14 Unexpected Ways To Use Spinach

Creamed spinach, spanakopita, saag paneer, stuffed shells — there are plenty of common ways to enjoy this leafy green. But, what if you're sick of them and want to try something new? Rather than filling up on yet another plate of cannelloni, you might be interested in some of the unexpected ways to use spinach.

We all know that it's good for us, but not everyone loves it. However, there are ways that even spinach haters are likely to enjoy, such as in pesto or hidden in brownies. But, then there are options that are truly only for spinach stans, like blending it into soda or drinking a savory spinach tea.

Whether you're wild for this salad green or are looking for ways to make it more appealing, we're not short on ideas. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert are all primed for the spinach treatment. You've probably never thought of using spinach in these ways before — but now's the time to get creative.

Move aside avocado toast. Edamame toast, we don't have time for you. Spinach toast is where it's at these days. It might sound like a recipe for soggy bread, but it's actually delicious and offers loads of room for variation.

Some recipes call for fresh spinach — just bear in mind that it shrinks when you cook it. What starts out looking like it's enough to feed a small family wilts down to what looks more like a serving for a small hamster. Who, incidentally, would probably be thrilled with some spinach on toast. You just have to make sure to cook it long enough that the excess moisture cooks off and you aren't left with bread that looks like you've used it to mop up a spill. You can go wild with seasonings and extra ingredients. Miso gives you umami notes while tahini adds a nutty creaminess. Garlic is always a good idea and fresh herbs can taste great with it.

You'll also find recipes that start with leftover creamed spinach. This is a great way to use up food that would otherwise go to waste and make yourself a delicious breakfast or lunch while you're at it. Melting some cheese over the creamed spinach is an easy way to make it taste amazing.

When you hear cookie you probably think chocolate chip, or maybe oatmeal-raisin if you're that way inclined. But spinach almost definitely isn't what comes to mind. However, you can absolutely use spinach to make a savory take on these classic baked goods.

If you think that savory cookies sound weird, think of them as more like baked fritters or patties. There are plenty of recipes for this kind of dish that you can find online, but it's also possible to wing it. Start with chopped fresh spinach or frozen spinach that's been thawed and had the moisture squeezed out. Then add cheese: Feta is great for that spanakopita vibe but you can also use mozzarella, cheddar, or whatever you have in the fridge. Mix in some fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. Then all you need to do is add eggs and self-rising flour (or a mix of all-purpose flour and baking powder) until they come together in a dough thick enough to form into balls.

Flatten the balls on a baking sheet and cook them for around 15 to 20 minutes and you have yourself some savory spinach cookies. They're a great snack, but you could also serve them on flatbreads with salad or eat them as a side dish.

We're used to pasta being, well, pretty beige. That's no shade on my favorite carb, but pair it with a creamy sauce and you're left with a meal that's light on anything that could be considered a color. That's why spinach pasta is so awesome. We're not talking about a pasta dish with spinach wilted in but homemade pasta noodles that have actual spinach blended into the dough.

Giada De Laurentiis made a spinach pasta that people went wild for on Instagram. But you don't have to be a celebrity chef to pull it off. All you need to do is blanch some spinach, drain it, squeezing out all the excess moisture, and then mix it with the other classic pasta dough ingredients — flour, eggs, and salt. Or you can leave the eggs out to make it vegan.

Rolling out your spinach pasta is easier if you have a pasta maker, but you can roll it out by hand too. The easiest shapes to make are long noodles like tagliatelle and pappardelle. However, you can use it to make any style of hand-formed pasta you want. Since it's fresh, it only needs a few minutes of cooking time. It's great paired with a simple sauce to let the spinach flavor stand out.

When you think of brownies, spinach probably isn't the first ingredient that comes to mind. But this leafy green can sneak into your dessert without anyone noticing. Making spinach brownies satisfies your sweet tooth while getting some extra vitamins and minerals into your diet, making them perfect for picky eaters or anyone looking for a creative baking challenge.

To successfully pull these brownies off, you need to blend the spinach into a purée. Start with wilted fresh spinach or frozen spinach that's thawed and squeezed dry and blend it until it's smooth. Mix it right into your brownie batter along with classic ingredients: cocoa powder, melted chocolate, sugar, flour, eggs, and butter or oil. The spinach flavor itself is mild and gets completely masked by the rich chocolate, so these brownies still taste great.

