This Indian Style Creamed Spinach is a bit like Palak Paneer, but without the paneer. …because my homemade paneer didn’t turn out. 😅 But that’s okay! The creamy spiced spinach is absolutely delightful on its own, so it’s still totally worth sharing. It’s amazing for dipping bread (preferably naan), spooning over rice, or using as a base for a more complete meal.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Make it Dairy-free or with Dairy
When I originally posted this recipe seven years ago I made it with evaporated milk. Since that time I’ve discovered how incredibly amazing coconut is with garam masala, so this time around I swapped out the evaporated milk for coconut milk. That also happens to make this recipe vegan and friendly to those who can’t consume dairy. If you prefer the dairy version, simply use one cup evaporated milk in place of the coconut milk.
Can I Use Light Coconut Milk?
Yes, you can use light coconut milk in place of the full-fat coconut milk, but the end result will be slightly less thick. I do not suggest using coconut milk sold in a carton, the type meant to be used as a dairy milk substitute. It will be far too watery for this recipe.
What to Serve with Indian Creamed Spinach
As mentioned in the intro, this Indian style creamed spinach makes a great side dish. You can serve it with dishes like Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala, or Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Lentils. Or, you can add a couple more ingredients into your creamed spinach and make that your main dish. Consider adding cubed tofu, a can of chickpeas, or a diced potato or two.
Is this Creamed Spinach Spicy?
This recipe does have a little heat, thanks to a ¼ tsp cayenne pepper. If you prefer a mild creamed spinach, simply skip the cayenne pepper.
Is there a Substitute for the Garam Masala?
If you can’t find Garam Masala in a store near you, you can substitute it with curry powder. Or, try your hand at making a homemade garam masala.
Indian Style Creamed Spinach
Servings 4 about 1 cup eachIngredients
- 1 13.5oz. can full-fat coconut milk ($1.79)
- 8 oz. fresh spinach ($1.29)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger ($0.30)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 2 tsp ground cumin ($0.20)
- 1 tsp garam masala ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric ($0.05)
- 1/4¼ tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 1 large tomato ($0.97)
- 1/4 cup water ($0.00)
- 3/4 tsp salt (or to taste) ($0.03)
Instructions
- Add the coconut milk and spinach to a large pot. Stir and cook over medium heat until the coconut milk is warmed through and has wilted the spinach. Remove from the heat as soon as the spinach has wilted to avoid over cooking the spinach.
- Transfer the warm coconut milk and spinach to a blender and pulse until the spinach is in small pieces (you can choose to blend until smooth, if you prefer). Set this mixture aside.
- Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to a large skillet along with the olive oil. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft (about 5 minutes).
- Add the cumin, garam masala, turmeric, and cayenne to the skillet. Stir and cook the spices with the onion, garlic, and ginger for about two minutes more.
- Dice the tomato and add it to the skillet along with about 1/4 cup water. Stir and cook the tomato with the other ingredients, dissolving any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet, until the tomato has broken down (5-8 minutes).
- Finally, add the coconut and spinach mixture to the skillet and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to heat through, stirring occasionally.
- Taste the creamed spinach and add salt to taste. Start with 1/4 tsp, adding more as needed until the flavors pop (I added 3/4 tsp).
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Indian Creamed Spinach – Step By Step Photos
Start by pouring one 13.5 oz. can of full-fat coconut milk into a soup pot.
Add 8 oz. of fresh spinach to the coconut milk. Stir and cook over medium heat just until the spinach has wilted (this should only take about five minutes). Do not over cook the spinach here. It should still be bright green in color.
Transfer the warm coconut milk and spinach to a blender and pulse until the spinach is in small pieces. You can blend until smooth if you prefer, but I like a little texture in mine. Set this mixture aside.
Dice one yellow onion, mince two cloves of garlic, and grate about 1 Tbsp fresh ginger. Add all three to a skillet along with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger over medium heat until the onions are soft (about 5 minutes).
Once the onions are soft, add 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp turmeric, and ¼ tsp cayenne pepper to the skillet. Stir and cook the spices with the onion, garlic, and ginger for about 2 minutes more.
Dice one tomato and add it to the skillet along with about ¼ cup water. Stir and cook the tomato with the other ingredients, dissolving any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet, until the tomatoes have broken down (5-8 minutes).
Finally, pour the coconut and spinach mixture into the skillet and stir to combine.
Allow the mixture to heat through, stirring occasionally. Once hot, give it a taste and add salt as needed. I added about ¾ tsp. I suggest starting with ¼ tsp and adding more to your liking. Adding the correct amount of salt will help the flavors pop.
Serve hot with some bread for dipping!
I made this recipe for my husband and myself, only with less ginger (maybe half a tbsp) because it’s all I had left. I thought the kids would prefer their pasta but they got curious and loved it. My 5 year old even ate the leftover spinach the next day. So, this is a big win and I’m taking it in our meal rotation.
I have made this dish at least 6 times and I absolutely love it! It’s so easy, fast, and uses ingredients I always have on hand. Anytime I have a bag of greens I need to use (I have used spinach, kale, and collard greens) I immediately go to this recipe. The last time I made it, I added chickpeas for a bit more protein and was not disappointed. Thanks for this awesome recipe!!
I added paneer and it’s SOO GOOD!!
This was delicious. I made it with canned coconut milk because that’s what I had on hand. Next time will try evaporated milk. Be careful not to pulse too much if you like texture, which I do prefer, will pulse less next time but I don’t purée thank goodness. Just amazing and so easy!
The recipe is good in flavor, but with far too much liquid. The consistency is like soup if you use the recommended amount of coconut milk. I didn’t even add water and it was still like soup.
Did you use boxed coconut milk, like what they sell as a dairy milk substitute? That’s much more watery than full-fat canned coconut milk.
