Vegan creamed spinach recipe is so incredibly creamy and it's ready in just a few minutes without any heavy cream or other dairy products.
This plant-based creamed spinach is a lactose-free recipe that leaves the creamed spinach from the store in the shade.
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Not only will kids and Popeye love this recipe, adults just can't get enough of it as well.
With this vegan spinach recipe you have a great side dish, whether with mashed potatoes or another recipe. You know how to use fresh spinach or frozen spinach. Cashews make this recipe so incredibly creamy.
This dairy-free spinach side dish made from whole food plant based ingredients is keto-friendly and low-carb.
Often in ready-made products as well as in the ready to serve creamed spinach there are additives and flavors. But with this homemade vegan creamed spinach, we do not use any of these substances at all.
Ingredients
Now let's take a look at what you need for this great vegan creamed spinach.
Spinach
Cashews
Vegetable Broth
Garlic
Onion
Nutmeg
Yeast Flakes
Sea-salt
Substitutions
This vegan creamed spinach doesn't have many ingredients but let's see what you can swap out for this recipe.
Cashews
If you want to prepare the creamed spinach without cashews, I recommend using sunflower seeds. You can also puree these very creamy.
To do this, let them mix a little longer in the high-performance mixer than cashews. If you want to use sunflower seeds now, I recommend about double the amount of sunflower seeds. These are not as thick as cashews, but will make the dish even creamier.
Vegetable Broth
Instead of vegetable broth, you can also use water here. I have to say one thing, the vegetable broth gives it a lot of flavor, which makes this creamed spinach something special.
Nutritional Yeast
The nutritional yeast makes a great umami taste. If you don't want to use nutritional yeast, just use a small dash of soy sauce or white miso paste.
Variations
I would like to show you how you can adapt the vegan creamed spinach dish to different diets.
Gluten free
This vegan creamed spinach is naturally gluten-free. You do not have to make adjustments to the recipe here.
Keto and Paleo
This dish is also keto and paleo friendly and no substitutions need to be made.
Nut free
Since we use cashews as a cream substitute for the vegan creamed spinach, I recommend swapping the cashews. Here you can grab sunflower seeds.
Thanks to the spices, you won't taste any sunflower seeds.
Soy free
We also do not use soy for this vegan creamed spinach. So you have a great soy-free alternative.
Instructions
Start by frying the chopped onion and chopped garlic in a little water. Add the spinach and reduce the heat. Let the spinach wilt or defrost. Depending on whether you use frozen or fresh spinach. You can finely chop the spinach beforehand or buy spinach that has already been chopped.
Mix the cashews with the vegetable stock in a high speed blender. You do this until you get a creamy consistency.
Add the cashew cream to the spinach. First add ¼ of the cream and stir it. Season it to taste with the spices and let it boil. If necessary, add more of the cream. Make sure that you bring it to the boil, so the cashew cream thickens nicely and it becomes very creamy.
Prepare in advance
You can also prepare the creamed spinach far in advance. Simply prepare the cashew cream 2 days in advance and then pour the spinach over it when you are warming up.
Storage
Opinions differ whether spinach should be reheated or not. We do it. You have to decide for yourself whether you want to do it or not.
If you want to do it then I can recommend the following to you.
How to refrigerate it?
You can put the spinach in a sealed container in the refrigerator. The vegan creamed spinach lasts there for about 3 days.
How to freeze it?
You can also freeze the spinach in portions in containers. The spinach will keep there for about 1 month.
Serving Options
Are you wondering what you can eat with the vegan creamed spinach? We like to eat it with the following dishes.
Mashed Potatoes and Mushroom Gravy
Potato Dumplings and Cream Mushrooms
Tips
If the vegan creamed spinach isn't creamy enough for you, let it simmer a little more. The cashews thicken more.
We like to eat the spinach chopped. That's what my children like best.
You can also let the frozen spinach thaw in a colander so that you have less liquid in the pot afterwards.
More vegan recipes:
Have you tried the recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Cream Spinach
Vegan creamed spinach recipe is so incredibly creamy and it's ready in just a few minutes without any heavy cream or other dairy products. This plant-based creamed spinach is a lactose-free recipe that leaves the creamed spinach from the store in the shade.
Not only will kids and Popeye love this recipe, adults just can't get enough of it as well.
Ingredients
- 14 oz (400 g) fresh or frozen spinach
- ¼ cup (40 g) cashews raw, soaked
- 1 cup (250 ml) vegetable broth
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- ¼ onion, chopped
- some nutmeg freshly ground to taste
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes (opt.)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (opt)
Instructions
Start by frying the chopped onion and chopped garlic in a little water. Add the spinach and reduce the heat. Let the spinach wilt or defrost.
Depending on whether you use frozen or fresh spinach. You can finely chop the spinach beforehand or buy spinach that has already been chopped.
Mix the cashews with the vegetable stock in a high speed blender. You do this until you get a creamy consistency.
Add the cashew cream to the spinach. First add ¼ of the cream and stir it. Season it to taste with the spices and let it boil.
If necessary, add more of the cream. Make sure that you bring it to the boil, so the cashew cream thickens nicely and it becomes very creamy.
Notes
More Tips in the post above!
Patty says
This is sooo good and not too time consuming. I still have a hard time believing that vegan food can be so delicious. I’ve only been vegan for about six months now. I love this recipe and will probably make it often.
Jasmin Hackmann says
Patty, thank you for your feedback. This creamed spinach is one of our favorite recipes as well.
Quin says
This was really good . I never really liked cooked spinach but this one is pretty good . I added some garlic salt and it was yummy.
Jasmin Hackmann says
Quin, creamed spinach is really good and so flavorful. Happy you found a way to like spinach.
Melody says
I’m very thankful for this creamed spinach recipe! I used the rest of the sauce a few days later so got two creamed spinach days out of the sauce! I think it would be very hard to tell it from dairy based creamed spinach!
Jasmin says
Hi Melody, thank you for your feedback. It is a big favorite in our house as well. Its so yummy 🙂
Melissa says
Hi there! My family and I are about a year to being dairy & egg free but I’d love to make some thanksgiving favorites. Rather than cashew, can I substitute slivered almonds to blend with the veg broth? What would be the measurement of slivered almonds?
Jasmin says
Hi Melissa, use less water or broth to blend the almonds. You can always add some more broth later. Usually the almonds don't get as creamy as cashews. That is why I recommend to use less liquid, so your cream is thicker.