This Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip is packed with three types of cheese, artichoke hearts, spinach, and flaky crab meat. It's an unforgettable twist on a classic but just as creamy, decadent, and addicting. This golden-brown appetizer tastes delicious with crostini, baguettes, crackers, and more!
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🦀 The Best Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip
While everyone’s go-to appetizer is spinach artichoke dip, I’m taking this recipe up a notch by adding crab meat to the mix! Baked Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip is equally cheesy and umami-rich as the original.
However, the crab component further enhances it by adding layers of mild, flaky sweetness and a boost of flavor. Whenever I make this easy appetizer, I always have people asking me for the recipe!
Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Crab is chunky but still creamy, and the crab meat isn’t overpowering like some other shellfish. Even people who claim they don’t like seafood will end up coming back for seconds and thirds.
All it takes is 15 minutes of hands-on time to prepare, and it’s easy to store in the fridge or freezer for later. When you're ready to take it to a party or gathering, just bake it in the oven for 30 minutes and watch as it turns into a hot golden brown, bubbly, and creamy masterpiece. Make it a true party with more delicious eats like Buffalo Tuna Dip, Crispy Almond Chicken Breast, and Tteokkochi (Korean Rice Cake Skewers)!
Why You'll Love It
- Quick and easy: This dish is prepped and in the oven in no time! The directions are incredibly simple to follow, meaning any level of home cook can feel confident making this dip.
- Crowd-pleasing: Hot Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip is perfect for bringing to potlucks, events, and holiday feasts. It’s kid and adult-friendly, so I guarantee it will be one of the first appetizers to disappear from the table!
- Full of savory flavors: The combination of Parmesan cheese, crab meat, and artichoke hearts makes this dish bold, savory, and indulgent.
🧂 Ingredients
- Crab meat: I use fresh, refrigerated lump crab meat from Costco. It's convenient and delicious, but feel free to use canned crab meat if you're looking for a more affordable option. Lump meat has the most flavor, but claw meat would work as well.
- Frozen spinach: Buy pre-chopped for easy prep. Let the spinach thaw completely, and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
- Artichoke hearts: Provide a mildly nutty flavor and creamy texture throughout the dip. Both canned and frozen work, but I wouldn’t recommend marinated artichoke hearts as their flavor will compete with the other ingredients.
- Cream cheese: I use cream cheese as the first component of the Spinach Crab Dip base. I recommend full-fat for a richer, creamier dip. For easy mixing, remember to bring it to room temperature first.
- Sour cream: Adds a cool, tangy, and refreshing element. Use full-fat sour cream for an ultra-rich consistency, or keep it light with 1% sour cream.
- Mayonnaise: Just like in my Crab Rangoons, my recommendation is to use Kewpie mayo. Compared to regular mayo, this Japanese mayo is richer, more velvety, and slightly sweeter. You should be able to find Kewpie mayo in the international section of large grocery stores or at an Asian food market.
- Green onion: Thinly sliced green onions impart a zesty, fresh, and savory element that helps balance the richness of the cheese and crab.
- Parmesan cheese: Parmesan is full of glutamate, which gives the dip a strong umami and salt flavor. Do not purchase the shelf-stable bottle with a green cap and use refrigerated Parmesan cheese, always.
- Mozzarella: For that quintessential melty and stringy cheese-pull quality that spinach artichoke dip is known for.
- Garlic powder: Feel free to use fresh minced garlic if you'd like, but garlic powder is quick and convenient.
- Red pepper flakes: For a touch of heat. However, it's optional!
Substitutions & Variations
- While I prefer lump crab meat, you can try a crab meat mix that includes some claw meat (or all claw meat) for a more budget-friendly option. Alternatively, replace some of the crab meat with frozen shrimp or imitation crab.
- Feel free to use fresh spinach if you'd like. Large-leaf or baby spinach both work. Just make sure to sauté to wilt the leaves, squeeze the water out, then chop them into smaller pieces.
- Parmesan cheese and mozzarella can be substituted with other meltable cheese varieties like Gruyere, Gouda, fontina, Swiss cheese, or aged white cheddar.
- Make this Spinach Crab Dip vegetarian by replacing the Parmesan cheese with rennet-free Parmesan, and use chopped canned palms of hearts in place of the crab.
👩🏻🍳 How To Make Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip
⬇️ Please scroll down to the recipe card to see full ingredient amounts and instructions.
STEP ONE: First, preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a casserole dish. I use a 10.5x7.5" but a 9x9" or similarly sized dish would also work.
Then prepare the fresh ingredients. If the frozen spinach isn't thawed yet, microwave in 30 second intervals. Then place into the middle of a cheesecloth, coffee filer, or clean paper/cloth towel.
Wring the spinach as much as possible to remove all excess water. I save the spinach water for smoothies!
STEP TWO: Next, chop the artichoke hearts to bite-sized pieces and thinly slice the green onion.
STEP THREE: In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise until smooth.
STEP FOUR: Add the chopped artichoke hearts, spinach, green onion, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, ¾ cup mozzarella cheese, crab, salt, and pepper. Flake the spinach first to separate, then gently mix everything together.
