinach

This amazing vegan creamed spinach is an easy and fast holiday appetizer with frozen spinach, garlic, cashew cream and dairy-free yogurt. 

Back with another healthy side dish for you and it's a good one! Creamed spinach has always been a staple on my family's Thanksgiving table. My grandmother always made it with plenty of cream and butter. This year, I decided to make a healthier version of creamed spinach.

This recipe is a healthy, dairy-free, vegan creamed spinach recipe that is an absolute breeze to make, is packed with flavor and tastes just like traditional creamed spinach.

ingredients for vegan creamed spinach

Recipe Ingredients

I started with my grandma's recipe and adapted mine to be a bit healthier (and simpler). I think you're going to like this ingredient list!

  • Frozen spinach: Using frozen instead of fresh spinach gives your dish more flavor because it's concentrated. It's also easier to handle because it's already chopped and compact. You're going to get way more bang for your buck this way as well. Just make sure to thaw and drain before cooking!
  • Garlic: Sauteed garlic is one of the secrets to giving this a ton of flavor!
  • Shallots: I like using shallots in recipes that have a more delicate flavor like this one because I find them to be a bit sweet and also more tender than onions.
  • Cashew cream: I'm full-on obsessed with cashew cream – it's such an easy way to add rich creamy flavor with no dairy.
  • Coconut yogurt: This is optional, but I love adding it to savory recipes (like my vegan mushroom stroganoff) because it adds creaminess and some tang. If you don't want to use it, use additional cashew cream and some lemon juice.
  • Miso paste: A simple way to add umami flavor to your dish is with miso paste. It's fermented and tangy, but also salty and really helps to round out the flavor of this dish.

And then we just sprinkle in some salt & pepper!

close up on creamy spinach

How to Make Vegan Creamed Spinach from Scratch

This recipe couldn't be easier to make and that's one of the reasons why it makes such an awesome holiday side. The less amount of work the better!

STEP ONE: Thaw Frozen Spinach

Since we're using frozen spinach in this recipe, thaw it as much as you can beforehand. You can do this in the microwave or by leaving the spinach in the refrigerator overnight. And before you add it into the pan, just drain any excess liquid that collects in the bag/bowl.

STEP TWO: Saute

While the spinach is thawing, saute the garlic and shallot in a skillet. You're looking for the garlic to be golden brown and the shallot to be almost translucent. It should also be quite fragrant!

STEP THREE: Mix

The last step is the add the rest of your ingredients! I like to start with the spinach and make sure that it's fully warmed through and mixed in, and then I add the cream, yogurt, and miso. The miso might take a little bit of time to dissolve, so just continue stirring until everything is fully incorporated.

Finally, season the dish to taste and enjoy!

bowl of creamed vegan spinach

A Healthy Spin on Creamed Spinach

A lot of people associate creamed vegetables with unhealthy and I get it. Do you really need heavy cream with your vegetables? Probably not.

But this particular version I'm happy to say is quite healthy! Here are some of the health benefits of this vegan recipe:

  • full of healthy fats from the cashews
  • low in saturated fats
  • lots of protein (6g per serving!)
  • lots of fiber (3g per serving)
  • low carb (9g per serving)

So to answer your question, YES! Creamed spinach can totally be healthy – especially when you make it dairy-free!

bowl of creamed spinach

What To Serve with Vegan Creamed Spinach

I'll admit that creamed spinach is probably not something I will make much outside of the holidays, but it's the absolute perfect dish to serve at Thanksgiving. It's not only a great way to get greens into the spread, but it also pairs really nicely with other traditional thanksgiving recipes, including:

What to Make with Leftovers

The beauty of creamed spinach is that you can also use it for other recipes. If you have leftovers, here's what I would make with my vegan creamed spinach:

And it's also delicious on top of a pizza which we made the other night! BUT – my guess is – if you are making this for Thanksgiving, there won't be any leftovers because it's that darn good!

You can store leftover creamed spinach in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days.

spoon of creamed vegan spinach

More Healthy Holiday Side Dish Recipes

If you make this Healthy Vegan Creamed Spinach recipe, be sure to let me know what you think with a comment below!

Best Vegan Creamed Spinach

5 from 2 votes
This amazing vegan creamed spinach recipe is not only easy to make, but you'd never know it was dairy-free! The perfect healthy side dish for the holidays
author: Alyssa
yield: 6 servings
bowl of creamed vegan spinach
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 20 oz frozen spinach
  • 1 shallot , diced
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup cashew cream
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened vegan yogurt*
  • 1 teaspoon miso paste
  • Generous pinch of salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Thaw the spinach and press out any excess liquid.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and shallot and saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
    cooking garlic in a skillet
  • Once the garlic and shallots are cooked, add the spinach and saute until the spinach is warm.
    collage of cooking spinach with garlic in a skillet
  • Stir in the remaining ingredients and continue to cook until the miso is fully dissolved.
    collage of adding cashew cream to spinach in a skillet
  • Season with salt and pepper, taste and adjust your seasonings if needed. Serve warm or allow to cool completely and reheat before serving.
    bowl of creamed spinach with a spoon

Video

Notes

* I like unsweetened coconut yogurt best for this recipe. If you can't find an unsweetened yogurt, add vegan sour cream, vegan cream cheese or additional cashew cream + 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 412mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 11081IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 134mg | Iron: 3mg
cuisine: American
course: Side Dish

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