Excellent! I used the last collards, swiss chard, kale, and bok choy of the season, and fresh ginger, garlic, and onion, and added bell pepper that needed to be used. Then I used Maesri canned panang curry paste. Now the issue is that I don’t know that it’s going to make it to dinner time… 🤷🏼♂️ DEFINITELY making this again!!
You know in theory I was like ya, that should turn out great..but sometimes these vegan “situations” end up like..meh..nah I don’t think so.
Not this dish though!! it taaastes amazing, super easy to put together..and tastes so complex yet comforting. Great recipe, thanks!
This is really, really good. I added a can of chickpeas because I was too lazy to make a separate chickpea dish, and I served it with dal and naan. Super awesome lunch.
I’ve made this several times since I came across it. I did alter it some because when I first made it I made a mistake and thought I had tomatoes but did not! I improvised and added salsa instead lol. I now put salsa in it instead of tomatoes. :)
Ooh, this is so delicious! Poured it over a baked sweet potato and delicious. I did add a little honey and extra curry to this dish. Will make many more times!
Hi Beth,
Thanks for the healthy and very tasty recipe.
Me and my wife love it we also added chick peas.
We grow our own spinach so it was even cheaper.
Super food,
Thanks Leonard.👌
Made this last night and my husband and I both loved it! I didn’t use as much cayenne but other than that, I made the recipe as written. We had it with jasmine rice and garlic naan. Definitely will make again!
This recipe is my absolute favorite. I’ve used fresh & canned/frozen ingredients and it’s always amazing. I’ve topped it with Havarti cheese one time and that was an awesome addition. VERY Beginner friendly. I’ve probably messed up something every time I’ve made this (Which is a lot) and it’s always very delicious.
I make sure to make this for everyone that will let me haha!
I just made this for dinner and my family and I loved it! It was a touch spicy for my kiddo, so in the future I’d go easier on the cayenne and ginger. I added chickpeas and served over brown basmati rice. Next time I think I’ll add some potatoes as well. Thanks for this fantastic and simple recipe!
Have you tried this recipe with frozen spinach?
We haven’t tried it with frozen spinach, but with tweaking, I bet it would work! Since frozen spinach is cooked down, you will need less (about 5 oz. or half a package) and it won’t need to cook quite as long. ~ Marion :)
Great recipe! I made it more hearty with chickpeas and potatoes and used a can of diced tomatoes. The whole family loved it. Thanks!
This was good. I followed the recipe exactly but we like things a bit spicier so I ended up using more spices than recipe called for but that’s just a personal preference. It’s a good recipe
Why cook the milk and spinach separately, as opposed to chopping/blending first, then adding to the skillet a little earlier?
Hi Willhelm- You need heat to infuse flavors in a liquid. You can absolutely do it however you want, but for the most flavor, wilt the spinach in the milk. XOXO -Monti
The second time I made this I made it wilhelm’s way and turned out. Cooked onions and spices and when that was done added the milk and spinach till cooked. Then used the code immersion blender. Turned out just as good as first time.
This is an amazing recipe. i’ve been trying for the longest to make an Indian dish at home that approximates something from a restaurant and this one is spot-on. I didn’t even use ghee, either, but I’m going to try that to gild the lily next time. and I think I’m going to add cubed tofu to replace the paneer aspect. Yum!
Can I freeze this?
I haven’t tried freezing this one, so I don’t know for sure, but all of the ingredients look pretty freezer-friendly. If there’s any water separation after thawing I’m sure you could just stir it up well.
Absolutely phenomenal recipe! This was so delicious we had to make it two more times and the meals keep for 2-3 days. The flavoring on this dish kept us wanting more and filled us up quickly to our surprise.
Loved this! Used canned diced tomatoes. Was very good.
Delicious! I also used a can of fire roasted tomatoes instead of using fresh tomatoes and water. This was so easy to make and, as suggested, tastes even better the next day!
Followed the recipe exactly with two exceptions: used another commenter’s excellent recommendation for a can of fire roasted tomatoes instead of fresh tomato + water, and added in a block of chopped halloumi to make this a full meal. I made this in advance as a lunch meal prep and it tastes even better reheated to let some of those spice notes mellow and blend.
I served this with some jasmine rice for a quick lunch and we absolutely loved it! So flavourful and satisfying. Thanks so much for the creative recipe.
Hi Beth,
Can I use frozen spinach in this recipe?
Thanks,
Jean
Yep! Check out this recipe, which is very similar, but I used frozen spinach.
I looks delicious, will try this weekend with friends. Can I cook it un advance? One day before? Thanks :)
Yes, leftovers of this dish are great!
Lovely side dish for my tandoori chicken thank you 🙂
Simple and delicious!!
SO yummy – will make again for sure! thanks!
This is very good. Thanks for sharing. I would love to see more Indian recipes from you.
This is so Delicious! Next time I will not add water , there was plenty of liquid from tomatoes and coconut milk.
This is one of my most favorite Budget Bytes recipes! I make this often and sub a can of fire roasted tomatoes for the tomato and water that the recipe calls for and it is fantastic. I live in a cold climate where are tomatoes are never great. Saves a little time chopping and is so yummy!
Pretty good, still feel like it needed a good squeeze of lime at the very end
I made this tonight but added a block of cubed, extra firm tofu to it as well. Delocious!
I used an immerson blender and was able to get the same spinach texture as the photos. I paired with the cumin rice recipe.
Also, this is much better than the chana saag recipe which is basically the same but with frozen spinach. Fresh spinach is worth it.
