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Hot and Spicy Creamy Spinach Dip
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Hot and spicy creamy spinach dip is a baked, cheesy appetizer made with spinach, cream cheese, Monterey Jack, tomatoes, green chilies, and olives for a bold, crowd-pleasing flavor. This warm spinach dip blends creamy texture with subtle heat and savory depth, making it perfect for parties, game day, or casual entertaining. If you’re building out an appetizer spread, this dip pairs perfectly with cheesy buffalo chicken dip or crab dip in a bread bowl.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bold, crowd-pleasing flavor – Creamy cheese balanced with tomatoes, green chilies, and olives adds just the right amount of heat.
- Make-ahead friendly – Assemble the dip in advance, refrigerate, and bake right before serving.
- Perfect for sharing – This baked spinach dip feeds a crowd and disappears fast at parties.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Spinach – When making the dip, be sure to drain the spinach thoroughly so that the dip doesn’t become watery. This dip can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to bake and serve. To cook fresh baby spinach, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the fresh spinach and cook until wilted then remove to a colander and drain.
- Tomatoes – Roma tomatoes have a thicker skin and lower water content than many other tomato varieties, making it perfect for this recipe since, as they cook, they won’t release as much water and make the dip soggy. Roma tomatoes are available year-round though tomatoes are at their peak in the summer months.
- Yellow Onion – I use yellow onion in this recipe for its mellow flavor when cooked. These onions with a brownish yellow papery skin are a great all-purpose cooking onion.
- Green chilies – Canned diced green chilies are typically made from mild chilies like Anaheim (New Mexico chili), Poblano or Pasilla varieties. They add a great flavor to any recipe without adding much heat.
- Cream cheese – The base of this creamy dip is cream cheese, be sure to use the regular kind rather than low-fat. It’s blended with red wine vinegar and half and half before the cheese and vegetables are added.
- Monterey Jack – Monterey Jack is a semi-hard, white cow’s milk cheese. It has a mild flavor and melts well.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Pro Tip
Drain the spinach thoroughly before mixing it into the dip. Removing excess moisture ensures the spinach dip stays creamy and thick instead of watery.
How to Make Hot Spinach Dip (Step-by-Step)
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200ºC). Place a large sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil and heat through. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and translucent, about 4 minutes.
Remove the skillet from heat and add the tomatoes, chilies, and olives to the pan. Let the vegetables cool for about 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl stir together the cream cheese, half and half and red wine vinegar until combined. Stir in the spinach and cheese until combined.
Add the vegetables and season with chili powder, salt and pepper.
Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart baking dish and bake until the top is golden brown and bubbling, about 25 minutes.
Let cool and serve with tortilla chips.
How to Serve Hot and Spicy Creamy Spinach Dip
- With tortilla chips or corn chips.
- Alongside warm bread or crostini.
- Served in a cast iron skillet for heat retention and presentation.
- As part of an appetizer spread with other baked dips.
How to Store Hot and Spicy Creamy Spinach Dip
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm in a 350°F (180°C) oven until heated through, or microwave in short intervals, stirring between.
- Make ahead: Assemble the dip up to 24 hours in advance, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Assemble the dip, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking.
The dip has mild to moderate heat. For more spice, add extra green chilies or a pinch of cayenne.
Absolutely. The olives add depth, but the dip is still delicious without them.
Monterey Jack melts smoothly and has a mild flavor, but pepper Jack or a blend with Cheddar also work well.
Freezing isn’t recommended, as the dairy can separate and affect the texture when reheated.
Other Recipes to Try
If you loved this recipe, take a look at these other decadent dips that are perfect for chilly nights:
Tried it? Loved it? Tweaked it? Leave a review below and tell me how it went – I’m all ears (and always hungry).
Hot and Spicy Creamy Spinach Dip
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Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 medium Roma tomatoes, cored and diced
- ¼ cup chopped canned green chilies
- 3 tablespoons chopped pitted black olives
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup half & half
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained
- 2 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200ºC).
- Place a large sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil and heat through. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from heat and add the tomatoes, chilies, and olives to the pan. Let the vegetables cool for about 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl stir together the cream cheese, half and half and red wine vinegar until combined. Stir in the spinach and cheese until combined.
- Add the vegetables and season with chili powder, salt and pepper.
- Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart baking dish and bake until the top is golden brown and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let cool and serve with tortilla chips.
Notes:
Nutrition:
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This was so delicious we could not stop eating it. I’m a private chef and my principles asked me to serve the leftovers the next night and that almost never happens. I couldn’t stop eating the crunchy edges. ADDICTIVE!!! Thanks!
That makes me SO happy to hear!! Thank you so much for sharing Sherry!
This is one of those dips where you can’t just have a little bit. You have to scrape the serving dish clean