The Easiest Spinach + Artichoke Dip Recipe

Better than any restaurant version (I promise!), this easy spinach artichoke dip is made with just 7 ingredients and takes less than 45 minutes from start to finish! And there’s NO MAYO! No family get-together or party is complete without oven-baked spinach dip!

Your friends will be asking for the recipe.

• This is hands down the best spinach artichoke dip you’ll ever eat! It’s better than any restaurant spinach dip out there. And I know because I’ve pretty much tried them all.
• It’s SO easy to make! If you’re worried about how to make spinach artichoke dip from scratch, let me ease your mind. If you can stir ingredients together, you can make this dip! No fancy kitchen skills or funky gadgets are required!
• The ingredient list for this easy spinach appetizer is short, sweet, and simple. No fancy cheeses or exotic ingredients. Just simple, straightforward items you’ll be able to find at any grocery store, or you may have on hand already!
• It’s best served with a chilled glass of white wine or a full-bodied red wine. Looking for a new ladies’ night appetizer? This hot spinach artichoke dip is IT! Your friends are going to love this baked artichoke dip so much that you might want to think about making a double batch. Cheers!

Here’s how it all comes together.

Add spinach, artichoke hearts, sour cream, cream cheese, garlic, Parmesan, half the mozzarella, and a large pinch of salt and pepper to a large bowl.

Mix until well combined and spread in a baking dish.

Cover with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake until golden brown and bubbly.

Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with crispy crostini bread, and enjoy!

Things I learned while testing this recipe.

• Just say NO to frozen spinach. Use fresh spinach every time for the best texture and flavor! Fresh ingredients always taste better, and this recipe is no exception! Fresh spinach has just the right amount of moisture and will wilt perfectly into the dip. Frozen spinach tends to be VERY watery, and the flavor is quite dull.
• Use fresh garlic. Similar to the spinach, fresh garlic will be best in this recipe! Skip the minced, jarred garlic and mince your own cloves! If you’re in a pinch, 1/2 a teaspoon of garlic powder will give you that garlic flavor you need, but if you can, fresh garlic is always best in this spinach dip recipe!
• Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Room-temperature cream cheese and sour cream will make this dip much easier to mix up and will also help it bake more evenly. I like to get all my ingredients ready and then let them sit out on the counter for about 30-60 minutes before mixing everything together.
• If you’re crunched for time, you can mix everything together cold, but the cream cheese is going to be especially hard to mix straight from the fridge. So just be prepared to use some elbow grease to get all the ingredients well combined if you’re using cold ingredients.
• Add the fresh spinach to the bowl first, and then add all the other ingredients on top of the spinach. Fresh spinach leaves can be a bit unwieldy, so adding the weight of the other ingredients and getting them incorporated right away will help make the spinach a little easier to control.
• Serve with my easy homemade crostini! Crostini is the perfect accompaniment for this creamy spinach dip.

The great fresh vs. frozen spinach debate

• I mentioned this above, but it’s worth repeating. ALWAYS. USE. FRESH. SPINACH. It will be cheapest when you buy it in bulk in the produce section of your grocery store, but it also comes pre-washed in sealed plastic bags as well. If you can find a 5 oz. bag of spinach – that’s perfect! Otherwise, if all you can find is 8 oz. bags of spinach, just use a little more than half the bag, and you should be good!
• It’s going to look like a lot of spinach before you mix it all together. But you have to trust me here. Spinach shrinks down considerably when cooked, so what looks like a TON of fresh spinach in the beginning is going to end up being just the right amount of cooked spinach once the spinach dip is done baking.

Prep it early, bake when you’re ready.

• This dip does great when made ahead of time, which makes it a very convenient option for your next party or family get-together! Assemble the dip as directed in the recipe card, but just before baking, cover with tin foil and pop it in the fridge.
• The unbaked spinach dip will stay good in the fridge for about 2 days, but be warned that your fridge is going to smell like fresh garlic pretty quickly once you store it in there. I typically just make this the night before the party, so I’m not hit with the smell of fresh garlic every time I open the fridge for too long.
• About an hour before baking, set the artichoke dip out on the counter to come to room temperature. I usually loosen the foil at this time to let the air circulate over the dip, but leave it covered so nothing gets in it. Then just before your guests arrive, throw it in the oven, and voila! You’ve got a hot, bubbly, cheesy, melty, perfectly dipable appetizer ready to go!

Just in case you have leftovers.

• Storage: Cover spinach dip tightly or transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
• Reheating: Reheat leftovers in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through. You can also microwave leftovers for 30-60 second increments until heated through.

Don’t worry, you can freeze this.

• You’re in luck! You can freeze spinach artichoke dip before or after it’s been baked!
• Disposable pans make this even easier, so you don’t lose the use of a baking dish, and you won’t have to worry about any cracks or breaks.
• Just wrap tightly in several layers of plastic and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months.
• Or, portion your dip into smaller freezer-safe containers so you can enjoy a quick snack whenever you would like!
• Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat.

More easy appetizers for your eating pleasure.