Unlike warm cheesy dips made with cream cheese or mayonnaise, this Spinach Artichoke Fondue Dip is made with Gruyere, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses.
My traditional spinach artichoke dip recipe uses cream cheese and fresh spinach. This version, however, is more like a fondue because of how all of the different cheeses melt together.
Unlike any spinach artichoke dip I've ever had.
I first discovered this recipe at a holiday party. Every spinach artichoke dip I had ever had was made with mayonnaise and/or cream cheese.
When the party host pulled a crusty loaf of homemade bread that had been hollowed out to make a bread bowl out of the oven, I saw this delicious looking cheesy dip overflowing from the top.
I'm not one to shy away from good food at a party, but I just may have eaten this entire thing all on my own.
The flavors were subtle and sophisticated. It was more like a fondue than a greasy dip. The gruyere and parmesan gave it that hearty and robust flavor while the mozzarella gave it that ooey gooey cheesiness you want in a warm dip.
Here's how to make it:
- This recipe starts with a milk based gravy. A roux is made from flour and olive oil. Minced garlic is infused and then a combination of milk and half and half is whisked in.
- Once that milk gravy comes to a gentle simmer, you'll add the shredded gruyere and parmesan cheeses along with some salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. This turns into a heavenly fondue cheese sauce.
- To the base, you'll add minced frozen spinach and artichoke hearts. This mixture is then added to a baking dish or a bread bowl, topped with shredded mozzarella, and baked for about a half an hour.
You can certainly bake this dip in a dish and serve it alongside chips, but we all know bread is best.
Full Recipe Instructions
Spinach Artichoke Fondue Dip
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- 2 ounces Gruyere Cheese (shredded (about 1 cup))
- 2 ounces Parmesan Cheese (shredded (about 1 cup))
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- dash of nutmeg
- 1 pound frozen spinach (thawed with all the liquid squeezed out)
- 14 ounces artichoke hearts ((14 oz can) drained (not marinated or packed in oil))
- 4 ounces mozzarella (shredded)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat and add flour. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the flour just starts to change color and turn fragrant, about five minutes. Do not let the flour brown.
- Add the garlic and cook until very fragrant, about 30 seconds longer.
- Combine milk and half and half in a measuring cup and add about a ½ cup at a time to the flour mixture, whisking after each addition until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Add the Gruyere, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir until the cheese has just melted, then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Working over a bowl or the sink, squeeze the liquid out of the spinach. Chop the artichokes fine and then fold both the spinach and the artichokes into the sauce.
- Pour the sauce into an oven safe baking dish (or multiple dishes) or a hollowed out bread bowl. Top with the shredded mozzarella.
- Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for about 30 minutes until the edges are bubbly and the cheese on the top is dark golden brown. Serve with bread cubes or chips.
Notes
NUTRITION INFORMATION
This recipe was originally published in January 2016 but has been updated for your reading pleasure.
stephanie
This spinach dip is amazing!!!
Jas
Our favorite dip! Love all the good cheeses in it! Thanks for sharing!
Kelley
We made this for Super bowl night and everyone raved about it! So good!
Vicky
In my opinion spinach artichoke dip is one of THE best dips!! I love trying different recipes for it!
Sarah
This sounds absolutely delicious! I love that it is a real cheese sauce rather than using mayo.
Elissa
I love that now I'm looking for this spinach artichoke dip recipe to make and I find it on your blog! Yum!!
Krissy
Too funny! I'm glad I posted it because I don't think the gal who created the original recipe is keeping up on her blog, and it was too good not to have it be available for the masses. I still remember when you pulled it out of the oven and how impressed I was with it!