This was seriously so tasty and so easy. I was a little short on spinach (I probably only had about 4 oz), but it still worked well. I used my immersion blender in the pot instead of a stand blender. I used a can of diced tomatoes w/ liquid to replace the tomato+water. The spices were super well-balanced, and I ended up using 1/2 tsp salt (my tomatoes were salted, so just add 1/4 tsp at a time like Beth instructs). I added a cup of cooked soy beans at the end for a little protein and ate with mini-naan bread. It made enough for 2 adults for dinner with no leftovers. I would make again!
This was really good healthy fast recipe added queso fresco because I didn’t have panner and this was so so tasty 🥰
It’s so good! I’ve made it a few times, we always use kale which I find to be less bitter and much easier to find (in Australia) this recipe is awesome
This was so yummy! I made this vegan style with coconut milk. I also added some sultanas. Thanks for posting it.
Hi! Just curious because I’m new to being vegan- what makes this recipe vegetarian and not vegan? Thank you!
The recipe as it is written is vegan. :) I think they’re referring to the blog text where I describe the old version of this recipe where I had used evaporated milk instead of coconut milk. The current coconut milk version is vegan.
Thank you! I’ll be trying this tonight!
So delicious 😋🤤
This looks delicious! You said you can use this as a base for a complete meal. Do you have any suggestions for what I could make with this that would go well?
Yep, I have some recipes suggestions in the paragraph above the recipe titled, “What to Serve with Indian Creamed Spinach” :)
Hi, does this recipe use baby spinach leaves or (mature) English spinach? It’s just not clear from the pictures. Thank you.
I used baby spinach for this, although you could probably use mature as well (you might want to chop it a bit).
This was amazing! I made it with frozen spinach and it actually turned out okay. I defrosted it then drained it. I also used light coconut milk but I had to cook it longer to get it to not be liquid-y. Still, my husband says he isn’t a huge fan of Indian food but he really liked this!
Love this. Have made it a handful of times with various proteins. Tonight, tossed in some cubed pieces of raw chicken thighs about 2 minutes in to the aromatic sautee process and it turned out great. Served over brown rice.
Can you skip the tomato or substitute something? I can’t have tomatoes (migraine trigger).
I think I would probably just try to make it without. It will change the flavor a bit, obviously, but I imagine it would still be quite good.
Hi there!
I’ve made this several times and its delish.
Would i just fry and add the panner at the end to make a Palak Panneer?
TIA
I sometimes add paneer to this and do not fry it ahead of time. I just cut up paneer and put it in the finished dish and let it heat for a minute or two (or sometimes another cheese if that is all I have on hand– mozzarella or queso fresco for example).
Love this recipe. Will be trying today. Can you omit tomato in this recipe?
Yes :)
This turned out really, really tasty. I’m excited to try it with chickpeas or tofu added next.
Wow! I have had Southasian way of spinach my entire life and this was by far the best recipe I have ever tried.
Great work!
I made this with a few changes after I read other recipes for comparison. I added about the same amount of mustard greens to step 1. I have eaten saag (a mixture of greens) before but not palak (spinach only). I also wanted to make it thicker (based on reviews) and adding more greens does this without having to add cornstarch. The other changes: I didn’t add water in step 5 or the cayenne to the spice mix (wanted to let each person add their own heat). It was so delicious, and I will make this again and again. Love this site for recipes and inspiration.
I had to improvise due to not having spinach; instead used kale. It turned out amazing!
This was really good and easy to make! I did make a little cornstarch slurry because I like mine a bit thicker. Served over rice. Next time I’ll pick up some naan.
I love this recipe and have been making it for years both with coconut milk and evaporated, I keep thinking, I should double this… and use up my Costco huge bin of fresh spinach, then freeze half for a night I go all out and make tandoori style chicken and curry, because making all three is alot of work. Do you think it would freeze good?
I suspect it would freeze well. :)
This looks great! Could I use frozen spinach instead of fresh?
Yep! Check out my recipe for Chana Saag, which is almost the same, but uses frozen spinach (and it has chickpeas). You can use the method from that recipe as a guide. :)
This was unbelievably delicious! The only change I made was reducing the amount of coconut milk used because it was looking very runny. I drained some off and it was perfect. I served over rice with naan and samosas. Adding this to my usual rotation.
Great recipe! I added some fried tofu at the end and it was delicious! 😋
Heeey if i have just frozen spinach, i use the same quantity? And also, fo i first need to cook it and than ad it to the milk or i put it frozen with the milk and i add more milk sk that it doesn t evaporate cause if it s frozen it should take longer to cook
:)
You can follow the method I used in this Chana Saag Curry, which is a very similar recipe but it uses frozen spinach. :)
We absolutely loved this. I did add an habanero pepper to it and my husband said this was his favorite dish. We put scallops on top. The best dish ever.
Thank you for sharing this. It was super easy and will be my dinner tonight! I will be making it again.
Hi! If we were wanting to add more to the dish like chickpeas, when would be the best time to add them in the cooking process?
Check out my recipe for Chana Saag Curry, which is almost the same as this, but with chickpeas. :)
The chickpeas are a really nice addition to this great recipe, I love it! I did use frozen spinach which worked really great and easy, I was out of fresh. Thank You!
Lovely flavour but even using less coconut milk and no water this recipe comes out very wet indeed. It needs adjusting if to be used as a side dish for a curry meal. It is so watery it runs across the entire plate. It does taste nice though!
I’m running into the exact same issue. I’ve now been boiling the end mixture for 15 minutes trying to reduce it down enough to serve with naan.
Can I add tofu on this recipe ?
I haven’t tried it, so if you decide to give it a shot let us know how it turns out!
Oh man this is delicious. Tried this for the first time this evening and will definitely be making this again. I used a 10oz block of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, and just blended it with the coconut milk before dumping it in the pan. I also probably doubled all the spices and took the suggestion of adding a can of chickpeas, which made a great meal. We are it over rice for dinner and I am a huge fan. The coconut milk adds a really nice richness that balances all the cayenne I added 😎 This is definitely going in the regular dinner rotation!
