Spinach
Spinach is a versatile, nutrient-packed green that's equally good raw in salads or cooked into creamy, garlicky dishes. Learn how to use it.
Storage
Store unwashed in a loose plastic bag or container in the crisper drawer. Keep away from ethylene-producing fruits (apples, bananas, tomatoes) which speed up yellowing and sliming. Don't wash until ready to use—wet spinach slimes fast. If it keeps going bad on you, buy smaller quantities or bagged baby spinach (which holds up better).
Keeps For
5–7 days refrigerated for bunched spinach; bagged baby spinach typically lasts 7–10 days. Use before leaves go slimy or yellow. Blanched and frozen, spinach keeps 6–8 months.
Flavor Profile
Mild, slightly sweet, with subtle earthy and mineral notes. Baby spinach is tender and delicate with almost no stem to speak of. Mature spinach has thicker, heartier leaves with a more assertive flavor and chewy stems. Cooking intensifies the flavor and dramatically reduces the volume—a huge pile cooks down to almost nothing, which catches most people off guard the first time.
How to Prep
Wash thoroughly in cold water, especially bunched spinach, which can trap grit in the crinkles. Fill a large bowl with cold water, submerge the leaves, swish gently, and lift them out (don't pour off the water; that dumps the grit back onto the leaves). Repeat with fresh water until it runs clear. Spin or pat dry for salads. Tough stems on mature spinach should be removed or chopped; baby spinach stems stay in. Add to hot dishes at the last minute—it wilts in seconds and turns to olive-drab sludge if you forget about it.
Ways to Cook
- 1 Sauté with garlic and olive oil for a quick side dish
- 2 Wilt into pasta, risotto, or scrambled eggs
- 3 Make classic creamed spinach with cream and parmesan
- 4 Use raw in salads with a bright vinaigrette
- 5 Blend into smoothies for a nutrient boost
- 6 Add to quiche, frittata, and savory pastries
- 7 Layer into lasagna and other baked dishes
Pairs Well With
Good to Know
Spinach shrinks dramatically when cooked—buy more than you think you need. It also releases a lot of water, so squeeze cooked spinach well before adding to dishes where moisture matters. Older spinach gets slimy; use it quickly.
Did You Know?
Spinach was the favorite vegetable of Catherine de Medici. When she married the King of France, she brought her own cooks who prepared spinach dishes constantly. To this day, dishes served on a bed of spinach are called 'Florentine' after her birthplace, Florence.
Recipe Inspiration
Common Questions About Spinach
How long does spinach last in the fridge?
Bunched spinach holds up 5-7 days in the crisper drawer if you keep it dry and loose in a bag. Baby spinach in a sealed bag or clamshell typically lasts 7-10 days. Once leaves start going yellow or slimy, flavor drops fast and the rest of the bunch goes quickly after. If you find yourself losing spinach before you eat it, buy smaller amounts or freeze what you can't use.
Can you freeze spinach?
Yes, and it's a good way to save a surplus. Blanch fresh spinach in boiling water for 30-45 seconds, shock in ice water, squeeze out as much water as you can (a lot, more than you'd think), and pack into freezer bags flat. Keeps 6-8 months. Frozen spinach works perfectly in soups, stews, pasta sauces, lasagna, dips, and smoothies—anywhere you'd use it cooked. The texture doesn't hold up for salads, so don't try to thaw it and use it raw.
Can you freeze spinach without blanching?
You can, but the texture degrades faster, and the flavor can go a little off. If you're using it within a month or two for smoothies, it's fine to just wash, dry, and freeze in a bag. For longer storage or for any cooked dish where texture matters, blanching first helps preserve flavor and keep the color brighter. Vacuum sealing can buy you months.
Can you eat spinach raw?
Yes—raw spinach in salads is a classic. Baby spinach is tender and mild, perfect for salads. Mature spinach raw is more assertive and slightly tougher; it works well in salads that hold up to big flavors (warm bacon dressing, honey-mustard, creamy caesar). Wash raw spinach thoroughly since it's eaten unpeeled and unpeeled leaves can carry grit or the occasional insect.
Should I eat spinach raw or cooked?
Both, depending on what you want. Raw spinach gives you a fresh, mineral-rich green taste and the full fiber content. Cooked spinach makes certain nutrients (iron, calcium) slightly more absorbable because cooking breaks down oxalic acid, which binds to minerals. Variety is the real answer—eat it both ways across the week. Don't overthink it.
How do you wash spinach?
Fill a large bowl with cold water and submerge the spinach. Swish gently with your hands, then lift the leaves out into a colander—don't pour the water off through the leaves, which dumps the grit back on. Change the water and repeat until it runs clear. Spin dry in a salad spinner or pat with towels. Bunched spinach usually needs two or three washes; baby spinach in a sealed bag is usually pre-washed, but a quick rinse doesn't hurt.
Should I remove spinach stems?
Very seldom. Baby spinach stems are tender—leave them on. Mature bunched spinach sometimes has thicker, fibrous stems near the base that can be chewy; you can strip them by folding the leaf in half and pulling, or just chop through everything if you're cooking it long enough for the stems to soften. For salads with mature spinach, remove the tough stems. For a sauté or soup, they cook down fine.
How do you wilt or sauté spinach?
