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Side angle shot of three salmon filets seasoned with black pepper, nestled in cream sauce with sautéed onions, mushrooms, and spinach.
Home // Method // 30 Minutes or Less // Whole30 Salmon with Cream Sauce (GF/DF)

Whole30 Salmon with Cream Sauce (GF/DF)

Your new favorite dinner is this gluten free, dairy free, and Whole30 friendly Seared Salmon with Cream Sauce. The sauce is cooked with browned onions, sautéed mushrooms, and spinach. I could eat this sauce by the gallon, but turns out it tastes even better with some pan seared, tender, and juicy salmon filets.
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
Total Time 25 minutes minutes
Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
Four salmon filets in creamy sauce with sautéed onions, mushrooms, and spinach. In an all-clad pan on top of a blue linen.

It’s HERE! Your new favorite dinner, this gluten free, dairy free, Whole30 friendly Seared Salmon with Cream Sauce. Cooked with sautéed mushrooms and spinach, I could eat this dairy free cream sauce by the gallon. Trust me when I say you’re going to want to make this one!!

Close up shot of three salmon filets seasoned with black pepper, nestled in cream sauce with sautéed onions, mushrooms, and spinach.

Salmon with cream sauce recipe

For this recipe, I first make the cream sauce. You start by browning the onions and mushrooms in ghee (whole30 friendly), but you can also substitute olive oil to keep dairy-free. After both are cooked, you end up with browned food bits (official name is fond) on the pan, which is where you get a bunch of flavor for the sauce.

To use these browned bits, you deglaze the pan with vegetable broth, making sure to whisk up any dark spots left on the bottom of the pan. Next, add in the dairy free creamer and cream cheese, for which I personally use Nutpods Original Creamer along with Kite Hill Cream Cheese, which are both Whole30 friendly products. If you don’t have Nutpods available at your store, you could try substituting full fat coconut milk, you just might end up with a stronger coconut flavor in the sauce which would be just as delicious IMO 🙂

The last thing you do is stir in some nutritional yeast for extra cheesy flavor and season with salt & pepper before simmering for 5-10 minutes to thicken and let the flavors combine. Just before serving, stir in the spinach until wilted, and that’s it! Easy, creamy, delicious, and all ready in less than 30 minutes.

How to pan sear salmon

For this recipe, I find the easiest cooking method to be searing the salmon in a non-stick skillet or cast iron pan. Here are a few other tips and suggestions for ensuring crispy on the outside, yet tender, and juicy salmon filets.

  • Buy salmon filets that are similar in size/thickness so they have a similar cook time in the pan.
  • Remove salmon filets when you start the recipe so they can come closer to room temperature.
  • Remove excess moisture from the salmon filets by patting dry before seasoning BOTH sides with salt & pepper.
  • Use a non-stick pan, and ensure olive oil is hot before adding salmon filets.
  • Sear flesh side down first (skin side up), and for 4-5 minutes each side until nicely browned and cooked through to your preference.
Side angle shot of three salmon filets seasoned with black pepper, nestled in cream sauce with sautéed onions, mushrooms, and spinach.

What to serve with this recipe

To keep Whole30 friendly, I would serve this recipe with roasted or mashed yellow or sweet potatoes. It would also be delicious with sautéed cauliflower rice or a cauliflower mash!

If you’re not doing Whole30, this would be a delicious salmon cream sauce for pasta. Serve with your favorite gluten free pasta (mine is Rummo brand) for a complete and delicious dinner.

Plate topped with mushroom and spinach cream sauce, served below a pan seared salmon filet with fork cutting into salmon.

If you like this recipe and are looking for other Whole30 friendly dinners I would checkout this Vegetarian Lasagna, Easy Shakshuka, or Homemade Vegan Hamburger Helper which you can make Whole30 by serving with sweet potatoes instead of GF pasta.