So tasty though I made some changes! I added some heavy cream (maybe 1/3 cup), added lots more spinach and doubled the spices. I also added about a tablespoon of cornstarch at the end as it was a little wet for my taste. Served with sour cream & peanuts. Delish.
Have you ever made this with frozen spinach? Any hints on substituting it for fresh?
We haven’t tried it with frozen but previous commenters have noted “I used frozen chopped spinach instead of fresh (putting it straight in to the pot, adding no extra water), and half-and-half/half cream instead of the evaporated milk. Heeded the warning about the cayenne pepper and only used about 1/4 tsp, but will probably chuck the whole lot in next time.”
This was easy to make and delicious. I needed to use some produce form my garden, so I subbed chard for the spinach, sauteing the stems with the onion, and added a handful of fresh shelling peas at the end. I agree that you could easily add more greens. Very tasty!
I’ve made this 6 times now, great recipe, everyone I’ve made it for comes back for seconds and thirds and wants the recipe
I add a lot more spinach and it works out fine, also made it with cream and coconut cream for vegan friends, both ways are equally delicious
Yummy and easy. I make a double batch and have it for lunch or dinner the next day.
I’m looking for a side dish to take along to a bbq – will this be good cold?
Yes it could be but warmed would be so much better! We have this round up of 25 Recipe Ideas for Summer BBQs and Potlucks which is great to reference for other ideas.
Ok this was seriously amazing. I never have to order this out again!! I cut back on the cumin, added leeks to my onion mixture and cilantro to my spinach mixture. Served with white rice and blackened salmon. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Yummmmmm! I actually couldn’t wait to comment until I was done eating. I added a diced up medium sized sweet potato to the pan with the olive oil for about 5 minutes before I put in the onion, garlic, and ginger because I needed to use it and to help make it more filling. It’s pretty awesome.
I really was missing the paneer and was eating spicy chicken vindaloo that needed something cooling on the side so I stirred in some plain cottage cheese that I had in the fridge – took this dish to the next level. Thanks!
Hey! I’m planning on making this gorgeous dish tonight but unfortunately, coconut milk has run out of all the nearby shops I’ve visited & the substitutes you’ve listed such as evaporated milk aren’t available here. Can I use milk or yoghurt as replacement? If not, would you be able to explain why? I just need to know the correct properties of the dairy I need to use – thank you!
Fortunately the chemical properties of the dairy don’t play a huge role in this dish like they would in baking, it’s really just there to provide creaminess, so you have some options. I feel like yogurt might be too tangy and not quite liquid enough for this, but you can try it if that’s all you have available. You can try adding a little whole milk, but if you can get cream that would be even better. :)
Just made this tonight. So good! I will be making this again soon. Thank you!
I was looking for a recipe to use my giant bag of spinach and all of the Indian spices that I had and this is just the best thing I have ever made. I added potatoes that I cut in large cube things (I boiled them separately while I was cooking the rest of the items) I also had on yellow bell pepper on hand and chopped that up and added it to the onion and tomato mixture. And OMG that was the best thing ever. I must add that I generally Don’t care too much for the vegetarian dishes but this one is definitely a must!
Delicious! I found your site through Reddit and so glad I did. I’ve made so many of your recipes. All are delicious. Unfortunately I didn’t have coconut milk so I used 1 cup evaporated milk like you suggested and yum. Making it again tonight but now I have some coconut milk so I can try this way.
My entire weeks meal plan is recipes from your site. So, thanks for all the easy and delicious recipes!
Do you think this could be made with collards, chard or another leafy green? The farms in my area never seem to have spinach ＼(;´□｀)/
Potentially, although they’re both quite a bit more fibrous than spinach, so you’ll probably want to cook it longer and you may still get some stringier bits.
So good! Made just as recipe called for and very delicious. Thank you!
I just made this and it turned out so delicious!! I added tofu to it to make it more of a meal like you suggested and served it with brown rice. So good! I also skipped the cayenne because I’m a big baby about spice 🙂 thanks so much for the recipe! I’ll definitely make it again!
I bought a double package of paneer at Costco. Can I use it with this recipe? If no ot not really, can you suggest a recipe it would be a fit for?
Sure, you could definitely toss some cubed paneer in there. :)
I’ve made this twice now, using frozen chopped spinach (because it’s what I had) and the family loves it! We serve it over basmati. I added chickpeas the first time and carrots the 2nd time. It really is pretty versatile and so easy. ❤️
Is there a way to make this without Coconut milk? Maybe milk and yogurt? Allergic to coconut, but looks delicious.
You could use canned evaporated milk in place of the coconut milk.
I’ve tried this recipe twice now, and both times it turned out great! I doubled the spices, and I think this is one of the best ways to eat a lot of spinach in one serving. Definitely a recipe I’ll be making again and again.
Can I just cut the spinach up before adding to the coconut milk if i do not have a blender?
Yes you can cut it up ahead of time. The blender just gives it all a smooth consistency.
So good! Will definitely be a staple from here on out.
Love this – but have never made it myself- going to make as a side dish with curry later but will prob be to much – can I half the recipe or has anyone managed to freeze it with any luck – thank you for a fab recipe
Lovely stuff definitely following.
Eve.
Flipping DELICIOUS! What a simple recipe and it tastes incredible… I ordered my veggies online and got a massive bunch of spinach. Used 300g for this recipe and it was perfect! I’ve shared it with all my whatsapp groups. Thank you for this great recipe!
Perfect for a pound of spinach I didn’t know what to do with. So easy and quick.
I followed all ingredients except milk / spinach added after and it came out delish!!!
So good to have many recipes in this time of CoviD19 wen we have to make do with what we have.
