Spinach Dip With Greek Yogurt (And without the Soup Mix)
I’m a girl who loves a good dip. And Spinach Dip is definitely at the top of my list. All that delicious spinach and fresh, crisp veggies! I could eat the whole bowl.
But then I learned that Spinach Dip was not exactly healthy. Sour cream, heavy mayo, and all that sodium, added sugar, and unnecessary preservatives. Ugh! What a bummer! (For awhile I was absolutely obsessive about not using packaged foods. I am much more relaxed now. But I don’t see the point in adding unnecessary preservatives to our diet when fresh is so easy to make and usually tastes better. Read more about my food philosophy.)
So I got busy experimenting and created this simple Spinach Dip recipe made with Greek Yogurt and no soup mix
Why You’ll Love It!
This Spinach Dip is creamy and zesty and full of delicious flavors. It also packs a nice nutritional punch. The Greek Yogurt provides some protein to help keep you feel full. But the sour cream still takes center stage. And I double up on the spinach for even more veggie-goodness. (I almost always do that when I cook with Spinach. You can get in an entire extra serving of veggies and no-one will ever know the difference).
Spinach Dip is also easy to make. One of the nice things about using Greek Yogurt in this recipe is that I [almost] always have it in my fridge. (Did you know that you can almost always sub Greek Yogurt for sour cream? It’s true. As long as you don’t buy fat free Greek yogurt they both pack the same sour zing with a similar mouth feel. I put Greek yogurt on baked potatoes, tacos, and I bake with it all the time). But in a crazy dip you don’t want to go exclusively Greek yogurt, you want that extra something that sour cream brings.
If you have a somewhat well-stocked pantry (and I bet you do if you are reading nut free recipe blogs), you probably have all the herbs on hand. You don’t have to make a special trip to the store to buy soup mix. You can just what you already have.
And if you don’t have the fresh herbs on hand, no worries. Just substitute dried. Or leave them out. This Spinach Dip is pretty forgiving. No-one is going to miss the chives. I promise.
How to Make Spinach Dip
I love when recipes are as easy and they are delicious. And that’s the case with this Spinach Dip.
The first thing you want to do is let your frozen spinach thaw. I like to place it the fridge the day before I need it. Alternatively, you can defrost it in the microwave. Either way be careful. The next step is to drain your spinach and squeeze it dry. My hands are super sensitive to cold. So squeezing out cold spinach always hurts. But if you use the microwave to defrost, be sure to let it cool for a bit first. Otherwise you will burn yourself. After draining my spinach in a colander and using a wooden spoon to push out the water, I transfer it to a flour sack dish bowl and squeeze out the rest of the water over the sink. Don’t skip this step. You’ll be amazed at how much water comes out of defrosted spinach. You don’t want song Spinach Dip.
Then, combine the avocado-oil mayonnaise or other high quality mayonnaise (we like Sir Kensington’s or Primal Kitchen, 2% Greek yogurt, sour cream, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, dill, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Sometimes I add Worcestershire sauce to my Spinach Dip. It gives it an extra richness, that little something extra that makes people say, “mmm, what’s in this dip?”. But it’s not necessary. If you have it, add it in at this stage. If not, no big deal. Skip it and move on.
Once the Greek yogurt mixture is nice and creamy, add the green onions, water chestnuts, carrots, red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach to the bowl. If you don’t have the fresh veggies just skip them. Again, it’s no big deal. This recipe is very flexible. Stir to combine thoroughly.
Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to combine.
Enjoy!
Spinach Dip is perfect for parties–both fancy and informal. I love to serve it as an appetizer on Thanksgiving, as a lite bite on New Year’s Eve, and at back yard barbecues. It’s also a great make and take dish.
You can serve spinach dip with fresh veggies. I love red pepper strips, baby carrots, cucumbers, and celery. We also often add snap peas, broccoli, and little tomatoes to our platter. The more vegetables the better. Choose veggies in a rainbow of colors for a pretty display (you know me and my pretty food–lol).
It’s also delicious with crackers. Some of our favorites are Triscuits and Wheat Thins. Try pumpernickel sticks if you can find them. Or serve with pumpernickel or sour dough bread. Yum! You can use a bread bowl for your presentation if you are into that sort of thing. And I LOVE spinach dip with pretzels.
Spinach Dip also make a great lunch.
You can also substitute a package of frozen kale for spinach too.
Happy Eating!
Spinach Dip
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- 1 cups Greek yogurt 2%
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dill
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp dried chives
- 1/2 cup green onions finely diced
- 1 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts drained and finely diced
- 10 oz. packages frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
Optional mix-ins:
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup carrots shredded and chopped
- 1/2 cup diced red pepper
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes diced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, sour cream, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, dill, Worcestershire sauce (if using), salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine well.
- Add the green onions, water chestnuts, carrots, red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach to the bowl. Stir to combine thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to combine.
- Serve with fresh veggies, crackers, or bread chunks.
