Crock Pot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Preparation Time: about 10 minutes
Slow-cooker spinach and artichoke dip is the ultimate party food. It’s a cinch to make and keeps in the slow-cooker all party long.
How This Became a Go-To Appetizer
This spinach and artichoke dip is a favorite at parties, especially football parties. It’s easy to make ahead of time and keep in a slow-cooker all day (or night).
No fussing over a hot oven. It’s a recipe I make again and again.
What Makes Everyone Keep Scooping
What makes this recipe stand out? Two ingredients: fresh spinach (not frozen) and cream cheese (not Greek yogurt).
It seems odd to recommend fresh spinach for slow-cooker spinach and artichoke dip. Fresh spinach is more expensive.
Plus, that bag of spinach looks like way more than a recipe calls for. But trust me on this one.
The spinach wilts down significantly in the crock-pot. Also, squeezing the water out of thawed frozen spinach is a pain.
Fresh spinach also improves the final texture of the dip, as it is not watery. People who are reluctant to eat “dip with spinach in it” won’t even know they are eating spinach in this recipe.
Another unusual ingredient: cream cheese. You will not want to use Greek yogurt in this recipe.
It can break when cooked and the dip can have a grainy texture. Once it happens, you cannot fix it.
Low-fat Neufchatel cream cheese melts nicely and has a mild flavor. The recipe also contains sour cream and shredded mozzarella, which add plenty of fat, so I’ve found that using low-fat cream cheese tastes just as good.
One more tip: use artichoke hearts packed in water and drain them well. Brine from marinated artichokes can’t be undone once added to this recipe, ruining it.
Here are the ingredients for this recipe:
- a 10 oz can of water-packed artichoke hearts, drained, quartered, then roughly chopped
- a 6 oz bag of fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped into 1-2” pieces
- 8 oz low-fat Neufchatel cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 1 cup sour cream
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- Please use shredded cheese you have shredded yourself. Pre-shredded has anti-caking powder which will result in a grainy dip. Trust me, it only takes two minutes.
- Please use freshly grated parmesan. The ones in the canister also have anti-caking powder and will make the dip look chalky.
How to Make Crock Pot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
- Stir together all ingredients except spinach, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Cream cheese does not need to be mixed until smooth. It will melt when heated.
- Chop spinach into 1- to 2-inch pieces. It will seem like there is way too much, but it wilts down quite a bit. Add spinach and stir to combine.
- Transfer mixture to a 4-quart or larger crock pot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1-2 hours or LOW for 2-4 hours, stirring every 30-60 minutes. Dip will be ready when it is cohesive and glossy, which will happen around your second stir. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in crock pot or transfer to a serving dish.
What to Serve With This
Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips, a sliced baguette, crostini, raw veggie sticks, etc. If you’re looking to make an impressive presentation, serve crock pot spinach artichoke dip in a bread bowl.
How Far Ahead You Can Make This
Reheat in the microwave in 45 second increments and stir between each. If the dip has thickened too much, stir in some sour cream until creamy.
You can also spoon leftover crock pot spinach and artichoke dip over butterflied chicken breasts, fold over and bake until chicken reaches 165°F.
This dip can be made ahead of time. Simply follow directions and combine all ingredients.
Refrigerate, covered, for up to 24 hours. Add an additional 30 minutes of cooking on HIGH when you’re ready to cook the dip.
Do not freeze.
Crock Pot Spinach and Artichoke Dip FAQ
Can you reduce the amount of garlic in crock pot spinach and artichoke dip?
Four cloves may seem like a lot, but trust me. Garlic mellows out when it has been cooking for an hour and becomes more of a warm spice.
Cutting back to two cloves would make the recipe lackluster.
Can you reduce the amount of spinach in crock pot spinach and artichoke dip?
It may seem like there’s an excessive amount of spinach, but it wilts down quite a bit when it’s cooking. Cutting back on spinach would leave the recipe lacking body.
You can use frozen spinach, thawed and wrung out of excess moisture, but I recommend using fresh. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to prepare fresh spinach for this recipe, and you’ll only need to chop it up and add it to the rest of the ingredients.
Frozen spinach contains excess moisture and may make the dip thinner than expected. Pre-cooked spinach is NOT recommended.
It’ll take longer and result in a much more “mushy” spinach because fresh spinach will wilt during cooking so there’s no reason to cook it ahead of time.
Can I use marinated artichoke hearts?
Use quartered artichoke hearts packed in water. Avoid marinated artichoke hearts because their flavors won’t complement the other ingredients in this recipe, especially the cream cheese, and there’s not really anything you can do to adjust for the briny flavors of the marinated artichoke hearts.
Can I make Spinach and Artichoke Dip in the oven instead of a crock pot?
You absolutely CAN make this dip in the oven. Simply mix together all of the ingredients and pour them into a casserole dish and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
If you’re making the dip to eat right away, say as a weeknight appetizer, baking it in the oven may work better for you. However, the beauty of using a crock pot for this recipe is that it will keep the dip nice and warm for HOURS, making it perfect for serving at a party.
Other Party Dips Worth Making
- Jalapeño Popper Dip, this party favorite is a cheesy and HOT baked dip
- Baked Crab Rangoon Dip, all of your favorite crab rangoon flavors in dip form, serve with Homemade Wonton Chips.
- Layered Taco Dip, cold, no-bake party dip
- Pepperoni Pizza Dip, cream cheese, pizza sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella combine to make a dip so stinkin’ easy to make
Spinach and Artichoke Dip Crock Pot Recipe
You’re going to love serving this hot appetizer at parties, mostly because it is so stinkin’ easy to make. If you like hot appetizers that can serve a lot of people, this is the hot dip for you!
Ingredients
- 1 6 oz. bag fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 10 oz. can quartered artichoke hearts, chopped and drained
- 1 8 ounce brick low-fat cream cheese, cubed or softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 8 oz. Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- s&p to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients minus spinach, salt and pepper into a large bowl
- Chop spinach into preferred size. I usually do 1×2 inch pieces
- Add spinach to large bowl with other ingredients
- Give mixture a good stir and place in 4 quart or larger crock pot
- Heat on high 1-2 hour or low 2-4, stirring every 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Serve out of crock pot or transfer to serving dish. Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips. Enjoy!