Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip is the ultimate crowd-pleaser that turns any gathering into a celebration! This hot, creamy, cheesy dip has tender artichoke hearts, savory spinach, and a trio of dairy goodness that makes it absolutely IRRESISTIBLE. It’s my go-to appetizer for game days, holiday parties, and casual get-togethers because it’s easy to make, endlessly craveable, and always disappears first!

Love More Appetizer Recipes? Try My Christmas Tree Spinach Dip Breadsticks or this Bruschetta Dip next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Creamy, cheesy, and irresistibly flavorful, this Spinach Artichoke Dip is the ultimate party classic. Packed with tender spinach, tangy artichokes, and melted cheeses, it’s baked until golden and bubbly. Perfect with chips, bread, or veggies, it’s a warm, crowd-pleasing appetizer that disappears fast every time.

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Ingredient List

For the Dip:

• 14 ounces artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and well-squeezed dry
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, loosely measured (reserve 1/4 cup for topping)
• 1 clove garlic, minced

For Serving:

• Crusty bread, crackers, tortilla chips, pita chips, or crostini

Friendly Notes:

• Just get the regular canned artichoke hearts, not those marinated ones in the jar
• Frozen spinach is actually perfect for this, way less drama than fresh
• Room temp cream cheese or you’re gonna be mad at yourself in five minutes

Why These Ingredients Work

Cream cheese is the base of everything. Makes it thick and rich and holds it all together. Sour cream’s there because without it the whole thing is just too heavy and one-note. You need that tang to balance out all the dairy happening. Mayo seems random but here’s the thing—it keeps the dip from turning into a solid brick when it cools. My mom’s old recipe didn’t have it and we’d have to microwave it every fifteen minutes or nobody could get a chip through it.

Fresh grated parmesan isn’t optional for me. That green can stuff tastes like the inside of a gym bag and the pre-shredded in bags has all this coating on it so it won’t stick together in the package. Same coating stops it melting right. Just buy a chunk and grate it, my Target grater was like six bucks eight years ago and it still works.

Artichokes give you something with actual texture. Spinach makes it look vaguely healthy so you feel slightly less bad. Garlic because garlic makes literally everything taste better.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Whatever mixing bowl you got
• Hand mixer helps but a spoon works too
• 8×8 baking dish or pie dish, doesn’t matter
• Box grater
• Kitchen towel for wringing out spinach

How To Make Spinach Artichoke Dip

Step 1: Prep Your Oven and Dish

Oven goes to 350. Grease your baking dish with butter or that spray stuff. Just make sure you grease it because baked-on cheese is impossible to get off later.

Step 2: Squeeze That Spinach Dry

This step is weirdly important. Thaw your spinach, then wrap it in a kitchen towel or bunch of paper towels. Squeeze it over the sink. Really squeeze it. Then do it again. One more time. So much water’s gonna come out you won’t believe it. First time I made this I barely squeezed it and the whole thing turned into green soup. My husband won’t let me forget it, brings it up every time someone mentions dip.

Step 3: Combine All the Goodness

Everything in the bowl now. Sour cream, mayo, cream cheese (make sure it’s soft or this is gonna suck), the bone-dry spinach, chopped artichokes, garlic, most of the parmesan—save some for the top. Mix it till it looks smooth. Hand mixer makes this take like a minute. Doing it by hand you’ll be there a while but whatever, still works.

Step 4: Spread and Top

Dump it in your dish, spread it around till it’s sort of even. Nobody’s grading you on smoothness here. Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan on top—that’s what gets all golden and crusty.

Step 5: Bake Until Bubbly

Twenty minutes. Look for bubbles around the edges and golden on top. My oven’s weird and runs hot so sometimes mine’s done at 18 minutes. If yours isn’t bubbling yet just give it five more.

Step 6: Serve Immediately

Get it to the table hot. Set out chips or bread or whatever. Don’t overthink it, people are gonna demolish it either way.

You Must Know

Cold cream cheese is gonna wreck this whole thing. It stays lumpy no matter how long you mix. Leave it on the counter for an hour before you start. Forgot? Microwave it 15 seconds. Just get it soft, that’s all I’m saying.