I make this recipe every other week, it’s so good! I usually add either a can of chickpeas (added at the same time as the tomato) or a diced potato (added at the same time as the onion) to bulk it out a bit. I also highly recommend Thai Kitchen coconut milk — I tried this once with Trader Joe’s brand coconut milk and it was WAY too coconutty and not thick enough. Naan is also a must. Highly recommend this recipe!
Once again this is a hit for me. Beth, your flavors are so spot on! I used frozen spinach, a can of tomatoes, and I added some cooked chickpeas. It was so good I had to have seconds. Thank you!
I used frozen spinach. I put all the ingredients (added a little tom paste as I was short on fresh toms) except for the coconut milk and frozen spinach in the recipe as prescribed. Then when it all came together, I added the coconut milk and spinach and heated it all together. Got rave reviews from my wife. She brought it for lunch and her coworkers loved it as well. I am planning on going to sea to cook aboard a square rigged ship and I think a few bags of frozen spinach would be easy to keep aboard ship with the some canned coconut milk for a hearty and healthy meal afloat. Thanks for the inspiration and follow my life aboard ship at my Blog at thechartedlife.net
Used similar steps as above. Sautéed onion, diced cauliflower, and chopped mushroom in garlic. Left out tomato bc they give my pregnant self heartburn. Added half cup broth to vegetables. Once they were soft, added frozen spinach and let it soften. Then coconut milk and heated through.
IT WAS SO GOOD!! My older kids called it Salad Soup and my 1 yo ate 2 bowls
How long can this be kept in the fridge?
We recommend up to three days.
can it be frozen?
It should be okay to freeze, we haven’t tested it ourselves yet. But if stored properly it can freeze up to three months.
Excellent! So much easier than my old saag paneer recipe! I made it with frozen spinach and fire roasted diced tomatoes. I added a little extra garlic, ginger and spices. It turned out fabulous! I’m going to make paneer and try adding it in next time. Thanks for another awesome recipe!
I’m going to make this with a can of Rotel spicy tomatoes and some silken tofu. Can’t wait!
For those asking about using frozen spinach…
This came out delicious using a bag of frozen chopped spinach (12 oz, I think), that I microwaved to thaw/partially cook and then squeezed mostly dry. Added the coconut milk to that, then went on per the recipe. The result was delicious, probably less saucy than Beth’s and with a coarser texture, since I chose not to blend it at all. It was really good as a side with chicken, Bombay potatoes, and naan. Probably I would up the spices more next time, since I had more spinach.
I loved this! I made it exactly as posted and had with Trader Joe’s garlic naan, yum! Potatoes and chickpeas would be really good too, I may try that next time. Thanks for another awesome recipe :)
I just made the updated recipe with coconut milk and my wife was really happy with it. To make it a main dish I added a can of chickpeas and served over rice.
Thanks Beth!
Can you make this with chicken? Would I just cook chicken 20 minutes in this sauce at the end?
As Beth mentions in the post, this Indian style creamed spinach makes a great side dish. You can serve it with dishes like Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala, or Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Lentils. Or, you can add a couple more ingredients into your creamed spinach and make that your main dish. Consider adding cubed tofu, a can of chickpeas, or a diced potato or two. I’d recommend cooking the chicken separately, then adding it to the spinach.
Since I am not vegetarian nor vegan – I added 4 sliced of cooked and crumpled bacon and then dipped Naan into it. Yum!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing.
Just finished making this recipe. I substituted a can of diced tomatoes with the juice for the tomatoes and water because it was all I had on hand. I threw it on top of some left over sweet potatoes and basmati rice. Looks gorgeous and sooooo delicious!
Love this a LOT more with coconut milk than the evaporated milk. Definitely an upgrade! Added chickpeas to make it a main and it was fab.
This was REALLY good. So flavorful, healthy and affordable. I’ll definitely make this often.
I loved it! Great recipe! I added ricotta to make it a bit creamier as I am not vegan! Haha. Delicious. Will make again for sure!
I use extra firm tofu instead of paneer – press and drain, cube, and add it to the mix. Delicious!
Me too! Except, I prefer previously frozen tofu – more chewy 🙂
I’m glad you updated this one! I’ve been using it as a base for pseudo saag shorba. Sometimes my local Kroger has mustard greens or collards for cheaper than spinach and they both work well too.
Flavor is so good!! I’d like to make this more of a soup consistency. Do you think chicken broth would be good for thinning it out? Or more milk?
Yes you could do vegetable or chicken broth.
Do you have a favourite brand of coconut milk, or one that you would recommend for this recipe?
Hi Mairi! Beth gets a lot of her canned goods from Aldi, a discount grocer. But you Thai Kitchen is a brand you’ll find on m most grocery shelves. Native Forest is a great organic option.
This looks amazing, and I’m super excited to try it out. I really appreciate the nutrition facts added at the end of recipes now – it helps so much for those of us tracking 🙏
Excited to try this! Is there a sub for the tomato? Or would it be ok to just cut out?
Yes you could leave it out.
Can frozen spinach be used?
We haven’t tried it with frozen but previous commenters have noted “I used frozen chopped spinach instead of fresh (putting it straight in to the pot, adding no extra water), and half-and-half/half cream instead of the evaporated milk. Heeded the warning about the cayenne pepper and only used about 1/4 tsp, but will probably chuck the whole lot in next time.”
I added a can of chickpeas and sliced mushrooms to this and it was so good! Thanks for sharing
Oh those are great additions Kayla!
That’s exactly what I was going to do! Glad someone beat me to it.
It’s more liquidy than I expected (I was anticipating something more like Boston Market’s creamed spinach, mine came out almost a soup… any way to adjust the recipe to fix that? (Adore the flavors!)
