This spinach and artichoke dip galette is creamy and cheesy and wrapped in a crispy, buttery, flaky pie crust that’s baked to golden brown perfection. This galette is a spin on the classic crowd-pleasing appetizer and is a must for any occasion, party, or game day.
Spinach and artichoke dip is synonymous with the word appetizer (and the Super Bowl!). No party is complete without the iconic dip. It’s just a fact of life. It never disappoints and you’re guaranteed to find it on the table at any party, holiday, or special occasion. But, while I love a bread bowl (who doesn’t?), I’ve gone rogue. And I’ve ditched the ubiquitous bread bowl in favor of a flaky buttermilk parmesan pie crust with layers of buttery deliciousness. So, let me introduce you to my spinach and artichoke dip galette.
It’s everything you want and more. Every bite is encased in a buttery, flaky crust which happens to be the perfect vehicle for spinach and artichoke dip. The dip is loaded with spinach, marinated artichoke hearts, garlic, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Hitting all the right notes of salty, creamy, tangy, and just down right comforting.
The key components:
- Buttermilk parmesan pie crust: More is more when it comes to cheese. So I’ve added cheese in both the crust and the dip. Because if you’re already going to spend time shredding cheese, then you might as well make the most of the opportunity. The parmesan adds a toasty, nutty flavor to the savory pie crust that’s reminiscent of a cheese cracker. And the buttermilk complements the tangy cream cheese. However, if you don’t have buttermilk then feel free to substitute cold milk or water! Both will yield a flaky and flavorful crust!
- Spinach and artichoke dip: This dip is good on its own and is super easy to throw together. It’s creamy and rich made with a combo of cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo, and a generous amount of shredded parmesan cheese. And when it’s baked, the cheese gets nice and bubbly and ooey-gooey. Making it an irrefutable match for the crispy galette crust.
Tips on how to make the flakiest galette crust
Note: If you’re new to making pie dough, you can watch my cheddar chive biscuit highlight or heirloom tomato galette highlight on Instagram to watch how to make a flaky galette crust. It’s the same method and process.
- Use COLD ingredients. When it comes to pastry dough or biscuit dough, you always want to use cold ingredients. I like to cube my butter and then freeze it for 10 minutes to ensure it’s nice and cold. If it’s a hot summer day, then I will measure out the flour, salt, spices, shredded cheese, and place it into the mixing bowl and let that sit in the refrigerator to get cold too. Why is this important? You want cold ingredients to ensure the butter won’t melt and there will be chunks of butter pieces throughout the dough. These butter chunks will steam while baking and will create steam pockets and flaky layers.
- Don’t over mix your dough. Mix the pie dough until it's just incorporated. After you’ve added the water, the dough should be a bit shaggy with craggy bits and chunks of butter. It’s fine if there’s a few dry patches of flour because they’ll be incorporated when you fold it (see next tip). The dough should not be a smooth, shiny ball of dough like bread dough. If you mix the dough too much, you will develop the gluten which will result in a tougher dough.
- Give the dough a few folds. To achieve flaky layers, I like to give my pie dough a few folds to create layers of butter. Once you transfer the pie dough to a lightly floured surface, you’ll pat it down into a rectangle with your fingers and then fold it into thirds like a letter using a bench scraper. Rotate the dough 90 degrees, then pat it into a rectangle again (ensuring the open, exposed ends of the dough are the short end and the seam side is the long side of the rectangle) and then fold into thirds. Repeat until you have no more dry bits of flour. Again, you can watch my cheddar chive biscuit or heirloom tomato galette highlight on Instagram to see how I do this.
- Chill the dough before baking. After I’ve assembled the galette, I like to pop it into the freezer for about 10-15 minutes prior to baking. This will ensure the butter is cold and the gluten is relaxed and will yield maximum flakiness.
- Egg wash the crust. Right before baking, brush the pastry crust with 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of water for a golden brown sheen.
- Use a pizza stone or baking steel. If you own a pizza stone or baking steel, I recommend using it to ensure a crispy bottom. I like to preheat it in the oven for 30 minutes prior to baking.
Tips for assembling the galette
- Roll the dough thicker than pie crust. Since galettes are essentially freeform pies, I like to roll the crust a little thicker than a pie crust to help hold all the fillings. This will give you extra security and a sturdy barrier. Plus, the thick crust to filling ratio is ideal in my book because I’m all about the buttery crust.
- Trim (or don’t trim) the edges. If you want to get straight edges that show the layers, then trim the edges. But, if you prefer the rustic look, then keep the edges as is and don’t trim. It’s just a personal preference and I love the look of both.
