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.
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).
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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!
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! 😋