These ingredients are pretty heat stable, so you can just let it simmer longer (no lid) until it reduces some. It definitely won’t be thick like Boston Market’s creamed spinach, but it also definitely shouldn’t be like a thin soup. It should be more like “saucy.” :)
I didnt blend up my spinach as much as I probably should have and may have used a bit too much tomato, but I’m still enjoying this dinner immensely! Call me crazy but I kept adding cayenne until I’d added the fill teaspoon for my heat preference!
This was DELICIOUS! I added some cooked lentils and served with jasmine rice for a full meal. I didn’t have cumin so I subbed coriander but didn’t change another thing. Will make again and again.
Great recipe! I would like to make it vegan. What could I use instead of evaporated milk? Would a regular non-dairy milk work?
I would use a full-fat coconut milk for this one. :) Coconut goes really well with the spices in this dish.
Absolutely delicious! I have been looking at palak paneer recipes because I love it, and this is the first one I have made. It is a great, easy recipe and tastes fantastic. I agree with the other comment about less cayenne, but that’s for next time. The great thing about this recipe is that you can use the food processor for everything (except the garlic) without having to wash it in between. I diced the onion and ginger with the shredding blade, pulse-chopped some small tomatoes, and then pulsed the spinach as directed. I added some frozen, cubed paneer at the very end and voila! Thank you so much for the recipe.
wow wonderful twist to palak paneer. I am a typical indian searching for not so elaborate recipe for spinach and zucchini (i got a bit cheaper exotic veggie here) but I landed on this great recipe) thank you.
I made this again, using the wimpier amount of cayenne, and we enjoyed it a lot. The rest of the flavors come through when it’s not all heat. I served this creamed spinach and Beth’s curried lentils with Basmati rice, making a great weeknight meal. This dinner will become a standby, since everything in both dishes is in my pantry all of the time.
Made this recipe last night and left out half the cayenne after reading other’s reviews. It was still plenty spicy enough for us. It was okay. It’s not at all like what I get at my favorite Indian restaurant but still just okay.
We love to make Indian cuisine and this is WAY too HOT! I DO NOT recommend this much cayenne pepper! I do t even think we can eat it:( food wasted. Boo!
If you don’t like spicy food, you could always, like, look at the amount of spice called for in the recipe and logically come to the conclusion that you might want to tame down the spice. Just sayin’
Oh my god, this was hot. Is 1 tsp. of cayenne right? My husband and Ienjoyed it but were happy to have naan to temper it a bit. I will make again, but with less cayenne.
Did I understand that coconut milk can b substituted for the evaporated milk?
Yes, you can use coconut milk instead of the evaporated milk. :) Full fat coconut milk, not the thin dairy milk substitute type.
very good recipe!!!! i would put a tad less turmeric though, the taste of the powder was bit too obvious when i made it.
Indian food is pretty forgiving usually..great post!
SO GOOD! I’ve made this twice now; the first time exactly as written and it was outstanding. The 2nd time I wanted to see if I could get away with using frozen chopped spinach (cheaper!) that I microwaved before adding it to the rest of the onion/tomato mixture. I didn’t puree the chopped spinach and wish I had because the texture was slightly off but the flavor was still delicious. Looking forward to making it again!
Holy Moly this is good! Grateful for the pics because I went through the “oh my this is ugly ” stage as well. Thank you!
SO good!! Wish I would’ve doubled the recipe. My husband and I devoured it in one sitting. The only thing I changed was adding coconut milk at the end. Dairy doesn’t like me. :)
I had some spinach to use up, but I couldn’t decide between this recipe, or the spinach & feta grilled cheese. I then hatched a plan. I made this recipe, then let it hang out in the fridge all day so the flavours could get acquainted, and made some naan. I put the creamed spinach all over the naan, topped it with some feta and fresh cracked pepper and bunged it in the oven. Incredible. My one regret is that it had to end when all the food was gone.
This was awesome! The only thing I would change, is add no sugar. It doesn’t need it. It is going into our “Keepers” Recipe book!
I know that it has been a while since this was originally posted – so hopefully this post doesn’t go unseen! I was wondering if this recipe was basically a palak paneer recipe, that was minus the paneer? I know I can buy paneer at my local grocery store, and I wonder if I could add it to this recipe to turn it into my beloved take out dish?
I’ve looked up other palak paneer recipes online, and they are a little bit intimidating, but I think I could totally accomplish this one (your step-by-step pictures are a real life saver).
Yes, this is like a scaled back version of palak paneer also minus the paneer. :)
Can’t wait to try this recipe out! Paneer Saag is one of my favorite dishes. Just so you know can substitute traditional homemade paneer with store bought queso fresco (a Mexican unaged cheese that is very similar to paneer) which can be bought at most supermarkets for under 3 bucks. Would recommend makhani (a tomato gravy) paneer as well.
Tried this recipe with whole milk and cream. Had to simmer it a little more (for around 20 minutes in total) but turned out awesomely delicious. Everyone loved it :) Thanks for the wonderful and super easy recipe.
The step by step photos really help to make sure you are in the right direction – great idea for posting recipes ! going to try others from your blog too.
This is the 3rd thing I’ve made from Budget Bytes and I am a huge fan! Telling everyone about you.
So I made this for a get together with friends last night, as the host was making tandoori chicken and rice. It was a HUGE hit. I made this a bit more semi-homemade – used a can of diced tomatoes, frozen chopped spinach, garlic and ginger I bought pre-diced, pre-diced onion, and coconut milk – to save time and clean up. It got RAVE reviews from the dinner party.
Well I made a double batch, not knowing how much I’d need for the friends, so tonight I plopped some of the left overs on pasta and had a DELICIOUS pasta dish. Added some ground turkey and it was a full meal.
Thanks for all that you do!
