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Hot Spinach Dip is a savory blend of spinach, cheeses, and seasonings that is baked and served warm and melty. It’s perfect for digging into with your favorite chips, crackers, or bread.
Make ahead and bake just before serving at your next party with some Crostini or Air Fryer Tortilla Chips.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Classic Recipe – A crowd favorite party dip that’s always the first to disappear.
- Quick and Easy – It only takes 10 minutes to whip up and only has 7 simple ingredients.
- Make Ahead – It’s perfect for prepping ahead of time.
For more hot and cheesy dips, try my Queso Blanco and Hot Corn Dip, next!
Ingredients
- Cream cheese – Full fat, brick-style cream cheese for a rich and creamy texture.
- Sour cream – I recommend full fat. For a lower calorie version, you can sub plain Greek yogurt.
- Garlic – Fresh minced garlic cloves are best, but you can use a jarred minced garlic, or sub a teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Chili powder – Adds flavor and a little bit of heat.
- Red pepper flakes – Feel free to customize this amount if you want less heat.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese – Freshly grated off the block cheese is absolutely the best for melting. Pre-shredded cheese have a coating that affects its ability to melt.
- Spinach – You need 5 ounces of cooked spinach (I use half of a 10-ounce package of frozen spinach). If you want to cook it yourself, you will need about ¾ of a pound of fresh spinach, cooked down to equal about ¾ of a cup.
How To Make Hot Spinach Dip
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
- Combine dip ingredients. Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.
- Bake. Spread into a 10-inch cast iron skillet or a baking dish. Top with cheese, pop it in the oven, and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Broil. This step is optional and can be omitted if you prefer. It’s how you get the top nice and brown.
- Serve. Serve with chips, crackers, crostini/baguette slices or veggie like carrots, celery sticks, or cucumber slices.
Variations
You can add a variety of flavors to customize this classic recipe.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes – Add ⅓ cup of well-drained sun-dried tomatoes.
- Bacon – Add ½ cup of cooked and diced bacon.
- Artichokes – Add ½ cup of drained and chopped marinated artichoke hearts.
- Hot Sauce – For more heat, add a few dashes of hot sauce.
- Cheese – Add ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese, or swap some of the Mozzarella for cheddar, fontina, or jack cheese.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
In my experience, this dip does not freeze well. Cream cheese based recipes can be frozen, but the texture changes significantly when thawed and reheated.
To store leftovers, transfer dip to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for 45-90 seconds, depending on portion size.
Helpful Tips
- Wring out the spinach really well, whether you are using frozen or fresh cooked. Wrap in a cheese cloth or clean towel and tightly wring out the water over a bowl or in the sink.
- Make sure cream cheese is at room temperature for best results.
- Easily double the ingredients and bake in a larger dish.
- How to Make Ahead – Complete steps 1-3, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Take it out of the refrigerator and let sit for 30 minutes prior to baking to bring dip to room temperature.
- Slow Cooker Spinach Dip – You can easily make this dip in the crock pot! Combine the ingredients and mix well in a 3-quart slow cooker. Top with the remaining cheese, cover, and cook on low for 1-2 hours. Remove the lid and serve right out of the crockpot.
Dip Recipes to Try Next
Hot Spinach Dip
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 5 ounces frozen spinach
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk together the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, chili powder, red pepper flakes, spinach, and half of the mozzarella cheese in a medium bowl.
- Once the mixture is smooth and homogenous, pour it into a large skillet.
- Top the dip with the remaining cheese and bake the mixture for 20 minutes.
- (Optional) Switch the oven to a high broil and continue baking the dip for 2-3 minutes, or until the top of the dip is golden brown.
- Serve with veggies, chips, etc. and enjoy!
Notes
- In my experience, this dip does not freeze well. Cream cheese based recipes can be frozen, but the texture changes significantly when thawed and reheated.
- To store leftovers, transfer dip to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Reheat in the microwave for 45-90 seconds, depending on portion size.
- For fresh spinach, you will need about ¾ of a pound of fresh spinach, cooked down to equal about ¾ of a cup.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
