Updated: By Karrie 59 Comments
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Easy Indian Creamed Spinach is a deliciously simple variation of the traditional Saag dish. Made with fresh tender baby spinach, this dish can be on the table in 20 minutes!
Easy Indian Creamed Spinach is my go-to recipe when I want to make Indian food at home and I'm craving Saag paneer.
I briefly confessed my love of and addiction to Indian food in last week's post, so it's not all that surprising that my next post would be an Indian one.
It's also a very complementary vegetarian side for my tandoori chicken too!
How to Make Creamed Spinach
I like to keep this dish simple, easy, and fast. By using fresh baby spinach (stems and all) with dried garlic and onion powders, this dish can be on the table in 20 minutes.
Frozen spinach can be used instead of fresh in this easy side dish.
A can of diced tomatoes with green chilies can be substituted for the fresh tomato and jalapenos too!
I'm trying to eat more vegetarian meals and Indian cuisine is perfect for a 100% veggie meal.
It's spicy and highly flavorful, so the meat isn't missed at all. Especially when there's lots of Hot Mango Pickle and flaky puri bread on the plate.
Ultimate comfort food made with healthy turmeric
This creamy comfort food dish is made with the traditional Indian spices ofgaram masala and turmeric.
I also like to add a decent amount of heavy cream at the end. It makes the dish richer and levels out the boldness of the spices.
Out of all the Indian spices, the versatile turmeric is a definite favorite of mine.
Not only does it add a beautiful color to dishes, but it can be used in a variety of different ways with numerous health benefits.
I love using it to season roasted pumpkin seeds or to scrambled eggs. Turmeric and Lemon "Tea" in the morning is great for jump-start my digestive system and to give me a little mini detox too.
Enjoy the benefits of turmeric by making this delicious vegetarian recipe of Easy Indian Creamed Spinach! Please let me know in the comments below how you enjoyed this recipe too.
RECIPE
Easy Indian Creamed Spinach
Easy Indian Creamed Spinach is a deliciously easy variation of the traditional Indian Saag. Made with fresh tender baby spinach, this dish can be on the table in 20 minutes.
5 from 24 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 163kcal
Author: Karrie | Tasty Ever After
Ingredients
- 16 ounces fresh organic baby spinach (or can substitute a thawed 10 ounce package of frozen chopped spinach)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium tomato , diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon jalapeno , finely minced (fresh or pickled)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup heavy cream (To make vegan: substitute full fat coconut milk for heavy cream)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
In a large skillet, sauté spinach in ¼ cup water over medium-high heat until wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove cooked spinach from the pan and set aside to cool.
**Skip this pre-cooking step if using frozen spinach**
In the same pan, add the olive oil and reduce heat to medium, then add the tomato, garlic powder, onion powder, garam masala, jalapeño, turmeric, ginger, and salt. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes or until tomato is soft. Using the back of a wooden spoon, smash the tomato into the bottom of the pan to break it up.
Once the pre-cooked spinach has completely cooled, squeeze out any excess water and run a knife through it to chop it up. (If using frozen chopped spinach, thaw it and squeeze all the water out of it).
Add the chopped spinach to the pan with the spiced tomato mixture, stir well to combine, and heat through. Reduce heat to low.
Add the heavy cream to the spinach mixture and stir well. Simmer over low heat until mixture is heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
• To make vegan: substitute full fat coconut milk for heavy cream
Nutrition Facts
Easy Indian Creamed Spinach
Amount Per Serving
Calories 163Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 8g40%
Cholesterol 48mg16%
Sodium 204mg9%
Potassium 598mg17%
Carbohydrates 6g2%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 9245IU185%
Vitamin C 30.3mg37%
Calcium 115mg12%
Iron 2.6mg14%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Anna
I've tried a bunch of saag recipes lately and this delivers the biggest flavor for the effort. Thank you! I make it with coconut milk and have used the recipe a few times now for Indian night at home.Reply
Lauren
I want to try this! How would it go substituting Greek yogurt instead of the heavy cream?
Karrie
Hi Lauren, follow the recipe exactly as written and just add the greek yogurt (start with 1/3 or 1/2 cup and add more if needed) in at the last minute to just heat through. You have to add a little water to thin out if the yogurt is too thick and taste to correct any seasonings (may have to add a little more salt). Hope you enjoy!
