Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip – No Bake

An easy, cold spinach artichoke dip, made in no time and perfect for vegetable sticks, crackers or as a bread spread.

COLD SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

A creamy and easy spinach artichoke dip, perfect for a gathering or a potluck, one of those recipes you make because you can be certain that people would enjoy it.

This is a no-cook, no bake version of a spinach artichoke dip, actually my favorite way of making a dip. Not that a bit of cooking or baking would bother me, but when it comes to dips I like to keep things simple.

Not to mention that if making a spinach and artichoke dip for a party, you can much better prepare a cold dip in advance. Cover it with foil and don't think about it anymore until it is time to serve it.

A few more of these party suitable dips would be this Muhammara Dip with Roasted Peppers and Walnuts or this Hungarian Dip with Feta. So good, you should definitely give them a try.

Or my favorite dip in the world, the Camembert Cream Cheese Bread Spread or Dip, which I have been making for 10 years now and which I make for almost every party or gathering happening in our house. Not to mention how often I make it to bring it somewhere else.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

• Spinach:

• I used fresh spinach to make this easy artichoke spinach dip because (miracle!) I happened to find it when I actually needed it. I weighed the spinach after I removed the stalks, because the stalks were huge.
• However, if you don't happen to have fresh spinach on hand, frozen spinach is a great substitute.
• 250 g/ 8.8 oz fresh spinach when cooked down are more or less the equivalent of 140 g/ 5 oz frozen spinach.
• Give the frozen spinach to a small pan, cover and let thaw on medium low heat, it shouldn't take too long. Stir from time to time. Drain, let cool and squeeze as in the case of the wilted fresh spinach.

• Artichokes:

• You can use either canned or jarred artichokes in oil. When it comes to taste I definitely prefer the jarred artichokes, I am not a big fan of the rather strong citric acid taste of the canned artichokes. The citric acid is used to preserve the artichokes' color, but I often find it too dominant.
• When using canned artichokes make sure to rinse them well and especially to pat them dry well with kitchen paper.
• Otherwise, you can use the jarred artichokes in oil, which have a milder and more pleasant taste. I also drain and pat them well with kitchen paper before adding to the dip to get rid of excess oil (calories).

• Dairy:

• I use regular cream cheese, Philadelphia style. You can choose a lower-fat kind if you wish, but the full-fat always tastes best...
• When it comes to feta cheese, I always insist on you using blocks of feta in brine and forget about the already crumbled feta cheese. Crumbling 50 g/ 1.7 oz of feta takes a second or two, so it's not worth it buying the crumbled one, when you can have the really good one instead.
• I also added two tablespoons Greek yogurt to make the dip more spreadable.

HOW TO MAKE SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

Making a dip is always very easy and this spinach artichoke dip is no exception.

Basically, after you have dealt with your spinach and, if using fresh spinach, cleaning it will be the “hardest” step in making this recipe, all you have to do is to chop for about 30 seconds and then stir all the ingredients together.

• Wash the spinach in a colander and remove the stalks. Weigh the spinach to have more or less 250 g/ 8.8 oz. Chop the spinach roughly, if the leaves are large, give them to a small saucepan, add a splash of water and let wilt on medium heat for about 4 minutes, stirring a few times in between.

• If using frozen spinach, you will need about 140 g/ 5 oz of it. Give it to a saucepan and let thaw on medium low heat, covered and stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until fully thawed.

• Give the wilted or thawed spinach to a fine mesh sieve and let stand until cool enough to handle. Once cool enough to handle, take handfuls of spinach and squeeze them well in your hand in order to remove as much moisture as possible. Chop the squeezed spinach finely and give it to a bowl.

• If using canned artichokes, drain, rinse well and drain again. Pat dry with kitchen paper. If using jarred artichokes in oil, drain them on kitchen paper and pat well to remove the excess oil. Chop finely and give to the bowl with the spinach.

• Give all the remaining ingredients – grated garlic, cream cheese, crumbled feta, yogurt and lemon juice – to the bowl. Add some salt and pepper. Stir well and adjust the taste. You might want to add an extra small amount of lemon juice and salt and pepper.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH THE EASY SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP

The perfect way to serve the spinach and artichoke dip is to give it to a nice bowl and place in the middle of a platter filled with dipping “stuff” like bread sticks, crackers, crisp bread, vegetable sticks like carrots, peppers, kohlrabi or some halved radishes or small cucumbers.

Or you can spread the spinach artichoke dip on good sourdough bread or on toast.

You can also slowly heat the leftovers in a small saucepan and have them with pasta. I love cream cheese based pasta sauces and this spinach artichoke dip would be great for that purpose.

Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip – No Bake

An easy, cold spinach artichoke dip, made in no time and perfect for vegetable sticks, crackers or as a bread spread.

4.72 from 14 votes

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 107kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 9 oz fresh spinach 250 g, weighed after removing the stems (See note)
• ▢ 5.5 oz canned or jarred artichokes 150 g, I prefer jarred artichokes in olive oil
• ▢ 1 garlic clove
• ▢ ⅓ cup cream cheese 3.5 oz/ 100 g
• ▢ ½ cup creamy feta cheese 2 oz/ 50 g
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• ▢ ½ tablespoon lemon juice more to taste
• ▢ fine sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

• Saute spinach: Remove the stems from the spinach. Weigh about 250 g/ 8.8 oz of the fresh spinach and chop it roughly if the leaves are large. Place them into a pot, add a splash of water and let the spinach wilt on medium heat for about 4 minutes, stirring a few times in between.
• If using frozen spinach, you will need about 140 g/ 5 oz of it. Place into a saucepan and let thaw on medium-low heat, covered, and occasionally stirring for about 5 minutes or until fully thawed.
• Squeeze: In both cases, place the spinach in a colander and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, take handfuls of spinach and squeeze them well in your hand in order to remove as much moisture as possible. Chop the squeezed spinach finely and give it to a bowl.
• Artichokes: If using canned artichokes, drain, rinse well and drain again. Pat dry with kitchen paper. If using jarred artichokes in oil, drain them on kitchen paper and pat well to remove the excess oil. Chop finely and add to the spinach bowl.
• Add the grated garlic, cream cheese, crumbled feta, yogurt, and lemon juice. Add some salt and pepper. Stir well and adjust the taste with more lemon juice (if necessary), salt, and pepper.

Notes

You can use frozen spinach instead. 250 g/ 8.8 oz fresh spinach when cooked down are more or less the equivalent of 140 g/ 5 oz frozen spinach.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the dip | Calories: 107kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 351mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g

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