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If you’re surprised to see a Knorr spinach dip bread bowl on Umami Girl, I get it — but we need to hang out more. Here’s how to make it great.
Why we love this recipe
You guys. Our friend Anne is kind of a quiet authority on a lot of things. She’s worked for Gourmet and for Architectural Digest, and she has all the friends and all the fun. Her kids are turning out SUPER. We spent a delightful evening at their house several years ago, and she served Knorr spinach dip.
It turns out that for my whole life I’ve just been looking for a justification to serve this stuff every time we have a party with the slightest hint of a buffet. I didn’t know it, but I absolutely was.
Pretty much on the ride home from Anne’s house we stopped at a supermarket and bought a Knorr vegetable recipe mix packet and some water chestnuts, and I’ve never looked back. This recipe — “recipe” — didn’t make it to the website until I needed it for Spinach Dip Deviled Eggs, but don’t blame the dip. That’s on me.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Frozen chopped spinach is your best bet for this recipe. It’s cost-efficient and easy to work with.
- Use a regular, good-quality supermarket mayo like Hellman’s.
- Full-fat sour cream makes the best version of this dip, but you’ve got some flexibility here, so use what you like. The package pictured above is my absolute favorite — it’s leagues more delicious than other brands.
- Knorr vegetable recipe mix contains dried carrots, onions, tomatoes, celery root, leeks, cabbage, cauliflower, green peas, potatoes — and plenty of umami-forward flavor enhancers.
- Water chestnuts are an aquatic vegetable. In U.S. supermarkets, you’ll usually find them sliced in the canned vegetables section. Drain any liquid and chop them nice and finely. They add a lovely crispness and lightness to the dip.
- Scallions aren’t essential, but they add a nice dimension if you’ve got some on hand. Trim off the roots and any dry parts at the tips, and either slice them nice and thin or mince them. Once trimmed, you can use the whole thing.
- Not pictured: If you’d like to serve the dip in a bread bowl, you’ll need a standard-sized boule (a round loaf). My favorite option is sourdough when I can find one, but you can use any kind you like. Alternatively, you can serve the dip in an actual bowl alongside crackers (such as Triscuits), hearty corn chips, or pita chips. And I’ve hardly ever met a fresh vegetable that didn’t want to be dipped into this absolute dream of a buffet item.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a fabulous batch of Knorr spinach dip in a bread bowl. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Cook the spinach, let it cool, and squeeze out all the liquid that you can.
- Chop the water chestnuts and slice the scallions, if using.
- Into a large mixing bowl, place the mayo, sour cream, and contents of the seasoning packet. Mix well.
- Add the spinach, water chestnuts, and scallions, and stir well. I like to use a fork for this to make sure the spinach gets broken up and evenly distributed. Chill for at least two hours. Right before serving, cut the top off of a bread boule and tear out the soft insides, leaving a border of 1/4 to 1/2-inch all around. Spoon the dip into the bowl and serve with lots of fresh veggies. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
Look, you do not need a lot of advice about how to make spinach dip in a bread bowl. But here are a few protips to help make the most of your experience.
Technically, yes. But I really recommend using frozen spinach, not fresh. It’s less expensive and works better in this recipe. Squeeze the everliving crap outta the spinach to wring every last bit of liquid out of it before mixing it into the dip.
Yes. Don’t skip the water chestnuts. They lighten up the dip and add some great texture. Anne deemed them “essential,” and I agree.
Boule means “ball” in French, and it’s the name for a round loaf that resembles a slightly flattened ball. Fun fact, this loaf is the reason that French bread bakers are called boulangers and bread bakeries are called boulangeries. My favorite type for this and virtually all purposes is a good sourdough boule, if you can find one. They tend to be a fairly standard size, and a regular one should fit your batch of dip pretty well, give or take.
Dip leftovers, should you have any, should keep in the fridge for a week — but only if they haven’t been sitting out on the counter for hours first. If you think your crowd won’t demolish the whole batch, start with a smaller bread bowl (or just a bowl bowl, to be honest) and leave some of the dip in the fridge, topping up your serving bowl as needed.
I don’t recommend freezing leftover spinach dip. Neither mayo nor sour cream freezes well, and the spinach was already frozen.
