Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip
The best cheesy baked spinach artichoke dip recipe, lightened up with extra veggies and no mayonnaise! Everyone will love this delicious appetizer recipe.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 27, 2024
Now that the cookbook project is behind me, I’m busy filling all the recipe holes on the blog. Like, spinach artichoke dip. I’ve always adored for spinach artichoke dip, but I’d never tried making myself.
What good is a vegetarian recipe blog without a proper spinach artichoke dip, baked until golden and bubbly? Not very good. Also, I’m making myself hungry.
The standard ingredients for spinach artichoke dip are pretty basic—beyond spinach and artichoke, you’ll find some creamy and cheesy components.
My favorite spinach artichoke dip in Kansas City is absolutely loaded with spinach and artichoke, so I didn’t add as much of the creamy stuff as some other recipes do.
Lightened-Up Spinach Artichoke Dip
I experimented by trying sour cream, cream cheese and mayonnaise in various quantities, but I couldn’t detect a significant difference in the outcomes. So, I decided on sour cream (Greek yogurt should work, too) because it’s the lightest option of the bunch. No mayo here!
For the cheesy component, I opted for mostly mozzarella, which turns magnificently golden in the oven. I also added some feta cheese, which adds another layer of flavor to the dip and lends a Mediterranean vibe. To further amp up the flavor and lighten up the dip, I sautéed onion and red bell pepper before stirring in the remaining ingredients.
I also tried using fresh spinach instead of frozen, but was happily surprised to find that frozen spinach produced a more intensely flavored dip. Frozen also saves you a few bucks at the store, and saves you a step since it’s pre-chopped. Buy organic frozen spinach, if it’s available, since leafy greens (spinach especially) are often high in pesticide residues.
In summary, this cheesy baked spinach artichoke dip recipe is lighter, and dare I say more healthy than most. That is, if you’re determined to eat spinach artichoke up in the first place. (You have my full support.)
Watch How to Make Spinach Artichoke Dip
More Delicious Dips and Spreads
- Chunky Avocado Salsa
- Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip: A delicious alternative to this baked dip.
- Guacamole
- Hummus
- Red Salsa
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! I hope it’s a big hit.
Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip
The best cheesy baked spinach artichoke dip recipe, lightened up with extra veggies and no mayonnaise! Everyone will love this delicious appetizer recipe; it’s great served hot or even at room temperature. Recipe yields 8 appetizer servings.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- Pinch of salt
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach), thawed*
- 1 jar (12 ounces) marinated artichokes or 1 can (15 ounces) canned artichokes in water, drained and chopped
- 8 ounces sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 2 ounces crumbled feta or goat cheese (about ½ cup)
- 6 ounces freshly grated part-skim mozzarella (about 1 ½ cups), divided
- 3 dashes of your favorite hot sauce (I recommend Cholula)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For serving: Tortilla chips, pita wedges, small slices of toasted bread, crackers, or crisp, firm veggies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion and bell pepper are nice and tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, squeeze as much moisture out of the thawed spinach as possible.
- Add the spinach and artichoke to the pan and cook for 1 minute, using your spatula to break up any hunks of spinach.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the sour cream, feta and two-thirds of the mozzarella (about 1 cup). Stir until the ingredients are all mixed together. Season to taste with additional salt, some black pepper, and a few dashes of hot sauce (more if you want more of a kick).
- Transfer the mixture to a small casserole dish (about 1-quart capacity) and spread it evenly into the pan. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the contents. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 18 to 25 minutes.
- Let the dip cool for a few minutes (it’s crazy hot) and serve with your dipping vehicle of choice. This dip keeps well for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, covered.
Notes
Recipe roughly adapted from Cooking Light.
How to thaw frozen spinach: This is easiest in the microwave. Place the frozen spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and cook until it has defrosted, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 5 minutes. You could probably also let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Dairy free/vegan note: This is not a great candidate to be made dairy free. I recommend that you make the creamy avocado spinach dip in my cookbook instead!
