The Best Spinach Artichoke Dip

small brown plate with several tortilla chips and a small mound of spinach artichoke dip in the middle of the chips

No mayo. Low fat. All flavor.

I tested dozens of spinach artichoke dips so you don’t have to. This one’s healthy, crowd-friendly, and makes 6 cups (yes, really). Freeze half for a future potluck or snack attack, and serve it with your favorite dippers.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword crock pot, freezer, potluck, tailgate

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

Total Time 45

Author Kelly Brakenhoff

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk I use skim or almond milk. You can do a combination of those with a splash of whipping cream, or any 1%, 2% milk.
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
pinch ground nutmeg
3/8 tsp hot pepper sauce to your taste
2 cloves garlic
2 cans artichoke hearts drained
10-16 oz frozen spinach thawed and well drained. I have used fresh spinach before too and it works fine but frozen is easier to keep on hand when you need it. Young kids may prefer less spinach. (Mine did, anyway.)
2 cups shredded Jarlsberg cheese You could use different cheese, but (in my opinion) the cheese is what makes this The Best.

Instructions

Are you serving the dip today? Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You could also microwave a small portion if youʻre in a hurry, but it might not heat evenly.
First make a white sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook about 1 minute until bubbly. Slowly whisk in milk. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and hot pepper sauce. Cook and whisk every 1-2 minutes until mixture is very thick. Remove from heat and let cool.
While the sauce is cooling, process garlic, artichoke hearts and spinach in a food processor until very smooth. Stir into cooled sauce. Reserve 3 tablespoons of shredded cheese. Stir remaining cheese into the mixture. Spoon dip into one or two serving dishes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
For serving: Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until heated through. OR use one of those small 4 cup crockpots. Spoon the dip in there and heat the crockpot on low so the dip stays warm during the whole football game or party.
For freezing: Place a piece of plastic wrap over the serving dish. Make sure the plastic touches the dip (this prevents freezer burn). Then cover with aluminum foil. Keeps up to 3 months in the freezer. To prepare, thaw and heat, as above.

Notes

Spinach Artichoke Dip is great with tortilla chips, pretzel chips, slathered on French bread rounds, raw cauliflower or broccoli dippers, as a pizza topping, mixed with rotisserie chicken and spooned over cooked linguini, in quesadillas, stuffed into portabello mushrooms, as a fancy grilled cheese sandwich, stuffed in jalapeno peppers, mixed into mac & cheese, topping for baked potatoes, or for breakfast with scrambled eggs & veggies. So versatile!

Cassandra Sato Mysteries. Small College, Big Secrets. Background is a college building with a clocktower. Foreground is a young Asian woman wearing a suit and standing with her arms crossed.

Whip up this delicious treat, pour yourself a cozy cup of tea, and settle in with one of my Cassandra Sato Mysteries! Nothing pairs better with a fresh-from-the-oven snack than a twisty mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat. 🍵🔍 Happy reading and happy baking!

You’re always alone in the kitchen...

...so go ahead and lick the spoon, bend the rules, and turn mistakes into magic. I won’t tell if you don’t.