More favorite dips for parties
- Crack dip (yeah, I know)
- Hot spinach leek dip
- Popper dip
- Ranch dip
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Knorr Spinach Dip in a Bread Bowl
Ingredients
For the Knorr spinach dip
- 10 ounces (283 grams) frozen chopped spinach
- 1 packet, (40 grams) Knorr vegetable recipe mix
- 1 cup (208 grams) mayonnaise
- 2 cups (454 grams) sour cream
- 1 8- ounce 227-gram can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)
To serve
- 1 sourdough boule
- Fresh veggies of your choice, try baby carrots, broccoli florets, snap peas, cherry tomatoes, celery sticks, sliced bell peppers, and other seasonal veggies
Instructions
- To cook the spinach, place it and two tablespoons water in a microwave-safe, lidded container and cook on high until just hot, about four minutes depending on your microwave.
- When cool enough to handle, place spinach in a fine-mesh strainer and press out all the liquid you can with a fork or spoon, or with your fingers.
- In a mixing bowl, stir vegetable recipe mix into mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir in water chestnuts and then spinach, breaking up any clumps. We like to use a fork to mix in the spinach.
- Chill, covered, for at least two hours.
- Slice the top off of a sourdough boule and cut or tear out most of the soft insides, leaving about a 1/4- to 1/2-inch layer of bread inside the crust. You can cube the bread you removed and serve it for dipping, or pulse it in a food processor and use as fresh breadcrumbs in other recipes. (Fresh breadcrumbs freeze well.)
- Fill bread bowl with dip place, in the center of a serving platter, and surround with fresh veggies for dipping.
Notes
- Frozen chopped spinach is your best bet for this recipe. It's cost-efficient and easy to work with.
- Use a regular, good-quality supermarket mayo like Hellman's.
- Full-fat sour cream makes the best version of this dip, but you've got some flexibility here, so use what you like. The package pictured above is my absolute favorite — it's leagues more delicious than other brands.
- Knorr vegetable recipe mix contains dried carrots, onions, tomatoes, celery root, leeks, cabbage, cauliflower, green peas, potatoes — and plenty of umami-forward flavor enhancers.
- Water chestnuts are an aquatic vegetable. In U.S. supermarkets, you'll usually find them sliced in the canned vegetables section. Drain any liquid and chop them nice and finely. They add a lovely crispness and lightness to the dip.
- Scallions aren't essential, but they add a nice dimension if you've got some on hand. Trim off the roots and any dry parts at the tips, and either slice them nice and thin or mince them. Once trimmed, you can use the whole thing.
- Not pictured: If you'd like to serve the dip in a bread bowl, you'll need a standard-sized boule (a round loaf). My favorite option is sourdough when I can find one, but you can use any kind you like. Alternatively, you can serve the dip in an actual bowl alongside crackers (such as Triscuits), hearty corn chips, or pita chips. And I've hardly ever met a fresh vegetable that didn't want to be dipped into this absolute dream of a buffet item.
- Dip leftovers, should you have any, should keep in the fridge for a week — but only if they haven't been sitting out on the counter for hours first. If you think your crowd won't demolish the whole batch, start with a smaller bread bowl (or just a bowl bowl, to be honest) and leave some of the dip in the fridge, topping up your serving bowl as needed. I don't recommend freezing leftover spinach dip. Neither mayo nor sour cream freezes well, and the spinach was already frozen.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hello Kim;
Should we add the dip to the bread bowl right after chilling it for 2 hours or just before serving?
Thank You!
Gail
Hi, I really wanted to make this as I have great memories of it but was worried it was just nostalgia and would be bland. Seeing it here I’m now encouraged to make it for a party! Have you ever made this with greek yogurt in place of sour cream?
Hi, Kim! I’m almost sorry to say that, nostalgia aside, it’s just really delicious. I don’t typically substitute greek yogurt in dips, but if you do and you’re normally happy with it, it would be fine here too. My personal preference is to use a really good-quality sour cream from grass-fed cows, like Organic Valley. It tastes SO good, and the nutritional profile is a little more reasonable since the cows are raised on a better diet. Hope you love the dip as much as I still do!
So you put 2 cups of sour cream vs the recipe on back that says 1 cup? Just curious.
Hi, Shelly. I’ve never seen a recipe on the back that said anything but 16 ounces, which is two cups.