Your next game day needs a Warm Crab and Spinach Dip appetizer! This 35-minute seafood dip is filled with tons of juicy lumps of crab meat and baked into creamy, cheesy goodness. It's truly the best spinach crab dip recipe.
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Made with 9 ingredients. Although decadent, this dip is easy to make with simple ingredients. You'll need just a few key ingredients and a couple of minutes to prep this impressive app. If you love my popular no-ranch buffalo chicken dip, you'll love this crab dip!
- Versatile. This dip is the perfect appetizer for game days, holidays, potlucks, hosting casual dinners, and more. There's never a bad time to serve your guests this warm crab and spinach dip.
- Lower in fat. This creamy dip is made with less-fat cream cheese and Greek yogurt, making it rich and cheesy, but not as heavy as your average dip. If you enjoy this, try my cranberry jalapeno cream cheese dip next.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Crab meat. Any kind of wild-caught lump crab meat will work well here. Lump crab meat can be found in a can, pouch, or even sold fresh. If you're interested in more seafood recipes, you may enjoy this Air Fryer Red Shrimp or my Easy Tuna Cakes Recipe.
- Cream cheese. I used less-fat cream cheese to make a slightly lighter version of this creamy dip. If you prefer a richer creamy crab dip, feel free to use full-fat cream cheese.
- Yogurt. Great way to add creamy richness while keeping it on the lighter side. If needed, substitute with a light sour cream.
- Artichoke hearts. For convenience, I recommend canned artichoke hearts. Be sure to drain the excess water from the can to prevent your crab dip from being thin and watery.
- Cheese. I used a combination of shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Parmesan cheese would be another great alternative. For best results, shred your own cheese. It melts better than pre-shredded cheese.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: In a large bowl, add the crab, cream cheese, yogurt, fresh spinach, artichokes, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and some of the cheese.
Step 2: Mix until well combined.
Step 3: Place the crab dip mixture in an 8x8 or 6x10 baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Step 4: Bake the crab spinach artichoke dip for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble, then broil for 2-3 minutes or until slightly golden.
Recipe FAQs
I do not recommend it. Dips of any kind that are made with higher percentages of dairy typically do not freeze well. Cream cheese in particular is prone to separating when frozen and thawed and will make the texture of your dip grainy and curdled.
You can use either fresh or frozen spinach. However, if you use frozen spinach, make sure to thaw it and drain it well to remove any excess moisture.
Yes, bake the dip ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Reheat it in the oven until warm.
Sarah's Top Tips
- Use artichokes packed in water, not oil. Artichoke hearts packed in oil have a much stronger flavor and will change the flavor of your crab dip.
- Allow the cream cheese to soften to room temperature. Cold cream cheese straight from the refrigerator will be difficult to mix in with the other dip ingredients. To make this easy, allow the cream cheese to soften for 30 minutes to 1 hour before getting started.
- Use quality crab. Lump crab meat is more expensive, but it does make a difference in the quality of the dip. As a general rule of thumb, the better the crab the better the dip!
Serving
This warm dip makes an excellent appetizer or afternoon snack and is best served with dippers such as cubed French bread, tortilla chips, and pita chips. For an added kick of heat, top with red pepper flakes or a few dashes of hot sauce.
If you're looking for a few more snacks and appetizers to serve alongside crab dip, you may enjoy these popular recipes:
- Sloppy Joe Sliders55 Minutes
- How to Cook Chicken Sausage in the Air Fryer25 Minutes
- Homemade Pizza Rolls in the Air Fryer25 Minutes
- Air Fryer Dry Rub Wings40 Minutes
Storage & Reheating
- This cheesy crab dip will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. For best results, tightly cover with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container. If refrigerated uncovered, the dip will dry out and be less creamy and delicious.
- This warm crab and spinach dip can be reheated in the microwave or the oven at 350 degrees F. If baking, loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 15 minutes, or until warm again. This is a great option if you'd like to prepare this dip ahead of time to bring to a potluck.
- As mentioned above, I do not recommend freezing dips made with cream cheese.
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Warm Crab and Spinach Dip (No Mayo)
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
- Cutting board
Save this Recipe!
Get the recipe link sent to your inbox so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
- 2 cups crab meat
- 1 8 ounce block less fat cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 5 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
- 1 (15 ounce) can or jar of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix the crab, cream cheese, yogurt, spinach, artichokes and spices. You can also use a stand or handheld mixer for this.
- Stir in the cheddar cheese and half of the mozzarella.
- Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble. Set the oven to Broil and broil for 2-3 minutes until the top is slightly golden.
- Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes and serve with chips or a baguette.
Sarah's Tips
- Use artichokes packed in water, not oil. Artichoke hearts packed in oil have a much stronger flavor and will change the flavor of your crab dip.
- Allow the cream cheese to soften to room temperature. Cold cream cheese straight from the refrigerator will be difficult to mix in with the other dip ingredients. To make this easy, allow the cream cheese to soften for 30 minutes to 1 hour before getting started.
- Use quality crab. Lump crab meat is more expensive, but it does make a difference in the quality of the dip. As a general rule of thumb, the better the crab the better the dip!
- This cheesy crab dip will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. For best results, tightly cover with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container. If refrigerated uncovered, the dip will dry out and be less creamy and delicious.
- This warm crab and spinach dip can be reheated in the microwave or the oven at 350 degrees F. If baking, loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 15 minutes, or until warm again. This is a great option if you'd like to prepare this dip ahead of time to bring to a potluck.
- As mentioned above, I do not recommend freezing dips made with cream cheese.
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