What do you do when you need some leafy greens in your life but don’t have time to wash, season, and prepare them? Of course, canned spinach! Because of one exceptional naval guy, canned spinach is one of the most popular canned vegetables.
We did the hard work of tasting and evaluating a variety of the top canned spinach kinds to give you with the finest canned spinach in each of four key areas to assist you make your canned spinach choices the next time you decide to stock up. Let’s get started!
Contents
- What is Canned Spinach?
- 1. Best Tasting Canned Spinach: Del Monte Fresh Cut Leaf Spinach
- 2. Best Specialty Canned Spinach: Glory Foods Seasoned Southern Style Spinach
- 3. Best Low-Sodium Canned Spinach: Stop & Shop Whole Leaf Spinach
- 4. Best All-Around Canned Spinach: Popeye Leaf Spinach
- How to Use Canned Spinach
- Canned Spinach FAQs
- Ranking the Best Canned Spinach: The Takeaway
- FAQs
- Does canned spinach taste good?
- What does canned spinach taste like?
- Does canned spinach taste like frozen spinach?
- Is canned spinach still nutritious?
- Is canned spinach just as good as fresh spinach?
- Which is better raw spinach or canned spinach?
- Which is better canned or frozen spinach?
- Why does my canned spinach taste gritty?
- What makes spinach taste better?
- Can you eat too much canned spinach?
What is Canned Spinach?
Canned spinach is fresh spinach that has been heat-treated and sealed in the same way that other canned fruits and vegetables are. This method successfully sterilizes the spinach, making it shelf-stable and safe to ingest for many years. Try keeping fresh spinach that fresh for that long!
Types of Canned Spinach We Tested
Although there aren’t many canned spinach alternatives available these days, we were able to assemble a substantial pile of this preserved leafy green! We assessed the following seven brands and varieties:
- Del Monte Fresh Cut Leaf Spinach
- Food Club Leaf Spinach
- Glory Foods Seasoned Southern Style Spinach
- Great Value Leaf Spinach
- Margaret Holmes Fancy Spinach
- Popeye Leaf Spinach
- Stop & Shop Whole Leaf Spinach
How We Tasted and Reviewed These Products
To keep a level playing field, we prepared each product the same way. We drained each canned spinach type, placed it on a microwave-safe plate, and microwaved it for approximately 2 minutes, or until hot.
We then assessed each canned spinach type using the following criteria:
- Taste and Texture: the taste and mouthfeel of the spinach.
- The appearance of the spinach in terms of color and form.
- The mineral content is calculated using a normal cup serving size.Nutritional Content: This includes the macronutrient composition, salt level, and vitamin content.
- Extra tastes or cooking method are examples of distinguishing features.
- Value: price per ounce.
- Production & Availability: where each product is manufactured and whether or not each variety is widely accessible to the general public.
- Packaging includes container size, labeling, and the presence (or absence!) of extra useful information.
1. Best Tasting Canned Spinach: Del Monte Fresh Cut Leaf Spinach
It’s no secret that many canned meals don’t taste very good. Something about the cooking procedure and sealing method frequently concentrates a foul, metallic flavor inside the meal, begs the question, “Does canned spinach taste good?”
While several of the canned spinach brands and kinds we tried did not taste very well and so did not make our top recommendations, one option stood out clearly: Del Monte Fresh Cut Leaf Spinach.
About Del Monte Fresh Cut Leaf Spinach
Del Monte Fresh Cut Leaf Spinach comes near the top of many of our main assessment parameters, which should come as no surprise from a firm that has been preserving fresh fruits and vegetables for over 100 years. First and foremost, the taste of this canned spinach was really nice and fresh tasting, and it was perhaps as near to steaming fresh spinach as a canned alternative can get in terms of both flavor and texture.
This spinach also has a beautiful look, with a deep green hue and huge bits of spinach, as opposed to the stringy mess we observed when breaking the cans of some other brands. This product is also non-GMO, non-BPA (in relation to the can liner), and preservative free, according to the label. In case you’re looking for some culinary inspiration, there’s a canned spinach recipe on the reverse. Our can featured a delicious-sounding recipe for Easy Spinach Lasagne!
On the downside, this canned spinach alternative has substantially less iron, with just 6% of your RDV per half-cup serving, when practically every other kind we tested provided a full 15%! Also, the package advises that this can is made in a facility that also handles peanuts, so be cautious if you have food allergies.