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This recipe looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it. BTW I purchased your lovely cookbook and it’s fabulous! Thanks for creating healthy delicious recipes!
Thank you so much, Deborah! I really appreciate your support. :) Hope you love this dip.
I can’t wait to try this out for tailgates this fall. I know it’s going to be so tasty!
Thanks, Valerie! I hope it’s a big hit! :)
I’m excited to try this! My standard recipe is similar to this, but I wasn’t sauteing the onions and peppers and I tend to use parmesan instead of feta, so I want to try that!
Yum! Please let me know how you like this version, Molly!
I haven’t eaten dip in years, but hearing about putting feta in this one made me keep reading. And even better, there’s so much protein in this that it would make a nice light lunch. I would definitely use Greek yogurt in this because a) it has a lot of protein and b) if you use 2% it tastes as good as sour cream (I don’t even like sour cream any more, just use Greek yogurt in its place for everything).
Thanks, Susan! Even with sour cream, one serving has 22 grams of protein, but you’re right—that number would be even higher with Greek yogurt. Please let me know how you like it!
WOWZA
Just made this for my family….it was a big hit. W e really enjoy all the recipes from your site. Thanks kate!
I’m so glad! Thank you for commenting, Stephanie!
This was my teenager’s favorite way to eat vegetables today, and his brothers — who have all graduated from high school and/or college — are jealous. My husband is allergic to bell peppers, so I replaced it with zucchini. Delish. I will definitely be making this again when all the boys are home for Thanksgiving and football.
Hooray! So glad to hear it. Thank you, Charlotte.
This.looks.so.good.
Oh my, I haven’t eaten this dip in years because as much as I love it, at restaurants it’s just too rich. But this looks perfect, and I love that you added extra veg! I’ll be trying this asap! ;)
Thank you, Kristi! I hope you get a chance to make it soon!
Definitely saving this one to try. I’m thinking I’ll go with the Greek yogurt option; I love to use Greek yogurt in my cooking and baking as I don’t care for the taste of sour cream (weird, I know). Thanks for sharing, Kate!
This is amazingly good! My carnivore husband even liked it.
Hooray! Belated thank you, Lindsey!
Hello, Kate!
Could I use fresh spinach, sauteed with the other veggies, for this recipe? Or does the frozen spinach provide something fresh can’t?
Hi Hannah, you can! It’ll be more expensive and time consuming, though. You’ll need to chop up the cooked spinach into smaller pieces. I honestly prefer the way the dip turns out with frozen/defrosted spinach.
I made this with plain Nancy P’s yogurt and frozen spinach from Trader Joe’s and it was delicious, cheap, and easy! I will definitely make this again. I think next time I will add some chopped jalapenos…
Thank you for the reply!
I’ve not come across a baked dip before. This one looks delicious! It doesn’t hurt that it contains two of my favorite veggies – spinach and artichokes. Can’t wait to try it. :-)
Oh, you must try it soon! Thanks, Paula!
If I wanted to make this dip is a standard size casserole dish (15×10) would you recommend doubling or tripling the recipe? Thanks in advance.
Hi Brittany, I think you’d want to triple it.
Hi Kate!
Absolutely the biggest fan of your blog and your cookbook! My flexitarian husband and I love to eat vegetarian a couple of times a week and you make it easy :)
Quick question – I plan to make this dip for an appetizer for Thanksgiving. Would it be possible to make it the day and not bake it? So basically everything up until step 5 then stick in the fridge? Would love to serve it warm if possible.
Thanks and keep up the good work!!
Lucy, thank you so much! That’s great to hear. You can definitely do that with this dip; it just might need a few extra minutes in the oven since it’s starting cold.
This is incredible! I made it for Thanksgiving and it’s over half gone inside of two hours. Thank you so much!
You are welcome, Leanna! Thank you so much for trying it out and your review :)
This was so good, thanks! I always avoided making spinach artichoke dip because most recipes have too much cheese/mayo. This was just right. One question, though: My cheese did not get as golden as yours- any tips? did you use the broiler? thanks!
