Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip

You bet. You can prep the whole thing, and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours (it’s better to place it in an airtight container, not in the baking dish you’re planning to serve it in.)

When you’re ready to eat, just spread it in your dish and pop it in the oven – just keep in mind you’ll need to add about 5–10 minutes to the bake time since you’re starting with a cold dip from the refrigerator.

Yes, and it’s a mess nobody wants to clean up. If you store the dip directly in a glass or ceramic baking dish in the fridge, do not take it from the fridge straight into a preheated 350°F oven. That sudden jump in temperature causes “thermal shock,” which can make even high-quality dishes like Pyrex shatter.

How do I safely bake a cold dip?
To keep your glass or ceramic dishes in one piece, you have two easy options:

The Room Temp Rest: Take the dish out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for at least 30–60 minutes so it’s not ice-cold before it hits the oven.

The Safe Swap: Store the dip in a plastic mixing bowl in the fridge, then transfer it into a room-temperature baking dish right before you’re ready to bake. This is the safest way to avoid any “explosive” surprises.

If you’re in a massive rush and have to bake it cold, place your glass dish on a metal baking sheet before putting it in the oven. It acts as a little buffer against the direct heat of the oven rack, but honestly, just letting it take a 30-minute nap on the counter is the best way to make sure your dinner – and your favorite dish – stay in one piece.

This usually happens because the spinach was left watery. Frozen spinach holds a ton of “swamp water.” Make sure you thaw it fully and drain any excess water very well. If your spinach is very watery, pat it off a little with paper towels.

Don’t skip the sautéing step in the skillet – that’s where you cook off the remaining moisture that causes the dip to separate.

You need a “heavy lifter” for this dip because it’s thick and cheesy. Thin, flimsy potato chips will snap off and get lost in the bowl. Go with thick-cut tortilla chips, toasted baguette slices (crostini), or even those sturdy pita chips.

For a veggie dipper, raw bell pepper strips, celery sticks or carrot sticks are the best “veggie spoons” that won’t break on you.

You can, but it’s a lot more work and more expensive for the same result. You’ll need a huge 10-ounce bag of fresh spinach just to get enough once it wilts down. If you go fresh, sauté it in the butter first until it’s completely shrunk, then chop it up before adding the artichokes.

Honestly? Save your money and stick with the frozen chopped spinach – it tastes just as good in a baked dip.

The microwave is the enemy of dairy. If you have leftovers, reheat them in the oven at 300°F until warmed through, or use the “low power” setting on your microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between. This keeps the cheese from breaking and leaking oil everywhere.

Again, make sure you don’t put a ceramic or glass dish cold from the fridge in a hot oven or in the microwave. Also, I highly recommend transferring the dip to a fresh clean dish appropriate in size for whatever you have left. Else you’ll get a lot of very burned pieces stuck in the dish where the dip was already scooped up.