Thanks, as always, for checking out my recipes and would love to hear in a comment below if you give this recipe a try and what you think 🙂

Side angle shot of three salmon filets seasoned with black pepper, nestled in cream sauce with sautéed onions, mushrooms, and spinach.

Whole30 Salmon with Cream Sauce (GF/DF)

Prep: 5 minutes minutes
Cook: 20 minutes minutes
Total: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 people
Print Leave a Review
Your new favorite dinner is this gluten free, dairy free, and Whole30 friendly Seared Salmon with Cream Sauce. The sauce is cooked with browned onions, sautéed mushrooms, and spinach. I could eat this sauce by the gallon, but turns out it tastes even better with some pan seared, tender, and juicy salmon filets.

Ingredients

  • 4, 5oz salmon filets room temperature and patted dry, skin on or off
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 tbsp ghee sub olive oil to keep DF
  • ½ ea yellow onion diced
  • 1, 8oz pack mushrooms brushed, cut in half and sliced thin
  • ½ cup vegetable broth
  • 1 cup dairy free creamer*
  • 4 oz dairy free cream cheese**
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • ½, 6oz bag spinach
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Bring large saucepan to medium heat and add ghee. Add in diced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until onions are translucent.
  • Add sliced mushrooms and cook another 5-8 minutes or until mushrooms have started to brown.
  • Whisk in vegetable broth, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Add DF creamer and cream cheese. Stir together and add nutritional yeast, salt & pepper. Simmer for 5-10 minutes on medium low until sauce thickens to desired consistency.
  • While sauce is cooking, start on your salmon. Start by patting dry to remove moisture. Season both sides with salt & ground black pepper.
  • Add olive oil to a non stick pan and bring to medium high heat. Once hot, add seasoned salmon filets flesh side down and cook for 4-5 minutes, depending on thickness of salmon. Flip and cook again for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until nicely browned and cooked to your liking. Remove from pan and set aside.
  • Once sauce has reached desired consistency, stir in spinach and cook until wilted. Add salmon filets back to pan with sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

*I used Nutpods original, could sub full fat coconut milk but will have a stronger coconut flavor
**suggest using Kite Hill to keep Whole30, could also use Toffuti brand or Miyoko's vegan cream cheese.

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About Casey Colodny

Avid home cook and baker since College, Casey went on to attend Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and complete the basic intensive cuisine course. Interested in creating healthier recipes for the V/GF, vegetarian, pescatarian, and paleo eaters! Started The Mindful Hapa in 2018 and has been cooking and sharing tasty recipes and photography ever since.

Reader Interactions

6 comments

  1. Vanessa says

    August 11, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    5 stars
    Made it tonight. Yum!!

    Reply
    • Casey Colodny says

      August 11, 2021 at 8:22 pm

      So happy you loved this recipe, Vanessa!! Thank you for leaving a star rating and review!! 🙂
      – Casey

      Reply
  2. Leslie curtiss says

    January 23, 2021 at 11:41 am

    5 stars
    Simple and delicious!!

    Reply
    • Casey Colodny says

      January 23, 2021 at 4:21 pm

      It’s one of my favorites!! So glad you loved this dinner, Leslie!
      – Casey

      Reply
  3. Elle says

    October 20, 2020 at 5:55 pm

    Hello! How much onion? And which kind of mushroom do you use?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Casey Colodny says

      October 20, 2020 at 10:56 pm

      Hi Elle! It should be anywhere from 1/2 – 3/4 cup of onion and I used baby bella mushrooms! Hope you enjoy it! – Casey

      Reply

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✨MY MOM’S NOT SO ‘SECRET SAUCE’ NOODLE STI ✨MY MOM’S NOT SO ‘SECRET SAUCE’ NOODLE STIR FRY* featuring @beyondmeat, a veggie and protein filled dinner you need to try for dinner!

