This butter garlic sauteed spinach is one of the best Keto Spinach Recipes. This is super easy, healthy, and will help you lose some extra weight also. And if you are on a vegan diet, you can easily customize to vegan.
This is a low-carb spinach recipe (with a nice garlic flavor) that is perfect for a keto diet. If you are looking for sauteed spinach recipes or keto spinach recipes then you are at the right place. Enjoy this quick and easy keto sauteed spinach recipe for your keto diet.

Keto Sauteed Spinach
Spinach leaves are zero in carb (low-carb) and high in fiber. I love all kinds of spinach recipes. I do try to incorporate this super healthy leafy vegetable into my diet in every possible way.
And as we all know spinach is one of the best vegetables for the keto diet. You can guess the main ingredients from the name of the dish. This is a 3 ingredient recipe where the main ingredient is spinach and the other two are loads of garlic and butter for that fat factor.
Vegan Substitute
If you are vegan and plant-based, you will substitute the butter with other vegan fat like coconut oil, olive oil, and avocado oil.
It has all the nutrition from spinach greens and garlic and at the same time, it has fat from butter which is recommended for keto.
In case you are not following the keto diet, you may replace butter with a low-fat substitute like olive oil for your low carb low fat sauteed spinach.
This keto sauteed spinach is so yummy and it didn't take me more than 8 - 10 minutes for the whole preparation. So if you are feeling lazy but still have to follow the diet this is the best recipe. At the same time, this buttery garlic sauteed spinach is vegan and gluten-free.
Also try the similar recipe: Skillet Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic & Sauteed Kale Recipe
Tips for perfect sauteed spinach
The top one is, don't overcook the spinach. Don't add any water to the dish while sauteing. Spinach or any leafy vegetables are high in water content and that's how they release a lot of water while cooking. So wash and dry it before cooking to avoid over-cooking in this recipe. You may use a salad spinner to get rid of excess water before sauteing the spinach leaves.
So best is to wash the leaves well in advance and dry them using a salad spinner or naturally.
How to saute fresh spinach?
This is an easy and quick spinach recipe. Spinach is a leafy vegetable and it has high water content. So it releases water when heated during cooking.
Next, heat a pan and add 1 tbsp/ 2 tbsp butter (depending on the quantity/ amount of spinach leaves). If you are vegan, add coconut oil/ olive oil/ avocado oil, or vegan butter.
Add freshly crushed garlic into it and saute for 5 seconds. Then add spinach to the pan. Season with a pinch of salt. (be careful as butter also has salt and spinach shrinks after getting cooked).
Saute for 3 - 5 minutes or till it's wilted (and not soggy). Keep flame medium to high as that the water released during this process will get evaporated simultaneously during the cooking. That's all. Our butter garlic sauteed spinach is ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I take frozen Spinach for this recipe?
I would not recommend using frozen spinach. Fresh spinach is the best. When frozen, the leaves have more liquids. It will turn little mushier.
Is spinach good for the keto diet?
Spinach is one of the best vegetables for the ketogenic diet. This is low in carbohydrates and rich in other essential vitamins and minerals.
If you are a beginner in the keto diet, read my article on what is keto diet.
Read here top 10 vegetables to eat on keto diet.
Is Sauteed Spinach Healthy?
Sauteed spinach is superbly delicious and one of the healthiest spinach recipes I would say. It's not only quick and delicious, but it also has tons of health benefits as well. This is super healthy. If I will ask myself "why shall I eat this sauteed spinach?", there are many answers.
Sauteed spinach is healthy, low carb, vegan, and gluten-free. For the keto diet, you can saute it with butter or otherwise to make a low-calorie option, and saute mildly for 3 minutes in olive oil or sunflower oil. Garlic adds some more health benefits to it. And spinach and garlic are just a heavenly combination to cook.
Which is better- Raw Spinach or Cooked Spinach?
Raw spinach contains oxalic acid. This affects the absorption of calcium and iron. Longer consumption of oxalic acid may result in vitamin deficiency. At the same time when oxalic acid is heated, it breaks down. So there is no loss of nutrients in cooked spinach i.e. steamed or sauteed spinach.
Both raw spinach and cooked spinach give equal micronutrients. However, because of high oxalic acid, raw spinach may create calcium, iron, and other vitamin deficiency if it's taken regularly. But at the same time, this is a rich source of other essential nutrients like folate, vitamin C, potassium, niacin, riboflavin, etc. Read the health benefits of spinach here!
At the same time, cooked spinach provides protein, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin E, zinc, thiamin, calcium, carotenoids, etc. And these are absorbed better when spinach is cooked and oxalate is broken down. So I will conclude that cooked, steamed, and sauteed spinach is healthy food and you must include this at least 3 times in your diet every week.
You may add raw spinach to your salads or smoothies, but at the same time, you need more cooked spinach. So this sauteed spinach (wilted spinach) is a quick solution.
Other Keto Spinach Recipes:
- Spinach & Mushroom Soup
- Cheesy Spinach Balls
- Palak Paneer Kofta (Paneer stuffed in Spinach Balls)
- Sarson Ka Saag (Mix Leafy Vegetables)
- Palak Paneer (Paneer cooked in spinach gravy)
Recipe card keto garlic sauteed spinach
Keto Buttery Garlic Sauteed Spinach
Equipment
- Salad Spinner
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter or vegan fat/ neutral oil for vegan diet
- 1 tbsp garlic pods finely chopped
- 8 - 10 oz spinach leaves (baby spinach or chopped spinach)
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp butter/ vegan butter/ oil in a pan.
- Once butter melts, add chopped garlic and saute for a minute.
- Add chopped spinach/ baby spinach
- Add a pinch of salt.
- Saute for 2 - 3 minutes on medium-high flame.
- Cover with a lid for a minute or two.
- Spinach will release some water.
- Saute till all liquid evaporates.
- Turn off the heat and serve hot with soup or any meal.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Here I would request you to read other posts like mushroom matar masala, paneer tikka masala, gatte ki sabzi, palak paneer. Also read matar paneer curry, dum aloo, bagara baingan, lauki kofta curry, malai kofta curry, shaam savera curry.
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Jen
Thanks for the tip about using my salad spinner after washing the spinach. This looks amazing!
Julia
Such an easy recipe! We love spinach but I had no idea that eating it raw can cause some vitamin deficiency so thanks for the info!
Traci
Yummm! So easy, healthy, and delicious! This is going into my "favorites" rotation. Thanks for another winner!
Dannii
I'm always looking for new ways to serve spinach, and this looks delicious. Sounds amazing with the butter.
Kechi
I love sautéed greens, and this spinach recipe is just perfect and checks all the boxes.
Yummy.
Tracy
My daughter said, "butter makes everything better, even spinach!" Ha! Thanks for a recipe that a 4 year old will happily eat loads of! Delicious.
Emily Liao
This sauteed spinach was the perfect side dish! So easy to make and delicious.
Andrea Metlika
One of my favorite vegetable side dishes. It looks fabulous!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
This sounds like such a deliciously easy and healthy side - love that it is keto too!
Toni
I love the great flavors in this recipe and how easy it is!! Perfect for this time of year too.
Michelle
Simple, healthy, delicious, and so easy to make! My kind of food, for sure.
MARY
I accidentally used 4 oz instead of 8 oz but everything else the same. It was great! But I love garlic 🙂 I think next time I'll add a little red pepper flakes to the butter just to pump it up a spicy notch but I loved it just as it is. Thanks for sharing it!