Hot Artichoke Dip
Cream cheese, sour cream, and parmesan baked with chopped artichoke hearts until bubbly and golden. Ten minutes of effort for the dip that empties first at every party.
Tasted & written by Rachel
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Serves
6
The Key
Drain the artichoke hearts, then press them in a paper towel. Artichokes hold water like a sponge, and that water has nowhere to go in the oven except onto the surface of your dip. Dry artichokes disappear into the cream cheese base. Wet ones make it soupy.
I brought this to Priya's game-day thing last Sunday. Set it on the counter, went to grab a drink, came back and David was standing over it with a cracker in each hand like some kind of dip bouncer. It was half gone in fifteen minutes.
The thing about artichoke dip is that it shouldn't be complicated. Cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, parmesan, artichokes, garlic. That's it. No spinach — I know that's controversial, but spinach muddies the flavor and adds water you don't want. The artichoke should be the star, not a backup singer.
This is the version I keep coming back to after trying at least eight others. It's tangy, salty, rich without being heavy, and it bakes in twenty minutes. The base is a three-fat blend — cream cheese for body, sour cream for tang, mayo for richness — and they melt together into something more than any one of them alone.
Start by beating the softened cream cheese with the sour cream and mayo until there isn't a single lump left. Cold cream cheese is the enemy here. If you can't dent it with your finger, it's not ready. I microwave mine in 15-second bursts when I forget to pull it out ahead of time, which is always.
Fold in the chopped artichokes and dill, spread it into a baking dish, hit it with that last quarter cup of parmesan on top, and into the oven it goes. Twenty minutes at 350°F. You'll know it's done when the edges are bubbling and the parmesan has gone golden.
The hardest part is waiting five minutes for it to cool enough that you don't burn the roof of your mouth. I never manage it. David doesn't even try.
Serve it with whatever you want to scoop with — Triscuits are my go-to because they don't snap under the weight — and watch it disappear. This is the dip you bring when you want an empty dish to carry home.
Mise en place
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softenedsoftened
- 0.5 cup Sour Cream
- 0.5 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 1/4 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese, dividedfreshly grated
- 8 oz can artichoke hearts (not marinated), drained and choppeddrained and chopped
- 1 clove Garlicminced
- 1/2 tsp dried dill, plus extra for topping
The Method
Instructions
- 01
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8 baking dish or pie pan.
Done when:Oven indicator light turns off or thermometer reads 350°F.
- 02
Beat softened cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, minced garlic, and 1 cup of the parmesan in a mixing bowl until smooth and combined.
Done when:No lumps remain and the mixture is uniformly creamy — a spatula dragged through it leaves a clean trail.
- 03
Fold in the chopped artichoke hearts and dill weed until evenly distributed.
Done when:Artichoke pieces are visible throughout, not clumped in one spot.
- 04
Spread mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan evenly over the top, plus a little extra dill.
Done when:Surface is level with an even layer of parmesan covering the top.
- 05
Bake for 20 minutes until hot, bubbly around the edges, and lightly golden on top.
Done when:Edges are actively bubbling, center is puffed slightly, and the parmesan topping has turned light golden-brown.
- 06
Let cool for 5 minutes before serving with crackers, sliced baguette, or raw vegetables.
Done when:Dip has settled from its puffed state but is still warm and scoopable.
Where it goes wrong
Common mistakes
- ✕Using marinated artichoke hearts — the vinegar brine makes the dip sour and oily instead of rich and tangy
- ✕Not draining the artichokes well enough — excess liquid pools on top during baking and turns the surface watery
- ✕Skipping the cream cheese softening step — cold chunks won't incorporate and leave grainy pockets throughout
- ✕Overbaking past 25 minutes — the oils separate from the cheese and you get a greasy slick on top instead of a creamy dip
Context
Compared to the usual
This is the straight-ahead hot artichoke dip — no spinach, no jalapenos, no crab. The spinach-artichoke version you see everywhere started as a restaurant appetizer in the '80s and the spinach honestly works more as a volume filler than a flavor addition. Italian-style cold artichoke dip (blended with olive oil and lemon) is a completely different animal — lighter, sharper, better in summer. This one is the winter party version: rich, warm, unapologetically cheesy.
Glossary
Techniques used
- Artichoke hearts
- The tender inner core of the artichoke flower bud, sold canned in water or marinated in oil. For dips, always use the water-packed variety — marinated hearts add unwanted vinegar and oil.
- Dill weed
- The feathery leaf of the dill plant (not dill seed, which tastes sharply different). Adds a bright, slightly anise-like note that cuts through the richness of the cheese base.
Riffs
Variations
Spinach artichoke dip
Add 5 oz frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed very dry) and swap the dill for a pinch of nutmeg. The classic restaurant version.
Jalapeno artichoke dip
Fold in 2 diced jalapenos (seeded for mild, seeds-in for heat) and swap parmesan for pepper jack. Game-day approved.
Italian cold artichoke dip
Skip the baking entirely. Blend artichoke hearts with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley in a food processor until smooth. Lighter, brighter, no oven required.
Q & A
Frequently asked
Can I use frozen artichoke hearts?
Yes. Thaw completely first, then squeeze dry in a clean kitchen towel. They're actually closer to fresh than canned and work beautifully here.
Can I add spinach?
You can, but you'll need to squeeze it bone-dry first (frozen spinach holds a shocking amount of water). Use about 5 oz thawed and squeezed. It'll change the flavor balance — good, but different.
What if I don't have sour cream?
Greek yogurt works as a 1:1 swap. The dip will be slightly tangier and a touch less rich, but honestly it's hard to tell once everything is melted together.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Yes — combine everything in the slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring once halfway through. You won't get the golden top, but the interior will be just as good.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The texture firms up but the flavor actually gets better overnight as the garlic mellows.
Reheating
Spread in an oven-safe dish and bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until bubbly. Microwave works in a pinch — 30-second intervals, stirring between — but you lose the crispy top.
Freezing
Freeze unbaked dip for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake as directed with an extra 5 minutes. Don't freeze after baking — the dairy base gets grainy.
Make ahead
Assemble the dip in the baking dish up to 24 hours ahead, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Bake straight from the fridge — just add 5-7 minutes to the cook time.
Serve with
Sturdy crackers (Triscuits hold up best), toasted baguette rounds, pita chips, or raw vegetables — celery, bell pepper strips, and endive leaves are all good scoopers. Serve in the baking dish for that straight-from-the-oven look.