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Show me a person who doesn’t go nuts for a good spinach artichoke dip as an appetizer?! No one, ever.
I mean, hello creamy sauce, and loads of cheese!
Grab some chips, some toasty bread, or some celery, and dig in with friends. I have many memories of ordering a spinach artichoke dip at various restaurants, with friends and family. Everyone sharing the dip was infatuated with just how good it was.
Creating a recipe for spinach artichoke dip has been on my list for ages. I never got around to it, mostly unsure of how to make the luscious, cheesy dip a little lighter and healthier – while still tasting indulgent, of course.
Then, I saw Ambitious Kitchen’s recipe for bubbly hot chicken enchilada dip, in which she uses a combo of black beans, enchilada sauce, cream cheese, and Greek yogurt, to blend them together to create a sauce that’s the base of the dip.
My mind instantly thought of using that concept for blending white beans into a sauce for making a spinach artichoke dip!!! I got to work!
The result, is a super flavorful, ultra creamy, cheesy, spinach artichoke dip that’s on the lighter side. It has plenty of tangy artichoke hearts, herbaceous spinach, tangy creamy goodness, salty, cheese, and back notes of white wine for a depth of flavor that reminds me of good cheese fondue.
I promise, you won’t taste those beans at all. Only delicious restaurant style spinach artichoke dip, all the way!
Ingredients for healthy spinach artichoke dip:
Sauce:
- white beans – this is what helps our sauce to be lighter, blended up until smooth and creamy so you can’t taste them – they help to thicken and add body without adding more fat.
- cream cheese – a traditional ingredient in spinach artichoke dip. Although, I cut the amount in half to help keep things lighter. The best of both worlds, a little tangy richness, but just less of it.
- plain nonfat, Greek yogurt – this is what helps make up for the lack of cream cheese. Tangy, thick, creamy, yet, fat free!
- dry white wine – the white wine adds so much depth of flavor to the overall dip. It compliments to the cheesiness so well. Don’t worry, the alcohol cooks out, so you’re left with only the flavor. (If you want to omit it, swap it with some chicken broth).
Dip:
- butter – for sautéing the ingredients.
- avocado oil – also, for sautéing the ingredients.
- onion – chopped, and sautéed, adds such good flavor.
- garlic – minced, and sautéed. Building those layers of flavor.
- red pepper flakes (optional) – I like the hint of spice they provide.
- canned artichoke hearts – of course! Tangy little bites.
- salt and pepper – to bring out all the flavors
- spinach – essential. I like using fresh spinach, chopping it up, then wilting it by cooking it in the pan. But, you can easily use frozen spinach too. (see notes).
- Parmesan cheese – for that salty, sharp cheesy taste.
- Mozzarella or gruyere cheese – for the melty, stringy cheese.
- parsley – for garnish. Pretty.
How to make healthy spinach artichoke dip:
- Blend – up the sauce.
- prepare – chop the veggies. Shred the cheeses.
- sauté – cook down the onion, wilt the spinach, etc.
- simmer – simmer the sauce so it thickens a little.
- add the cheeses – melt in the cheeses. Yum.
- Bake – top with cheese, and pop it in to the oven to melt the top layer of cheese.
- Broil – pop it under the broiler to get that bubbly, crusty, cheese topping.
- Cool – bubbly hot. Allow to cool for a second.
- Serve – dig in, family style – straight from the pan – with any, or all, of your favorite dipping vehicles.
That’s the gist of it. See, pretty simple, right?!
Is traditional spinach artichoke dip healthy for you?
No.
Despite the nutrients in the spinach and the artichoke hearts, there is a lot of fat from the the bulk of the ingredients. Traditional spinach artichoke dip recipes call for a whole brick of cream cheese, sometimes sour cream and/or mayo, and then all the shredded cheeses on top of that.
Therefore it’s high in fat, calories, and sodium. It’s an appetizer to enjoy on occasion.
How is this healthy spinach artichoke dip recipe healthier?
Since we only use half of a brick of cream cheese, and replace the other half with nonfat Greek yogurt, and swap mayo and/or sour cream with beans blended up, we are cutting down on fat, calories, and sodium by quite a bit.
It’s a lighter version.
That’s a win in my book!
That being said, even this healthy spinach artichoke dip recipe isn’t an appetizer I would consider to be uber healthy. It’s still indulgent, and cheesy. It’s meant to be shared with family and friends.
I bet they won’t even notice the beans in there!
What to serve healthy spinach artichoke dip with?
You can serve it with any crunchy, or bread-y, dipping vessel you like. Here are some ideas:
- tortilla chips – simple, salty, and crunchy.
- celery – fresh, light, and delish. My fave! (Plus, another way to keep this dish lighter).
- toasted bread – delicious, chewy, and fancy.
- pita chips – crunchy, salty, and easy.
Does this recipe make good leftovers?
YES!
We re-heated it for days, and it was so good every time.
