Cheesy Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip

Name: Cheesy Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter; 3 tablespoons flour; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on how much heat you like); 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground); 1 1/4 cups milk; 1 10- ounce package frozen spinach (thawed and finely chopped); 14 ounce artichoke hearts ( drained, patted dry with a paper towel and chopped); 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated , divided); 4 ounces fontina cheese (cut into 1/4" dice, divided); pita chips, crackers or toasted crostini; hot sauce or picante sauce (optional)

This is one of the best spinach artichoke dip recipes I’ve ever tried. It’s unlike any other because this easy baked spinach artichoke dip is made without mayonnaise, cream cheese or sour cream, but it’s every bit as rich and cheesy. Serve this cheesy baked artichoke spinach dip at your next get together and get ready for rave reviews.

This post has been updated for photos and content since it’s original publication in 2017.

a small casserole dish with just baked spinach artichoke dip. — This rich warm spinach artichoke dip recipe is irresistible with crackers or crostini and a dash of hot sauce.

One of my all time favorite guilty pleasures is a hot from the oven gooey, cheesy baked spinach artichoke dip. My response to seeing this hot artichoke spinach dip on a restaurant menu is immediate and visceral, negating any other appetizer options.

If you feel the same way, this spinach artichoke dip recipe is for you.

It’s based on the dreamy dip from Houston’s restaurant and it’s incredible. We have a Houston’s not far from our house and it’s long been a favorite spot for celebrating birthdays and special occasions. Their cheesy, baked, hot artichoke spinach dip is a must have every time we go.

Unlike other versions that use mayonnaise, cream cheese or sour cream, this easy spinach artichoke dip has no mayo, and skips both the cream cheese and sour cream for a completely different binder.

This dip tastes rich, but compared to those mayo, cream cheese bombs, it’s healthier in terms of calories and saturated fat. Let’s not forget, it’s full of veggies, too!

Ingredients you’ll need for baked spinach artichoke dip

Spinach
Butter
Flour
Cayenne Pepper
Onion Powder
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Whole Milk
Artichoke Hearts
Parmegiano Reggiano
Fontina Cheese

thawed frozen spinach. — Thaw frozen spinach at room temperature.

draining thawed frozen spinach. — Thaw frozen spinach at room temperature.

Is fresh or frozen spinach better for the spinach artichoke dip recipe?

For ease and simplicity, I prefer using frozen spinach for this warm dip. Why? Using fresh spinach costs more than frozen and using fresh spinach means more work because you’d have to:

Blanch fresh spinach in boiling water and
Shock the spinach in ice water before you can get to the rest of the recipe.

That said, you’ll want to take the frozen spinach out of the freezer to thaw for several hours before starting this recipe. Do not thaw it in the microwave.

Drain your spinach well before adding it to the artichoke dip recipe

If you add thawed frozen spinach to the dip, it will be very watery.

Why?

Because the process food manufacturers take to freeze spinach involves the two steps I mentioned above. Consequently, frozen spinach has lots of extra liquid that would water down your dip.

So you’ll need to make sure to remove that excess liquid, by:

Pressing it with a spoon through a sieve (shown above) OR
Squeezing it dry, by rolling the thawed spinach in the center of a clean dish towel and twisting and squeezing the towel over a sink until all of the liquid is removed. (The dish towel method is the messiest, but also the most effective).

a can of artichoke hearts. — You can use frozen or canned artichoke hearts.

chopping drained and dried artichoke hearts on a cutting board. — You can use frozen or canned artichoke hearts.

Should I use canned or frozen artichokes?

You can use either canned or frozen (and thawed) artichoke hearts for the warm spinach dip. Bear in mind that just as the spinach, you’ll want to dry the artichokes very well before using them in the recipe.

Most canned or frozen artichokes are sold whole or halved, so you’ll also need to chop them finely before adding them to the dip.

Adding flour to melted butter for the bechamel sauce. — Assembling roux for bechamel sauce.

Cooking the roux for the bechamel. — Assembling roux for bechamel sauce.

This easy baked spinach artichoke dip has no mayo, cream cheese or sour cream in the dip itself. Instead, the secret to this creamy blend is a simple white sauce (a.k.a. bechamel) made with a butter and flour roux and milk, cooked until thickened.

To give a plain white sauce more zip and flavor, it’s seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne, and onion powder.

adding seasoning to the roux. — Add the seasonings to the roux and mix well.

adding milk to the roux makes a creamy sauce for spinach artichoke dip recipe. — Add the seasonings to the roux and mix well.