You are welcome, Ruby! Thank you for your review. For the cheese, all ovens act differently and can have a mind of their own. You could try adjusting your rack to bring it closer to the heat source. Or if that still doesn’t work, watch it closely and broil it for a minute or so to help make the cheese more golden. Hope this helps!
This recipe looks AMAZING and I want to make it for all my Christmas parties. I wonder if I can omit or substitute the “2 ounces crumbled feta or goat cheese”? They are two of my FAVORITE cheeses, but I am pregnant and not supposed to have those types apparently.
Thanks! P.S. Just bought your cookbook and LOVE it so far. :)
I say do it! You can always use a different cheese, omit or increase the mozzarella cheese. Thanks for purchasing the cookbook!
Just made this (sort of)! I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand, so I omitted the mozzarella, and used non-fat Greek yogurt, and fat-free feta (sounds weird, I know), and added a spoonful of light mayo.
Regardless of my mostly fat-free ingredients, I was REALLY impressed with the flavor and texture! It obviously wasn’t as rich as it could be, and I seasoned it a little more heavily, but all in all, this recipe is a keeper. Can’t wait to make it again, and with more cheese! Thank you for posting this!
That’s great! I’m glad you still had success even though you couldn’t follow the recipe exactly. I appreciate the review!
Wow! I wasn’t sure how this recipe was going to turn out, but I was amazed. I can’t get enough of the marinated artichokes and this looks perfect with the thawed spinach. Added a pinch of Italian herb seasoning from Rossi Pasta. We enjoyed it with toasted bread and crisp veggies. It was far better than any artichoke dip we’ve had at restaurants. This is now my family’s all time favorite baked spinach artichoke dip!
I’m happy you were pleasantly surprised! Thanks for sharing what you did, James.
Love this dip…so did the family..scraped every last morsel out of the dish!
You aren’t alone! It’s really easy to do with this one. Thanks so much, Kim!
Just made this. Turned out Awesome! Thank you.
Happy to hear that! You’re welcome.
I just made this tonight for an appetizer. It was a huge hit and I was asked for the recipe.
I have made countless C+K recipes and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them has been a hit! I have your cookbook; your cookbook and blog are my first stops when looking for something new to make. I’m not a vegetarian but I love your whole foods recipes.
Thanks, Kate, for sharing all your yummy recipes. (Thanks to you too, Cookie!)
That’s so great to hear, Sharon! I love you are enjoying the blog. Thanks so much for your review!
This has been a huge hit for housewarming parties, Super Bowl gatherings, and holiday potlucks alike!! I use garlic and cheese liberally- and am partial to the tanginess of Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. So easy to throw together, and has always been super popular! Bravo!
Thank you for sharing, Jesse!
Hi Kate! I’m so excited to make this recipe for our Christmas Appetizer, especially after all of the amazing reviews! Do you have a recommendation on re-heating? I imagine I can just pop it in the oven for a few minutes if I make it the day before? Your recipes and app have made cooking so much more fun for me – thank you!
Hello! I would reheat in the oven. Enjoy!
Hey Kate, I’m making this tomorrow for New Year’s Eve apps and I’m wondering if you prefer either the sour cream or yogurt? And which fat/percent? Thanks!
Hello! I’m sorry for my delay. How did it turn out for you?
Made this for company New Years Eve. A
Huge hit n
Thanks!
I loved the recipe, as did the guests at the party. I liked that it was leaner than the standard mayonnaise version and more vegetable-forward. If I would change anything, I think next time I would incorporate some herbs into it, maybe some tarragon. It would benefit from just a little more complexity. But thank you for a recipe I will use again and again!
Thanks for sharing, Paul!
So delicious!! Always a crowd-pleaser!
Great to hear, Maddie!
I’m trying this tonight and it looks amazing! I was if this recipe can be frozen? I’d like to make a huge batch of it.