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Pansy
Is it okay to replace the full fat cream with milk instead? Thank you!
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Karrie
No, milk doesn't have enough fat in it and will separate at higher temperatures. Also it won't thicken on it's own. You can use half and half, but you have to be very careful not to boil it or it will separate too.
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Alison
I loved the flavors. I used full fat yogurt instead of cream and it was delicious. I’ll try making it again with the cream instead of yogurtReply
Christine
This was a home run in our house. We prepared as written using fresh spinach cooked in 1/2 C of chicken broth (vs water). Texture and flavor is so much better than frozen.. The only minor adjustments made were by adding a second tomato (used 2 medium sized, vine-ripened) and full fat coconut milk. It was sublimely delicious.Reply
Gin
Will this do okay and keep in a warm crockpot? Would like to bring this for Thanksgiving as a side for about 20 people.
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Karrie
I haven't tried it before, but I'm sure it would keep warm in a crockpot on low just fine, for a couple of hours. I would still cook it on the stovetop though and then transfer it to the crockpot to keep warm. Please let me know it turns out and how you like it, Gin. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving too!
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Peggy Kugel
Delicious and easy! Tastes better than plain cooked spinach!Reply
Karrie
Thank you Peggy!
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Monica Matthieu
I used diced onions instead of the tomato...yum!Reply
RobB
Intend to try this with frozen ...nice to find an Indian food recipe that can be tailored mild. Wife loves Indian but is intolerant to spice heat.
Always struck by the amount of Vegans who have to sell their diet. Another religion of true order. Just eat what you want and shut up. Majority of us DGAS.Reply
Karrie
Let me know how you and your wife like it Rob. Feel free to leave out the jalapeno completely and it's just as tasty.
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Christine
Rob....we paired this spinach recipe with Indian Butter Shrimp. The shrimp recipe was very mild and paired beautifully with the spinach (BTW....the NYT times recipe calls for a pressure cooker or InstaPot, but can easily be made on the stovetop. Just allow about 30-40 minutes for stovetop sauté and 10 min more after adding the shrimp). https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018858-pressure-cooker-indian-butter-shrimp?action=click&module=RecipeBox&pgType=recipebox-page®ion=all&rank=0
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Laura J
This recipe is so good. Compliments my curry chicken perfectly.Reply
Karrie
Thank you Laura!
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Tim Rowe
very simple and quite tasty. Will add chick peas next time.Reply
Karrie
Thank you Tim and so glad you liked it!
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LWerb
Made this last night as a substitute for Sag Paneer, which we love but which is sometimes too rich. This dish was simple to make, fragrant and delicious. I used about double the coconut milk.Reply
Karrie
Happy you all liked it and thank you so much for taking the time to review the recipe!
Tanya
Can half and half be used instead of heavy cream?
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Karrie
You can Tanya, but you have to keep it over a very low heat, while stirring constantly. If it boils, the half and half will break and ruin the dish.
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Jacey
This is one of my go to recipes now! So delicious! I use powdered ginger instead of fresh, ground cayenne instead of jalapeno, and the coconut milk (vegan) option. I also add chickpeas for protein and serve this over a small amount of seasoned rice. Amazing! Highly recommend!Reply
Karrie
Thank you so much Jacey and love that you like the recipe! All your additions and subs sound wonderful too, especially the chickpeas. Adding those next time I make it!!
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Kelly Hayes
Hi Karrie, I made this last night and we loved it! So easy and flavourful. I used frozen chopped spinach and coconut milk and we had it with pappadums and some home-made gluten free naan bread; yum!Reply
Karrie
That whole meal sounds completely wonderful Kelly! It's super easy making it with frozen spinach and thrilled you all enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the review and happy cooking!
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Anne T Kibler
If using frozen spinach how much to use?
And how do u do it?
I am a bad cook need specifically lol
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Karrie
Hi Anne! You can use a 10 ounce package of frozen spinach to replace the fresh spinach. Just thaw it, then squeeze all the water out of it. Run a knife through it to chop it up (can skip this step if using chopped frozen spinach) and add it to the cooked tomato mixture in the pan. Once it's all heated through, add the cream (or coconut milk if going vegan).
