Creamy Stovetop Spinach Dip
This Stove Top Spinach Dip recipe is a reader favorite since 2009. One of my brothers inspired this stovetop version and ever since, hot spinach dip has never been the same for us. It is so good!
Stove Top Spinach Dip Recipe
I’m admitting that I have an eating issue when it comes to anything warm, rich, cheesy and gooey. Add a bold red glass of wine and a crusty baguette, I’ll inhale a big bowl of any cheese dip that was accidentally left in front of me.
I’ll even confess to the fact that I troll all party buffet tables until I can be the last one to scrape the bottom and the edges of the dip bowl. That’s where the best part of the charred, burnt and crispy parts of the dip lie. Knowing where to find tastiest part of the dip was my hidden little secret, until now.
Oh, my pathetic heart. Cheese dips are my weakness and I know it won’t be long before I keel over from a heart attack or start popping meds to lower my cholesterol. My only salvation is afterwards, when I take out all my “post dip eating gluttony guilt” with uppercuts, hooks, and left cross punches. Thank health goodness that I turn to kickboxing as my cheese calorie burning therapy.
It’s not often that I make my appetizer dips outside of the oven. The slow, warm love that the oven lathers on to my cheese dip is amazing and there’s no substitution to how well the oven melts everything together.
But when my brother #2, who also happens to be my #1 dip fan, made one of my appetizer dips on the stove top, I screamed out loud in dip mutiny. How could he rip apart my recipe and cook it in 10 minutes in a FRYING PAN?! I’ve always nurtured all my dips in the oven for about one hour and patiently waited out the long bake time. The results for my dip recipes were always so wonderful that I never, ever considered changing my cooking technique. Why mess with perfection?
“It’s good, try it,” he told me. Brother #2 has always been a quiet, gentle guy of few words. So when he made the effort to share his ideas, it was powerful enough to convince me to pull out my cast iron pan, think out side of the oven and give my warm spinach dip a try via the stove top.
Lo and behold, he was right on the money. I made my spinach dip in a frying pan and within 10 minutes I had a rich, cheesy, beautifully melted and flavored dip that rivaled the 60 long minutes of oven cooking. I couldn’t believe how fast, and well combined all the ingredients came together in the frying pan. The flavors of this spinach dip were actually BETTER in this stove top method because I was able to caramelize the onions and garlic until they became fragrant. The oven version never had that same caramelized epiphany.
I’m completely hooked to my brothers fast technique on this spinach dip and am thankful for his bachelor style cooking methods. But I blame him for making me eat this spinach dip more often because it’s so EASY! Thanks Bro!
– Diane
Stove-top Spinach Dip
Ingredients
- 10 oz. (284 g) package frozen chopped spinach , thawed & squeezed dry of excess water
- 8 oz. (227 g) canned water chestnuts , drained & chopped
- 8 oz. (227 g) cream cheese
- 1 cup (100 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons (22 ml) grapeseed or olive oil
- 1 medium onion , minced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
- 1/4 cup (56 g) mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
- lots of fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- crusty bread or crackers
Instructions
- Over medium heat, heat oil in large saucepan. Then add onions and garlic. Saute until fragrant and light golden brown.
- Add spinach and water chestnuts and continue to saute for a minute or two or until the spinach and chestnuts are heated through. Add salt and pepper
- Add milk, cream cheese, grated Parmesan cheese and mayo. When cheese melts, turn down heat to low.
- Continue stirring and allow dip to simmer until cheese and rest of ingredients are blended well together. Add additional salt/pepper to personal taste.Serve warm with bread and/or crackers.
Great recipe. Quick and easy. Have used fresh spinach when I make it (chop before adding to pan and give 5 mins extra to boil down/soften) and have added sliced almonds instead of chestnuts too. A handful of grated cheese increases the gooeyness.
Oh my gosh…this was delicious!!! I’ve tried so many of those packet recipes for a good dip, and there was also something off with them. I made your recipe, baked it, and a had a mouth orgasm.
This recipe is so much easier than I thought it would be! The only thing is that I can’t find water chestnuts where I live. Any suggestions for a substitute?
The video shows artichoke hearts, then never mentioned again…1 jar?
The video we think you are referring to is for a different recipe. That recipe is the stovetop artichoke-spinach dip which can be found here: https://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/artichoke-spinach-dip/ . Thanks!
Can’t wait to try this one! My version uses parmesan cheese, no onions, and is baked in the oven. It’s a guaranteed hit!
Hi! Fantastic recipe. I’m planning on making several batches of this for my sister’s birthday next week. 🙂
I have two questions, though:
1) What are the water chestnuts for? I assume they add a bit of crunchiness and texture, but are they absolutely necessary? I mean, I love them, but was wondering if I can omit them in case I don’t find them.
2) The recipe calls for “1/4 mayonnaise”. I assume this means 1/4 cup?
Thanks!
Hi Tess. You are correct about the chestnuts, they are mostly there for texture but it can always be omitted if you need to. If you still want the crunch, you could use chopped jicama if you’d like. They would give a similar texture and will be easier to find this time of year.
And you are correct about the mayo. It is 1/4 cup. I don’t know how that one missed out editing. Thanks for pointing it out.
T & D
Just need to ask one quick question…..How much spinach would I need to use if it were fresh instead of frozen….same 10 oz?
Mandy- I’m not sure how much fresh spinach you would need. I’ll have to make it and test it for a fresh spinach version.
I was looking for a recipe for a dip I had at a restaurant recently, Baked Spinach and Jalapeno Dip. I am going to use your recipe and add the jalapenos with the onion and garlic. I think it will be close!
Awesome recipe, this Was a great hit at my house! Tasted just as good, if not better then oven baked dip. I will definitely be making this again! Thank you!!!