This is the best creamed spinach recipe ever. With just 6 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep, you can have cheesy, bacony keto creamed spinach at the dinner table in no time. This easy side dish recipe is low carb, keto, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
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Anything with bacon and cheese falls into the comfort food category in my family. I take those two rich and indulgent foods and add them to casseroles, salads, side dishes, and more. If it has cheese and it has bacon my kids will eat it.
I can imagine the reactions if I just bought the casserole dish full of raw spinach (pictured below) to the dinner table. But, mix in some bacon and cheese and make it into keto creamed spinach and it's a hit.
I promise you’ve never had low carb creamed spinach like this before! Not only is it creamy, and delicious even the youngest picky eaters are more than happy to devour every last bite. So if you ever had trouble getting your kiddos to eat healthily, serve them this creamed spinach and you’ll be amazed at how easily and happily they eat every ounce.
Creamed Spinach Ingredients
As far as the ingredients go, they are super simple, and most of them you probably already have around your home. Let’s take a look at what you need to get started!
- Spinach: I almost always prefer to use fresh spinach; however you could use frozen if you’d rather.
- Cream Cheese: The reason this creamed spinach is so rich, velvety, and creamy is because of the cream cheese. You are always welcome to use less cream cheese if you want to; it’s completely up to you.
- Dried Minced Onions: I especially enjoy the flavor that the dried minced onions bring to this recipe. It just as a little bit of extra flavor and finishes the dish.
- Roasted Garlic Powder: If you don’t have roasted garlic powder, that’s not a problem. You could always swap it for regular garlic powder. Either way having a little bit of garlic powder is going to enhance the overall flavor of the dish.
- Salt & Pepper: The salt and pepper are just going to be to taste. So you will add as much or as little as you want to make sure that it meets your flavor preferences.
- Gouda Cheese: One of the real stars of this dish is the gouda cheese. If you don’t eat a lot of gouda cheese, you might be surprised to know that it has a very strong flavor. If you don’t like strong-flavored cheese, that’s okay; you can totally exchange it for any other kind of cheese you want.
- Bacon: Cook the bacon so it’s extra crispy, then you will crumble it to add to the keto creamed spinach. You don’t need a lot of bacon to get that amazing flavor. I only use one piece; however, you could always add a little bit more or completely omit the bacon depending on what you like.
I never cease to be amazed at how much spinach cooks down. From the photo above to the one below you can see how much my keto creamed spinach shrunk. Even adding some other ingredients didn't bulk up the bottom.
When I was cooking this spinach for a birthday dinner I kept looking at my overflowing saucepan of fresh spinach and wondering if I needed to add more. I really could have.
Expert Tip: If you'd like to lighten up this dish you can either cut the amount of cream cheese and shredded cheese in half or just double the amount of spinach.
How to Make Keto Creamed Spinach
First Step: Saute the spinach with some seasonings. Add cream cheese and let it melt into the spinach. Add shredded cheese and bacon.
Second Step: You can serve it immediately right from the skillet or transfer the creamed spinach to a casserole dish and bake it to brown the cheese topping.
Keto Creamed Spinach Variations
Not only is this creamed spinach recipe delicious as it is, but you can also make some adjustments to add a little bit of variation to the dish. Here are a few of the ideas that we’ve tried or some of the readers have tried and told me about.
- Mozzarella Cheese: If you aren’t a fan of gouda cheese, that’s not a problem! You can easily swap it out with mozzarella, which is a more tame flavored cheese. Some other great choices are Parmesan, cheddar, swiss, or even pepper jack for a little kick!
- Artichoke Hearts: Feel free to add in a few artichoke hearts if you want to. It will make it taste similar to an artichoke spinach dip recipe.
- Parmesan: Sprinkle on some shredded parmesan cheese for an extra bit of pizzazz to this recipe. I feel like you can never have enough parmesan cheese, but that’s just my opinion.
- Minced Garlic: Another fun thing to do would be to saute a little bit of minced garlic. You can use anywhere between two and four cloves depending on your preference. Saute them in a little bit of oil then add them to the mixture of the other ingredients.
What Makes This Keto Creamed Spinach Healthy?
There are many things to be excited about when it comes to this keto cream cheese creamed spinach recipe. Not only is it low calorie and only has 267 calories per serving, but it also has a lot of protein, healthy fats, and tons of potassium. It also happens to have a lot of vitamin C, iron, and vitamin A. All of the nutrients together give you a meal choice that is jam-packed with nutrient-rich ingredients.
Can I Use Frozen Spinach?
Absolutely! Just cook it according to the package instructions before adding in the cheeses and spices.
Can I Add Meat To This Creamed Spinach?
