Whip up this straightforward from-scratch Spinach Dip in minutes for a rich and unforgettable appetizer! This creamy dip is reliable for serving in a bread bowl, with a variety of vegetables, or with an assortment of crackers. Be sure to add this addictive dip to your next party menu – it’s an absolute crowd pleaser!

Years ago, we wanted to make a spinach dip recipe, but every single one we found online called for a packet of ranch seasoning mix. On a particularly busy football-watching weekend in the fall, we finally put together a from-scratch version and absolutely LOVED it. This disappears quickly anytime we serve it for a party and people are usually left tearing off chunks of the bread bowl after all of the dip has vanished. It takes only minutes to make and you can serve it with a wide variety of dippables.

A standby thing about this particular dip? It’s highly possible that you have every single thing you need in your pantry and refrigerator/freezer already. Also, it’s ridiculously addicting, even for those who aren’t veggie lovers!

The Ingredient List

Spinach: We use frozen spinach in this dip and it’s essential to drain all of the excess liquid out before mixing it into the dip.
Mayonnaise: Makes a deliciously creamy base for the dip.
Parmesan cheese: Gives the dip all the cheesy goodness you love in a dip.
Shallot + Garlic: Adds fresh sweet onion and garlic flavor to the dip.
Spices: A blend of salt, pepper, and cayenne gives this dip a rich flavor!
Yogurt: The fresh Greek yogurt adds a nice tang and additional creaminess to the dip.

Frozen vs Fresh Spinach

Frozen Spinach

We enjoy using frozen spinach for this recipe because it’s something we typically always have on hand. To prepare the spinach from frozen:

Heat the spinach: In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the block of frozen spinach until it’s soft and no big icy chunks remain about 1 to 3 minutes. If you don’t have a microwave, submerge the package of frozen spinach in a bowl of warm water, replacing the water as needed until it has thawed (this can take 20 to 30 minutes).
Drain the moisture: Place the spinach in a clean kitchen towel, gather it up in a ball and squeeeeeeeeze until all of the excess moisture has been removed.

Fresh Spinach

If you have fresh spinach on hand, don’t like the frozen spinach, or just want to try making the dip with fresh spinach here is how to prepare fresh spinach for the dip:

Heat the spinach: In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add 1-pound of fresh spinach to the pot and cook until the spinach wilts and cooks down to a dark green mush, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Tip: If the spinach does not fit in the pot, add as it cooks down until you have added the whole pound of spinach to the pot.
Drain the moisture: Place the spinach in a clean kitchen towel, gather it up in a ball and squeeeeeeeeze until all of the excess moisture has been removed.

How to Make the Dip

This is one of the easiest dip recipes (that doesn’t include a seasoning pouch) you’ll ever make!

Thaw the spinach: The first (and most important) step is to thaw and drain your spinach. See notes above for full details on how to thaw or how to use fresh spinach.
Stir together ingredients: In a large bowl, stir together the chopped spinach, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, shallot, garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne until completely combined.
Fold in yogurt: Gently fold in the Greek yogurt until thoroughly incorporated.
Let the dip chill: Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Serve in a bread bowl or with fresh vegetables, crackers, and more.

What to Serve it With

We LOVE serving this in a bread bowl! It takes only a few minutes to hollow out a round loaf of bread and cut it into cubes (and it always gets ooooh’s and ahhhh’s). If you go that route (and you should, straightforward!), you can serve it with cubed bread and assorted crackers and vegetables.

Here are a few vegetable ideas you might want to try:

Carrots
Radishes
Cucumbers
Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers
Broccoli
Cauliflower

You can also try a few of these cracker ideas:

Pretzels, pretzel sticks, pretzel thins
Tortilla chips
Thick ridged potato chips like Ruffles
Ritz Crackers
Melba toast
Bagel chips

Can you serve it hot or cold?

This straightforward spinach dip is best served cold. If you are looking for a hot spinach dip, we've got you covered! Check out the Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe here on the site. One of our most popular recipes!

Storing and Making Ahead

Make-Ahead: You can absolutely prepare this ahead of time; you can mix it up, cover and refrigerate up to one day in advance. It’s good for about three days in the refrigerator, but we recommend only making it a day in advance so it’s at peak freshness!
Storing: Keep the leftover dip in an airtight container for up to 3 days. We would suggest storing the dip separate from the bread and your best bet is to eat the bread the same day you serve the dip.
Freezing: We don’t recommend freezing it, however, because the yogurt and mayo can break down a bit when thawed and cause the dip to be runny.

Straightforward Spinach Dip

Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

10 oz ( 283.5 g ) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
⅔ cup ( 149.33 g ) mayonnaise
¼ cup ( 25 g ) grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) salt
¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon ( 0.13 teaspoon ) cayenne pepper
⅔ cup ( 133.33 ml ) Greek yogurt

Method

In a large bowl, stir together the chopped spinach, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, shallot, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne until completely combined. Gently fold in the Greek yogurt until thoroughly incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Serve in a bread bowl with reserved bread cubes, or simply serve in a bowl with fresh vegetables, crackers, tortilla chips or pretzels. Leftover dip can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

Fresh Spinach- To make this with fresh spinach, use 1 lb of fresh spinach. Cook down until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Drain completely before using in the dip.

Make Ahead - You can absolutely prepare this ahead of time; you can mix it up, cover and refrigerate up to one day in advance. It's good for about three days in the refrigerator, but we recommend only making it a day in advance so it's at peak freshness!

Storing- Keep the leftover dip in an airtight container for up to 3 days. We would suggest storing the dip separate from the bread and your best bet is to eat the bread the same day you serve the dip.

Freezing- we don't recommend freezing it, however, because the yogurt and mayo can break down a bit when thawed and cause the dip to be runny.