Jazz up the veggie tray at your next gathering with this creamy 4-ingredient spinach dip! It’s a crowd-pleasing, make-ahead, easy appetizer that’s perfect for any occasion.
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If you’re looking for more easy dip recipes, don’t miss this 5-minute corn dip, our favorite 4-ingredient apple dip, this easy buffalo chicken dip recipe, this shrimp cocktail, and this shrimp dip, too!
Go to dip at my house….so good!
– Rachel
Perfect for holiday gatherings, potluck picnics, and Super Bowl parties (among other celebrations), this 4 ingredient spinach dip always disappears fast! It’s the perfect way to make the regular, ho-hum vegetable tray extra-special.
I originally received this recipe from a friend here in Madison years and years ago. It was served at a church potluck and I instantly requested the details — I knew that I needed to have it. The fact is, this is hardly a recipe at all! You’ll love how simple, affordable, and convenient it is. Just stir the cold spinach dip together in advance, and let it chill in the fridge until your guests arrive. No stress!
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- The seasoning base for this creamy spinach dip is a packet of Knorr Vegetable recipe mix. You can find this in the soup aisle at your grocery store, since many folks use it to make vegetable soup.
- Remember to thoroughly thaw the box of frozen spinach before assembling the dip. If you don’t have time to thaw the spinach, you can cook it in the microwave according to the package directions. Let it cool completely before you drain it, squeeze out the excess liquid, and stir it into the dip.
- While the base of this dip requires just 4 ingredients (mayo, the vegetable seasoning packet, spinach, and sour cream), you can get creative and add other mix-ins as well. I like to include a seeded and finely diced red bell pepper for a sweet, crunchy burst of color and flavor. Other readers have also suggested chopped water chestnuts.
- Make a healthy spinach dip by using light mayonnaise and low fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
- For a spicy dip, add crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to taste. Remember, a little goes a long way so use these sparingly.
How to Make Spinach Dip
You’ll find detailed directions for this cold spinach dip recipe at the bottom of the post, but here’s the overview:
- First, squeeze the thawed spinach dry with a towel. This is very important, because it prevents your dip from becoming watery. You want and thick, creamy dip — so this is the key!
- Next, stir together the ingredients.
- Cover the spinach mixture and refrigerate until ready to serve. So easy, right?!
What to Serve with this Easy Spinach Dip Recipe
You can’t serve a bowl of Knorr spinach dip on its own! Pair the cold, creamy dip with bagel chips, pita chips, or other sturdy crackers; fresh raw vegetables such as carrot sticks, broccoli florets, sliced bell peppers, celery sticks, sliced cucumbers, or cauliflower florets; pretzels, tortilla chips, or potato chips; and chunks of sourdough bread or baguette slices. For a really impressive presentation, serve the simple spinach dip in a hollowed out bread bowl!
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: assemble the dip up to 3 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Give it a good stir just before serving.
- Do not freeze the dip. The sour cream and mayonnaise will “break” when thawed and give the dip an unappetizing texture.
- If the dip has been sitting out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, it’s best to discard any leftovers. Harmful bacteria can grow at this point, so it’s best not to try to save the extras.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
4 Ingredient Spinach Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Duke's brand)
- 1 (1.4 ounce) packet Knorr Vegetable Soup mix
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
- Optional mix-in: small red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
- Optional garnish: minced fresh chives or parsley
- For serving: raw veggies, crackers, chips, or bread
Instructions
- Squeeze the spinach dry. In order to get most of the water out, I like to wrap the cooked spinach in a dish towel and wring out the water by squeezing the spinach in the towel.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, vegetable soup mix (just the dry mix), spinach, and sour cream. Add the red bell pepper (or other minced veggies) if you like. Stir until completely combined. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours (or overnight) before serving. Garnish with minced fresh chives or parsley just before serving.
Notes
- Prep Ahead: assemble the dip up to 3 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Give it a good stir just before serving.
- It’s not clear on the Knorr website whether or not the seasoning mix is gluten-free. Since the product ingredients are always changing, they suggest checking the packet in order to determine if it’s gluten-free. It should be marked accordingly.
Nutrition
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Originally published in December 2017, this post was updated in February 2025.
Mmm I love a good spinach dip! This is definitely perfect for those holiday parties and gatherings. And I can see why this disappears fast! Love how easy and full of flavor this is!
Thanks, Gayle! It’s such an easy option that everyone loves!
I think I will try this with reduced fat mayo and non fat sour cream and have it on baked potatoes. Grocery run tomorrow.
Love the idea of using it on potatoes, Suzie! I bet that will be delicious! Let me know how it works with the lower fat substitutes! 🙂
Go to dip at my house….so good!
Awesome! Isn’t it great?! And so simple! 🙂
I have made this recipe for many years and add some chopped water chestnuts for a little crunch. It’s great too. Also, i have made it with low fat sour cream and lite mayo and it was very tasty.
The water chestnuts sound like a great addition, Barb! And it’s good to know that a lightened-up version works equally well!
I never bother to cook the spinach, just let it defrost, and then squeeze the water out. Retains more nutrients and makes the recipe even easier!! A family favourite here, and friends always love it too!!
Hah! I love a good shortcut, Belinda, and I’ve actually done the same thing! I’m going to update the recipe right now to reflect that! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
I’ve been enjoying the famous Knorr Spinach Dip for 25 years, ever since I tried it made by a coworker who told me her little tweaks that takes it to the next level.
* The longer the flavors blend (mayo, sour cream and Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix), at least 24 hours, the better. With as many times I’ve made it, chilling more that 48 hours did not make it taste any more flavorful. Mix it about once every 12 hours, to make sure the soup mix gets blended in all the sour cream/mayo. Don’t forget to get the untouched parts around the bottom edges of your dip storage container.
* Always use full fat sour cream. Yes, when you use the lite sour cream, you can tell the difference. Us Norther California types prefer Daisy brand sour cream.
* I have used Kraft’s olive oil mayo and it tastes as good as using Kraft’s mayo. Do not use Miracle Whip as a substitute. It is not the same.
* The biggest tweak that will make a world of difference, don’t put your thawed, rinsed chopped spinach that has been squeezed as bone dry as possible, into the dip mix until right before your transport or serve the dip. This minimizes getting your dip from getting runny/liquidity.
* If you can find it, serving the dip in a large sourdough round bowl is a huge hit and folks get excited to see it! Since the amount of bread you have from hallowing out the bread bowl won’t be enough bread for the amount of spinach dip the recipe makes, plan on having a good size baguette/french bread loaf cubed. I’ve made this for many pot lucks for my office, my husband’s pot lucks and staff meeting and for dinner parties for my sister, and it is a waste of time going through the trouble of preparing fresh veggie sticks as a dipper, because even those who claim they are on a strict diet, all break it, just use the bread cubes as their dipper, and about 95% of the veggies go untouched. No one at my husband’s office, who were the biggest complainers that my husband did not bring healthy snacks to staff meetings when it was his turn for snacks never missed the veggies when I stopped including veggies and only had cubed sour dough bread as the dipper. They would fall fight over the sour dough bread bowl left overs.
* No one misses the water chestnuts. I love chopped green onions, but no one cares if they are garnished on the dip. I have been asked to bring this to just about all pot lucks at work, once folks had it once. My husband’s coworkers also request it for their gatherings.
I hope everyone gives this dip recipe a try. It will be a hit, no matter the gathering. So easy to make. Just resist the temptation to eat it before it melds.
Thanks for all of those great tips, Diane! I agree, this recipe is always a crowd-pleaser. Such a classic!