High Protein Low-Calorie Crab Spinach and Artichoke Dip
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This is the perfect appetizer for holidays, the big game and fancy affairs. With juicy lumps of crab meat, rich artichokes and lots of cheesy goodness, this delicious dip feels like fancy comfort food.
The best part is it’s made with greek yogurt, cottage cheese and lite mayo. Using no heavy cream or sour cream means your dip is high in protein and not as heavy as similar full-fat ones, without sacrificing on flavor.
The best part of a hot dip is the dipping accouterments. I love tortilla chips, vegetable sticks, crackers and pita chips. If you want to make a dip table at your next party, serve this with cranberry jalapeño dip, cottage cheese spinach dip and fried dill pickle dip.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- High-protein, low fat, and low-calorie.
- A lightened-up version of a classic indulgent crab dip.
- An easy appetizer to bring to parties or for game day.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for this spinach artichoke crab dip. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions.
- Cottage Cheese: I used low-fat to keep this low in fat and calories but use full-fat for a creamier dip.
- Greek Yogurt: I used non-fat but you can use low-fat or full-fat for a richer dip.
- Fresh Garlic Cloves: if you’re a garlic fiend like me, add as much as you want!
- Light Mayonnaise: or regular.
- Lemon Juice: fresh lemon juice will have the best flavor.
- Lump Crab Meat: I used canned crab meat to make this easy on myself, but fresh cracked claw meat would be incredible with this.
- Frozen Spinach: I went with frozen for ease but fresh spinach can be used also. If using fresh, sautée it first so it will wilt down before adding to the dip.
- Artichoke Hearts: canned is easiest.
- Parmesan Cheese
- Monterey Jack Cheese: all kinda of cheese are good with this: mozzarella cheese and white cheddar cheese are my top 2.
Variations
- Add cayenne pepper or hot sauce for some heat.
- For a vegetarian version, omit the crab entirely.
- Use any leftover crab meat and artichoke hearts for crab and artichoke sandwiches.
Dietary Modifications
- This recipe is 100% gluten-free as written.
How to make crab spinach artichoke dip (a visual step-by-step guide):
Step 1: preheat oven and prep ingredients
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Begin by preparing all your ingredients. Drain and rinse the crab meat ensuring there are no shells. Thaw the frozen spinach and use paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to squeeze out all the excess moisture. Chop the artichoke hearts and set aside.
Step 2: make the base
In a blender, food processor, or immersion blender, puree the cottage cheese until smooth. This will create a creamy base for the dip (image 1).
In a large bowl, combine the smoothed cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, light mayo, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using. Stir until well combined (image 2).
Step 3: fold in the mix-ins
Fold in the crab meat, squeezed spinach, chopped artichokes, and half of the Parmesan cheese (image 3).
Mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed (image 4).
Step 4: add to a baking dish
Pour the mixture into an 8×8-inch baking dish (or 7×9-inch), spreading it out evenly (image 5).
Sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and the shredded Monterey jack (image 6).
Step 5: bake
Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the edges are nice and bubbly. You can broil the top for 1-2 minutes at the end to really brown the top, if preferred (image 7). Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before garnishing with sliced green onions and chopped fresh parsley.
Expert Tip!
Be sure to squeeze the thawed spinach really well to avoid a watery dip.
Recipe FAQs
This crab and spinach dip can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. However, you may need to add a few minutes to the bake time to ensure it cooks all the way through since it’ll be colder going into the oven.
A dip is only as good as what it’s served with! This crab spinach dip is awesome with vegetable sticks, tortilla chips, crackers, pita chips, or sliced cucumbers for a healthy and delicious snack.
If you have leftovers, celebrate! Reheat this creamy dip in the microwave or simply place it back in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes until it’s hot and bubbly again.
Check out some of our other dips!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Crab Spinach Artichoke Dip
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Ingredients
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese 220g
- 1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt 226g
- 1/4 cup light mayoniase 60g
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper or fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 8 oz. lump crab meat, drained fresh or canned
- 8 oz. frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry
- 7.6 oz. jarred artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded or grated, 56g
- 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese shredded, 28g
- 2 green onions thinly sliced, for garnish
- fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Optional
- dash of hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheight. Begin by preparing all your ingredients. Drain and rinse the crab meat ensuring there are no shells. Thaw the frozen spinach and use paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to squeeze out all the excess moisture. Chop the artichoke hearts and set aside.
- In a blender, food processor or a immersion blender, puree the cottage cheese until smooth. This will create a creamy base for the dip.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the smoothed cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, light maypnnaise, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Stir until well combined.
- Fold in the crab meat, squeezed spinach, chopped artichokes, and half of the Parmesan cheese. Mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Pour the mixture into a 8×8-inch baking dish, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle the top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and the shredded monterey jack.
- Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the edges are nice and bubbly. You can broil the top for 1-2 minutes at the end to really brown the top if preferred.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before garnishing with sliced green onions and chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
- Nutrition facts are an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
- Servings size is 110 grams and equivalent to 1/2 cup.
- Squeeze your thawed spinach as well as you can to avoid a watery dip.
Hello! This looks fabalous! Could I use chicken instead of crab? Any other adjustments you think I should make if I do this? Thanks
Hi! I’ve never tried this with chicken, but I think it would work. Let me know if you tried it and how it turned out 🙂