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a little olive oil or butter, add sliced garlic and cook until fragrant (30 seconds), then add the spinach. It'll look like way too much—it's not. Toss with tongs as it wilts, which takes 2-3 minutes. Season with salt, finish with lemon or a dash of nutmeg. A pound of fresh spinach yields roughly a cup cooked, so buy accordingly. Stop before you think you need to. Residual heat in the spinach will continue the cooking process unless you submerge it in cold water.
Can you microwave spinach?
Totally! It works well for quick wilting or cooking more thoroughly. Put wet spinach in a bowl (the water clinging to the leaves is enough), cover with a plate, and microwave 60 seconds at a time until you achieve the desired level of cooking. Drain and squeeze out excess moisture before using. The texture won't match that of pan-sautéed, but it's fast, and the flavor is fine. Add seasoning and fat after, not before.
How do you blanch spinach?
Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the spinach and stir briefly—it'll wilt in about 30-45 seconds. Immediately drain and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking and preserve the color. Squeeze out as much water as possible (a clean dish towel works well) before using or freezing. Blanched spinach is the base for creamed spinach, spinach pies, stuffed pastas, and most frozen-spinach preparations.
Why does spinach turn slimy?
Sliminess means the leaves are breaking down—usually from moisture plus time. Wet spinach in a sealed bag slimes faster than dry spinach in a loose one. Spinach stored near ethylene producers (apples, bananas, tomatoes) declines faster too. A few slimy leaves in an otherwise-okay bunch can be picked out; if the majority is slimy, compost the whole thing.
Why did my spinach turn yellow?
Yellowing is the first sign of age or stress. It can mean the leaves sat too long, were exposed to ethylene gas from nearby fruit, or experienced temperature swings during storage. A few yellow leaves can be pulled out; the rest is usually fine. If the whole bunch has yellowed, the spinach is past its prime—use it in cooking rather than raw, where the flavor holds up better.
Why does spinach make me gassy?
Spinach contains some fermentable fibers and oxalic acid that some people's digestive systems handle better than others. Cooking tends to make it easier to digest than raw, since heat breaks down oxalates. If spinach consistently causes issues, try smaller portions, cooked forms (sautéed, soups), and pairing with fats which slow digestion. Most people don't have trouble with it.
Does spinach cause kidney stones?
Spinach is high in oxalates, which in large quantities can contribute to calcium oxalate kidney stones—the most common type. For most people, normal consumption isn't a problem. If you have a history of kidney stones, your doctor may recommend limiting high-oxalate foods, which include spinach, beets, rhubarb, and nuts. Cooking reduces oxalate content slightly. Not medical advice—if you've had stones, talk to your doctor.
Why does spinach taste metallic?
Oxalic acid. Spinach contains higher levels of it than most greens, and some people are more sensitive to the taste than others. The metallic or chalky sensation is often described as 'spinach teeth'—the oxalic acid briefly coats your enamel during chewing, leaving a gritty feeling. Pairing spinach with fat (olive oil, butter, cream) and acid (lemon juice, vinegar) reduces the effect. Cooking also mellows it.
Is spinach high in iron?
Yes, though the iron is in a form that your body doesn't absorb as efficiently as the iron in meat. One cup of cooked spinach has about 6mg of iron, which is significant, but the oxalic acid in spinach also binds to iron and reduces absorption. Eating spinach with vitamin C (lemon juice, citrus, bell peppers) helps. The Popeye mythology is largely due to a decimal-point error in a 1930s nutrition chart, but spinach is still a solid iron source.
What's the difference between baby spinach and regular spinach?
Same plant, different harvest stage. Baby spinach is harvested young—small, tender leaves with mild flavor and no stem to speak of. Regular (mature) spinach has larger, thicker leaves with more pronounced flavor, firmer texture, and stems that sometimes need trimming. Baby spinach is the default for salads and smoothies; mature spinach stands up better to cooking. Both work interchangeably in most cooked dishes.
Can you eat spinach every day?
For most people, yes. Spinach is nutritious, low-calorie, and versatile. The main caveat is the oxalic acid—very high daily intakes over time can contribute to kidney stones in susceptible people, and can reduce mineral absorption from other foods. Variety matters more than repetition; rotating spinach with other greens (kale, chard, arugula) is a better pattern than eating it exclusively.
When is spinach in season?
Spinach is a cool-weather crop. In the Pacific Northwest, the primary season is spring (April-June) and fall (September-November), with summer plantings often bolting (going to flower) in the heat. Winter-overwintered spinach in a hoop house or cold frame can be available year-round. Peak quality is spring and fall—cooler temps produce sweeter, more tender leaves.
What does it mean when spinach bolts?
Bolting is when the plant shifts from growing leaves to producing a flower stalk. Hot weather or long days trigger it. A bolting spinach plant sends up a central stalk, leaves turn smaller and more pointed, and the flavor turns bitter. Leaves from a bolting plant are still edible early on but lose sweetness fast. Once flowers open, the plant is done for eating purposes.
Should you put spinach in smoothies?
Yes—it's one of the easiest ways to get greens into a smoothie without tasting them. Baby spinach has a mild flavor that disappears behind fruit. Frozen spinach works too and adds body to the blend. The trick is balancing with sweet ingredients (banana, mango, berries) and enough liquid. Don't overdo it; a cup or two of raw spinach is plenty.
How much spinach do you need per person?
Raw: about 2 cups of baby spinach per person for a salad. Cooked: roughly 1 pound of fresh spinach for 2 people as a side dish, since it cooks down to about 10% of its raw volume. If you're used to buying spinach by the bag and have never cooked it, the shrinkage will surprise you—buy more than you think you need.