Pros:
- The greatest flavor of any brand we tried, as near to freshly cooked spinach as possible!
- The appearance is pleasing, with a nice green coloration and a big, leafy structure.
- Non-GMO.
- Non-BPA.
- Preservative free.
- Includes an easy recipe for Spinach Lasagne.
Cons:
- Iron content is lower than in other alternatives, with just 6% of the necessary daily value.
- There is a food allergy cross-contamination notice since it is not manufactured in a peanut-free environment.
2. Best Specialty Canned Spinach: Glory Foods Seasoned Southern Style Spinach
While Del Monte wins the cake for typical spinach flavor, there was another spinach variation in our range that stood out in terms of taste but for quite different reasons! This spinach may not be the standard leafy green you’re searching for, but it has a distinct taste of its own.
About Glory Foods Seasoned Southern Style Spinach
Southern Seasoned Glory Foods Spinach gets a taste boost by being cooked with garlic, onions, spices, and hickory smoke. We had to double-check the ingredients list since we were certain there was smokey bacon in there somehow! The spinach’s vegetal taste gets buried amid all of these intense flavors, but we didn’t mind, and we don’t believe you will either.
nutritional facts, and we are pleased to announce that this spinach is made in the United States! The box also includes a recipe for Spinach, Broccoli, and Mushroom Frittata, but we believe you’ll be fine eating this spinach plain.On the back of the label, there is a scannable QR code that brings you to the Glory Foods website for even more product information.
Unfortunately, like many other delicious foods, this spinach is also quite salty, with 680 mg of sodium per serving. That’s a massive 30% of your daily allowance, so don’t add salt to this one before tasting! This spinach also seems to be a more localized product, making it more difficult to get than others. We had to go to Amazon to purchase any, but with such a unique and excellent taste, we were pleased we went the additional effort to get a can of this stuff! It’s also worth mentioning that this spinach includes some highly processed components, such as hydrolyzed soy protein (soy allergy warning! ), so you may want to pass on it if you want to avoid substances like these.
Pros:
- The rich taste of spinach cooked with onions, garlic, and hickory smoke is very delectable.
- On the back of the packaging, there is an informative QR code that may be scanned.
- Product of the USA.
- The label includes a recipe for a delicious-sounding Spinach Frittata!
Cons:
- A half-cup portion contains 680 milligrams (30%DV) of sodium.
- Because it is not as widely accessible as other canned spinach choices, you may need to buy online.
- Contains trace amounts of highly processed substances such as hydrolyzed soy protein.
3. Best Low-Sodium Canned Spinach: Stop & Shop Whole Leaf Spinach
From one end of the salt scale to the other, it only made sense to identify the finest low-sodium canned spinach alternative. Too much salt in the diet is a well-known health risk, leading to a variety of illnesses including high blood pressure, heart disease, and hypertension. As a result, some people who already have health problems must limit their salt consumption. This is difficult to achieve when shopping for canned vegetables since many of them are laden with salt for preservation and flavor.
About Stop & Shop Whole Leaf Spinach
Despite these obstacles, Stop & Shop comes through with a lower-sodium canned spinach solution that retains good flavor and texture. Their can of Whole Leaf Spinach includes just 130 milligrams (6% DV!) per half-cup serving, compared to many other canned spinach alternatives on the market, which have over 300 milligrams per serving—nearly 15% of your daily value in a little pile of greens!
You may be familiar with Stop & Shop as a regional supermarket business that may or may not be in your area. What you may not realize is that it also operates under the name Giant Foods in other places, therefore expanding the availability of its goods. Another advantage of this can of greens is that it was one of the most cost alternatives we looked at, coming in at just $.07 per ounce! In the unlikely event that you are dissatisfied, the product comes with a money-back guarantee.
One (understandable) consequence of this absence of salt is a somewhat less appealing flavor profile. The lack of salt seems to enable the bitter taste of the spinach to shine through more than the other options. However, this can readily remedied by adding additional spices of your choosing. Furthermore, we could only locate this choice in a HUGE 27 ounce can. Though it was inexpensive, we believe most people would prefer two cans so that there is less extra spinach to worry about keeping and using up.
Pros:
- It has less than half the salt of other canned spinach alternatives, with just 130 mg per cup.
