This baked spinach artichoke dip is deliciously rich and full of fresh spinach and marinated artichoke hearts. A perfectly creamy and cheesy appetizer recipe that is always a family and crowd favorite.
Whenever I make this easy spinach artichoke dip recipe it's a hit and disappears fast. It seems that most social gatherings have some type of spinach dip at them.
So what makes our spinach artichoke dip recipe so unique from others? We don't use mayonnaise in our recipe. We also use fresh spinach and marinated artichoke hearts and it's an easy recipe to make.
The fresh spinach brings well a fresh taste to this hot artichoke spinach dip. Now don't get me wrong I have used frozen spinach but I really do like fresh spinach better in this hot dip.
With using frozen spinach in this hot dip recipe, make sure the water is all squeezed out of the spinach. With fresh, as long as you dry the spinach after washing it, there will be no excess water going into the dip. I like to pat fresh spinach dry with paper towels or use a salad spinner.
Using marinated artichoke hearts in this baked spinach artichoke dip brings in even more flavor. If you enjoy this dip then you will love our spinach artichoke chicken bake recipe.
Tips For Making This Spinach Dip Recipe
My first tip for making this hot spinach artichoke dip is to start with room temperature cream cheese. With the cream cheese at room temperature, it's easier to mix together with the sour cream.
I like to start with the softened cream cheese in a large bowl and mix it up a little bit before adding in the sour cream.
Then I mix together the cream cheese and sour cream together until it's as smooth as I can get it. Then I add in my seasoning and cheeses.
The parmesan cheese is my next tip. Freshly shredded parmesan is what works best for this recipe. The powdered parmesan will absorb some of the creaminess from this baked spinach artichoke dip. So I say save the powdered parmesan for pizza. When it comes to the mozzarella cheese pepper Jack would be a great substitution.
This next tip brings more flavor to the recipe and I feel is a must. That would be to use marinated artichoke hearts instead of just the canned ones. The canned artichokes have no flavor and can be kind of mushy.
Marinated artichokes taste better because they have been seasoned. One last tip for the artichokes would be to chop them up a bit. Even though they come quartered in the jar I still do a rough chop to them.
Let's talk about the spinach again for the next tip. I feel that using fresh spinach in this recipe is best because I like the fresh taste of spinach. I do recommend chopping the fresh spinach up a bit. You could also saute the fresh spinach with a little bit of olive oil for more flavor.
Frozen spinach can be used. You will need to make sure it's thawed and then squeeze the water out of it before using it in the recipe.
This tip is for mixing the spinach into the cream mixture. I like to push all the cream mixture to one side of a large mixing bowl. On the other side, I will add the chopped spinach.
Over the top of the chopped spinach, fold in the cream cheese mixture. Mix all the ingredients together until combined.
How To Serve This Cheesy Dip
You might be wondering how to serve this baked artichoke spinach dip. You can enjoy this baked dip recipe on crackers, pita chips, or tortilla chips.
Another way to enjoy this dip would be with vegetables. Carrots, celery or red peppers would be great for dipping into this recipe.
French baguette slices that are lightly toasted is our favorite way to enjoy this hot spinach artichoke dip recipe. You get a little crunch from the baguette and the creaminess from the spinach artichoke dip.
Whatever you decide to serve with this baked artichoke spinach dip is sure to be a hit.
Questions
You can use light cream cheese and sour cream to make it lighter. Or use Greek Yogurt in replacement of the sour cream.
This dip can be prepared ahead of time then popped into the oven for 30 minutes before needed. Just put the unbaked dip into the fridge to keep fresh.
Be careful if using a glass baking dish. You will want it to come to room temperature before placing it in the oven if it's been in the fridge. You could also transfer the hot dip to a slow cooker and keep on warm to bring along on game days
If there is any leftover it can be easily reheated. We like to reheat it in the microwave, but you can reheat it in the oven.
I would recommend storing the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
My Creative Manner is answering the question "what's there to eat" with simple homecooked recipes ~ Jen
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Baked Artichoke Spinach Dip
This oven baked spinach and artichoke dip is a creamy appetizer recipe that bakes up bubbly and is loaded with flavor. Serve this crowd favorite hot dip with crackers or lightly toasted French baguette slices.
Ingredients
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese room temperature
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 5 Ounces Fresh Spinach washed and roughly chopped see notes for frozen
- 7.5 Ounces Artichoke Hearts~ marinated roughly chopped
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic minced
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ Cup Parmesan Cheese fresh shredded
- 1½ Cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- 1 Tablespoon Parsley ~ chopped optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375℉ spray a baking dish that will fit all the mixture in with cooking spray and set aside. My baking dish was 10x8.
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Into a mixing bowl add the room temperature cream cheese and sour cream mix until smooth.
Mix in the minced garlic, salt, pepper, fresh parmesan, and ¾ cup of the mozzarella. Save the remaining mozzarella cheese to top the dip with. Mix until all the ingredients are mixed together.
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Mix in the marinated artichoke hearts that have been coarsely chopped into the cream cheese mixture. Then fold in the chopped fresh spinach, mixing until all are combined.
I find it helps if I push the cream cheese mixture to one side of the bowl then add the spinach in. Then I can fold the cream cheese mixture over the fresh spinach.
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Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
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Place into the preheated oven to bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
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Turn oven to high broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese starts to brown.
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Sprinkle the chopped parsley on top of spinach artichoke dip. Serve dip with garlic toast, crackers, or tortilla chips.
Recipe Notes
If using frozen spinach you will need a 10-ounce package. Makes sure to thaw the spinach out and then squeeze any water from the thawed spinach out.
The nutritional value may vary depending on the ingredients used.
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Amelia
Amazing recipe!!
Jennifer
Thank you, glad you liked this recipe.