I don’t think this would freeze very well. If you try it, let me know!
It actually freezes pretty well. You just need to freeze it UNCOOKED and then bake it from frozen. Came out great!
Great to hear, Tanya! Thank you for your review.
I have a small jar of pimentos I need to get rid of, do you think they would go well in this?
You should make this! https://sooka.info/best-pimento-cheese-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Can you use sauteed fresh spinach?
You could try it! I prefer the frozen/thawed here.
Hi Kate! Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen? Or is it better with frozen? Thanks!
It’s better with frozen to get the right consistency! :)
Can this be made on a cast iron skillet?
I tried this recipe on Christmas Day and everybody absolutely LOVED it!! Not only did they have it as a dip they added it to their mains as a side. It was lovely and light (I used Greek yoghurt) and a lovely change from the usual mayo-filled dips!
I love it! Thanks for sharing.
Perfect, so delicious!!! Thank you! I am wondering if I could skip the baking step and make it to be eaten chilled. Maybe just heat it all in the pan on the stovetop and then chill? Have you tried this?
Hi Martha! I designed this to be baked. You can bake and then serve chilled, if you prefer.
iz nise
Baked spinach dip is my 14 year old daughter’s favourite appetizer when we go out to restaurants. I’ve never been a huge fan due to the richness of the dish. I decided to try this today as a snack for football Sunday. It was a hit with the whole household. My daughter even said it was better then her favourite restaurant. I used greek yogurt and feta and parmesan in addition to the mozzarella. Thank you for your recipe. I enjoyed this as I do with each and every recipe of yours I have made. And I’ve made a lot!
Just made this last night. Used greek yogurt and goat cheese and it was wonderful! Thank you Kate for your yummy recipes.I will be making this one again.
Wonderful to hear, Jodi! Thank you for taking the time to review.
I’m a long time follower of the blog and now own not one but TWO copies of Kate’s cookbook, but I just got around to making this recipe. Absolutely phenomenal. I love how light it is and it makes the perfect amount of dip! Wonderful as always, Kate.
I made this with fresh spinach and in a cast iron skillet and it was fantastic! I was surprised how good it was and loved that it used more of the the typical ingredients that I have on hand and no cream cheese or mayo. Definitely my go to spinach artichoke dip recipe! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Dayna!
Could I prep this the night before and just pop in the oven to cook the next day?
You can try it! Let me know what you think, Colette.
Just made this tonight as we love a good spinach + artichoke dip! It tastes amazing like all of your other recipes. I cook at least 2 or 3 recipes from your cookbook every week.
The sour cream was replaced with 3/4 cup of cream cheese and 1/4 cup boiling water. Honestly I can’t tell the difference, the zing is still there! Also I added 2 bunches of fresh spinach (chopped up really well) instead of the frozen and turned out great. Next time I’ll try using the frozen to cut down on prep time :)
Hi Kate! I LOVE this recipe, it’s become a go-to for me when I have folks over! I was wondering if there’s a way to make it ahead of time? Thanks!
You’re welcome, Maddie!
Can you make the day before and bake the next day?
I have never really been a fan of spinach dips, maybe with all the mayo stuff found them hard to digest, but tried this on a whim. Turned out great. I like that this recipe is vegetable forward but still super tasty. Had a little bit of a zucchini left so diced it and cooked same time as red pepper and onion. Also had some home pickled jalapeno so chopped up and put in as well. Used Greek yogurt. As long as it is your recipe I think I’m a spinach dip fan now!
Hi Kate,
Is there any particular reason to avoid canned spinach?
I prefer the flavor of artichokes to spinach; when I make this recipe I will be reducing the quantity of spinach (Popeye rinsed to remove excess sodium)) and using both water-packed and marinated artichokes from Reese.
I will use small sweet Chiles instead of Bell peppers, as I have them on hand.
Do I drain my jar of marinated artichokes ?
Thank you
Can this dip be frozen? Thanks for all your good recipes