This easy recipe for baked hot and cheesy spinach artichoke dip leaves out the mayo and adds extra cheese to give you every reason to dip your chip.
This recipe is brought to you by Kettle Brand Potato Chips
There are some dips that are quintessential party pleasers. They’re the one that beckons the feeding frenzied crowd and the first to disappear under a flurry of chips frantically vying for each and every scoop.
Spinach artichoke dip is firmly entrenched on the list.
While summertime calls for the unbaked version spinach artichoke dip as a popular options for crudité—aka the fancy way to display veggies—it’s the craving for a more decadent dip to dig in your chip that’s desired for fall/winter game watching, Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving, and holiday partying, and general cozying up to binge watch the latest and greatest on Netflix.
Hot and melty baked spinach artichoke dip is what’s needed now.
What’s In Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe
This spinach artichoke dip recipe is equally divided in the veg and cheese departments. That’s what makes it an ideal hybrid of healthy and just the right bit of naughty.
Here’s what’s in this hot baked spinach artichoke dip:
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Frozen spinach
- Artichoke hearts
- Swiss cheese (or any white melty cheese)
- Parmesan cheese
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
- Kettle Brand Potato Chips for dipping
How to Make Spinach Artichoke Dip
This dip is extra easy to make from scratch so you’ll feel totally emboldened breezing right past the pre-made tub at the store.
Cream cheese and sour cream are what give this dip its base. Be sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so it’s easy to mash, smash, and cream with the sour cream.
Frozen chopped spinach is defrosted in the refrigerator, or even quicker in the microwave. Drain it in a colander and use your hands to massage all of the liquid out of the spinach so your dip doesn’t turn watery when baked. If using fresh spinach, chop if first, then sauté it over medium heat until limp and cooked through. You’ll need 4X the amount of fresh to frozen spinach. Be sure to massage the cooked spinach too, as it releases a lot of moisture once cooked.
Marinated or Canned Artichokes?
I use quartered artichoke hearts canned in water, but defrosted frozen artichoke hearts work too. Slice the artichoke hearts into sections with the heart still attached so they don’t flap away into nothingness. Holding that nub at the base keeps the leaves together for bigger bites of choke. If you prefer, feel free to use marinated artichoke hearts, just be sure to drain all of the liquid before adding to the creamy mixture.
Two cloves of minced or pressed garlic give this dip it’s indelible, flavorful bite. Don’t skip it.
What Type of Cheese Goes In Spinach Artichoke Dip
Like many cheesy dips, choose a meltable white cow milk cheese for the ultimate cheese-pull chip dip.
The style of cheese you choose can be totally interchangeable as long as it’s a creamy, younger cheese (not aged and dry) for the ultimate reliability. I used Swiss cheese because it’s what I had in the fridge, but here’s a list of others that would work well too:
- Cream cheese (mentioned above)
- Swiss cheese (what I used)
- Provolone
- Mozzarella
- Fontina
- Gouda
- White cheddar
- Tallegio
To offset the soft, creaminess of the white cheese, nuttier Parmesan cheese adds a salty bite to cut through the richness of the cream cheese and sour cream.
If you like a looser dip, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of milk to thin the cheese mixture before baking.
What To Use to Dip? Make It Kettle Brand Potato Chips
A quintessential dip deserves the king of chips that’s strong enough to wedge through this tempting display of dippable baked cheese. Kettle Brand potato chips stick to basic ingredients with potatoes cooked in batches in an oil-filled kettle instead of on a conveyor belt. Kettle cooking adds extra crispness, crunch, and maximum flavor.
I give guests a chance to try as many Kettle Brand flavors and cuts as they’d like to mix and match. Krinkle cut. Flat cut. Sea salt and vinegar. Salt and peppered. Pepperoncini. Honey Mustard. Barbecue. Fiery Thai. New York Cheddar. Chile Verde. So. Many. Flavors.
Make This Spinach Artichoke Dip Ahead
A smart move for any host or hostess is to nail some of your party prep before the big day. This dip is easy to make ahead of time, refrigerate, and heat the day you’re serving, and will stay good in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Or, freeze spinach artichoke dip, uncooked but in a baking dish, for up to 3 months. Bake it straight from frozen at 375°F for 40-50 minutes.
How to Make This a Crock Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip
To make this dip in the slow cooker or Crock Pot, mix all of the ingredients according to the directions above. Spray the insert of a slow cooker with cooking spray and scrape in the cream cheese mixture. Cook on the HIGH setting for 2 hours or until melty.
Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1 15- ounce canned artichoke hearts in water about 1 ½ cups, drained and roughly chopped
- 8 ounces frozen chopped spinach about ¾ cup, defrosted and all the water squeezed from the spinach
- 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese with the sour cream until smooth. Fold in the garlic, artichoke hearts, chopped spinach, Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese, and kosher salt. Scrape into a 1 qt. baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and cooked through.
- Serve hot with Kettle Brand Potato Chips for maximum dipping pleasure.