Not only do they stay moist thanks to the spinach, but they also pack a dose of iron and fiber. These treats are perfect for fooling even the biggest veggie skeptics. Or you might just want to try out something new or use up some spinach that would otherwise go to waste. Just don't tell anyone what's in the brownies until after they've taken a bite.

If you want to bake a bright green cake without resorting to artificial food dyes, spinach is the answer. It might seem weird to put leafy greens into baked goods but that's why you're here — for the unexpected uses. Spinach cake looks incredible and tastes way better than you might imagine.

Effectively, it's just regular vanilla cake but with added blended or finely chopped spinach. You may need to adjust the recipe for moisture, so it's best to find a spinach cake recipe online rather than simply adding spinach to an existing vanilla cake recipe. Too much moisture in a cake can cause it to come out dense or sink in the middle, so adapting existing recipes is an art. Once the cake is baked and cooled, frost it with a vanilla buttercream and decorate it as desired. Nobody will guess it's full of spinach until you cut a slice.

It might look cool, but what does it taste like? You actually don't get a particularly strong spinach flavor through the cake. All the vanilla and sugar mask the flavor so it doesn't taste all that much different from a regular yellow or white cake. That said, you do get some of the fresh, earthy flavors of spinach through so it may not be a cake for everyone.

The world of savory pie fillings is packed with rich options like creamy mushrooms or meats in a red wine gravy. There are also alternative options such as curried pie fillings and classics like chicken pot pie. But spinach probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. It actually makes a great pie filling, though, paired with other ingredients.

If you're looking for a low-fat option, we have a spinach and cottage cheese pie recipe that really hits the spot. It consists of a spinach, egg, and cottage cheese filling that sets like a frittata on top of puff pastry. But, spinach in pies doesn't have to be about lower-calorie options. In fact, you can use it in plenty of creamy, indulgent pies. Spinach and cheese, or spinach cooked in heavy cream make excellent pie fillings. You could also take Indian classics like saag paneer and saag aloo and turn them into pie fillings.

Spinach doesn't have to be the key ingredient, though. If you have a bit of it to use up, you could stick it in pretty much any savory pie with great results. It works with a classic pie crust, shortcrust, puff pastry, filo — take your favorite pastry and spinach is sure to work with it.

Normally, any green on your bread would be a bad thing. But when you make spinach soda bread, the greener the better. This is a great way to use up a load of spinach and get more nutrients into your bread — all while making it look awesome.

Soda bread, for those not in the know, is a type of bread that uses baking soda as a raising agent instead of yeast. This means it can be baked right after mixing, rather than having to be left to rise. It has a closer, denser crumb than yeast-risen bread. However, if you prefer working with yeast, you can also make regular bread or sourdough with spinach in it.

Depending on the recipe, you might wilt the spinach and then blend it or you can chop raw spinach finely or blitz it in a food processor and mix this shredded spinach into the dough. Either way, you'll be left with a stunning green loaf with a subtle spinach flavor that adds to the bread but doesn't overwhelm it.

Kale chips get all the love, but it's also possible to make spinach chips. They're a little more delicate than the alternative and may not stand up well sold in packages, which might be why they're not as popular. But they're just as tasty and in fact have a milder flavor that some people might prefer.

They're really simple to make — you just need an oven and a couple of baking sheets. You take raw spinach leaves and drizzle them with olive oil, tossing them together in a bowl to make sure they're fully coated. Then, you arrange the leaves in a single layer on a sheet, sprinkle on some seasoning, and bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for eight to 10 minutes. It's important not to pile them up or overlap them or they won't crisp up properly, but this means you'll need a couple of large trays to get a decent amount of chips.

When it comes to seasonings, you can get creative. Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, curry powder, cayenne, dill, oregano, nutritional yeast — all of these and more are great options. You can mix up your own seasoning blend to suit your preferences and get the exact flavor profile you love.

Shakshuka is a North African egg dish that's found its way onto brunch menus everywhere over the last few years. It's made by poaching eggs in a sauce of tomatoes, peppers, and aromatics. It's a great meal but it can get old once you've had it a few times. What you might not have heard of is its spinach-filled counterpart, green shakshuka.

In this recipe, you start by sautéing onions and garlic. Then you wilt in a whole load of spinach. So much, in fact, you'll probably have to add it into the pan in batches. But we all know how a mountain of spinach wilts away to practically nothing, so don't be overwhelmed by the quantity. After seasoning the spinach, you crack some eggs into the dish, distributing them evenly, then transfer the pan to the oven to finish it off.