Simply, divvy up however much you want into a bowl. Then, gently re-heat it in the microwave, and get dipping!
Still cheesy, creamy, and worth every bite!
Reasons you will love healthy spinach artichoke dip:
- It’s restaurant worthy.
- It’s easy to make – one pan.
- It’s comforting, warm, and bubbly.
- It has all the flavors we love from a good spin dip.
- It’s cheesy.
- It’s gluten free.
- It’s vegetarian.
- It’s perfect for parties.
- It’s great leftover, and re-heated.
- It’s lighter,
- without sacrificing flavor.
- You can’t go wrong.
More appetizers/dips for you to try:
- vegan cashew queso
- easy jalapeno sauce
- healthy Greek yogurt dill dip
- homemade salsa
- my go to hummus recipe
- epic 11 layer taco dip
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a comment below, along with a star review. This helps to support my blog. Thanks, friends.
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Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 15 to 20 1x
- Category: appetizer, side, dip, easy
- Method: saute, bake
- Cuisine: gluten free, vegetarian, egg free, nut free
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Healthy spinach dip is the perfect appetizer for any party, or gathering. A restaurant quality recipe, only a lighter version. Grab some tortilla chips, or celery, and get dipping.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 15 ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 brick) – use brick cream cheese, not whipped
- 2/3 cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as chardonnay (see notes)
Dip
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil, or olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- optional: 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 15 ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained, and roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 5 ounces spinach, chopped (see notes)
- 5 ounces shredded parmesan cheese (1 1/4 cup), divided
- 5 ounces shredded mozzarella or gruyere cheese (1 1/4 cup), divided
- chopped parsley, for garnish, if desired
Options for serving
- tortilla chips
- celery
- toasted bread
- pita chips
Instructions
- Blend the sauce: To a blender add the drained and rinsed white beans, the cream cheese, the yogurt, and the white wine – (see notes for substitutions) – blend until the mixture is really smooth. Set aside.
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. At this time, chop the veggies – chop the onion, mince the garlic, chop the spinach, and artichoke hearts. And, if needed, shred your cheeses. Once the cooking process has started, it goes fast, so it’s helpful to have everything ready to go.
- Sauté: Heat a 12 inch oven safe skillet over medium high heat (I love using my cast iron skillet for this recipe). Melt the butter, and add the oil to the pan. Add the onion, sprinkle with a little salt (helps the onion to sweat and break down faster), sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the red pepper flakes (if using) and the garlic, sauté for 1 more minute, or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the chopped artichoke hearts and sauté for another 2 minutes, or until they look dried out and most of the liquid on them has evaporated. Stir in half of the spinach, give it a minute to wilt, and then stir in the remaining half of the spinach and allow it to wilt.
- Simmer: Once the spinach is wilted, add the sauce. Turn the heat up to high to allow the sauce to come to a simmer – simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, or until the sauce has thickened.
- Add the cheeses: Reduce the heat to a medium low, and stir in 1 cup of the parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the mozzarella or gruyere cheese, along with the salt, and pepper. Stir, until the cheeses are fully melted. At this time, taste the sauce, and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Bake: Sprinkle the sauce with the remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, and 1/4 cup of mozzarella or gruyere cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Broil (optional step): If you want a more crusty cheesy topping, then pop your skillet under the broiler for 2 to 5 minutes. Be careful to not let it burn, you just want that nice bubbly, baked cheesy topping.
- Cool: Allow the dip to cool for 10 minutes.
- Serve: I personally like to serve this dip, family style, straight from the pan. But, if you want, you can spoon some dip out onto serving dishes for dipping. Serve with tortilla chips, celery, bread toasts, or pita chips. We usually go with tortilla chips, and celery – yum!
Notes
wine: The alcohol in the recipe is cooked off completely, leaving behind the flavor. If you want to omit it, I would substitute low sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth.
Spinach: If you want yo use frozen spinach you can, just make sure it’s fully defrosted, and squeeze as much of the excess liquid out as possible. Make sure it’s really dry. You can skip the step of sautéing the spinach in the pan, just stir it in and then add the sauce right away,
parmesan cheese: Please use a high quality parmesan cheese that you either grate yourself, or buy already grated from the cheese deli section. It’s so much better than the canned stuff.
gluten free: If needed, be sure to use gluten free dipping options. Such as, the tortilla chips, celery, or gluten free bread toasts.
Leftovers: Allow the dip to cool completely, transfer the dip to airtight containers. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week. To re-heat, I just spoon whatever amount out I want and re-heat into a bowl and heat gently in the microwave. It’s not as good as fresh, but still really, really good.
Serving size: I know 20 kind of sounds like a lot, but it really depends on if you’re truly eating this as an appetizer, or if you ‘re eating it as part of a meal. As I said above, it does make great leftovers, and re-heats well.
The idea to use beans in the sauce to lighten this dip up was inspired by Ambitious Kitchen’s bubbly hot chicken enchilada bean dip. Looks so good!
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