Now what’s the secret to this sauce? The secret is that it’s so easy to make, just 5 simple ingredients, and the perfect way to add lots of flavor! I also made sure to add the new Beyond Beef with avocado oil for extra delicious flavor and protein, a whopping 21 grams per serving! This is the 4th generation of @beyondmeat and the flavor is the best yet 👏🏼

Here’s everything you need to make this for dinner this week:

My Mom’s Not So ‘Secret Sauce’: 
⅔ cup mirin
⅔ cup sake
⅓ cup soy sauce
2 tsp fresh garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced 

Noodle Stir Fry:
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
⅓ cup red onion, finely diced 
3 cloves garlic, minced 
16oz Beyond Beef 
1 tsp salt
6 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced into thin strips
1 small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
1 cup bean sprouts
10 oz ramen noodles, cooked al dente (1 minute less than package instructions)
⅓ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Chili crisp drizzle, optional garnish

Instructions included in comments below ⬇️ 

#noodlestirfry #ramennoodles #vegetarianrecipes #vegetariandinner #healthydinner #plantbased #easyrecipes #easydinner #dinnerrecipes #vegetarian #beyondpartner
A fun week in Punta Mita full of sand, endless poo A fun week in Punta Mita full of sand, endless pool time, margaritas🍋‍🟩, and golf cart rides 🏝️🌊☀️🐚🫶🏼
💚🌱SEARED SHRIMP SALAD WITH GREEN GODDESS DRE 💚🌱SEARED SHRIMP SALAD WITH GREEN GODDESS DRESSING loaded with roasted asparagus, zucchini and bell pepper,  crumbled feta, marinated artichoke hearts, sunflower seeds, and some radish microgreens I grew in my @grow.leath fieldhouse 🏠 Here’s how you make this beautiful and flavorful salad ⬇️
—
Green Goddess Dressing:
2 scallions (washed & roots cut off)
½ cup fresh cilantro (loosely packed leaves & tender stems)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves 
¼ cup full fat greek yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice 
2 tbsp water
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp kosher salt + move to taste

Seared Shrimp:
1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined with tails removed (I used size 22-25 ct)
1 tsp chili powder
¾ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp cayenne
2 tbsp olive oil, divided

Grilled Veggies
½ red bell pepper, seeded & cut into 1” pieces
1 small zucchini, cut into half moons
½ bunch asparagus, ends removed and cut into 1” pieces
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp olive oil 

Salad:
5 cups butter lettuce (1, 4.5oz container)
2 cups baby arugula
1 cup radish microgreens
1 cup marinated quartered artichoke hearts (1, 6.5oz container)
½ cup feta, cubed
⅓ cup roasted sunflower seeds
—
Full instructions continued in the comments below ⬇️ 
.
.
.
#shrimpsalad #fillingsalads #saladrecipe #healthysalads #searedshrimp #springrecipes #saladinspo #pescatarian #healthyrecipes #easyrecipes #pescatarianrecipes
A week of sandwiches 🥪 save for the next time y A week of sandwiches 🥪 save for the next time you need some sandwich inspo!

🥖 MONDAY: smoked salmon baguette with horseradish aioli, lemon zest, fresh dill, smashed avocado, capers, and pickled red onions 

🌱TUESDAY: roasted mushroom focaccia melt with melted havarti, arugula, and a horseradish mayo 

🍳 WEDNESDAY: southwest avocado breakfast sandwich, with whipped cream cheese, scrambled eggs, avocado slices, @sidedish southwest drizzle (use code CASEY10 for 10% off!), @growleath microgreens, and pickled red onion

🐟 THURSDAY: tinned salmon chili crisp with @fishwife x @flybyjing sichuan chili crisp smoked salmon, tomato slices, avocado, and sliced scallions

✨ FRIDAY:  herby tahini roasted cauliflower sandwich with fresh dill and pepperoncini peppers 

#sandwiches #sandwichrecipes #lunchrecipes #lunchinspo #sandwich #sandwichrecipe #easylunch #easyrecipes

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