Tried a bit of a variation on this, because I didn’t have any spinach, but had a plethora of zucchini (it is summer, after all!). I grated about 10-11 oz of zucchini (3 medium-ish squash) on a box grater, and instead of cooking them separately, I added them to the sauce at the end of the cooking (at the same time as the evaporated milk). It turned out wonderfully! The spices in the recipe are great!
This was so delicious! I didn’t have any evaporated milk on hand, so I used whole milk and it was fantastic!
I’m currently making this again with the coconut lentils and naan. Can’t wait!
Side note – do you typically use evaporated milk? That’s not something I usually use and I’m not familiar with where I should/could be using. Would love any input!
Thanks for these fabulous recipes! Looking forward to trying out more!
I really don’t use it a lot, but in many cases you can use it in place of higher fat milk for a creamy flavor with less added fat. :)
This was so delicious!! Everyone loved it
Made this along with the coconut lentils, and it was SO good! I was going to make naan bread to accompany it, but had leftover burritos. So I chopped the burritos up and toasted them with a little olive oil and lime and used them as dipping “crackers.” Absolutely fabulous and so much flavour!
Such a fantastic recipe! I made it vegan by using about 1 C. of coconut milk and it turned out really good. It was devoured by all.
First of all, totally in love with your site. The recipes are all so simple and delicious and I always have most of the ingredients on hand :)
For this recipe, is there a way around blending the spinach? I don’t currently have a blender or processor.
Maybe chopping the spinach before boiling?
Hmm, you could chop it I suppose, although that might make it difficult to drain. You could just leave the leaves whole and have the texture be more like an American creamed spinach. :)
I used frozen spinach which typically comes slightly chopped, stuck it in the microwave to defrost, stirred in the sugar and added some water. It’s really convenient and saves having to use a blender.
I made this tonight with some leftover indian food. I like to use frozen spinach for dishes like this as it saves both money and time and doesn’t lose any nutrition. It was delicious! I was serving this with some indian food that was a little too spicy so I left out the cayenne all together and it was perfect. I also used half and half instead of evaporated milk. YUM.
Just cooked this, together with the Quick Curried Chickpeas and Coconut Lentils, for my mum and her cousin. Second helpings and clean plates all around! Super delicious!
I used frozen chopped spinach instead of fresh (putting it straight in to the pot, adding no extra water), and half-and-half/half cream instead of the evaporated milk. Heeded the warning about the cayenne pepper and only used about 1/4 tsp, but will probably chuck the whole lot in next time.
Such a nice dish (as was the others). I’m looking forward to the left overs! :)
Cooked! It just tasted so good :)
I love Indian food but some of the dishes can be quite fattening so I was looking for a recipe with vegetables. This recipe turned out very good and everyone in my family loved it! To make it even less fattening, I substituted the evaporated milk with fat free Greek yogurt. It tasted very good. I also used half of a hot pepper in the recipe instead of cayenne pepper.
Thank you!
This was good but extremely spicy. Maybe there should be a warning on the use of Cayenne. :)
Ah yes, I put a warning above the first picture, but it looks like when I moved the website from its old home to the new one, it changed it from bright red back to black, so it’s not so noticeable! :) I’ll go fix that.
I made this last weekend, planning to have it with a ground chicken version of your curry beef with peas and naan (since ground chicken was on sale for $3/pound). Thanks to a little too much multitasking, I cooked the spinach too long, and when I pureed it and added it to the pan…it looked like a Muppet had an accident with a blender.
I thought it was ruined, but it tasted great, and I realized it would make a great sauce. I cooked the ground chicken with more of the spices I used with this, then added it and some peas to the spinach. It was a great sagwala-like dish! This happy accident will be something I make again, even though I also want to give the original recipe another try.
Delicious! I paired it with your daal nirvana recipe and scooped them with some whole wheat pita bread (I was too lazy to make naan but will eventually for sure!). Not too spicy for me but I love my spices.
I’ve made this recipe a ton of times before, but tonight when I went to make it, there were no onions! And I really didn’t want to go to the store.
I ended up tossing 2 diced potatoes with oil & curry and roasting them, to try and replace the onion. Didn’t work, but-
The spinach mix + evaporated milk mix was pretty soupy without the onion, so I just dumped everything over a bed of rice to help soak it up.
It was fantastic.
I definitely recommend adding the curry potatoes.
Don’t mind the other posters, this dish is not too spicy. It’s Indian, many dishes from the sub-continent are _far_ spicier. Great recipe.
We made it last night and we loved it. We ate it with rice and some store-bought Naan bread.
Thank you!
This is absolutely one of my favorites!! It’s a repeat in my home. Do you think this would freeze well? It makes so much I usually end up throwing some out, and I’d love to have some on hand when I start craving it.
Hmm, I’m not sure! I’ve never tried freezing it. If you do, please let us know how it turns out. Thanks!
I should remember that you like your food spicy. LOL.
I’d never cooked with cayenne before. My parents would put it on my thumb so I didn’t suck it when I was younger. It eventually worked.
Delicious as always, just going to use less cayenne next time, my mother is on me about it!
You can also make your own evaporated milk from dry milk powder:
2/3 cup dry/powdered milk
3/4 cup water
Mix the water and dry milk powder together. Use in place of the evaporated milk in any recipe.
Yield: 1 cup (8 ounces)
Paneer
8 cups milk
4 tbsp fresh strained lemon juice
Bring milk to a boil, stirring to minimize sticking, then reduce heat, add lemon juice and stir. After ten seconds remove from heat. If curds don’t separate place on heat again adding more lemon juice if necessary. (I’ve never needed to.) Drain 1 and 1/2 hours in cheesecloth to use as a soft ricotta-like filling for lasagne or to fry with spices and tomato. You can also add herbs or spices in this stage.