- Because it is made by a supermarket organization that supports multiple different store chains, it is widely available.
- One of the most affordable canned spinach variants we discovered was $.07 per ounce!
- Money back satisfaction guarantee.
Cons:
- It’s not as flavorful as other canned spinach kinds, but you may season and alter it to your desire.
- just available in a big size, this is not perfect if you just need enough spinach for one meal!
4. Best All-Around Canned Spinach: Popeye Leaf Spinach
Apart from being a life lesson, the classic saying “you can’t win them all” also applies to the world of canned vegetables. Some items distinguish out in specific areas, yet this success often comes at the cost of compromise. Rarely does a good tasting food also have the best nutritional profile, value, or any of the other major evaluating aspects. The Best All-Around Category is for you if you want a canned spinach that meets in the middle and provides you the best of both worlds!
About Popeye Leaf Spinach
Popeye Leaf Spinach is one of the most popular and sought after spinach brands, and it comes from the same parent business as a couple of the other canned spinach kinds we examined (Glory Foods Seasoned Southern Style Spinach and Margaret Holmes Fancy Spinach). Popeye canned spinach, named after the cartoon character who launched the canned spinach fad in 1929, has a lovely look and a substantial texture without being stringy.
It also has a healthy nutritional profile, with 3 milligrams (15% DV) iron, 110 milligrams (8% DV) calcium, and 370 milligrams (8% DV) potassium per half-cup serving! It contains 3 grams of protein, which, although not a lot, can help you get closer to your daily protein target. This leafy green is non-GMO and made in the United States. It also features a QR code on the back that brings you directly to the Popeye Spinach website!
Surprisingly, when you go to the website, the nutrition information for this product does not match that on the can itself. The distinctions are minor, yet they are perplexing. And, although Popeye had no problem downing this stuff by the can, we did not like the flavor of this canned spinach variant as much as others. It wasn’t terrible, but it was a little metallic, tasting more like dark bitter greens like collards than bright and sweet green spinach. Also, certain bites of this spinach were gritty in a manner that other types were not.
Pros:
- Beautiful look and hearty textureIt should not be mushy or stringy.
- Overall, solid nutrition, with enough levels of iron, calcium, and potassium.
- Contains 3 grams of protein per serving.
- Product of the USA.
- Non-GMO.
- Scannable QR code leads to the Popeye Spinach website, where you may find additional items and information.
Cons:
- The nutrition information on the website does not correspond to the information on the container.
- The flavor isn’t great since it’s little metallic and bitter-green heavy.
- This canned spinach was considerably rough compared to the other types.
How to Use Canned Spinach
Do you like canned spinach but want to try something new with it? Try one of our canned spinach recipes and cooking ideas!
- As a pot of store-bought or homemade tomato sauce boils up, stir in some drained canned spinach! There is no need to simmer it for a lengthy time since the spinach is cooked during the canning process.
- Sauté some well-drained canned spinach in olive oil over medium heat, season with salt and pepper, then finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice!
- In this scenario, add canned spinach (drained and washed) to your next pot of soup! It complements chicken noodle, Italian wedding, minestrone, and any dry bean soup.
- For a quick and nutritious meal, make a Homemade Spinach Omelette!
- Spinach and feta cheese are a perfect complement. Simply cook spinach in a pan, season with black pepper to taste (no salt! ), and toss in crumbled fresh feta cheese before serving.
Canned Spinach FAQs
How Long Does Canned Spinach Last?
The majority of the canned spinach brands and kinds we examined had an expiry date marked on them that was between 2-3 years from the day we purchased them. However, numerous sources claim that canned spinach, and most canned items in general, will keep their optimum quality for up to five years if maintained sealed and at a constant temperature away from direct sunlight.
Any remaining canned spinach should be moved to an airtight container and refrigerated once opened. Just be sure you finish it within 3-4 days!
Is Canned Spinach Good For You?
Yes! Spinach, whether canned, fresh, or frozen, is a very nutritious vegetable. However, canned spinach is the least nutrient dense of these preparation techniques since the high heat of the canning process destroys some of the naturally existing vitamins and minerals.
It is also worth mentioning that canned spinach is a good source of fat-soluble vitamin A, as opposed to water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C. Cook spinach with olive oil to help your body absorb as much of the beneficial things as possible, or eat it with nutritious fat-laden seafood like cobia, mackerel, or salmon!