STEP FIVE: Transfer Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip to casserole dish and spread until even. Then top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Then broil for 2-5 minutes until top is bubbly and golden brown, making sure to keep an eye on it the entire time so it doesn't burn! Serve hot or warm.
💭 Top Tips
- Room temperature cream cheese: Bring the cream cheese to room temperature so it properly incorporates with the sour cream and mayonnaise. If you’re in a hurry, try heating it in the microwave in 10-second increments to speed up the process.
- Cut to bite size: Make sure all of the ingredients for you Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip are cut into bite-sized pieces for an even dispersion of flavors and textures throughout the dip.
- Grate the cheese: Grate your cheese from blocks rather than purchasing a pre-shredded package. Pre-shredded cheese contains added starches to prevent clumping, which affects its ability to melt.
- Check the crab: Double-check the crab meat for shells or cartilage that are sometimes missed while it’s being packaged for sale.
- Fold gently: Fold the crab meat in gently to prevent breaking it up into tiny pieces. This dip is meant to be chunky!
What To Serve With Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip
Served mainly as an appetizer or a snack for a crowd, you’ll want to pair your Spinach Crab Dip with sides like these:
- Crostinis
- Toasted baguette slices
- Sourdough bread
- Crackers
- Pita chips
- Vegetables
- Tortilla chips
🥡 Storing & Freezing
Storing: Once completely cooled, store the Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip in the fridge for 3-4 days. Make sure you keep it in an air-tight container so it stays fresh. If your casserole dish doesn’t have an airtight lid, wrap it in plastic and foil or transfer it to another container.
Freezing: Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip can be frozen after baking for 1-2 months. Similar to the fridge method, cover the cooled dish in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, or store it in a freezer-safe bag or container.
Reheating: When you’re ready for more dip, unwrap it and bake at 350ºF for about 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly again. If cooking from frozen, you may need to add 5-7 minutes to the baking time.
Alternatively, dole out individual portions and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until warm again.
Make Ahead: To save time on the day of serving, you can assemble Spinach Crab Dip in advance but don't bake it yet.. Refrigerate or freeze it using the instructions and storage methods above.
For best results, I recommend making the dip 2 days maximum in advance and storing it tightly covered in the fridge.
Note: Crab meat should smell slightly sweet. If you smell a strong fishy or sour odor, that’s a sign you need to discard it.
📖 Recipe FAQs
If your crab spinach artichoke dip is watery, it’s likely because you didn’t squeeze out the water from the spinach or artichokes. To prevent a watery consistency, make sure all of the ingredients added in are as dry as possible.
You can make crab spinach artichoke dip up to 2-3 days in advance if you’re storing it in the fridge. If you store it in the freezer, you can keep it frozen for at least 1-2 months.
If you have frozen crab meat, it’s important to thaw it before cooking it so it heats evenly and prevents a watery dip. Make sure to drain all excess water as well.
🍽 Looking For More Appetizers?
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📋 Recipe
Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 1½ cup frozen spinach thawed and chopped
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise Kewpie recommended
- 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- 1-2 green onion thinly sliced
- 8 oz lump crab meat (see notes)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a casserole dish. I used a 10.5" x 7.5" rectangular baking dish, but a 9x9" or any similarly sized dish will work.
- Place spinach into center of cheesecloth, paper or thin cloth towel, or coffee filter. Wring out as much liquid as possible. Discard the liquid and set spinach aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise until well-combined.
- Add spinach, artichoke hearts, green onion, crab, ¾ cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, red pepper flakes (if using), ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Flake spinach first, then gently fold everything together. Season to taste.
- Transfer to greased baking dish, using the back of a spoon to even it out. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Then broil for 2-5 minutes, making sure to keep an eye on it the whole time, until tops are golden brown. Let cool slightly and serve with chips, crackers, bread, or vegetables. Option to garnish with more green onion or red pepper flakes.
Notes
- Crab meat: I use fresh, refrigerated lump crab meat from Costco. It's convenient and delicious, but feel free to use canned crab meat if you're looking for a more affordable option. Lump meat has the most flavor, but claw meat would work as well.
- Mayonnaise: My recommendation is to use Kewpie mayo. Compared to regular mayo, this Japanese mayo is richer, more velvety, and slightly sweeter. You can find it in the international section of large grocery stores or at an Asian food market.
- Substitutions:
- While I prefer lump crab meat, you can try a crab meat mix that includes some claw meat (or all claw meat) for a more budget-friendly option. Alternatively, replace some of the crab meat with shrimp or imitation crab.
- Feel free to use fresh spinach if you'd like. Large-leaf or baby spinach both work. Just make sure to sauté to wilt the leaves, squeeze the water out, then chop them into smaller pieces.
- Parmesan cheese and mozzarella can be substituted with other meltable cheese varieties like Gruyere, Gouda, fontina, Swiss cheese, or aged white cheddar.
- Make this Spinach Crab Dip vegetarian by replacing the Parmesan cheese with rennet-free Parmesan, and use chopped canned palms of hearts in place of the crab.
Scott
Yum! 😍
Jessica
Thank you!