What's cool about this dish is that you can season it however you want. Some people like Parmesan cheese and nutmeg, which is a classic spice to use with spinach. But you could go for a hotter alternative, like classic shakshuka, adding hot peppers into the mix. It's a versatile dish that makes a nutritious brunch.

Here's one for the true spinach lovers: spinach tea. You could consider this savory tea more of a light soup. It's made using spinach cooking water, so it's a great way to keep it from going to waste — and consuming the nutrients that get lost during the boiling process.

The term "spinach tea" was coined in a TikTok video from The Spicy Nonna. The person filming the video talks to her nonno — that's an Italian grandfather — who says he's drinking a spinach tea that his wife makes for him. He says it consists of the spinach cooking water and juice, possibly the excess squeezed from the spinach after draining. It also includes olive oil and garlic. The man in the video credits it with his impressive energy levels.

Maybe not everyone is going to love spinach tea but I, for one, am intrigued. It's basically like a spinach broth and that sounds delicious. The seasoning from the spinach water, plus extra garlic and olive oil, would make it even tastier.

People usually think of basil pesto. While this is the classic Genovese recipe, you can actually make this sauce with any leafy green, and that includes spinach. You can make a full-on spinach pesto or use it as an addition to basil pesto.

You make spinach pesto much the same as the classic version. You blend together spinach, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, cheese, and seasonings to make a sauce. Or you can use a mortar and pestle if you want to get super traditional about it. This all comes together to make a sauce that's great for pasta, sandwiches, salads, and so much more. It has a different flavor profile to basil pesto, earthier and less aromatic, but it's still delicious.

But there's also a simple trick that keeps homemade pesto from turning brown. This can be a particular issue when you make it ahead of time. All you need to do is use a bit of spinach alongside the basil. Since basil has a more intense flavor, you don't really notice the spinach in it. And the resulting pesto has a gorgeous deep green hue that stays that way.

Making spinach soda might seem like a bad idea but when you get it right, it's tasty and refreshing. It's actually a great ingredient to use in soft drinks. It brings a stunning green color and a fresh flavor that balances out the more intensely sweet elements of the drink.

One way to do it is by blending spinach with a sweet soft fruit, such as mango and pineapple. Top this up with soda water and you have a super simple soda. A squeeze of lime helps balance it and make it even more refreshing.

You could also make a simple syrup with spinach by simmering sugar and water, then adding a couple of handfuls of raw spinach. Blend the mixture and let it infuse for more spinach flavor, then strain out the spinach and you're left with a concentrated syrup that you can top with sparkling water to make soda. You could also experiment by using this in cocktails.

The last thing most of us want is for someone to attempt to make our sweet treats healthier, but putting spinach in pancakes doesn't have to mean that. Savory spinach pancakes are a delicious alternative to sweet pancakes for brunch, while sweet spinach pancakes can take on a vibrant shade of green yet still taste just as good as regular ones.

Sweet pancakes with spinach in them usually use a smaller quantity so you get a green color with minimal spinach flavor. The rest of the recipe is classic pancake territory and once you've slathered them in butter and doused them in syrup, there's no risk of them being overly healthy.

Savory spinach pancakes lean harder into the greens because you want the flavor to come through. The recipe is much the same as sweet pancakes but without the sugar. Some versions also use cheese for extra umami goodness. These pancakes make a delicious brunch with eggs or avocado.

If the most adventurous you usually get with ice cream is branching out from cookie dough to brownie batter, you might be shocked to learn that spinach ice cream is a thing. It has a bright green color and just a hint of spinach flavor, which works better than you might imagine. Just don't let anyone mistake it for mint chocolate chip or they might be in for an unwanted surprise.

There are two main types of this frozen dessert. One is a conventional ice cream made by blending milk and heavy cream with spinach and then putting it in an ice cream maker. There are also manual ways to make ice cream without a machine, though they involve a lot of churning by hand to keep ice crystals from forming.

The other type of spinach ice cream is a banana-based one. If you're expecting a classic ice cream, you'll be disappointed. But if you want a fruity frozen dessert and adjust your expectations, it's actually delicious. To make this dessert, you blend frozen bananas with frozen spinach and your choice of flavorings. The texture is remarkably like soft serve, though the flavor is naturally banana-forward.