What are the Differences Between Canned Spinach and Fresh Spinach?
Canned spinach and fresh spinach are quite different in terms of how they compare to one another. Because canned spinach is always cooked, it has a softer texture and will never have the same brilliant green color as fresh spinach.
Fresh spinach is typically seen to be more versatile, but canned spinach is significantly more handy since it needs no washing or prep work and has a far longer shelf life than fresh spinach. For a comprehensive comparison of these two spinach choices, see our guide on Fresh Spinach vs. Frozen Spinach vs. Canned Spinach.
Can You Do Anything With the Canned Spinach Juice?
We know it seems wasteful to pour all of that green-tinged fluid from your spinach can down the toilet! Unfortunately, the canning liquid is difficult to utilize due to the fact that it is highly salty and generally has a bit of a can-funk taste.
Nonetheless, canned spinach juice would provide flavor to vegetable stock or soup while diminishing the salinity and taste intensity of the canning liquid itself. Allow the stock to boil for a few minutes to allow the flavors to mingle and soften. Before seasoning, taste test; the salt level of the canned spinach juice may be sufficient!
Ranking the Best Canned Spinach: The Takeaway
As usual, while making supermarket purchases, evaluate the characteristics that are most important to you and people you are cooking for, rather than attempting to select a product that is the best of the best in every parameters.
There is a wonderful canned spinach selection to fit your demands, whether you prioritize flavor or nutrition, want the greatest value for your money, or want something a little unusual! If canned spinach isn’t your style but you still want the convenience of having ready-to-prepare fresh greens on hand at all times, we also offer a guide to the Best Frozen Spinach: Tasted and Reviewed!
FAQs
Does canned spinach taste good?
Canned spinach is delicious on its own, but it may be readily boosted with simple spices and toppings. Garlic powder, dry mustard, diced tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, crushed red pepper, and bacon pieces are popular toppings. Combine it with the spaghetti sauce.
What does canned spinach taste like?
Many green vegetables, including spinach, Brussels sprouts, green beans, collard greens, and others, have an astringent flavor.The flavor you’re referring to is most likely oxalic acid, which has a bitter taste.
Does canned spinach taste like frozen spinach?
If you like, you may use canned spinach instead of frozen spinach, but the flavor will be quite different and the texture will be much softer. The advantage of this substitution is that frozen and canned spinach have a 1:1 equivalency ratio!
Is canned spinach still nutritious?
The good news is that canned spinach provides the same nutritional advantages as fresh spinach while costing less. Kapica discovered that canned spinach not only has a cheaper per-serving cost than fresh or frozen spinach, but it also has a higher vitamin C content at an 85% savings.
Is canned spinach just as good as fresh spinach?
Fresh spinach has more vitamins and minerals than canned spinach. Some spinach nutrients are lost during the boiling and canning processes. Because of the additional fats and sugars used as preservatives, canned spinach may be high in calories.
Which is better raw spinach or canned spinach?
If your spinach consistently spoils before you can eat it, tinned spinach is the way to go. Canned spinach has more vitamin C per serving than fresh spinach! It’s also high in vitamin K and potassium, making it an excellent addition to dips, soups, omelettes, or just as a side dish.
Which is better canned or frozen spinach?
We prefer frozen spinach over canned because it tastes better and has less salt, but the same logic applies. One cup of frozen spinach has more than four times the quantity of nutrients as one cup of fresh spinach, including fiber, folate, iron, and calcium, so if you want to bulk up, go for frozen spinach.
Why does my canned spinach taste gritty?
The small crystals floating about in your mouth generate the odd texture and sensation you’re experiencing. These crystals give spinach a bitter taste and a tannic, gritty sensation in your tongue, according to some.
What makes spinach taste better?
Here are all the tips for making spinach taste delicious:
It should be cooked with entire garlic cloves. This imparts a delicate garlic taste throughout the dish without becoming overpowering.
Make sure not to overcook it! Cook until the spinach has wilted.
Finish with a squeeze of lemon.
It’s properly salted.
Can you eat too much canned spinach?
What’s the problem with spinach? Excessive consumption of spinach (more than a bowl per day) might have negative health consequences. Because of the high fiber content, the most typical side effects are gas, bloating, and cramps. Consuming too much spinach may also impair the body’s capacity to absorb nutrients.