We love bringing you reimagined classics, and this garlicky vegan creamed spinach is no exception! It’s easy, elegant, and the perfect side for your holiday table and beyond.
Spinach and garlic simmer until buttery and tender in a creamy, flavorful cashew-miso sauce. The result is incredibly savory, nourishing greens that are lighter than your average creamed spinach! Plus, just 20 minutes and 8 ingredients required. Let us show you how it’s done!
This dairy-free dream dish starts off with a creamy, savory sauce made by blending cashews with miso paste and nutritional yeast for cheesiness, salt and pepper for flavor, and lemon juice to balance it out.
Next, we sauté spinach with garlic and (optional) red pepper flakes to create a subtly spicy, flavorful base.
After cooking, the spinach shrinks down A LOT and we stir in the cashew-miso sauce.
The mixture becomes thick and saucy and the spinach gets melt-in-your-mouth tender. Top with crispy fried onions (optional, but worth the effort) and prepare for spinach-haters to have their minds changed.
We hope you LOVE this vegan creamed spinach! It’s:
Creamy
Garlicky
Savory
Quick & easy
Rich yet light
& SO delicious!
It pairs well with nearly any main or alongside other sides. For a comfort food feast, pair it with our Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Vegan Lentil Nut “Meatloaf.” You won’t be disappointed.
More Delicious Greens Recipes
- Garlicky Sautéed Greens
- Sautéed Kale with Lemon, Tahini & Hemp Seeds
- Easy Massaged Kale Salad (15 Minutes!)
- Sunflower-Coated Cheesy Kale Chips
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Garlicky Vegan Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
CREAM SAUCE
- 1/2 cup raw cashews*
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp white miso paste (or sub chickpea miso // find our guide to miso here)
- 1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper
SPINACH
- 2 Tbsp vegan butter (or olive oil)
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (5 cloves garlic yield ~3 Tbsp)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 16-20 oz. fresh baby spinach (or loosely chopped if using bunches)
FOR SERVING optional
- Crispy fried onions or shallots (or store-bought)
Instructions
- CREAM SAUCE: In a high-speed blender, blend together all the ingredients for the sauce until completely smooth. It will be liquidy, that’s okay — it will thicken when cooked!
- SPINACH: Add the vegan butter (or olive oil), garlic, and red pepper flakes (optional) to a Dutch oven (or large pot) and bring to low-medium heat. Cook until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant — about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, stirring occasionally. As it starts to wilt it will shrink and make space to keep adding more.
- Once all the spinach is wilted, add in the cream sauce and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the spinach is very tender — about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust as needed, adding more lemon juice for brightness or salt to taste.
- Serve warm, garnished with crispy fried onions or shallots (optional). It’s delicious served with mashed potatoes and Vegan Lentil Nut “Meatloaf.” If not vegan, it would pair nicely with turkey or salmon.
- Leftover spinach will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, adding a little water as needed to thin.
Video
Notes
*We didn’t find soaking the cashews necessary. If not using a powerful blender, you can soak the cashews to help them break down better.
*We haven’t tested with frozen spinach, but it should work. We’d suggest one 10-ounce bag of frozen spinach, adding it after sautéing the garlic. Once it loosens up and is warm, you can add in the cream sauce. Let us know if the comments if you try it!
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Jenn says
Thank you so much. Unbelievably delicious!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jenn. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Bekki says
Loved this!
It was easy and light. I didn’t have miso so I used vegi broth instead of water and Miso powder. Turned out great. I will definitely be making again.
Thanks
Lovely! Thank you for sharing, Bekki! xo
Adrienne says
Hi! In the video, it looks like you used a Nutribullet or other smaller (smoothie-type) blender. Would that work? I ask because the instructions call for a high-speed blender like a vitamix, but they don’t screw in from the top of the canister, as is what you show in the video. Asking because I’ve never used my Nutribullet for cashews, but it would be great to know if that’s powerful enough. Thanks and I love your recipes!!!
Hi Adrienne, Thank you for your kind words! Yes, either one works! In our experience, the Nutribullet has always done a great job at blending cashews. Hope that helps!
Corelia says
DELICIOUS!! This is the absolute best side dish for any occasion. And so clean – most conventional creamed spinach recipes call for tons of dairy, which, nuh uh, no thanks, I’ll pass on that. This is my favourite way to get in lotsa greens when I don’t feel like salad (plus, this is so much easier to make than salad!) Highly recommended!
We’re so glad you love this recipe, Corelia. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Karen H. says
WOW. So good! I made half a batch because I only had about 8 ounces of spinach, and ended up eating all of it myself in one sitting! 🙈 I already had some fried onions on hand so I used those, but I plan to try it with your Crispy Fried Onions when I use up the ones I have, as I am sure they will be superior. Thanks for the easy, delicious recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Karen! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Dawna says
I’m a little confused about the spinach amount. Recipe calls for 48-60 ounces–I bought the largest container of fresh spinach and it’s only 1 lb, or 16 ounces. That’s a lot of spinach! Can you clarify? Thanks! Making this for a potluck tomorrow. I have fond memories of the non-vegan Boston Market creamed spinach :-)
Hi Dawna, Spinach shrinks down a lot, which is why the recipe calls for a fairly large amount (16-20 ounces for 4 servings). Perhaps you adjusted the number of servings, so the recipe is showing you need a larger amount of spinach?
