How to Make Spinach Dip
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 with oven-baked spinach dip!
The Easiest Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip Recipe
- It 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! If you love quick and easy appetizer recipes be sure to check out my easy garlic & herb bread dipping oil, easy baked feta appetizer, or my creamy baked crab dip.
- 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!
Ingredients to Make Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip
Fresh Spinach
A key ingredient in this baked spinach dip recipe is (not surprisingly) fresh spinach! Make sure to use fresh for this recipe – frozen spinach is going to release too much moisture and also dull the flavor a bit.
Full-Fat Sour Cream
For the best flavor and texture, I recommend using full-fat sour cream. Most low-fat or fat-free products replace the fat with fake sugar, which is why I typically only use full-fat dairy products.
Full-Fat Cream Cheese
In my humble opinion, spinach dip with cream cheese is the only way to go. It’s how we’re able to make this spinach artichoke dip without mayo! And again, you’re going to get the best flavor and creamy texture by using a full-fat cream cheese.
Canned Artichoke Hearts
I like to buy a can of quartered artichoke hearts because they’re already sliced and they’re usually cheaper than the medium or large artichoke hearts. You could also use the artichoke hearts that come in a jar, marinated in olive oil.
Fresh Garlic
This adds a TON of flavor, so I highly recommend slicing up your own cloves. Absolutely skip the jarred minced garlic, which often comes with a bitter aftertaste. In a pinch, 3/4 of a teaspoon of garlic powder will give you that garlic flavor you need. But freshly minced garlic is always best in this recipe for spinach artichoke dip with no mayo!
Shredded Mozzarella
I like to use thick-cut, whole-milk shredded mozzarella. It gives the best flavor and texture. However, any shredded mozzarella will work. BUT — don’t use fresh mozzarella in this recipe. It will release a lot of moisture and could cause the dip to become watery.
Shredded Parmesan
I like to shred my own because often a wedge of Parmesan is cheaper than the pre-shredded stuff. But any type of shredded Parmesan will work as well. Also, Pecorino or Asiago would work in place of the Parmesan but will change the flavor slightly.
Crusty French Baguette
I love to serve this baked spinach dip with a fresh-baked French baguette or my crispy crostini. Those take-and-bake ones that you find at the grocery store are perfect!
How to Make Spinach Artichoke Dip Without Mayo
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!
Tips for Making This Spinach Artichoke Dip No Mayo 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.
Fresh vs. Frozen Spinach
- 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.
Make Spinach Dip Ahead of Time
- 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!
Storing Leftover Spinach Dip
Cover spinach dip tightly or transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Freezing Spinach Dip
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 before reheating.
Reheating Spinach Dip
Reheat leftovers in a 350-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through. You can also microwave leftovers for 30-60 seconds increments until heated through.
FAQ
What is spinach dip made of?
Making spinach dip from scratch is actually easier than you might think! Cream cheese and sour cream make a deliciously creamy base when combined with melted mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Add in fresh spinach, fresh garlic, and artichoke hearts and you’ve got a delicious, easy appetizer that everyone will love!
Is frozen or fresh spinach better for dip?
Fresh spinach gives you a better flavor and texture than frozen. Frozen spinach has less flavor because it will release moisture as it bakes causing your dip to separate and creating a runny, grainy texture. Fresh spinach releases some moisture as well but not enough to ruin the consistency of the creamy texture.
Are you supposed to heat up spinach and artichoke dip?
I have some strong opinions about cold spinach dip! I don’t believe that spinach dip should be served cold and I also don’t think it should include mayonnaise. As I mentioned, I’m a bit of a spinach dip snob and I firmly believe that spinach dip should be served warm and creamy (no mayo necessary)!
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The Easiest Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip
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 with oven-baked spinach dip!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 5 oz. fresh spinach
- 8 oz. full fat sour cream, room temperature
- 8 oz. full fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 (15 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 oz. shredded mozzarella, divided
- 5 oz. shredded Parmesan
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Serve with:
- sliced French baguette
- fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add fresh spinach to a large bowl. On top of the spinach add sour cream, cream cheese, artichoke hearts, garlic, half the mozzarella, Parmesan and a few hearty pinches of salt along with a pinch of pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Transfer to a 9×9 baking dish or medium sized cast iron skillet. Spread in an even layer and top with remaining mozzarella.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Then broil for 1-2 minutes or until the mozzarella on top starts to get dark golden brown.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with crunchy crostini bread. Enjoy!
- If you loved this recipe, leave a 5-star rating and review below!
Notes
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 recipe!
Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. Room temp 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.
When you’re mixing everything together, make sure you 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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10th of the dip
- Calories: 248
- Sugar: 2.6 g
- Sodium: 606.8 mg
- Fat: 16.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.5 g
- Fiber: 2.3 g
- Protein: 19.4 g
- Cholesterol: 52.6 mg
This recipe was originally published in September of 2018. It was updated in October of 2023 so you can make the best spinach and artichoke dip every single time!
Loved this recipe. I tripled the recipe and it was a great hit at the party!!
This sounds amazing and I’m going to try making it this week. Wondering if I could either leave out the sour cream, or swap it for something else? I’m making it for some no-mayo, no-sour cream folks. (preference). Thank you!!!
Hmmm…I’m not quite sure what would be a good substitute for the sour cream! You could try a combination of cream cheese and heavy cream or half and half if you like. I’m just not sure exactly how it’s going to turn out since I haven’t tried it before.
Made it with plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream (that’s what we had in the fridge) and it was a hit!
Can you make this dish the day before and reheat it? My oven will too busy on thanksgiving.
