Christmas Tree Spinach Dip Breadsticks

Christmas Tree Spinach Dip Breadsticks are cheesy, garlicky, pull-apart perfection shaped like a festive holiday tree! With a creamy spinach and cheese filling wrapped in golden pizza dough, these twisted breadsticks are as fun to make as they are to eat. Perfect for holiday parties, Christmas Eve dinner, or any time you want to wow your guests with something that tastes amazing AND looks adorable!

Love More Appetizer Recipes? Try My Pumpkin Shaped Cheese Ball or this Cranberry Turkey Stuffing Balls next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This recipe is pure holiday magic on a plate! It combines everyone’s favorite hot spinach dip with soft, buttery breadsticks—and it’s shaped like a Christmas tree, so it’s basically the star of any holiday spread. The best part? It LOOKS fancy and complicated, but it’s actually super simple to put together. You’re using store-bought pizza dough, and the twist-and-pull presentation makes it perfect for sharing.

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Ingredient List

For the Spinach Dip Filling:

• 12 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
• 6 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

For the Breadstick Base:

• 1 tube refrigerated pizza crust (approximately 13.8 oz)

For the Butter Topping:

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder or garlic salt

Why These Ingredients Work

Buy frozen spinach. It’s already chopped costs like ninety cents and once you squeeze it dry works great. I tried fresh spinach one time spent forever washing chopping wilting it never doing that again. Leave cream cheese on the counter from breakfast until you’re ready to make these. I tried mixing cold cream cheese once with my hand mixer for twenty minutes my arm was killing me the next day still had chunks everywhere.

Parmesan is salty and sharp mozzarella does that cheese pull. The little bit of chili powder is what my grandma always did nobody can ever figure out what the flavor is. Butter brushed on at the end makes it taste like you ordered it from somewhere expensive my friend Dana said it reminds her of Olive Garden breadsticks but better.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• Pizza cutter or sharp knife
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheet
• Small bowl for butter mixture
• Pastry brush
• Clean kitchen towel (for squeezing spinach)

How To Make Christmas Tree Spinach Dip Breadsticks

Step 1: Preheat Your Oven

Set it to 350°F. Not higher. I tried 425° one time because I was in a hurry the tips burnt completely black while the middle was still raw inside.

Step 2: Prepare the Spinach Dip Filling

Get your spinach put it in a kitchen towel and squeeze it like you’re strangling someone. Keep squeezing. More. First time I made these I barely squeezed it the whole bottom turned into soup I had to toss it and start completely over at like 8am. Now I squeeze until my hands actually hurt. Throw the spinach and room temperature cream cheese in your bowl beat them with the mixer. Add garlic salt onion powder chili powder pepper Italian seasoning. Mix it. Throw in both cheeses mix until combined. Should be thick like that spinach dip from Chili’s.

Step 3: Shape and Cut the Dough

Pop open your dough tube unroll it on parchment paper. Cut one big triangle with a pizza cutter that’s your tree. Take the leftover bits cut two smaller triangles smoosh them together to make a second big triangle roughly the same size as the first. They’re never exactly the same at my house doesn’t matter nobody notices after it’s baked.

Step 4: Layer the Filling

Take all that spinach cheese stuff spread it on one triangle. I use the back of a big spoon spread it everywhere right to the edges. Put the second triangle on top. Press the edges with your fingers so they stick.

Step 5: Cut and Twist the Branches

This part turns it into a tree. Cut strips from both sides toward the middle leave about an inch uncut in the center that’s your trunk. Pick up each strip twist it once maybe twice if it’s long. Filling spirals around looks cool. The tiny strips at the top just twist them a little bit. Sometimes one snaps I just press it back together can’t tell once it’s done.

Step 6: Bake Until Golden

Put the whole parchment paper on a baking sheet stick it in the oven. Bake 30-35 minutes until it’s golden brown on top. Around 25 minutes I peek at the bottom with a spatula if it’s still white and raw looking I give it more time.

Step 7: Add the Butter Topping

While it’s baking melt butter in a little bowl stir in Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Second you pull that tree out brush this all over the top. Kitchen smells incredible everyone comes running.

Step 8: Serve and Enjoy

Move it to a cutting board or serving plate. People just grab branches while it’s warm cheese is all gooey and melty. I was running late once served it room temperature it was fine but not nearly as good.

