This Easy Indian Style Creamed Spinach curry is a deliciously easy side dish recipe made with fresh baby spinach, coconut milk, and a few spices, ready in 20 minutes. This creamed spinach is Keto friendly, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, and low-carb.
This Indian Style Creamed Spinach is very similar to palak paneer, but without the paneer (Indian cottage cheese). I have made this recipe dairy-free by using full-fat coconut milk, but using heavy cream or cream cheese, the dish tastes more heavenly.
The consistency of creamed spinach can be adjusted to your preference, whether you like it thick or slightly thinner. However, I highly recommend avoiding thin coconut milk, as it can dilute the dish and affect its richness. It pairs well with naan, roti, basmati rice, or jeera rice.
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Ingredients for Creamed Spinach Recipe
- Spinach: I used fresh baby spinach to prepare this recipe. You can also use frozen spinach (thawed with excess liquid removed).
- Onion: I prefer sweet onions, but yellow or white would also work well.
- Garlic, and ginger: I used finely minced garlic, and ginger.
- Tomato: Use one large Roma tomato diced. Alternatively, you can also use canned crushed or diced tomatoes.
- Coconut milk: I have used full-fat coconut milk. You can also use low-fat coconut milk, but you may not achieve the same results. The sauce may be thinner. Or substitute coconut milk with heavy cream or half and half.
- Spices: I used cumin seeds, turmeric, and garam masala.
How to Make Indian-Style Creamed Spinach
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 8 oz baby spinach (about 7-8 cups) and blanch for 1-2 minutes until wilted. Drain the spinach and put it in a bowl of ice-cold water. This helps the spinach leaves retain their green color.
Also, This step makes it easier to work with the spinach since there's so much volume/bulk before it cooks down.
Then, finely chop the blanched spinach. You can also leave it as it is or even run it in a blender to get a smooth texture.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan/Kadai, add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, and let the cumin sizzle.
Then add 1 medium onion (finely chopped), 1 teaspoon ginger (minced), 2 garlic cloves (minced), 1-2 green chili, and fry until the onions turn light brown.
Next, add 1 large diced tomato, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, salt, and cook for 1-2 minutes till the tomatoes are mushy.
Add blanched and chopped spinach, and 1 cup full-fat coconut milk (or heavy cream) and cook on a medium flame for 3-4 minutes. The sauce will thicken up as it cooks.
Squeeze the juice of half a lime and serve Indian creamed spinach curry hot with naan, rice, and onion slices.
What to Serve with Indian Creamed Spinach
This vegan creamed spinach curry is a side dish that perfectly complements various delicacies like naan, paratha, roti, jeera rice, ghee rice, and coconut rice.
If you are on the Keto diet, pair it with another side dish like cauliflower coconut curry, mushroom masala, and serve it with keto naan, cauliflower rice.
For more Keto Recipes, check out my Keto Indian food recipes collection.
Storage Suggestions
- Store: You can store the leftover creamed spinach in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: You can freeze in freezer-safe containers or Ziploc bags for up to 1-2 months. But I highly recommend serving this dish fresh as the dish's texture may deteriorate after freezing.
- Reheating: Reheat creamed spinach in a microwave or stovetop until warm. If it's frozen, defrost first and then reheat.
Variations
- Protein: You can add boiled chickpeas, paneer (cottage cheese), or sauteed tofu to this dish.
- With Heavy Cream: You can substitute coconut milk with heavy cream or half and half.
- Frozen Spinach: If using frozen spinach, defrost it first, squeeze out the excess water, and use it. You don't need to blanch the frozen spinach.
- Consistency: If the creamed spinach thickens, add a bit of water (or vegetable broth) or coconut milk to thin it as per your desired consistency.
- Spices: If you don't have the dry spices mentioned in this recipe, you can replace them with curry powder instead.
Recipe FAQs
The frozen spinach works really well. Just thaw under running water, then squeeze out as much of the excess water as you can. You don't need to blanch the frozen spinach before using it in the recipe.
Yes, you can use light coconut milk. However, the thickness and richness of the curry may vary slightly.
I personally like Chaokoh, Thai Kitchen Organic, Aroy-D, and 365 Everyday Value Organic Coconut Milk brands.
Blanching spinach is not always necessary. However, it softens the spinach leaves to make them easier to work with, and also helps preserve the bright green color of the spinach.
More Indian Vegan Curries
Indian Style Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1-2 green chilies finely chopped
- 1 large tomato finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- salt adjust to taste
- 8 oz fresh baby spinach (about 7-8 cups)
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk (or heavy cream)
- juice of half lime
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and blanch for 1-2 minutes until wilted.Drain the spinach and put it in a bowl of ice-cold water. This helps the spinach leaves retain their green color.This step makes it easier to work with the spinach since there's so much volume/bulk before it cooks down.
- Then finely chop the blanched spinach. You can also leave it as it is or even run it in a blender to get a smooth texture.
- Heat oil in a pan/Kadai, add cumin seeds, let the cumin sizzle.
- Then add onions, minced ginger, and garlic, green chili, and fry until onions turn light brown.
- Next add diced tomato, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt, and cook for 1-2 minutes till the tomatoes are mushy.
- Add the blanched spinach and stir in the full-fat coconut milk or heavy cream on a medium flame for 3-4 minutes. The sauce will thicken up as it cooks.
- Squeeze some fresh lime juice and serve Indian creamed spinach curry hot with naan, rice, and onion slices.
Notes
Variations
- Protein: You can add boiled chickpeas, paneer (cottage cheese), or sauteed tofu to this dish.
- With Heavy Cream: You can substitute coconut milk with heavy cream or half and half.
- Frozen Spinach: If using frozen spinach, defrost it first, squeeze out the excess water, and use it. You don't need to blanch the frozen spinach.
- Consistency: If the creamed spinach thickens, add a bit of water (or vegetable broth) or coconut milk to thin it as per your desired consistency.
- Spices: If you don't have the dry spices mentioned in this recipe, you can replace them with curry powder instead.
Nutrition
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Amanda
Is it necessary to blanche the spinach?
Bhavana Patil
Hi Amanda, blanching is not mandatory. However, it softens the spinach leaves to make them easier to work with, and also helps preserve the bright green color of the spinach. Hope this answer helps.
Norm Hurst
Pretty good. I used heavy cream. Note: It says "lime" in the ingredients but "lemon" in the instructions -- I used lime. It's not clear from the instructions if the lemon/lime is meant to be applied to each serving or as part of the cooking process.
Bhavana Patil
Thank you glad you liked it. You can either add lime or lemon juice. I corrected the instructions to lime juice.