Yes definitely! Pop it in the fridge before baking. Then an hour before baking take it out and let it sit on the counter to come to room temp. Then bake according to the recipe instructions. You may need to add some additional baking time to account for the cool temp. To see if it’s warm in the middle, stick a butter knife in the center for a few seconds and carefully touch it – if the knife is hot, the dip is cooked through!
Can you make the dish the day before and reheat the next day? My oven is going to be busy the day of thanksgiving.
I died and went to Spinach Dip heaven.
This spin dip is literally ethereal cheesy goodness.
I could not agree more, Katherine! So glad that you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for leaving a review 🙂
Getting ready to try this / I hate Mayo so should be perfect. Two questions. Do you cut off all the stems on the spinach and/or tear it into smaller pieces?
Also have you tried making ahead and freezing? Cook first or just assemble before freezing if you have. Would love to have these ready to pop in oven or take for movie night at a friends. Thank you!
Hi Julie! The stems will cook down with the dip and you won’t even notice them. I have not tried making it ahead and freezing although I think it may work, I would be nervous since there is so much dairy that when it’s thawed and baked it wouldn’t be as creamy. Hope that helps!
I love this recipe! I have made it several times. I am not a mayo person so this is perfect for me! Everyone compliments me when I bring it to share. It is also good left over and reheated. I am making it right now to take to a little surprise Birthday Party!
This was delicious but was more of a consistency of a casserole not a looser dip which was exactly what we were hoping for so thanks!!
Trying to convert the ounces of cheese to cup measures. Different sites on the net produce widely different cup measures.
Please provide the equivalent cups of cheese to use.
Also, if no shredded parm, can grated parm substitute? If yes, in the same amount?
I think when I first made this I erred on the amounts of cheese (not having a scale). Your response will be key to trying this recipe again.
Hi Monique! For a dip like this, measuring cheese in ounces is the best way to ensure that you get the right amount. As you mentioned, there are many different schools of thought on converting ounces to cups when measuring cheese. This leads to confusion and ultimately, some readers may end up with a 4 oz. cup of shredded cheese while others might stuff their cup with 8 oz. of shredded cheese. My best advice is to look at the ounce measurement on the cheese that you buy. For this recipe, I typically buy two 8 oz. blocks of mozzarella. I shred the first block, then I cut the second block in half and shred that. Voila – I’ve got 12 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese. Also, your Parmesan cheese should come with an ounce measurement on it as well. Honestly at the end of the day, if you had a couple extra ounces of cheese to this dip it’s still going to be very delicious. Don’t stress too much about getting the cheese measurements *exactly* right. As long as you’re close, you’re good. Use the ounce measurements on the packages of cheese to help you determine how many ounces of cheese you are using. I have not made this recipe with grated Parmesan, but I’d imagine you could use the same amount or slightly less than the shredded Parmesan. Hope that helps!
I wonder if this would work in a crock pot?? Obviously you wouldnt get the browning of the cheese on top but consistency wise??
Yes! I have made this in the crockpot before and it totally works! Just don’t let it get too warm or it can get a bit grainy. I’d try cooking it on low for 2-3 hours or so. The cheese doesn’t get brown on top but it will melt at least. Also, another time when I made it I used one of those 9×13 pan style crockpots and I actually baked the dip in the crockpot insert right in the oven, then I placed the baked dip into the crockpot and brought it to my party. I will say that it says right on the insert that you can’t bake it so I don’t necessarily recommend doing that but it worked for me! Hope that helps!
Hello, I am looking forward to trying this soon! I was wondering if you use plain or marinated artichokes. Thanks!
You could use either for this one! I typically use canned artichoke hearts that are drained, but you could certainly use marinated artichoke hearts too! Just make sure you drain them. I think the marinated artichoke hearts would add delicious flavor!
Can you put it together a day a head and then cook next day?
Yes! You could definitely make this ahead of time and refrigerate. I’d let it sit out for about an hour on the counter before baking!
I havent tried yet. Plan to make on Christmas Eve for Christmas Day. God bless you for no mayo! I dont eat this often because I assume that it has mayo in it. Cant wait to try it. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Woohoo! Can’t wait to hear what you think! Spinach and artichoke dip is no place for warm mayonnaise 😉
The only problem I have is that I used Pyrex and it can’t go under the broiler. I will put it in a different baking pan next time. I love this recipe though.
Hello! Can I mix this up and use it to stuff inside of egg roll wrappers or tortillas & deep fry?
You could definitely give it a try!! I bet it would turn out delicious 🙂 Definitely let us know how it goes if you do!
If I triple the recipe would it still be the same cooking time just triple all the ingredients? And what size dish would you use? This looks delicious! I’ve made something similar before but not with fresh spinach. Excited to try this!
Great question! I think you could definitely triple it but I’d imagine you will have to increase the cooking time just to make sure that everything is cooked through. You’ll know it’s warmed through when a butter knife inserted in the center comes out warm/hot. Be careful when doing that though so that you don’t get burned. Bubbling around the edges is also a good sign that it’s done! I haven’t tripled it before but I think a triple batch may be too big for a 9×13 baking dish – however, I would try that first and see! Also – you could try making a triple batch and then dividing it between 2-3 baking dishes. Perhaps two 9×13 baking dishes or one of those extra large aluminum lasagna pans that they sell at kitchen supply stores or grocery stores might be just the thing for that! Please keep me posted if you give it a try!
Does the spinach have to be cooked first. How many days in advance can I make this delicious dip. Do I bake it first or not. Thank you.
Nope, just use fresh baby spinach! You could make it 3-5 days in advance – keep in mind there is fresh garlic so your fridge may start to smell like garlic after a day or two. I wouldn’t bake it until you are ready to eat, but you can certainly prep it ahead of time!