Olive Garden Spinach Artichoke Dip (Instant Pot Copycat)

This copycat Olive Garden spinach artichoke dip is the hot, creamy, cheesy appetizer you order at the restaurant, made at home in about 17 minutes. Almost everything goes into the Instant Pot at once, it pressure cooks for 7 minutes, and the Parmesan and mozzarella get stirred in at the end. If you want the golden, bubbly top the restaurant version has, a few minutes under the broiler finishes it.

It is one of the most-requested appetizers in my house. It is my son’s pick every Super Bowl, and it is the first thing to disappear at the holidays. No Instant Pot? Oven, slow cooker, and stovetop directions are all below.

Why This Copycat Works

• Restaurant flavor, pantry ingredients. Cream cheese, Parmesan, and mozzarella give you the same rich, stretchy, cheesy dip.
• Fast. 10 minutes of prep and 7 minutes at pressure, plus a few minutes for the pot to come up to pressure.
• Not watery. Squeezing the spinach dry and adding the cheese last keeps the dip thick and scoopable.
• Stays warm for a party. Leave it in the pot on Keep Warm and let people serve themselves.

Olive Garden Spinach Artichoke Dip Ingredients

• Frozen spinach: thawed and squeezed very dry. This is the single most important step.
• Canned artichokes: drained well and diced. Plain canned artichoke hearts work best here.
• Cream cheese: room temperature, so it melts in smoothly.
• Plain Greek yogurt: adds tang and creaminess without making the dip heavy.
• Mayonnaise: gives the dip body and richness.
• Chicken or vegetable broth: the thin liquid the Instant Pot needs to come to pressure. Use low-sodium.
• Onion powder, garlic salt, and black pepper: simple seasoning that tastes like the restaurant dip.
• Parmesan cheese: freshly grated melts better than the shelf-stable kind.
• Mozzarella cheese: shredded, for the stretchy cheese pull.

Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.

How to Make Olive Garden Spinach Artichoke Dip in the Instant Pot

Step 1: Add the base ingredients. Pour the broth into the Instant Pot insert first, then add the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic salt, black pepper, spinach, artichokes, and cream cheese. Hold the Parmesan and mozzarella for the end.

Step 2: Pressure cook. Lock the lid, turn the valve to Sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 7 minutes.

Step 3: Quick release. When the timer ends, carefully turn the valve to Venting.

Step 4: Stir in the cheese. Open the lid and stir well until the cream cheese is fully blended. Add the Parmesan and mozzarella and stir until melted and smooth.

Step 5: Broil for a golden top (optional). Spoon the dip into an oven-safe dish and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until the top is browned and bubbling. This is what makes it look like the dip that comes to the table at the restaurant.

Step 6: Serve warm with chips, bread, crackers, or vegetables.

How Long Does It Take?

About 17 minutes: 10 minutes to prep and 7 minutes at high pressure. Allow a few extra minutes for the pot to come to pressure, and 3 to 5 more if you broil the top.

No Instant Pot? Oven, Slow Cooker, and Stovetop Directions

• Oven (baked spinach artichoke dip): Mix all of the ingredients, spread into a baking dish, and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Broil for the last few minutes to brown the top.
• Slow cooker or Crockpot: Add everything except the Parmesan and mozzarella. Cover and cook on LOW for about 2 hours or HIGH for about 1 hour, stirring once or twice. Stir in the cheeses at the end until melted.
• Stovetop: Warm the base ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often, then stir in the cheeses until melted.

If you would rather start with a recipe written for the oven, my Ina Garten spinach artichoke dip is baked from start to finish, and this air fryer artichoke dip gets a golden top in about 20 minutes.

Tips for the Best Spinach Artichoke Dip

• Squeeze the spinach as dry as you can. Wrap the thawed spinach in a clean kitchen towel and wring it out. Wet spinach is the number one cause of watery dip.
• Drain the artichokes well and dice them small so every scoop gets some.
• Soften the cream cheese first. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps.
• Grate the Parmesan yourself. Freshly grated cheese melts smoother than pre-grated.
• Add the cheese after pressure cooking. Stirring it in at the end keeps it creamy instead of stringy or separated.
• Lower the sodium: use low-sodium broth and swap the garlic salt for garlic powder plus a small pinch of salt.

Troubleshooting

• Dip is too thin: let it sit for a few minutes with the lid off. It thickens as it cools. You can also stir in a little more mozzarella.
• Dip is too thick: stir in a splash of warm broth or milk.
• Dip looks lumpy: keep stirring. Cream cheese needs a minute to blend in completely after pressure cooking.

What to Serve With Olive Garden Spinach Artichoke Dip

Olive Garden serves its dip with crisp flatbread chips, so anything crunchy and sturdy is a good match.

• Pita chips: homemade air fryer pita chips are the closest thing to the restaurant chips. For more flavor, try ranch pita chips.
• Toasted bread: air fryer crostini take about 3 minutes and hold up to a heavy scoop.
• Breadsticks: make it a full Olive Garden night with copycat Olive Garden breadsticks.
• Tortilla chips, crackers, or pretzels.
• Vegetables: celery, bell pepper strips, carrots, and cucumber rounds.
• Low-carb dippers: pork rinds, kale chips, or zucchini chips.

Make Ahead, Storing, and Reheating

• Leftovers: stir into hot pasta, spread on a sandwich, or spoon over chicken.
• Make ahead: make the dip up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container.
• Store: leftovers keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: warm it on the Instant Pot’s Sauté setting, stirring until heated through, or microwave it in short bursts and stir in between.
• Freezing: I don’t recommend it. The dairy separates and the texture turns grainy.

Olive Garden Spinach Artichoke Dip FAQs

Does this taste like Olive Garden’s spinach artichoke dip? Yes. It has the same creamy, cheesy base with spinach and artichokes in every bite. Broil the top and serve it with pita chips for the closest match.

Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen? Yes. Wilt it in a skillet first, let it cool, then chop it and squeeze out the liquid just like you would with frozen. You need about a pound of fresh spinach to replace 10 ounces of frozen.

Can I use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt? Yes, swap it in equal amounts.

Can I make it in a Ninja Foodi? Yes. Use the pressure cook function with the same time and steps.

Can I make it in a Crockpot? Yes. Cook everything except the cheeses on LOW for about 2 hours, then stir in the Parmesan and mozzarella.

Why is my spinach artichoke dip watery? The spinach or the artichokes were not drained enough. Squeeze the spinach until almost no liquid comes out.

How do I keep the dip warm for a party? Leave it in the Instant Pot on Keep Warm and stir it now and then.

Can I double the recipe? Yes. Double the ingredients and keep the pressure cook time the same.

More Copycat Dips to Try

If your family likes restaurant dips, the Instant Pot copycat Applebee’s spinach and artichoke dip adds Romano cheese and a little heat, and the Longhorn Steakhouse copycat Parmesan crusted spinach dip has a crunchy breadcrumb top. For a slow cooker version that cooks itself during a party, try the Ninja Foodi Possible Cooker Pro spinach artichoke dip.