Judy Larrabee says
I made this exactly as is and it was abolutely amazingly good! So buttery and creamy no one in my famiiy dreamed it was dairy free. I served it with grilled mahi mahi and white basnati rice…perfection.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Judy! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
EE says
Would this work with cashew butter? That’s all I got at home (pure cashew butter with no other ingredients aside from safflower oil) – maybe if I skip part of the water?
If the cashew butter is roasted it will add a noticeable flavor to the recipe! You might be able to use it if you thin it out with water until it reaches the right consistency!
Kim Barke says
I LOVED this recipe. Easy to make and super savory–a new favorite. I added an onion and about a 1/2 tsp of freshly ground nutmeg, since my mother used to add that to creamed spinach.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Kim! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Jenna says
Even freezes!! I made this last week, doubling so I could see if it freezes well. I’m happy to report it did! It was a bit watery after defrosting, but the flavor was still there. I have low iron and try to eat greens daily, so this recipe has been super helpful! Thank you!
We love to hear it! Thanks so much for the great review, Jenna!
Heather says
Super super delicious, easy, versatile and healthy to boot! I used power greens because that’s what I had on hand and served it with baked salmon. Not a single complaint.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Heather! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Vanessa says
Made this for Thanksgiving and another time since using kale and it was delicious!
Woohoo! Sounds delish with kale. Thanks for the review, Venessa!
Karen Corbett says
I made this using frozen spinach. Such a delicious simple flavor. That cream sauce is amazing. My schedule is a bit hectic, so I soaked the cashews and made the sauce in the evening. The next day I just fried the garlic and chili powder using veggie broth, added the frozen chopped spinach, and when it was thawed and warmed I added the cashew cream sauce. Let it cook until thickened. So easy and very delicious!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review, Karen!
Ann says
Wow. This is an amazing recipe! I didn’t do the onions (next time!) but had the creamed spinach over baked honeynut squash. It was totally fantastic! I didn’t have miso so used 1 ts soy sauce in its place. This recipe was so easy and fast – and I learned I don’t have to soak the cashews with a Vitamix! That will save me a step making my cashew milk for my morning coffee. I just love you! As a vegan and gluten-free, your blog is my first stop for virtually anything and the recipes are always excellent. Thank you!
Ooo yum! Love that squash idea. Thanks so much for the review, Ann!
Alma says
Just curious, if there is no miso in the house, what can be used as a replacement??
You could omit and simply increase the salt and nutritional yeast slightly!
Cillian says
I made this for our Thanksgiving meal this year (with a few modifications) and it was absolutely fantastic. I didn’t have any miso paste and my store was sold out, but I substituted tahini instead which worked perfectly. I increased the amount of garlic by a couple of cloves, and also added sliced brown mushrooms – I just tossed them in to sautee after getting the garlic and red pepper flakes fragrant and added the spinach once they were softened. Thank you for this one, I can tell this is going to become a regular in our rotation!
Lisa Angelella says
Delicious! I left out the nutritional yeast because I didn’t have it and just added another tsp. of miso. It was still amazing and added a lot of flavor to our Thanksgiving table. I can’t believe we got the nutrition of two whole big bags of spinach within such a decadent taste! I am excited to share it even with non-vegan family members!
Love it! Thanks so much for the review and for sharing your modifications, Lisa!
Ro says
How long to bake it? I didn’t cook spinach in Boursin recipe….will it be awful?
Hi Ro! We’re not sure about the Boursin recipe, but you don’t have to bake this one!
Jess says
Could this be made with the same amount of frozen spinach?
Hi Jess, That should work! We’d suggest one 10-ounce bag of frozen spinach. It should be fine to add it after sautéing the garlic. Once it loosens up and is warm, you can add in the cream sauce. Let us know if you try it!
Kristina Thiel says
Yumm!!!
Could you use frozen spinach for this??
Hi Kristina, That should work! We’d suggest one 10-ounce bag of frozen spinach. It should be fine to add it after sautéing the garlic. Once it loosens up and is warm, you can add in the cream sauce. Let us know if you try it!
Eden Blumenauer says
Can I use frozen spinach in this recipe? If so, how would you modify?
Hi Eden, That should work! We’d suggest one 10-ounce bag of frozen spinach. It should be fine to add it after sautéing the garlic. Once it loosens up and is warm, you can add in the cream sauce. Let us know if you try it!
Diana says
This looks great! I have a lot of cashew butter on hand. How would you sub that out for the raw cashews?
Hi Diana, That could work! Maybe try 2 tablespoons cashew butter in place of the cashews? Let us know how it goes!
Diana says
Two tablespoons in one cup of water was too watery. I cut down the water to about 2/3 of a cup and used 4 T cashew butter, which became creamy (not watery) once it was cooked.
Thank you for sharing, Diana!