Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip
Crab spinach artichoke dip is a delicious dip that combines traditional spinach artichoke dip with lump crab meat. Served with tortilla chips or crackers, this is a perfect appetizer for your next holiday party or game day.
Spinach artichoke crab dip is a delicious and easy appetizer. This creamy dip has lots of fresh baby spinach and artichoke hearts, with a flavorful Parmesan cheese and cream cheese base. The addition of juicy lumps of crab meat takes this from a simple spinach-artichoke dip recipe to something extra special. This recipe is perfect for your next holiday party, game day, or at-home date night with your favorite bottle of wine. Serve this delicious crab dip with tortilla chips, crostini or plain crackers for a creamy snack your guests will love!
For other simple appetizers, try our cherry tomato bruschetta, loaded hummus, or peanut butter greek yogurt dip.
You Will Love This
- This cheesy crab dip is great for your holiday or super bowl party – it’s easy to put together and is always a fan favorite.
- Hot dips are extra cozy and delicious in the winter months.
Ingredients
For this spinach artichoke crab dip recipe, you will need the following ingredients (exact measurements are in the recipe card below):
- Olive oil
- Fresh spinach: The key to a great spinach dip is fresh baby spinach. It only takes a few minutes to saute in olive oil, but has a much better flavor and texture than frozen spinach.
- Cream cheese: For a lighter version, you can substitute neufchatel cheese.
- Sour cream: I used full fat sour cream, but you could substitute light sour cream.
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese: Make sure to freshly grate your Parmesan cheese for this recipe. Store-bought shredded cheese will not melt as well.
- Garlic powder
- Paprika: You could substitute old bay seasoning if you have it on hand.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Artichoke hearts
- Lump crab meat: I used canned lump crabmeat, but you could use fresh crab meat too! I personally would not use imitation crab. Look for canned crab in the canned meat section of your grocery store – near the canned tuna and chicken.
- White cheddar cheese: I used white cheddar cheese to top my dip. Cheddar is usually used in hot crab dip, so I thought this would be a yummy addition. You could substitute mozzarella cheese!
Instructions
Step One: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add olive oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the baby spinach, and saute until spinach is wilted. It will look like a lot of spinach when you put it in the pan, but it cooks down a lot.
Step Two: While the spinach is cooking, drain and roughly chop the artichoke hearts. Drain the lump crab meat and pick through it to make sure there are no shell pieces.
Step Three: In a small baking dish, combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, paprika, kosher salt and freshly grated Pamesan cheese. Stir well to combine.
Step Four: Add the spinach, chopped artichokes and crab to the baking dish, and mix everything together.
Step Five: Sprinkle the top of the dip with shredded cheddar cheese and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the dip is hot and bubbly. You can put the dip under the broiler for about 1-2 minutes at the end of the bake time to help the melted cheese brown, if desired. Enjoy immediately!
Can you make this dip ahead of time?
Absolutely! To make the dip ahead, I recommend assembling it completely to just before the baking stage. Then, cover the serving dish tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate it for up to 1-2 days. When you are ready to bake it, bring the dish out of the refrigerator and let it sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes while you preheat the oven. Bake as directed and serve!
Can you make this dip in the slow cooker?
Yes!! Follow the instructions above for cooking the spinach. Then add all the ingredients to the slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cook on high for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so. You can also cook on low for 2-3 hours. Slow cookers can vary quite a bit in temperature, so check your dip often to make sure it doesn’t burn. The spinach crab dip is done when the cheese is melted and the dip is heated through.
Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 12 ounce jar artichoke hearts
- 1 6 ounce can lump crab meat
- 1/2 cup white cheddar cheese freshly grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add olive oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the baby spinach, and saute until spinach is wilted.
- While the spinach is cooking, drain and roughly chop the artichoke hearts. Drain the lump crab meat and pick through it to make sure there are no shell pieces.
- In a small baking dish, combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, paprika, kosher salt and freshly grated Pamesan cheese. Sir well to combine.
- Add the spinach, chopped artichokes and crab to the baking dish, and mix everything together.
- Sprinkle the top of the dip with shredded cheddar cheese and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the dip is hot and bubbly. Put the dip under the broiler for about 1-2 minutes at the end of the bake time to help the melted cheese brown, if desired. Enjoy immediately!
