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Looking for a low-carb and keto creamed spinach recipe? This easy, cheesy, side dish is my copycat to what you might find at a steakhouse or Boston Market. The main difference is that it’s actually low-carb and omits things like flour, whole milk and cornstarch. Takes just 15 minutes!
Why Make This
Creamed spinach is the way to get non-veggie, non-spinach loving fans to eat their greens.
My Keto Creamed Spinach is very similar to classic versions of this dish. It just contains fewer carbs compared to some other recipes out there.
- Uses heavy cream to cut carbs: Some creamed spinach recipes use whole milk or half and half, both of which have more carbs than heavy cream.
- No cornstarch flour as a thickening agent: One benefit of using heavy cream, Parmesan Cheese, and creamed cheese is that this creamed spinach recipe does not need a thickener like cornstarch or flour to make it creamy.
- Fraction of the carbs: places like Boston Market and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse offer creamed spinach as one of their sides. Though Boston Market and Ruth’s Chris do not list all of the ingredients on their sites, one estimate is that their versions have at least 10 grams of carbs.
- Versatile side dish: This is one of my absolute favorite keto side dish recipes, and it goes perfectly with chicken, ribs, seafood or steak (especially, my Beef Top Sirloin)
Ingredients Needed
- Parmesan Cheese: I’m using the fresh variety that you can pick up in the refrigerated cheese section of the market. The grated kind looks just like the kind that you can pick up for Italian dishes. I get it fresh since it has a milder flavor and is less processed and salty.
- Salt: You can add additional salt if you want to, but the parmesan cheese adds some salty flavor naturally. I’d only add salt to this recipe at the very end after tasting it.
- Spinach: Fresh spinach is a bit easier to work with because you don’t need to thaw and remove the extra liquid first. If you opt for frozen spinach, be sure to thaw it first and remove as much moisture as possible. You’ll also want to just heat it through in the sauce since it will come already wilted.
How to Make This
Sauté the shallots & garlic in a large skillet (photo 1).
Make the cream sauce by adding the spices, heavy cream, cream cheese, and Parmesan Cheese to the pan. The longer you cook the sauce, the more it will reduce (photo 2).
Add in the spinach to the cream sauce & cook until wilted (photos 3 – 4).
Top Cooking Tips & Recipe FAQs
- Reheating & Storage: I store my Creamed Spinach in a glass container for up to 3 days. When I’m ready to enjoy the dish, I simply pop it in the microwave for 1 minute.
- Fresh is Best: You can use either fresh or frozen spinach. But, I find fresh spinach works best.
My low carb creamed spinach recipe contains 2 net carbs per serving. In terms of calories, each serving has 238 calories. But, the majority of the calories come from fat and some come from protein, which makes the creamed spinach keto-friendly.
If you are using frozen spinach, you want to make sure you thaw and drain it first. Frozen spinach is naturally wilted because the freezing process has a similar effect on plants in that it softens them. You want to cook the frozen spinach in the cream sauce for about 3 minutes to heat it through.
Recipes to have with Low Carb Parmesan Creamed Spinach
This Creamed Spinach pairs well with several entrees. If you are stuck on ideas, here are a few of my favorite dishes to pair it with:
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Pressure Cooker Turkey Breast
- Keto BBQ Ribs
- Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
- Oven-Fried Crispy Wings
- Scallops
Easy Keto & Low Carb Creamed Spinach Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1/3 cup Shallot, sliced thinly
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 cup Organic Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 oz Cream Cheese
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 10 oz Spinach, I used fresh and 10 oz was 2 bags
- 1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Salt to taste, optional
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add minced garlic and shallots to the skillet. Saute until they are translucent (~2 minutes).
- Turn the pan heat to medium low. Then, add the heavy cream, cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and black pepper to the pan. Use a silicone spatula to incorporate the ingredients. You want the cream cheese fully melted.
- Add the spinach to the pan and mix it with the sauce. You want to cook this until it is slightly wilted.
- Taste the Creamed Spinach and decide if you'd like to add a pinch of salt (~1/8 tsp). Serve immediately.
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into Spoonacular API, a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used. The keto sweeteners I use have 0g net carbs & are not included because sugar alcohols do not impact most people. This is provided as a courtesy, but you can do your own calculations if you wish!
Yetta Monique Edwards says
Excited to try
Davinah says
Can’t wait to hear about it when you do! Thank you. 🙂
Joan says
Wonderful low carb recipe! Thank you!
Davinah says
Hi Joan,
I’m so happy that you enjoyed this! Thanks a lot for taking the time to stop back and share a review.
Best,
Davinah
April V says
Delicious! So creamy and flavorful, I’ll be making this often, my husband already decided it’s the new holiday side dish that will replace green bean casserole. 😋
Davinah says
Awesome! I’m really happy that you both enjoyed it. I appreciate you stopping back to write a review.
Nicole says
Wow – I was not expecting it to be this yummy! It didn’t even need the salt in my opinion. I add extra garlic of about 2-3 cloves (we LOVE garlic) and a dash of nutmeg. Thanks for the great keto side dish! I’m making it with buttered sautéed scallops for dinner tonight. 😋
Davinah says
Yum! I love garlic too so couldn’t agree more that the more garlic the better. Love the addition of nutmeg. Appreciate you for coming back to share the tip and the review!
Pilgrim says
Yummy. Being brand new to keto, I was surprised at how small a serving actually was by volume…. but overall a great, easy recipe!
Davinah says
Hi Pilgrim,
Happy that you enjoyed it. Yes – it’s quite rich so I tend to have a small amount of it with a protein like steak! Thanks for taking the time to stop back and rate this 🙂
Sandra says
I love this recipe. I am making it for the third time. I’m having it with grilled shrimp and Keto biscuits.
Davinah says
I’m so excited that you’re enjoying this recipe, Sandra! I appreciate you taking the time to stop back and give it a review!