Dairy-Free Creamed Greens

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means it’s time to plan for the Thanksgiving menu. One of the best parts about Thanksgiving is all the delicious side dishes, and this Creamed Greens dish is perfectly comforting, nutritious, and dairy-free! Using a dairy-free heavy cream substitute makes this a great option for anyone who is lactose-intolerant, allergic to dairy, or following a vegan diet. The blend of spinach and kale packs plenty of vitamins and minerals into the dish, like iron, vitamin C, calcium, vitamin A, and potassium. If you’re a beginner cook or if you’re making this with your kids, be sure to review our stove safety tips. The recipe also quick, easy to make, and can be made ahead of time and reheated just before you sit down at the table—a big bonus for a Thanksgiving dish!

We’ve broken down each step, including prep, and paired them with visuals to make this easy to follow for any age and ability. You can read through the visual recipe below or jump to the written recipe here.

How to Make Dairy-Free Creamed Greens

You’re going to want to start by getting all your ingredients prepped and ready, so that once you begin cooking you can just add everything as needed. First, dice 1 medium onion, add that to a bowl and set it aside.

Then, mince the 4 cloves of garlic. You can use a knife to finely mince, or you can just put the cloves into a garlic press. This tends to be easier, and your child can do this as well (with a little muscle)! Both will produce the same sized pieces. Add this to a separate bowl and set aside.

Using a grater or a microplane (whichever you have on hand is fine), zest a lemon to get 1/2 teaspoon of zest. Zest directly over a small bowl. The zest from about 1/4 of the lemon will give you the needed amount.

Next, measure out all the remaining ingredients: the 1 1/4 cup of heavy cream, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg into separate containers.

Chop 4 sage leaves if using, and remove the thick stem from the kale before cooking. Now you’re ready to start!


Put a large skillet onto the stove and turn the burner on to medium heat. When heated, add 2 tablespoons oil and heat briefly.

Add the onions, and cook until they start to soften and turn translucent or slightly browned, about 8-10 minutes. Be sure to stir so that nothing gets burnt in the pan.

Add in the garlic, stir, and cook for about 1-2 more minutes, until it becomes fragrant and you can smell the garlic. Make sure this doesn’t burn.

Turn the heat down to low, and add in the flour, lemon zest, and nutmeg, stirring as you add so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Cook for -2-3 minutes. If browning too quickly, turn the heat down.

Pour in the heavy cream very slowly, stirring as you pour. This combined with the flour will help the consistency thicken. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the liquid has thickened. You can tell it's the right consistency when you drag the back of a spoon down the middle and the cream takes a few seconds to fall back into place. 

Add in the spinach and kale. Depending on the depth of your pan, you may need to do this in 2 batches, which is totally okay. You can fill it to the brim as well, it will wilt down a lot. Once added, cover to speed up the wilting process, and check on it every 2 minutes or so. If doing 2 batches, add the second batch after the first is wilted down halfway.

Once fully wilted, stir to combine the greens with the creamy sauce making sure they are fully coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Plate in a serving dish and garnish with a pinch of nutmeg and the chopped sage leaves.

Dairy-Free Creamed Greens
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoon avocado or olive oil

• 1 medium Vidalia or yellow onion, diced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (can sub for 1-1 gluten-free flour if needed)

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 1/4 cup dairy-free heavy cream alternative (or lactose-free half-and-half, coconut milk, soy milk, or oat milk)

• 4 ounces baby spinach

• 4 ounces tuscan kale, thick stems removed

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 4 sage leaves, chopped, for garnish

Directions:

1. Dice the onion, put it in a bowl, and set aside.

2. Mince the garlic, add to a separate bowl and set aside.

3. Zest your lemon into a bowl. You can use either a grater or microplane, whichever you have on hand. Zesting about 1/4 of the lemon will get you the 1/2 teaspoon of zest.

4. Measure out your heavy cream, flour, and nutmeg.

5. Chop sage leaves.

6. Remove thick stems from the kale.

7. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add in the onions, cooking until soft and translucent or just starting to turn brown, about 8-10 minutes. Make sure to stir a few times.

8. Add in the garlic, stir, and cook for 1-2 more minutes. 

9. Turn the heat to low, and add in the flour, lemon zest, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.

10. Pour in the heavy cream very slowly, stirring constantly. Cook, allowing the mixture to thicken up, about 5 minutes. You can tell it's the right consistency when you drag the back of a spoon down the middle and the cream takes a few seconds to fall back into place. 

11. Once thickened, add in the spinach and kale. Cover to help wilt. Let sit for 2-3 minutes.

12. Remove the cover and stir so that the wilted greens become covered in the sauce. 

13. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

14. Plate in a serving dish and top with a sprinkle of nutmeg and sage! Enjoy with your favorite entrée!

*Recipe inspired by The Roasted Root.