Cold spinach dip in a bread bowl is easy to make and absolutely delicious. This show-stopping appetizer is packed with flavor and ready in minutes. It is perfect for parties, potlucks, or other gatherings, and this recipe is certain to be a crowd-pleaser and receive rave reviews.
Short answer: Cold spinach dip in a bread bowl is a no-cook appetizer that takes 5 minutes to prepare, plus 1 hour in the refrigerator, and serves 24.
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Quick Look at the Cold Spinach Dip Recipe
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Chill time: 1 hour
- Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Servings: 24
- Difficulty level: Easy
- Make-ahead: Yes. Store the dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and fill the bread bowl just before serving.
Ingredients for Spinach Dip in a Bread Bowl
- The Spinach Dip: This spinach dip uses light sour cream, mayonnaise, Knorr Vegetable Recipe Mix, chopped spinach (drained and squeezed dry), and chopped water chestnuts. The most time-consuming part of this delicious appetizer was squeezing the spinach!
- The Bread Bowl: A round loaf of store-bought bread for the bread bowl.
Step-by-Step Spinach Dip Bread Bowl Directions
- Mix the base: Beat the sour cream, mayonnaise, and Knorr Vegetable Recipe Mix in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
- Add the veggies: Add the thawed, drained, and squeezed-dry chopped spinach and chopped water chestnuts. Then use a silicone spatula to fold them into the creamy mixture.
- Chill the dip: Cover the spinach dip with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour to allow the vegetable mixture to soften and blend with the other ingredients.
- Cut the top off the bread: Use a bread knife to cut the top off the round loaf.
- Hollow out the bread: Scoop out the interior of the bread by hand and leave a thick shell so the bowl keeps its shape and holds the dip.
- Fill the bread bowl: Spoon the cold spinach dip into the bread bowl.
- 🟡 Serve: Line a wooden platter with kale, place the bread bowl in the center, and arrange baby carrots, celery sticks, grape tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, and Ritz crackers around it.
- Serve: Line a wooden platter with kale, place the bread bowl in the center, and arrange baby carrots, celery sticks, grape tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, and Ritz crackers around it.
If you want an easy appetizer for a party, cold spinach dip in a bread bowl needs 5 minutes of prep and 1 hour in the refrigerator, and the creamy dip with crunchy water chestnuts goes well with fresh vegetables and crackers. Yum!
PudgeFactor's Test Kitchen Tips
- Choose the right loaf: Pick a round loaf that is soft and chewy inside but has a thick crust that holds up when you add the dip.
- Don't waste the bread you scoop out: Cut or tear the top slice and the inside bread into bite-sized pieces for dipping.
- Squeeze the spinach dry: Frozen chopped spinach holds a lot of water, and the dip turns watery if the spinach is not squeezed dry. Squeeze out the water by hand, then finish in doubled paper towels. A 12-ounce bag leaves about 7 ounces (198 grams) of spinach after squeezing, and that is the amount that goes into the dip.
- Add the dip just before serving; if you add it too soon, the bread bowl can get soggy.
- Make the dip in advance: Once made, store the dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It is even better the next day because the time lets the flavors blend.
In Case You Were Wondering
To make a lighter version of the spinach dip, you can substitute fat-free Greek Yogurt for the sour cream and mayonnaise. This substitution will still give the dip a creamy texture but reduce the fat content. You could also substitute cream cheese for the sour cream and/or add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese for added creaminess.
Crackers and fresh veggies are the classics, but you can be creative with tortilla chips, breadsticks, pita chips, or even pretzel bites.
Ranch Seasoning, Salad Dressing and Recipe Mix can be substituted for the vegetable recipe mix. However, the dip will have a different flavor.
Water chestnuts add a nice crunch to the spinach dip but can be omitted. You could also substitute green onions for the water chestnuts.
While some recipes call for cooking the spinach, I've found that it's unnecessary. Just make sure that the spinach is thoroughly thawed and squeezed dry to remove as much water as possible.
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More Bread Bowl and Party Dip Recipes
Serving dips at parties, potlucks, and other gatherings is popular. Here are some of my favorites:
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Cold Spinach Dip in a Bread Bowl
Equipment
- Electric mixer or food processor
- Silicone Spatula
- Bread Knife
- Small paring knife
Ingredients
- 16 ounce (454 grams) carton light sour cream
- 1 cup (8 ounces, 227 grams) mayonnaise
- 1.4 ounce package Knorr Vegetable Recipe Mix (See Tip 1)
- 12 ounce package chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (See Tip 2)
- 8 ounce can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
- 1 round loaf of bread (1 ½ to 2 pounds)
Instructions
- Beat together the sour cream, mayonnaise, and Knorr Vegetable Mix in a medium bowl until well combined.
- Add the chopped spinach and water chestnuts, and stir to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate the spinach dip for at least one hour to allow the Vegetable Mix to soften and become incorporated into the dip.
- Cut off the top of the bread round (See Tip 3)
- Using a small paring knife, cut around the inside of the bread round, leaving about an inch border; hollow out the bread bowl.
- Transfer the spinach dip to the hollowed bread bowl. Serve with veggies, crackers, etc.
- Yield: 24 servings. (See Tip 4)
Tips/Notes
- May substitute Ranch Seasoning, Salad Dressing, and Recipe Mix.
- I started with a 12-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach. After I squeezed the water out, I had about 7 ounces of chopped spinach. Squeeze out as much water as possible to avoid a runny dip.
- If desired, cut the top of the bread round into pieces and serve with the spinach dip.
- If stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this dip should last for three days. Freezing spinach dip, however, is not recommended. The reason is that the sour cream does not retain its texture well after thawing, affecting the overall quality of the dip
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