Get ready to enjoy a flavorful spinach artichoke dip bubbling with cheese and filled with hearty spinach, artichokes, and caramelized onions. This post is sponsored by Crunchmaster and contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosures.
While I usually make healthy dips filled with fresh vegetables and spices, I sometimes make indulgent dips because I believe that, even though you’re on a gluten-free diet, there’s no need to deprive yourself of foods you love, even if they’re not branded as “healthy” or “good for you.”
Spinach artichoke is one of those dips. It’s cheesy, creamy, and far from “healthy,” but it reigns as one of the most popular dips in America and my home.
This crowd-pleasing warm appetizer is best served with crunchy crackers, like my favorite multi-grain crackers from Crunchmaster, and various crudités (i.e., slices of cucumbers, carrots, and celery). And best of all, it’s made with gluten-free ingredients, so you don’t have to compromise your diet to enjoy this fun appetizer.
Get ready to cozy up with this classic dip the next time you entertain. It’s perfect for Super Bowl parties, holiday parties, and birthday parties. Your guests won’t leave until every drop of this delicious and creamy dip is gone.
Ingredients for Spinach Artichoke Dip
Before you make this dip, you’ll want to do a little prep work with the cream cheese, spinach, onions, and artichokes. Here’s a bit more about each of these ingredients:
Cream Cheese: You’ll need 8 ounces of cream cheese. You can buy a block of cream cheese (vs. tub) at the grocery store. Be sure to take the cream cheese out of the fridge a few hours before making this recipe, as it needs to soften to room temperature.
Frozen Spinach: You’ll need one 10-ounce package of frozen spinach. You can defrost the frozen spinach at room temperature or heat it in your microwave to soften it. If microwaving the frozen spinach, allow it to cool so you can squeeze out the water without burning your hands.
Onion: You’ll need one medium yellow onion that you can caramelize over medium-high heat in a pan with a bit of vegetable oil. Mix the onions every so often, for 45-60 minutes, until they develop a soft brown color and deep onion flavor.
Artichoke Hearts: You’ll need one 14-ounce can of quartered artichoke hearts. Be sure to drain the artichokes, pressing as much water out of them as possible. You’ll also chop the artichoke hearts into small pieces.
Sour Cream: You’ll need 1/2 cup of sour cream. The sour cream adds tang to the recipe, but you could also substitute Greek yogurt.
Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise adds tang and flavor to the overall dip. You’ll only need 1/4 cup of it.
Parmesan Cheese: You’ll need 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese. I use the shredded parmesan cheese found in a bag at Trader Joe’s.
Mozzarella Cheese: You’ll use one cup of shredded mozzarella cheese inside the dip and another cup on top.
Garlic: Use two cloves of minced fresh garlic in this recipe. If you like it more garlicky, add another clove or two.
Salt & Pepper: You’ll need a pinch of salt and fresh black pepper to complete the flavor of the final dip.
Crackers: Too often, gluten-free crackers break under the pressure of a dip, but Crunchmaster multi-seed crackers are crunchy and strong. You can find Crunchmaster crackers at most major grocery stores in the U.S. and Crunchmaster’s Amazon store.
How to Make Spinach Artichoke Dip
Here’s how to make this creamy and cheesy spinach artichoke dip:
(1) Preheat the oven to 375º F and lightly spray a 1-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Set it aside.
(2) In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.
(3) Add the artichoke hearts, spinach, onions, and half of the mozzarella cheese to the cream cheese mixture. Stir to combine all the ingredients, then pour the mixture into your prepared baking sheet.
(4) Top the mixture with the remaining mozzarella cheese and loosely cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. (You can place the baking dish on a baking sheet if you’re worried about the ingredients bubbling over and spilling on the oven floor.)
(5) Bake for 20 minutes covered, then remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and browning on the top.
(6) Serve the hot spinach artichoke dip with Crunchmaster crackers and crudités, and prepare to enjoy one inviting cheesy bite of deliciousness.
Tips and FAQs
Squeeze the Liquid: Be sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the spinach and artichokes before adding them to your mix. Excessive moisture will make your dip watery.
Sour Cream Swap: You can swap Greek yogurt for sour cream, although the flavor will be less tangy.
Fresh vs. Frozen Spinach: If using fresh spinach, make sure it weighs 10 ounces. Fresh spinach may be more watery, so consider cooking it down, cooling it, and squeezing out as much liquid as possible before adding it to your dip.
Store Leftovers: Store leftover dip in a covered container in your fridge for 2-3 days.
Make-Ahead Instructions: To save time, you can make this dip the day before. Either bake it fully, cover it, refrigerate, and then heat it in your oven for 10 minutes before serving, or prepare all the raw ingredients, cover, refrigerate, and then bake it before serving it (preferred make-ahead method). Try to bring the ingredients to room temperature before baking and adjust the baking time as needed.
How to Caramelize the Onion: To caramelize the onion, chop the onion into desired slices, then cook the onion slices in a pan over medium-heat with 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Occasionally mix the onions as they soften and brown for about 1 hour.
More Dips
Try these delicious dips the next time you entertain:
- Spicy Hummus with Crunchy Chickpeas
- Game Day Snack Board with Homemade Black Bean Dip
- Warm Butternut Squash & Apple Dip
- 8-Ingredient Roasted Chili Corn Salsa
- Chunky Pico de Gallo with Avocado
- Strawberry Pico de Gallo
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Equipment
- 1 1-quart baking dish
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 pan for carmelizing the onions (optional)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper 6-8 spins
- 14 ounce canned artichoke hearts drained well (squeeze out liquid) and chopped into fine pieces
- 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry – see notes
- 1 medium yellow onion carmelized (optional) – see notes
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded (divided)
- 1-2 packages of Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375º F and lightly spray a 1-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Set it aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Add the artichoke hearts, spinach, onions, and half of the mozzarella cheese to the cream cheese mixture. Stir to combine all the ingredients, then pour the mixture into your prepared baking sheet.
- Top the mixture with the remaining mozzarella cheese and loosely cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. (You can place the baking dish on top of a baking sheet if you're worried about the ingredients bubbling over into your oven.)
- Bake for 20 minutes covered, then remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and browning on the top.
- Serve with Crunchmaster crackers and crudités (i.e., cucumber slices, bay carrots, and celery sticks).
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