This easy spinach dip recipe is creamy, flavorful, and made completely from scratch; no vegetable soup mix or seasoning packet needed. Frozen spinach, crunchy water chestnuts, green onions, sour cream, and a few simple seasonings come together for a classic cold spinach dip that is perfect for parties and holidays.
This recipe has all the flavor of classic Knorr spinach dip, but the seasonings are made from pantry staples so you can control exactly what goes into it. Best of all, it takes just 15 minutes to mix together and can be made ahead of time.
Made this, delicious, thanks for sharing!
Why You’ll Love This Spinach Dip
- No seasoning packet: Everything is seasoned from scratch with simple pantry ingredients.
- Cold and creamy: No baking or cooking required once the spinach is thawed.
- Great texture: Water chestnuts add the signature crunch of classic spinach dip.
- Perfect for making ahead: Chilling gives the flavors time to come together.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Frozen Spinach: Frozen chopped spinach is easiest to use here. Thaw it completely using the instructions on the package, then squeeze it to ensure you get out all of the liquid.
- Sour cream + mayonnaise: This is the creamy base of the dip. I like to use light versions of both to take out some of the calories, but regular versions can be used as well.
- Water chestnuts: These don’t add a lot of flavor, but they bring the perfect crunch to this dip. They can be bought already diced in a can and should be drained very well.
- Green onions: Give the dip a fresh onion flavor and great texture.
- Worcestershire sauce: This ingredient gives the dip a savory depth without using a seasoning packet.
How to Make Spinach Dip
- Make the base of the dip by mixing together the sour cream, mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic, salt, and black pepper.
2. Mix in the thawed spinach, scallions, and water chestnuts.
3. Taste the dip adding more salt and pepper to taste and then chill the dip for an hour.
The Secret to Thick, Creamy Spinach Dip
The most important step in this recipe is squeezing as much water as possible from the spinach. Excess moisture will make spinach dip thin and watery.
After thawing, put the spinach in the middle of a clean dish towel, pull up the edges of the towel, and spin the spinach in the middle to make a bundle. Then thoroughly squeeze it over the kitchen sink to get out all of the moisture.
Alternatively, place the thawed spinach in a metal sieve and push the spinach down with the back of a spoon to push out all of the moisture. Keep doing this until no more liquid comes from the spinach.
What to Serve with Spinach Dip
I love serving this cold spinach dip recipe in my Beer Bread Dip Bowl! Making a bread bowl is super easy and fun for parties. The insides of it make for perfect dipping. You could also serve it with:
- Beer Bread
- Sourdough Bread
- Pretzel Chips
- Crackers
- Bagel Chips
- Pita Chips
- Bell Peppers
- Cucumbers
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Celery Sticks
- Toasted Baguette Slices
FAQ
Yes! But you will want to cook it down first. You can follow these instructions.
This dip is naturally gluten free, assuming that you buy gluten free Worcestershire sauce. The original recipe contained barley, so be sure to double check all of your labels when serving someone with a gluten intolerance.
This dip is best cold. If you are looking for a hot version, try this Spinach Artichoke Dip.
Making Ahead
For the best texture, I like make this no more than 24 hours before serving. Given that this recipe needs to chill for an hour before serving, it is ideal to make the night before a party.
Storing Leftovers
Homemade spinach dip can be stored in the refrigerator for four to five days after being made. I would not recommend freezing this recipe as it will change the consistency of the sour cream and mayonnaise. As with all recipes, use your best discretion when it comes to leftovers.
Other Easy Dip Recipes
If you are pulling together a full spread for a party, here are some great easy dip recipes. All of them can be made the day before. You can find all of our dip recipes here: Dip Recipes.
If you try this Easy Spinach Dip or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Recipe Video
Spinach Dip
Ingredients
- 2 cups light sour cream
- 1 cup light mayonnaise
- 1 – 2 teaspoons kosher salt if you are using table salt, start with half, see note
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 green onions cut into one inch of the green and diced small
- 8 ounces water chestnuts drained and diced small
- 10 ounces frozen spinach thawed and squeezed of all the moisture
Instructions
- Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.2 cups light sour cream, 1 cup light mayonnaise, 1 – 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Stir in the scallions, water chestnuts, and spinach.3 green onions, 8 ounces water chestnuts, 10 ounces frozen spinach
- Chill for an hour before serving.
Notes
averie @ averie cooks says
What an awesome email to receive :) and what an awesome dip! Could eat the whole bowl!
Thank you Averie!
Kathyy says
Never look down on yourself when you get bad or rude comments from people. As an “older” lady I’ve seen a lot over the years and people are just not as gracious as they used to be. So many use social media as a place to vent. Just be positive, kind to those who aren’t and know all of us love your blog and especially the recipes you share.
Thank you Kathy!! You are totally right. And yes, dead on about social media!
Julie Heath says
I don’t know you and have yet to make your bread bowl and dip (although I know I will love both!) but I have read a bit, and that’s all it took, to tell me you are a good soul and lovely person. Wishing you every success and happiness in your life and thanks for your recipes and blogs :-)
Thank you so much Julie!
Heather Sloan-Lopez says
Can you heat this up? Love your recipes so much!
Thank you Heather! So I wouldn’t heat this one. I will have to come up with a hot spinach dip too!
PJ says
I love spinach dip. I decreased sour cream to 8 ozs. Increased spinach to 16 ozs. And eliminated Worcester sauce cause I just don’t like it. Turned out delicious. Thanks for posting.
SUE SOERGEL says
Made this, delicious, thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
JOZmahal says
Delicious! I love the tip about squeezing the water out of the spinach. I used a cheesecloth. Worked perfectly! Thank you! 💕
I’m so glad you liked this recipe as much as me!
D C says
I would omit the salt!!!
Joan says
I only used half the salt and it was still way too salty.
Debbie says
I took this to a church function and got many requests for the recipe. It was so good thanks for sharing. I didn’t use light mayo or sour cream because I didn’t have them on hand.
I’m so glad it was such a hit!
Judy Kiddoo says
Why does my package of frozen spinach say it must be cooked to 165 degrees before eating? Is it not safe to use it by just thawing?
It is because spinach can carry e. coli and listeria. If you thaw in the microwave according to the package instructions it should hit 165.