Spinach Artichoke Dip is the PERFECT appetizer, made with fresh spinach and artichoke hearts mixed with three types of cheese and baked until melted and creamy, ready in 30 minutes!

A dutch oven full of spinach artichoke dip with a caramelized top, topped with chopped green onions, with a hand holding a tortilla chip scooping up some dip.

There is a real reason why this classic spinach artichoke dip is requested at every party during the holiday season, because it is that good! It’s also insanely easy to throw together, and goes well with tortilla chips, crackers, or gluten free baguette slices.

If you loved this recipe, you may also like my Philly Cheesesteak Dip, and my Spicy Sausage Cream Cheese Dip!

Table of contents

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Cheesy and Creamy: This is savory, cheesy, and creamy, which keeps everyone going back for more!

Easy to Make! The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the cheese to melt.

Leftovers. I love making this dip because you can use the leftovers in future recipes! I like serving this dip over chicken with rice, or in baked potatoes. It adds a ton of flavor to a weeknight dinner!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Individual ingredients for spinach artichoke dip on a table.

Fresh Spinach. For this recipe we’re using fresh spinach, which will give us the best flavor. If you’re using regular spinach, roughly chop it before cooking. If you’re using baby spinach, you don’t need to chop it.

You can also use frozen spinach, but thaw and drain any extra liquid out of the spinach first.

Artichoke Hearts. I use canned artichoke hearts and roughly chop them.

Butter. This is used for flavor, and also helps to cook down the spinach.

Use unsalted butter, so you can control the salt level in the dip if needed. I think the parmesan cheese adds plenty of salty flavor already, so I usually don’t add any additional salt.

Cream Cheese. A regular block of cream cheese or neufchâtel cheese works for this recipe to give the dip a nice creamy texture. But full fat cream cheese will give the most indulgent flavor.

Sour Cream. This helps with the creamy texture, and also adds a little bit of a tangy flavor that balances out the savory notes.

Mozzarella Cheese. This is a more mild cheese that balances out the savory notes and also gives you that stretchy cheese pull when you dip in your chips.

Parmesan Cheese. This gives the savory salty notes that spinach dip has, along with cheesy flavor.

Garlic. I like to use fresh garlic cloves either finely chopped or through a garlic press, but you can also use garlic powder. You can add another 1-2 cloves of garlic if you’re a garlic lover. Fresh garlic will taste the best.

Black Pepper. A dash of black pepper helps enhance the flavor of the dip.

Kitchen Tools

For this recipe, you’ll need a 3 quart dutch oven, or a large saucepan and a 9×9″ baking dish.

How to Make Spinach Artichoke Dip

Time needed: 30 minutes

  1. Cook the spinach.

    Preheat the oven to 375°F. On the stove, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until wilted, stirring often. Move the spinach to the side of the pot and add the chopped garlic and cook for an additional minute.A dutch oven full of cooked spinach.

  2. Add the artichokes.

    Add the remaining butter, artichoke hearts, and black pepper, stirring everything together and cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the butter is melted.A dutch oven full of cooked spinach and chopped artichoke hearts.

  3. Stir in the cheese.

    Stir the cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese, and half of the mozzarella cheese into the artichoke mixture. Break up the block of cream cheese with your spoon as you stir, letting it melt as everything gets mixed together. Once everything is evenly mixed together, remove from the heat. Smooth the top of the mixture down evenly, then top with the remaining shredded cheese. A dutch oven with spinach artichoke dip topped with shredded mozzarella cheese before baking.

  4. Bake until golden brown.

    Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese on top is golden brown. You can also turn the broiler on at the very end for 1-2 minutes, watching closely so it doesn’t burn. Serve the dip hot with tortilla chips or a gluten free baguette.A dutch oven full of spinach artichoke dip with a caramelized top, topped with chopped green onions.

Recipe Variations

  • If you want to lighten this up a bit, replace the sour cream with plain greek yogurt and use low fat mozzarella cheese.
  • Make this spicy by adding a dash of cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or red pepper flakes.
  • For an even deeper flavor, try replacing the mozzarella with gruyere cheese.

Recipe Tip! If there is a lot of water in the pot when you cook the spinach down, try cooking it for another minute or two to get the water to cook off. If there’s still too much, drain it before continuing with the other ingredients.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make spinach artichoke dip ahead of time?

If you’d like to make spinach artichoke dip ahead of time, follow the recipe up until you add the last of the mozzarella on top of the dip. If you used a dutch oven, I would do this last part in a regular 9×9″ baking dish. Let everything cool, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. When you’re ready to serve, bring back to room temperature for 20-30 minutes, then bake. You may need to add a few more minutes to the baking time. I wouldn’t make this more than a day in advance.

More Appetizer Dip Recipes

Storage

Refrigerate leftover dip in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

I don’t recommend freezing this dip because it can change the texture. It’s best when made the same day.

Cooking Tips

  • If your artichoke dip isn’t golden brown and bubbly on top, turn the broiler on for a minute or two. But watch it very closely, because the broiler can also burn things really fast.
  • If you’re using frozen spinach, completely defrost and drain the spinach before using, so the dip doesn’t turn out watery. You can also press the spinach gently with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
A dutch oven full of spinach artichoke dip with a caramelized top, topped with chopped green onions, with a hand holding a tortilla chip scooping up some dip.

If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!

A dutch oven full of spinach artichoke dip with a caramelized top, topped with chopped green onions, with a hand holding a tortilla chip scooping up some dip.

Best Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip is the PERFECT appetizer, made with fresh spinach and artichoke hearts mixed with three types of cheese and baked until melted and creamy, ready in 30 minutes!
4.47 from 15 votes
Print Pin Review
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Author: Jacqui
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients
 
 

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 10 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 14 ounces artichoke hearts, (1 can) drained and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, (1 block)
  • 16 ounces sour cream
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven 3 quart

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. On the stove, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted, stirring often. Move the spinach to the side of the pot and add the chopped garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.
  • Add remaining butter, artichoke hearts, and black pepper, stirring everything together and cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the butter is melted.
  • Stir in the cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Break up the block of cream cheese with your spoon as you stir, letting it melt as everything gets mixed together.
  • Once everything is evenly mixed together, remove from the heat. Smooth the top of the mixture down with the spoon, then top with the remaining shredded cheese.
  • Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese on top is golden brown. Serve the spinach artichoke dip hot with corn tortilla chips.

Notes

Click on the time in the instructions to start a timer!
Storage
Refrigerate leftover dip in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
I don’t recommend freezing this dip because it can change the texture. It’s best when made the same day.
Cooking Tips
  • If your artichoke dip isn’t golden brown and bubbly on top, turn the broiler on for a minute or two. But watch it very closely, because the broiler can also burn things really fast.
  • If you’re using frozen spinach, completely defrost and drain the spinach before using, so the dip doesn’t turn out watery. You can also press the spinach gently with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
  • If there is a lot of water in the pot when you cook the spinach down, try cooking it for another minute or two to get the water to cook off. If there’s still too much, drain it before continuing with the other ingredients.

Nutrition

Calories: 261kcal (13%)Carbohydrates: 6g (2%)Protein: 9g (18%)Fat: 23g (35%)Saturated Fat: 13g (81%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 69mg (23%)Sodium: 396mg (17%)Potassium: 227mg (6%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 2980IU (60%)Vitamin C: 7mg (8%)Calcium: 226mg (23%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish and tag #dishingdelish!

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