Vegan Creamed Spinach with Cashews
This vegan creamed spinach with cashews is a rich, flavourful side dish that’s easy to make and surprisingly healthy. Ready in just 30 minutes with only one pot to clean, it’s the perfect addition to your Sunday dinner lineup. It’s comforting, creamy and completely dairy-free!
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
Creamed spinach is a classic comfort food, but it’s usually loaded with dairy. With a few simple swaps, I’ve recreated my favourite childhood version into a rich and creamy vegan dish without sacrificing any of the flavour or texture!
This one-pot vegan creamed spinach isn’t just delicious, it’s also packed with nutrients:
- High in protein – One serving delivers 12g of plant-based protein.
- Rich in minerals – A great source of potassium, iron, and calcium to keep you energised.
- Fibre-packed – With 5g of dietary fibre (about 23% of your daily needs), it supports healthy digestion.
What Is Creamed Spinach?
Creamed spinach is a classic side dish made by cooking spinach in a creamy sauce. Traditional recipes use butter, heavy cream and sometimes creamed cheese to create a smooth texture. The spinach is usually sautéed first, then combined with the creamy mixture, which may be thickened with flour or a roux.
This version, however, is made with 100% plant-based ingredients. I used flour, plant-based milk and cashew cream to re-create the creamy sauce that gives the dish its rich, velvety texture.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Olive oil – You can substitute it with sunflower oil, canola oil, sesame oil or peanut oil.
- Onions and garlic – Provide the base flavours to the recipe.
- Flour – Essential to make the roux. Use all-purpose flour.
- Fresh or frozen spinach – Using frozen spinach is a great shortcut to save some time. You can also make this recipe using fresh spinach. You can find more details on this version below.
- Plant-based milk – Any kind of plant milk, such as soy, almond, oat or rice milk will work well. Use full-fat milk for a creamier texture.
- Salt – For seasoning. You can add more or less salt to your taste.
- Cashews – Used to make cashew cream, which is essential for the texture of the recipe. Make sure to use raw, unsalted cashews.
Variation with Fresh Spinach
If you’re using fresh spinach, you’ll need to cook it briefly before adding it to the recipe. Fresh spinach wilts quickly, so you can add it directly to the pan and cook it for about 2-3 minutes, just until it wilts down. If there’s excess water released from the spinach during cooking, you can drain or press it out slightly to avoid making the sauce too watery.
- Wash and trim – Rinse thoroughly to remove any grit and trim the stems if they’re tough.
- Wilt – Add the fresh spinach directly to the pan and cook over medium heat for 2–3 minutes until wilted. You may need to do this in batches if using a lot of spinach since it shrinks as it cooks.
- Drain (Optional) – If the spinach releases a lot of water, you can lightly press it with a spoon or drain it before using it in the recipe.
Can I Use Frozen Spinach?
Yes! Using frozen spinach is a great shortcut to save some time. Just make sure you thaw it completely and squeeze out as much water as possible before you add it to the sauce.
What’s the Best Plant-Based Milk for Dairy-Free Creamed Spinach?
I’ve tested this vegan creamed spinach with almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk and soy milk. Full-fat varieties always produce the richest, creamiest texture. Unsweetened almond milk offers the most neutral flavour, while coconut and oat milks tend to leave a more noticeable taste in the finished dish.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One: Soak the cashews for the cashew cream.
For the best texture and nutritional value, soak raw cashews overnight in cold water for 8 to 12 hours. If you’re short on time, you can soak them in hot water for about 30 minutes. For a super quick fix, boil them for 15 minutes. You can read more about how to soak cashews here.
Step Two: Cook the onion and garlic.
Add olive oil in a large skillet and heat it over medium heat. Toss in the chopped onion and garlic, and let it cook until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add in one tablespoon of flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour until it browns slightly, at least 2 minutes. This is to cook out the raw flour flavour.
Step Three: Add the spinach.
Add frozen spinach, plant-based milk and salt. Give it a good stir, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the spinach has wilted and the mixture begins to thicken. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step Four: Stir in the cashew cream.
Drain the cashews and add them to a blender with the plant-based milk. Blend on high for about 1 minute, until very smooth. Stir the cashew cream into the spinach mixture, then remove from the heat.
Serving Suggestions
Creamed spinach is best when served right away, with a swirl of plant-based yogurt, more cashew cream, sprinkled with toasted pine nuts, pecans or slivered almonds.
Vegan Creamed Spinach FAQs
This dish will last for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat it, return it to a skillet over medium-low heat and stir until heated through, or microwave it in short intervals.
Typically, creamed spinach is made with butter, heavy cream and sometimes even creamed cheese, so it’s definitely not vegan. However, this version of creamed spinach is made with 100% plant-based ingredients.
No, this recipe calls for all-purpose wheat flour, which is not suitable for a keto diet. Onion is also often best avoided on a keto diet, as it contains a relatively high amount of sugar.
This recipe calls for a tablespoon of wheat flour, which contains gluten. If you’re following a gluten-free diet, you can try replacing it with gluten-free flour.
More One-Pot Vegan Recipes
If you’re looking for more easy vegan recipes, make sure to check out this vegan tomato soup, vegan split pea soup or this vegan pesto pasta salad.
Vegan Creamed Spinach with Cashews
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (40 g) soaked cashews
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 pound (450 g) frozen spinach
- 1 cup (240 ml) plant-based milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
Optional Toppings
- Plant-based yogurt
- Cashew cream
- Toasted slivered almonds
- Toasted pine nuts
- Toasted chopped pecans
Instructions
- Soak the cashews for the cashew cream. For the best texture and nutritional value, soak raw cashews overnight in cold water for 8 to 12 hours. If you're short on time, you can soak them in hot water for about 30 minutes. For a super quick fix, boil them for 15 minutes.
- Add olive oil in a large skillet and heat it over medium heat. Toss in the chopped onion and garlic, and let it cook until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add in one tablespoon of flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour until it browns slightly, at least 2 minutes. This is to cook out the raw flour flavour.
- Add frozen or fresh (see instructions above) spinach, plant-based milk and salt. Give it a good stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, drain the cashews and add them to a blender with the plant-based milk. Blend on high for about 1 minute, until very smooth. Stir the cashew cream into the spinach mixture, then remove from the heat.
- Serve as is or choose from one of the toppings mentioned above.
Notes
- Storing Instructions: This dish will last for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat it, return it to a skillet over medium-low heat and stir until heated through, or microwave it in short intervals.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve with a swirl of plant-based yogurt, extra cashew cream, sprinkled with toasted pine nuts, pecans or slivered almonds.
