There's a reason creamed spinach is on every serious steakhouse menu. Not the watery, under-seasoned version, but the kind that's genuinely rich, with enough body to hold its own next to a prime rib or a bone-in ribeye. This Steakhouse Creamed Spinach starts with a proper roux, gets its creaminess from both cream cheese and half and half, and finishes with a generous amount of freshly shredded parmesan. It's deeply savory, with just a hint of heat from the red pepper flakes, and exactly what a holiday table or a steakhouse night at home is missing.
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Yes, You Really CAN Make Creamed Spinach That Actually Tastes Like a Steakhouse 🥩
The difference between forgettable creamed spinach and the kind you find at Ruth's Chris or Morton's comes down to a few things: a roux-thickened base that gives it real body, cream cheese for richness, and parmesan added slowly over low heat so it melts into the sauce instead of clumping. One of our favorite parts of this is how it comes together in one skillet, in 30 minutes.
We make this every year, at least once, either for Valentine's Day, Christmas, or Easter, spread alongside our slow cooked prime rib. It's one of those sides that disappears faster than the main, and nobody ever complains about the leftovers.
It works just as well outside of the holidays. If you're making a chuck roast in the oven on a Sunday and want something that feels a little more special than your usual sides, this one won't let you down.
🥬 Ingredients Creamed Spinach with Cream Cheese
Everything you need is simple and straightforward, but it still tastes like it came out of a restaurant kitchen!
How To Make Rich, Velvety Creamed Spinach at Home ✨
Don't let the roux step intimidate you. It's just butter, onion, and flour cooked together, and it's what gives this dish its structure. From there, it comes together quickly.
- Step 1: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion with a pinch of salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, then stir in the flour.
Cook for a couple of minutes until the raw flour smell cooks off. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute.
💡 This is your roux. Cooking the flour out fully before adding any liquid is what keeps the finished sauce from tasting starchy or doughy. Don't rush this step.
- Step 2: Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the cream cheese in small chunks and stir until it softens into the onion mixture.
💡 Room temperature cream cheese is key here. Cold cream cheese takes much longer to soften and can leave lumps in the sauce. Pull it out of the fridge at least an hour before you start cooking, and cut it into small pieces before adding it to the skillet.
- Step 3: Stream in the half and half gradually, stirring to bring everything together into a thick, creamy sauce.
Add the fresh thyme and black pepper to taste.
- Step 4: Reduce the heat to low. Add the drained spinach, then begin adding the parmesan in small handfuls, stirring to melt each addition before adding more.
🥬 Squeeze the spinach as dry as you can get it. Frozen spinach holds a surprising amount of water. The more you drain and squeeze it before it goes in, the better your sauce will hold together.
- Step 5: Continue to add parmesan in small handfuls, stirring to melt each addition before adding more.
Once all the parmesan is melted in, taste and adjust salt carefully. Parmesan is already salty, so add salt gradually and keep tasting as you go.
🧀 Add the parmesan slowly. Too much at once over heat that's too high, and it'll clump instead of melt. Small handfuls, low heat, patience.
Serve with additional shaved parmesan or red pepper flakes.
Whether this is making it to your Easter table or anchoring a steakhouse night at home, it's going to need a main to stand next to. A cast iron ribeye is the classic pairing, or if you're going all in, this creamed spinach alongside a steak and lobster surf and turf is about as close to a restaurant experience as you can get without leaving the house. 🤤
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If you make this Homemade Steakhouse Creamed Spinach, we'd love to hear from you! Leave a comment below with your rating for the recipe. Share with us by tagging us on Instagram! We love seeing your creations! 📸
📖 Recipe
Steakhouse Creamed Spinach Recipe
Equipment
- cheese grater (or microplane)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon kosher salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour 23g
- 8-10 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional and to taste
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup half and half
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme optional, 6-8 sprigs
- 20 ounces frozen spinach thawed and well-drained, 2 packages
- 1 cup parmesan cheese freshly shredded, about 4 ounces
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3-4 minutes.4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 medium yellow onion, ¼ - ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Stir in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until the raw flour smell cooks off. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.3 tablespoons all purpose flour, 8-10 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the cream cheese in small chunks and stir until softened and combined with the onion mixture.4 ounces cream cheese
- Stream in the half and half gradually, stirring until everything comes together into a thick, creamy sauce. Add the fresh thyme and black pepper to taste.1 cup half and half, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the drained spinach, then add the parmesan in small handfuls, stirring to melt each addition completely before adding more.20 ounces frozen spinach, 1 cup parmesan cheese
- Once all the parmesan is melted in, taste and adjust salt carefully. Serve with additional shaved parmesan on top.
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Notes
- Salt: Parmesan is naturally salty, so add salt gradually at the end and keep tasting as you go. We use Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you're using Morton's or a fine sea salt, start with less - those run saltier by volume.
- Cream cheese: Pull it from the fridge at least an hour before cooking. Room temperature cream cheese softens faster and blends more smoothly into the sauce.
- Spinach: Squeeze out as much water as possible before adding to the skillet. Frozen spinach holds a surprising amount of liquid, and too much will thin out the sauce.
- Parmesan: Shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting properly. Add it in small handfuls over low heat, waiting for each addition to melt fully before adding more.
- Fresh spinach: To use fresh spinach instead of frozen, you'll need about 3 pounds. Blanch or sauté until wilted, then squeeze out as much liquid as possible before adding to the sauce.
- Storage: Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of half and half if the sauce has thickened too much.
- To freeze: Allow to cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently. Texture may change slightly after freezing.
- Serve with: This is the perfect side for our Slow Cooker Prime Rib for a holiday dinner.
Joel says
This is outstanding. Even my "vegetable-opposed" 9-year-old asked for seconds: a minor Christmas miracle! So easy but a truly sophisticated side dish.
I made one addition: creme fraiche. Added a pleasant tang to a wonderful recipe
Briana says
That is the highest praise, Joel! We're seriously so thrilled your kiddo enjoyed it as much as you all did! Also - GREAT idea with the creme fraiche!! Now we want to try that next time! Merry Christmas!!
Anne Leonardi says
This recipe is so good. I made it last year to go with standing rib roast. I’m making it again this year!😋
Briana says
That is SO awesome to hear Anne! We're so thrilled to make it to your holiday table two years in a row! GOD JUL!!! 💖💖💖🎄
Michele Phillips says
This spinach dish is so good!! I had all the ingredients on hand when I saw your recipe post, so I made it that night for dinner. It's easy to make, and really delicious. We're big spinach fans and loved every creamy bite. Will be making this again (and again)! Thank you!
Briana says
Oh Michele we are so honored and thrilled that we made it to your holiday table!! Thank you so much for your sweet review, we appreciate it so much!