Personal Secret: Right before the oven I squeeze about half a lemon over everything. You won’t taste lemon when it’s done but something happens, makes everything taste brighter. Sometimes I throw red pepper flakes on too if I’m in the mood.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Get a parmesan block and grate it yourself. Yeah the bag’s easier but it’s covered in potato starch or sawdust or who knows what so it won’t stick together. Makes it not melt smooth. You want melty. Block takes two minutes to grate.

After chopping artichokes, press them between paper towels. They hold more water than you think.

Hand mixer’s faster but a spoon works fine. Too thick? Add a splash of milk. Too thin? More cream cheese.

Everyone under-squeezes the spinach. That’s the main thing people mess up. Do it three times, seriously.

Flavor Variations / Suggestions

Girl at my old job does jalapeños and crumbled bacon in hers. Calls it jalapeño popper dip. Pretty solid if you like heat.

Could do sun-dried tomatoes and olives, make it all Mediterranean. Looks fancier for like two more ingredients.

Want it cheesier? Add mozzarella. We’re already in this deep might as well.

Lemon zest and basil makes it taste lighter and summery.

Buffalo sauce version’s a whole thing too. Couple tablespoons mixed in, serve with celery sticks.

Make-Ahead Options

This is why I love this recipe so much. Make the whole thing—mix everything, spread it in the dish—just don’t bake it yet. Cover with plastic wrap, fridge. Done this two days ahead tons of times, works perfect. When you’re ready take it out fifteen minutes early so it’s not ice cold, then bake normal. Maybe add five minutes.

Freezer too. Make it, don’t bake it, wrap it good, two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, let it warm up a bit, bake.

My friend Ashley does slow cooker for parties. Everything goes in, high for two hours, switch to warm. Sits there perfect the whole party, she doesn’t have to mess with it.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Fresh spinach works if you want but you need like 10 ounces. Cook it in a pan till wilted, cool it down, squeeze out the water. Same deal—needs to be dry.

Any dish around 1.5 quarts is fine. Usually I grab the 8×8 but pie dish works. Just thinner.

Done when it’s bubbling at the edges and top’s golden. Got a thermometer? 160 in the middle. But really just eyeball it.

Want extra golden top? Broiler for the last minute. Do NOT walk away though, it burns in like 20 seconds. Trust me on that one.

Serving Suggestions

I usually do tortilla chips. Pita chips are good too. Any crackers. Toasted baguette if you’re feeling fancy.

Always put vegetables out too—peppers, carrots, celery, whatever. Makes everyone feel slightly better about the cheese situation.

My neighbor did a bread bowl once, hollowed out a big round loaf and put the dip inside. Looked incredible and then you eat the bowl after. Smart.

Want to look impressive? Crostini. Toast thin bread, scoop dip on each one, maybe some herbs. Suddenly you look like you planned this.

How to Store Your Spinach Artichoke Dip

Leftovers in a container, fridge, four days. Better the next day after it sits honestly.

Microwave a serving for 45 seconds. Whole thing back in a 325 oven fifteen minutes. Looks thick? Splash of milk.

Can freeze already-baked but I don’t usually bother. If you do, cool it first, airtight, month. Thaw in fridge, reheat slow.

Allergy Information

Common Allergens:

• Dairy in everything (cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan, mayo)
• Eggs in mayo
• Gluten depending what you serve it with

Substitution Suggestions:

• Dairy-free you need vegan versions of all of it plus nutritional yeast for parmesan. Tastes different but it works
• Egg-free mayo exists, use that
• Gluten-free just serve with GF crackers or chips or vegetables
• Want it lighter? Greek yogurt for sour cream, Neufchatel for cream cheese, less mayo

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

My dip turned out watery—what happened?

Spinach. Or artichokes. Probably both. Frozen spinach is basically water pretending to be leaves. Gotta squeeze it till your hands hurt. Artichokes need drying too after chopping. Water’s the enemy.

Can I make this in the slow cooker for a party?

Yep. Everything in slow cooker, stir, high two hours. Stir halfway through. Switch to warm, leave it there. Perfect for parties.

Do I have to use fresh parmesan or will pre-shredded work?

Pre-shredded works if that’s what you got. Fresh is better because pre-shredded has anti-caking powder that messes with melting. Fresh takes two minutes, melts perfect. Your call.

How do I know when it’s done baking?

Bubbling edges, golden top, smells amazing. Want a number? 160 degrees center. But honestly just look at it—hot and delicious means it’s done.

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