You Must Know

Squeeze that spinach until your hands are tired then squeeze it more. I use a kitchen towel twist it like I’m wringing out a soaking wet beach towel. The Christmas my mother-in-law was coming over I didn’t squeeze it enough the bottom was like a soggy sponge I almost cried.

Personal Secret: Put cream cheese on the counter when you wake up. By lunch when you’re making these it’s perfect mixes in like twenty seconds flat. Cold cream cheese is actual torture you’ll be standing there mixing forever.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Check at 25 minutes if your oven’s hot. Tips can go from perfect to charcoal fast.
• Twist strips once maybe twice. My first batch I twisted them like crazy half of them broke off.
• Cut strips about the same width I do like an inch. If they’re all different some burn while others are still doughy.
• Parchment paper is mandatory. Tried without it once spent an hour scraping burnt cheese off my pan with a butter knife.
• Top getting too dark rip off some foil cover it for the last ten minutes.

Flavor Variations / Suggestions

Love artichoke dip: Chop up half a cup of those jarred artichokes throw them in. Made this for book club everyone freaked out.

More cheese: Sometimes I do cup and a half of mozzarella. Or throw in cheddar. Can’t have too much cheese.

Make it spicy: My brother always adds red pepper flakes. Could mix cayenne into the filling.

Pesto version: Stir two tablespoons basil pesto into the spinach. Sounds weird but my friend Michelle made it this way now I do it all the time.

Buffalo chicken: Skip spinach use shredded rotisserie chicken buffalo sauce cream cheese ranch powder cheddar cheese. Completely different but people go nuts for it.

Make-Ahead Options

Build the whole tree wrap it super tight in plastic wrap stick it in the fridge up to four hours before baking. Take it out ten minutes before it goes in add five extra minutes to baking time since it’s cold.

Make filling the night before if you want. Cover it refrigerate it let it sit out a bit before assembling.

Can freeze it too. Make the whole tree freeze it on the baking sheet two hours until it’s solid wrap it really well in plastic and foil. Keeps a month. Bake from frozen at 350°F for 40-45 minutes.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

• Pizza dough tubes are different sizes depending on brand. Just make your triangles work with what you got.
• Filling looks wet add more Parmesan.
• Supposed to feed 8-10 people but my sister’s party last year twelve people it was gone before everyone got any. Make two for crowds.
• Don’t skip butter at the end that’s the magic.
• Got leftover filling microwave it eat it with Tostitos Scoops while cleaning the kitchen nobody has to know.

Serving Suggestions

Put it on a big wooden board looks nice easy to move around. Sometimes stick rosemary from my plant at the bottom looks like a real tree trunk. Can put out marinara for dipping but doesn’t need it. Good with tomato soup or salad if you’re doing a whole meal thing. Perfect for potlucks because people remember you forever. Guy at my old job still calls me Christmas Tree Lady saw him at Target last month that was two years ago.

How to Store Your Christmas Tree Spinach Dip Breadsticks

Room temperature: Eat them fresh. Leftovers can sit out covered two hours max then refrigerate.

Refrigerator: Any container with a lid. Good three days. Dough gets softer still tastes okay.

Freezer: Put parchment between layers. Keeps two months.

Reheating: Oven 325°F for 8-10 minutes. Can microwave 30-45 seconds if you’re desperate won’t be crispy though.

Allergy Information

Contains: Dairy (cream cheese, Parmesan, mozzarella, butter), wheat (pizza dough), garlic

No dairy: Get dairy-free cream cheese vegan cheese. Use olive oil instead of butter.

No gluten: Buy gluten-free pizza dough. Be gentle twisting it breaks easier.

Garlic problems: Use one clove or skip it. Still good with just Italian seasoning.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

My strips keep breaking when I twist them—what am I doing wrong?

Dough’s too cold or you’re twisting too hard. Let it sit five minutes to warm up only twist once or twice gently. Short strips break less than long ones.

Can I make this with homemade pizza dough?

Sure roll it quarter inch thick. Baking time might be different depending on your recipe.

The bottom of my tree is still doughy—help!

Happened my first time I was so mad. Spinach wasn’t dry enough or oven doesn’t heat the bottom well. Really squeeze spinach put pan on lower rack. Can pre-bake bottom crust five minutes before adding filling.

Can I use other types of dough?

Yep crescent rolls work pinch the seams together. Puff pastry works bakes faster though watch it.

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