Creamy, cheesy healthy spinach artichoke dip is a go-to crowd-pleasing appetizer with extra veggies and fewer calories.
Hi, friends! Heads up, this isn’t actually a new recipe. It’s one of the first HH recipes ever posted in 2014. The original photos were horrendous, but it was a family favorite, so I reshot in 2018. I thought it still deserved another reshoot because it’s our absolutely go-to potluck recipe, and the photos still didn’t do it justice!
But now I can finally say that I have photos that accurately showcase how damn delicious this recipe is. And what about the “healthy” part? The trick here is that I substituted half the mayo base with Greek yogurt. You could use it all with Greek yogurt, but then it ends up tasting like Greek yogurt. By doing half, you save a ton of calories but hide the Greek yogurt taste, which is the best of both worlds. I also doubled the spinach and artichoke compared to traditional spinach artichoke dip. More veggies for the win!
Between my MIL and I, we’ve probably made this at least 20+ times, and it’s ALWAYS a hit! Definitely let me know if you give it a try!
How to Make Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip
*Note – this section is for a visual representation of how to make this delicious dip. For the full printable recipe, scroll to the end of this post, and you’ll see the recipe card! Thank you!
Start by defrosting your spinach and then squeezing it dry of extra liquid. I do this by defrosting it in the microwave and then using paper towels to squeeze it dry. If you purchased half or whole artichokes, drain them and cut them into quarters. Or, if you are the type of person that doesn’t love big chunks of artichokes like my husband, you could cut them smaller.
Swaps and Substitutions
This recipe is gluten-free and vegetarian but likely can not be made dairy-free/vegan. If you are running short on an ingredient or need to swap one out, see the notes below for guidance!
- Avocado Oil Mayo – This recipe used to have light mayo as an ingredient, but light mayo has a bunch of chemical crap in it that I don’t want anything to do with anymore. I prefer mayo that uses clean ingredients and healthy oils, like avocado oil. Then if you break it down, mayo is nothing more than avocado oil, egg yolks, and seasonings. All healthy, good for you fats!
- Non-Fat Greek Yogurt: Swapping out yogurt here cuts down on calories and adds a depth of flavor. Any type of plain Greek yogurt will work, but nonfat will lower the calories. With all the creaminess from the mayo and cheese, you won’t miss the creaminess. You could also use regular plain yogurt as well.
- Frozen Spinach: You can sub-fresh spinach here, but you would need about a billion cups of it to wilt down enough to get about a cup of packed spinach. It’s much easier to use already frozen spinach. See my notes on how to thaw and squeeze off excess water in the recipe!
- Salt & Black Pepper: I added about 1/8 teaspoon of both, but you can easily taste this recipe and adjust it to your liking!
- Garlic: You can sub garlic powder here if needed, 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder = 1 clove of garlic.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese: You can use grated parmesan cheese or parmesan romano cheese.
- Fontina Cheese: Fontina cheese is so creamy and delicious it’s definitely the best choice, but I acknowledge it can be hard to find (I get mine at Trader Joe’s or Sprouts) and a little pricey. You could sub mozzarella cheese here in a pinch, and it would be almost as good!
- Artichoke Hearts: I used the already quartered hearts canned in water. Don’t use marinated in oil. It will change the flavor and add too much oil. Feel free to more finely chop your artichokes if you don’t like big chunks of artichoke.
How to Store and Save Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip:
Store: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to seven days.
Freeze: The recipe does not freeze well. Freezing is not recommended.
How to Prep Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip Ahead of Time:
Make ahead: Prep the dip and then bake later! You can make this recipe up to two days ahead of time so it’s ready to bake closer to when you are ready to serve it! I often make the dip the night before and then throw it in the oven the next day!
More Artichoke Recipes:
- How to Cook A Whole Artichoke (without a steamer basket)
- Terriyaki Grilled Artichokes
- Artichoke Stuffed Turkey Roll-Ups
- Super Easy Seven Layer Bean Dip
- Tangy Creamy Salsa Dip
Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt
- 16 ounces frozen spinach
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded fontina cheese
- 1 can artichoke hearts in water drained, 15 ounce can
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Defrost your frozen spinach and squeeze it dry of any excess liquid. I usually use a large glass bowl to microwave it until it's defrosted. Then, use paper towels or a kitchen towel to squeeze dry the spinach. It has a lot of liquid, and you want to get it as dry as possible. It should look like one big clump when you are done!
- Drain the water from the can of artichokes. Cut all the artichoke quarters in half.
- Place mayo, yogurt, salt, pepper, garlic, parmesan cheese, and 1/3 of the artichokes in a food processor or high-powered blender. Blend until well combined.
- Stir in the spinach, then the remaining artichokes, and finally, 3/4 cup fontina cheese.
- Spread the mixture evenly into an oven-safe dish. I used a 1.5qt/1.5L dish. Top with 1/4 cup of shredded Fontina cheese.
- Bake covered with foil for 20 minutes, then uncovered for an additional 20-25 minutes (or until hot and bubbly.)
- Turn the oven to broil and let the dip broil for about 5 minutes until it slightly browns on the top. The broiler works quickly, so watch it! Yours could take anywhere from 1-5 minutes!
Video
Nutrition
Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later and follow @hungryhobby on Pinterest for more healthy recipes, quick workouts, and nutrition tips!
Looks delish! Our clients are gonna love this one.
Love that you used greek yogurt, and fontina cheese mmmm
Folks, I’m not saying this because I’m the MIL so there’s my disclaimer……….you seriously have to try this if you’ve never made it. OMG it’s so delicious. You want to receive rave comments from your friend? Make this super easy, yummy, delicious, oh so so so so tasty dip. You want folks to ask you for the recipe? MAKE IT With that said, I had one friend who LITERALLY just grabbed a spoon and ate the leftover dip after all other guests had left, I about died!!
So ya, make this, I DARE YOU!
MIL
I’d give this recipe a 100 star rating but there isn’t one :)))))
LOL you are now free to giveaway this recipe as you please! There is even a button with a print option now, pretty sure the old recipe didn’t even have a recipe card!