How to make spinach artichoke dip:

Melt the butter in a skillet or saucepan.
Add the flour and stir or whisk together until there’s no dry bits of flour left and the mixture is bubbly (this is called a roux, pronounced “roo”. Cook the butter and flour mixture for about one minute.
Add the seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper) and mix until fragrant and well combined.
Whisking constantly, add the milk a little at a time until it’s well blended in the roux.
Continue to stir and cook, (scraping the bottom of the pan so the flour doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan) and bring to a boil.
Stir the bechamel sauce constantly as it cooks and thickens for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Stir in the drained chopped spinach and the chopped artichoke hearts and mix to combine.
Add the parmesan and fontina cheeses (reserve a little of the cheeses for topping the spinach artichoke dip before baking.)
Transfer the dip to a prepared baking dish and sprinkle on the reserved cheeses.
Bake until the cheese is warm, gooey and melted. Serve.

grating and dicing the parmesan and fontina cheeses to mix with the baked spinach artichoke dip mixture. — Finely grate the parmesan cheese and cut the fontina into small dice, about 1/4″.

Best cheeses for baked spinach artichoke dip like a restaurant

To give that rich, cheesiness you expect in a hot artichoke and spinach dip, you’ll want to use a variety of cheeses. At Houston’s, they used freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and chunks of melty fontina, which is what I recommend.

However, if you don’t have these cheeses on hand, here are some swaps that work well too.

Different cheese substitutions:

Instead of grated parmesan, try Pecorino Romano or Grana Padana.
If you don’t have Fontina, use another good melting cheese, like Monterey jack or provolone. Avoid cheddar and American.

mixing the spinach artichoke dip recipe in the skillet. — Mix the two cheeses into the spinach artichoke mixture, then transfer to a baking dish.

Use a lower heat for baking spinach artichoke dip

What makes this baked spinach artichoke dip so cheesy and delicious is the lower oven temperature (325° F), which melts the fontina and parmesan cheeses, but doesn’t brown them.

The cheeses actually melts into puddles of gooey, oozy deliciousness tucked between and around the tender spinach and artichoke hearts.

topping spinach artichoke dip with cheeses before baking.

So what’s the best way to transport the baked spinach artichoke dip to your mouth? The possibilities are endless.

Houston’s restaurant serves their spinach artichoke dip with crispy corn tortillas, a small ramekin of picante sauce and sour cream for topping.

What chips are good with hot artichoke spinach dip?

Town House or Ritz Crackers.
Crispy Pita Chips (we like Stacy’s) or Pita Crackers (the one’s from Trader Joe’s).
Toasted crostini or grilled bruschetta are delicious options, too.
For a healthier option, try serving it with slices of cucumber or raw zucchini or squash topped with the warm spinach artichoke dip.

I’ve made this dip countless times for everything from holiday parties to game day get togethers and the one constant is that EVERYONE loves it. It’s ultra creamy without being cloying or overly heavy.

The spinach and artichokes are bound by just the right balance of bechamel and cheese.

If you want more heat, you can increase the amount of cayenne pepper or serve it with a bottle of your favorite hot sauce on the side, so guests can doctor it themselves according to their tastes.

Baked spinach artichoke dip hot from the oven.

FAQ’s

Is spinach artichoke dip healthy?

Most recipes for this warm dip are laden with cream cheese, mayo and sour cream PLUS cheese. This baked spinach artichoke dip has no mayo, cream cheese or sour cream and consequently the calorie and cholesterol count are much lower. I wouldn’t call it a health food, but it’s not the nutrition bomb of other recipes.

Can I prepare the spinach artichoke dip recipe in advance?

Yes. Assemble the dip and keep it covered and refrigerated for up to a day ahead of time. Remove the dip from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking it, or it will take longer to cook and melt the cheeses.

What’s the best way to reheat spinach artichoke dip?

There are two easy ways to do this, either in the oven or microwave. To reheat in the oven, preheat to 325° and cover the dip with foil. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted. For the microwave, zap it in increments of 30 seconds until the dip is hot and gooey.

a casserole of baked spinach artichoke dip with crackers and crostini.

More spinach and artichoke recipes:

A crunchy crostini cracker topped with warm baked spinach artichoke dip.

More party dip recipes:

a bubbly warm spinach artichoke dip in a white baking dish.

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