This rich and creamy Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip is the perfect appetizer for gatherings or snack time. It includes three types of cheese, bits of crackers for crunch, and chunks of crab meat, for a flavorful, addictive dish. Pair it with your favorite chips or crackers for a satisfying appetizer.
I love creating this crab spinach artichoke dip when I’m craving restaurant food, but I want to avoid the price tag that comes with it. This dip is uber-creamy and flavorful, so it feels like a restaurant-worthy dish without having to leave the house.
This tasty dip has protein to help you feel full and tide everyone over until dinner. While you can add chips or crackers on the side, offering chopped veggies is a great way to boost the nutrients. Suppose you have picky eaters who won’t touch plain chopped veggies. If so, you can try one of these dishes alongside the spinach seafood artichoke dip: Roasted Mashed Cauliflower, Air Fryer Butternut Squash, or Balsamic Glazed Brussel Sprouts.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Decadent: Made with cream and full-fat cream cheese, this dish has a rich consistency and flavor.
- Creamy: The same ingredients that make it decadent also help create a creamy, delicious texture.
- Flavorful: The combination of spices, aromatics, and cheese help create a delightful flavor everyone can enjoy.
- Packed with crab: Crab (and seafood lovers) will highly enjoy this dish. Since it’s high in protein, it will help you feel satisfied until the rest of the meal is ready.
- Family-friendly: This crab spinach artichoke dip is great for families who love seafood dips.
- Great for winter/rainy days: Its creamy, rich consistency is a great appetizer for a comforting meal during gloomy weather days.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Crab: Canned or plastic containers of crab at the seafood counter will work for this recipe, especially if you’re in a time crunch. If time and budget aren’t factors for you, buy whole crab legs, and you can crack and pick the fresh crab meat yourself.
- Crackers: Instead of using crackers to add a crunchy texture to the dip, try panko crumbs for an equally tasty dish. Panko crumbs will help save you time, as you don’t need to crush them like the crackers. Use 1/3 crumbs as a replacement.
- Mozzarella: For a bolder flavor, swap the mozzarella for fontina or gruyere. You can also combine the two cheeses to get the best of both worlds.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How to Make Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip
Quick Overview
- Melt butter and wilt spinach.
- Sauté veg and aromatics.
- Add the cream and cream cheese, and melt.
- Add crab meat.
- Mix in Mozzarella.
- Top with crackers and parmesan.
- Bake.
Step by Step Instructions
Allow the moisture to evaporate before adding in cheese and cream.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet with a lid, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the spinach and cover. Allow the spinach to steam for about 2-3 minutes or until it is reduced in volume by half. Stir.
Step 2: Increase the heat to medium. Add the salt, pepper, onion, artichokes, and garlic. Sauté for about 5-6 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Step 3: Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the cream and add the cream cheese. Stir continuously until the cream cheese has melted.
Step 4: Stir in the crab meat. Turn the heat off completely.
Lightly grease the baking dish for easier eating and cleanup.
Step 5: Stir in the mozzarella cheese.
Step 6: Transfer the dip to a lightly greased 1.5-quart baking dish.
Step 7: Sprinkle the crackers and parmesan cheese on top.
Step 8: Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Loosely cover with foil if the top is browning too quickly. Broil if desired.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
You can create a satisfying meal by pairing this crab spinach artichoke dip with a protein and veggie-rich main dish. Below, you’ll find a few of my favorite dishes to pair with this crab dip (and a few ways to boost the flavor!).
- Lemon & parsley
- Old Bay seasoning
- Cayenne and paprika powder
- Old Fashioned Pot Roast Recipe
- Sheet Pan Chicken & Green Beans Dinner
- Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa
- Ground Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Expert Tips
- Use fresh spinach. Frozen spinach can work in this artichoke crab dip with parmesan cheese if you’re low on time. However, it does alter the texture, as frozen spinach has a stringy texture. It’s best to use fresh spinach for this dish.
- Avoid access moisture. Drain the crab well and pat dry any veggies you use while making this recipe. Extra moisture can make the crab spinach artichoke dip runny instead of creamy.
- Loosely over if needed. Cover this crab spinach artichoke dip with foil to avoid a burnt top and undercooked middle when baking this crab spinach artichoke dip.