For a firm curd, after hanging for 90 min you can put it in a mold or a colander, still in the cheesecloth, and place a weight on it. I will leave it for at least 3 more hours until it seems firm enough to cut into cubes and fry for sag paneer. You can marinate it in oil and turmeric before you fry it. I noticed on food tv they profiled some ladies in NY who were making “ricotta” this way although it’s not the traditional method and fancy restaurants were buying their product.
Thanks!
I made this a couple weeks ago along with the “(not) butter chicken,” which had left me with some extra plain greek yogurt. When I tasted how spicy this spinach was, I mixed in a little of the greek yogurt and it was WONDERFUL. Rich without being heavy, a little more mild, wonderful. I’m going to make this again tomorrow night with half the cayenne and a little yogurt on the side and I know it’s going to be great!!
@ Cindyrex – I will use coconut milk in place of evaporated.
Fantastic! We made this with your Tandoori Chicken Nuggets, too… Great job!
amberpepe – It just didn’t have much flavor or texture to speak of and then when I tried to fry it, it allllll fell apart :( I guess I just felt that it wasn’t even close to being worth the amount of milk that it took to make it.
Hi Beth! I’m going to be making this within the next couple of days along with your curried chickpeas (one of my and my husband’s favorite recipes ever) and naan. I was thinking about giving the homemade paneer thing a try too though and was wondering if you wouldn’t mind sharing what happened when you tried making it? I’ve recently succeeded in homemaking ricotta, and as far as I can tell, paneer making isn’t so different (just drained more and pressed), but I’d love to be able to troubleshoot in advance in order to avoid any potential disasters and/or wasted food. The fact that your paneer-making experience was less-than-wonderful has got me feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing.
Can’t wait to make this – I happen to have all the ingredients in the house right now. And I love spicy food!
I just made this too and the spice was overwhelming! I usually find myself able to tolerate spicy food, but this was way too much (I didn’t even put in all the cayenne it called for!). I also wish I had chopped my onions smaller, or put them in the blender as well. It would have been nice to have the textures meld a little better.
Just made this and it would have been perfect for the fact that it was way too spicy. I wish I’d read the comments here before I made it. I’d probably half the amount of cayenne pepper. I served it with rice, but nan bread would have been needed to further cut the spicyness.
I agree with some of the other posters… too spicy. I cut the cayenne pepper in half and my mouth was still on fire, and only my iron-tongued husband could eat much of it. It was pretty good otherwise, though. I’ll just have to tweak it for next time.
I agree with some of the other posters… too spicy. I cut the cayenne pepper in half and my mouth was still on fire, and only my iron-tongued husband could eat much of it. It was pretty good otherwise, though. I’ll just have to tweak it for next time.
This is really good and so simple. I used drained caned diced tomatoes (just because that is what I had). I will make this again for sure.
I’ve never had sagwala, but I bet this would be delish with chicken in it!
Is this similar to sagwala (sp??) I would love a good recipe for chicken sagwala & this sounds similar.
This was superb. So superb.
Also with those lentils as well. Delicious!
How well do y’all think this will freeze? Should I worry about the cream/milk separating?
Wow, this is pretty spicy. Will probably not use as much cayenne next time, so the kid can eat some. But this is really good. Might also add some cilantro next time, because this tastes like it would go perfectly with cilantro.
This was amazing! But really spicy, too spicy for the rest of the family. Darn, I guess I’ll have to eat all of it by myself! I must have added too much cayenne, but I’m glad I did. I ate this with your coconut lentils and it is the perfect meal! I did use frozen chopped spinach, I’m anxious to try it with fresh when that goes on sale. Thanks for another great recipe that goes into my keep file!
I’ve made something similar with no cream/milk at all (but with paneer) and it’s delicious. In my experience, cooking down the tomato until it’s almost dry and roasted is what makes it extra-delicious. I also use well-drained frozen spinach, which cuts costs quite a bit. And I use an immersion blend to kind of puree the spinach a bit, but not too much. Now I have to add this to next week’s menu…
I do not see recipe for the cheese.
I love creamed spinach, but I’ve never considered making it Indian style. I love ginger though so I’m thinking I need to give it a try!
Traditionally it would be served with rice, dal and a home madeflatbread. There are probably as many ways to make this as there are cooks. I use Trader Joe’s frozen chopped spinach, chop it a little more before I add it, skip the blender step. Cooks vary a lot on whether to make it fully blended or allow the spinach to just be itself. :)
I’ve used both half and half and cream, & both are fine. Instead of a tomato I use a little tomato paste back there in the ginger/garlic/spices phase of things. I don’t use a whole cup of whatever cream-type stuff I finish it with. I don’t think I’ve had to go beyond half a cup at most.
I either make my paneer or buy some from the Indian store.
In any event, it’s not so expensive as a meal when paired with the other things and I usually have leftovers for lunches.
Trader Joe’s frozen garlic naan makes a great accompaniment.
Cindy – You could use whole milk or cream instead of evaporated milk… AND it will cut the cost even more!
This looks amazing!
I’m well over the “green goop” look in food. Once I tried to make a spinach soup in my slow cooker. I saved the fresh spinach for the end, but then forgot about it anyway. It dissolved into the soup and I thought all was lost. It turned out to be the best tasting spinach soup I’ve ever had. Maybe spinach is magical!
this looks delicious. do you have any alternative suggestions for the evaporated milk?
Double cream
I used 8 oz of fat free milk. Was very disappointed in the taste so to fix it, I took some of it and mixed it with an equal part of cream of celery soup, added some rotisserie chicken breast and little more red chili powder and it made a wonderful soup.
I’m keeping this recipe for a base for cream of spinach soup.
I used canned evaporated goats milk since my son is allergic to cows milk. We are going to try coconut milk next, I bet it will go over well with the indian spices
this looks crazy good!