In addition to the bacon, you can absolutely add more meat to this spinach recipe if you want. Diced, cooked chicken would be a fantastic option. Or you can shred a rotisserie chicken and add it to the spinach recipe.
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Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh spinach
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon roasted garlic powder or regular garlic powder
- salt & pepper to taste
- 6 oz gouda cheese shredded
- 2 pieces crisp bacon crumbled
Instructions
- Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Add the spinach, cover, and cook over medium until the spinach has wilted. Add the cream cheese, onion, and garlic, and stir until the cream cheese has melted.
- Remove from the heat. Add half the gouda cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the remaining cheese and crumbled bacon and serve right from the skillet.
- OPTIONAL: Preheat oven to 400. Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray. Follow the above instructions and then transfer to the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese and crumbled bacon. Bake for 20 min.
Notes
Nutrition
More Delicious Spinach Recipes
- Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms with Sundried Tomatoes
- Spinach Feta Savory Pancakes
- Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Chicken
- Mediterranean Chicken & Spinach Casserole
- Spinach and Feta Quiche
- Keto Gnocchi with Spinach
Originally Published May 28, 2018. Revised and Republished September 9, 2020.
Janine says
I know this is an old thread, but we just tried this with our abundance of mustard greens. REALLY GOOD!
John says
Made this for my wife. She said it's the best spinach dish she's ever good. "That was super good!" Hopefully she'll leave some for at least one more meal.
Oregon Thea says
I subbed in Fry's crispy onions sprinkled sparsely on top instead of bacon. I also cooked it on the stovetop and then let the liquid cook out of it by baking it in the oven afterward. Letting it cool a little and solidify further, I then served it to my husband with an ice cream scooper on top of his favorite burger patty. I made a little dent in the top a la mashed potatoes, and squirted some 2x/s tomato paste into it cold like you would a dollop of sour cream.
My husband hates vegetables. This was a huge victory watching him stubbornly try to act like he wasn't liking it, and after the first few bites he dropped all pretense and began savoring every bite like it was the high point of his day. That's a big win in our house!!
Lenny says
I’m doubling this recipe (2lbs pre-washed baby spinach) and notice a lot of water in my pan. Should I drain the liquid?
Taryn says
Yes, drain off some of the liquid if it seems excessive or the sauce will be thin. You do want a little liquid to make the sauce.
Liz says
Wonderful!! Any thoughts about using frozen spinach?
Judy says
I used fresh spinach and can’t believe how easy this recipe was to make. I used Pecorino Romano cheese and think next time I will use 1/2 as much and use Swiss cheese for the remaining half. Great side dish. 👍
wilhelmina says
This is THE BEST creamed spinach I've had! Easy to make and so delicious, it's fits perfectly into a low carb lifestyle!
Cindy says
Cannot believe how yummy the spinach turns out! It has become one of my new favorite keto recipes.
LisaST says
This was delicious! I used Swiss cheese and threw in som crispy French onions. It eill definitely become a side dish staple for me!
Sarah says
One of my favorites! I sub half of the gouda with mozzarella to make it a bit tamer. I also add diced artichoke hearts and call it dip for parties.
Kathy says
I've been making this recipe without baking in the oven. I do add a little bit of whipping cream to help blend the cheeses. Husband loves it and ready in 10 minutes.
Byenia says
Love this recipe, though I do usually use frozen spinach and reduce the cream cheese by half. 🙂
SL says
Very easy! I cooked everything in an oven safe pan to cut down on dishes, it worked great! I am going to try a blend of cheeses next time instead of all gouda.
Rebecca says
Had this on my list to make for so very long! Finally remembered all the ingredients at the store yesterday and just made it. YUM! I could eat this every single day!
Saniya says
Hi, just made this but trying to enter the nutritional info in my Carb Manager app. I know you said it's 6 servings so would it be 1 serving for 1 person? Thanks!
Taryn says
If you want to eat 2 servings go ahead. 😉
Saniya says
But what's considered a serving? An ounce, a cup? Thanks! By the way, this dish was DELICIOUS!
Samata says
Can I use heavy whipping cream instead of cream cheese?
Taryn says
Yes but use less, maybe 4 oz and you may need a thickening like xanthan gum.
Victoria says
Can this be made ahead and baked in oven the next day? Would you just prepare up to the point prior to adding the remaining cheese and baking?
Taryn says
Yes, that's exactly what I would do. Enjoy!
Lisa says
This sounds delicious. I've been reading through ALL your recipes as soon as I discovered your blog! Do you think this would be freezer friendly?
Taryn says
I think so but I haven't tried yet.
Monica says
What would be a good substitute for the Gouda?
Taryn says
Any other cheese you enjoy!