Additions & Variations
- Slow Cooker. Add all the ingredients for this yummy crab spinach artichoke dip (except for the breadcrumbs) to a slow cooker and cook on low heat for about two hours. You’ll know the hot crab dip is done when the cheese is bubbling. Add the cracker bits to the top after removing the dip from the heat. This method won’t produce a crispy topping like baking the dip, though it’s a tasty alternative that’s less hands-on.
- Non-dairy cheese/cream. If anyone in the family has dairy intolerances, you can trade the cheese and cream for non-dairy alternatives. There may be a texture difference, depending on which brands you choose. Skip the crab or use a vegan crab alternative to turn this dish into a vegan recipe.
- Gluten-Free Crumbs. Those with gluten intolerances or allergies can use a gluten-free crumb topping to create a crispy crust.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this crab spinach artichoke dip can be frozen for up to three months. You may need to add some additional cream cheese to revive the creamy consistency as you reheat it from frozen.
You can dip nearly anything in spinach crab dip, from chips to veggies, pita bread, fries, and even chicken wings.
There are a few ways to change the flavor of crab dip, so it’s less fishy. If you add extra cream cheese, it will create a more subtle crab taste. You can also add a small amount of lemon juice to balance the fishy taste.
Any leftover spinach artichoke crab dip you have will be good in the fridge for 3-5 days. Ensure it’s in an airtight container whether you refrigerate or freeze the leftovers.
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Hot Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 10 ounces fresh spinach
- 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher salt*
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely minced
- 1 cup roughly chopped canned artichoke hearts
- 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese (brick-style) room temperature
- 6-8 ounces cooked lump crab meat*
- 8 ounces (2 cups) mozzarella, shredded*
- 1/3 cup crushed Ritz crackers*
- 1/3 cup parmigiano reggiano, finely shredded cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet with a lid, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the spinach and cover. Allow the spinach to steam for about 2-3 minutes or until it is reduced in volume by half. Stir.
- Increase the heat to medium. Add the salt, pepper, onion, artichokes, and garlic. Sauté for about 5-6 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the cream and add the cream cheese. Stir continuously until the cream cheese has melted.
- Stir in the crab meat. Turn the heat off completely.
- Stir in the mozzarella cheese.
- Transfer the dip to a lightly greased 1.5-quart baking dish.
- Sprinkle the crackers and parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Loosely cover with foil if the top is browning too quickly. Broil if desired.
Notes
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Crab: Canned or plastic containers of crab at the seafood counter will work for this recipe, especially if you’re in a time crunch. If time and budget aren’t factors for you, buy whole crab legs, and you can crack and pick the fresh crab meat yourself.
- Crackers: Instead of using crackers to add a crunchy texture to the dip, try panko crumbs for an equally tasty dish. Panko crumbs will help save you time, as you don’t need to crush them like the crackers. Use 1/3 crumbs as a replacement.
- Mozzarella: For a bolder flavor, swap the mozzarella for fontina or gruyere. You can also combine the two cheeses to get the best of both worlds.
- Use fresh spinach. Frozen spinach can work in this artichoke crab dip with parmesan cheese if you’re low on time. However, it does alter the texture, as frozen spinach has a stringy texture. It’s best to use fresh spinach for this dish.
- Avoid excess moisture. Drain the crab well and pat dry any veggies you use while making this recipe. Extra moisture can make the crab spinach artichoke dip runny instead of creamy.
- Loosely over if needed. Cover this crab spinach artichoke dip with foil to avoid a burnt top and undercooked middle when baking this crab spinach artichoke dip.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
currently my go to dip! So delicious and I used canned crab meat too
This is delicious, simple to prepare and ideal for entertaining. Your guests are bound to love the cheesy, creamy dip. Thanks for the great recipe!
Really delicious dip. My guests ate it all! I’m filing this in my “make it again” file!
I love this spin on an artichoke dip!! Looks super delicious!
this artichoke dip turned out amazing! so good and the perfect dip for snacking!
Just happened to see this recipe when it was published and we had some vegan friends over last night, so I made the vegan version and it was outstanding! Our friends were super impressed.
Love this dip! There you can not stop! Thanks for the recipe! Perfect when you have guests!
Oh, my favorite dip! So easy and so damn tasty!
Just when I thought you couldn’t make artichoke dip any better, you went and added crab! Truly an elevated dip!