Please let me know if you have any additional questions about this and please contact me through my "contact me" page if you have any other cooking questions about my recipes or even someone else's.Reply
Anne T Kibler
Thank you
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Karrie
Welcome!
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Akash
Made it with coconut milk in place of heavy cream and added additional spices, hing, cumin, coriander and mango powder, mustard seeds, minced garlic. Seriously delicious! Could easily double this recipe, we all know how spinach cooks down 🙂Reply
Karrie
Thank you so much Akash!
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Kyra
Made this tonight for dinner — wow! So flavorful and very easy to pull together! This recipe will definitely be part of my dinner rotation!Reply
Karrie
Thank you very much Kyra and so happy you enjoyed it!
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Dayna
Making this today but trying using coconut cream in place of the heavy cream to keep it dairy free. Has anyone tried this?? Fingers crossed 🤞🏼🤞🏼
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Karrie
Hi Dayna, I remember someone telling me before they used coconut milk in it and it was successful (maybe the review was on Pinterest??). I'm sure the coconut cream will work just fine. Please let me know how it turns out and hope you enjoy the recipe!
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Sheena
Hi Dayna how did it turn out with the coconut cream 🙂
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Elaine
Hi Dayna I always make it with coconut cream - it's delicious!Reply
Cynthia
Definitely a keeper! We loved it! Thank you!Reply
Karrie
Thank you Cynthia and thrilled that you all loved the recipe!
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Saintly
Great recipe! I tried it tonight and it was perfect. It might sound mismatched, but I served it with chicken piccata. Delightful. Thank you! 🥰
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Karrie
Thank you so much Saintly and I'm trying it with chicken piccata next time I make it!
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John
Bravissima! Deliziosa!
Glad to add this to my Indian repertoire. Served tonight with a vegetarian curry. The flavors blended perfectly with eggplant. Grazie mille!Reply
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
Thank you so much John!! Love it that you liked the recipe and thank you for taking the time to comment!
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Marissa Elias
Excellent recipe!! I have made this about 4 times now but I always have to double if not triple it because it's so popular in my house! I have tried a few other indian spinach recipes and this so far is the best. Pretty easy to make and to find the ingredients too. Thanks!!Reply
Karrie
Thank you Marissa! It makes my heart so happy to hear that you all enjoy the recipe so much!
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Judy
Oh my gosh! This was delicious! I had to use frozen chopped spinach, cooked in the microwave and drained before adding. I can’t imagine it being any better with the fresh, plus I didn’t have to worry with washing it, removing the stems, and chopping it. I did use fresh onion and garlic and had to substitute canned tomatoes with chilies since thats all i had. I didn’t add the extra peppers. I will definitely make make this dish every time I’m cooking Indian cuisine!Reply
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
This is the best Judy and thank you!! I’ve used frozen spinach and a can of Rol-tel before when I didn’t have fresh veggies and it turns out just as good. Also, really appreciate you taking the time to review this recipe and happy cooking!
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Libbie
I made this and served it with brown rice and another vege dish. It was great! Nice and spicy. I think I would put a 1/2 teas. More jaleoeno next time, as I did not use the seeds. Thank you!Reply
Karrie
Thank you so much Libbie for reviewing the recipe and so happy to hear you liked it! More jalapenos are always a good thing and I love it spicier too!
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Debby
I made this for dinner tonight and it was Delicious!! I will definitely make a double batch next time!
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karrie
Thanks Debby! So happy you made it and liked it! Really appreciate you taking the time to let me know too
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Faith
Just discovered your blog and this recipe today when I was looking for a good side dish for curry night. This recipe is amazing. So full of flavor and super easy. The whole family loved it, and even the 2 year old couldn't get enough. It's so good that I think I'll make a double batch next time, we all wanted more after it was gone.Reply
Karrie@tastyeverafter
Thank you so much Faith! So glad you all liked it and a double batch sounds awesome
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Dawn
So glad I found this recipe. Some Indian food takes too long to make and doesn't taste as good as the restaurants make. This is amazing - and living in a small town means I don't get good Indian food unless I make a trip to the city. Now I make it at home!Reply
Karrie@tastyeverafter
Thank you so much Dawn! Very happy you liked this recipe and I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. You have made my day
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Smitha
Super delicious and easy. Creamy texture and very flavorful too. I loved it.Reply
Karrie@tastyeverafter
So many thanks Smitha!
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