- Fold the edges over more than you think. Fold the edges over more than you think (see pic above). My edges are about 2” wide. As the galette bakes, the crust will puff up so you will want to start with a thick overlapping top crust like mine.
- Set aside a few artichoke hearts. Keep a few quartered artichoke hearts to decorate the top before baking. Not necessary, but I think it adds some nice texture and visual interest instead of just a blob of green spinach dip.
What if I don’t have buttermilk for the pie crust?
No worries! If you don’t have buttermilk, then you can substitute regular milk or water. Just be sure it’s cold. Both will yield the same flaky crust. I just like using the buttermilk for an extra subtle tang to match the dip.
Can I use the buttermilk pie crust for other things?
This savory pastry crust is ideal for just about anything, including but not limited to, hand pies, pasties, meat pies, tarts, and turnovers. You can also switch up the cheese (I recommend other hard cheeses like Pecorino and not softer, melty cheeses) and/or other meat or vegetable fillings. The possibilities are endless and you can adapt the fillings for every season!
Can I just make the dip?
Yep! The spinach and artichoke dip is perfect on its own so I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that. The recipe for the dip is enough to make two galettes, so there will be extra leftover to use as a dip if you make one galette. You can heat it up on the stovetop, bake it up in a casserole dish, or heat it up in your crock pot for an easy appetizer. I recommend serving it warm so the cheese gets nice and bubbly. Serve it in a bread bowl or on its own with tortilla chips, crackers, sliced bread, or a mix of vegetables like sliced cucumber or carrot sticks.
Fresh vs. frozen spinach
I recommend using frozen spinach for two reasons: 1) it’s easy and saves an extra step, 2) you don’t need to cook down a mountain of spinach. All you need to do is defrost it in the microwave or thaw it out in the refrigerator overnight (keep it in a bowl to catch any excess moisture). Then, squeeze out the excess liquid with a kitchen towel.
However, you can definitely use fresh spinach if you prefer it or if that’s what you already have in stock. Simply steam it, blanch it in ice water, and then squeeze out the excess liquid using a kitchen towel. Or, saute it in a pan and squeeze any excess liquid. Then chop it up.
Why not use pre-shredded Parmesan cheese?
I always recommend buying a block of Parmesan cheese and shredding it yourself. Does it take a little extra effort? Yes. But, it’s worth the extra step and elbow grease. Why? Pre-shredded cheese contains fillers like cornstarch to prevent it from sticking or clumping together and to help extend its shelf life. Which ultimately makes it less melty. I also find that the taste of pre-grated Parmesan cheese (the stuff that comes in that tall green can) doesn’t taste the same and is a whole different variety. But, if that’s all you have in your pantry at the moment then by all means don’t let this deter you from using it. No judgment here.
What type of artichoke hearts should I use?
You can use marinated artichoke hearts, canned artichoke hearts in water, or frozen artichoke hearts. Use whichever type you like or have access to; they will all work fine and taste great. That said, I like using marinated artichoke hearts for the extra flavor but that’s a personal preference and not a requirement. Simply drain (I like to squeeze the hearts a bit to remove any excess liquid) and chop. If using frozen, then thaw, drain, and chop.
Can I make this ahead?
Yep. If you want to get ahead and prep the day before, then you can make both the parmesan galette crust and the spinach and artichoke dip ahead. Keep the pie dough tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for 1-2 days then roll it out when you’re ready to assemble the galette. Likewise, store the spinach and artichoke dip in an airtight, covered container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Spinach and artichoke dip variations
- Add meat: If you’d like to make the dip heartier, then add chopped chicken or bacon bits.
- Substitute the cheese: You can use whatever cheese your heart desires. Swap out the mozzarella for a melty sharp white cheddar or aged gouda.
- Substitute the sour cream: If you want to make it lighter, then sub the sour cream for plain greek yogurt.
- Spice it up: If you want to make it spicy, then add some chopped jalapeno or diced green chiles to give it a little kick.
- Change up the topping: After you add the egg wash, top the galette crust with flaky salt, everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, or whatever you fancy.
Looking for more game day appetizer ideas? Try my fluffy Japanese milk bread rolls which make the best slider rolls and are akin to sweet Hawaiin rolls. I think they would be the perfect foundation for buffalo chicken sliders or perhaps ham and swiss sliders. You name it!
RECIPE NOTE: The spinach and artichoke dip recipe makes enough for 2 galettes or 1 galette plus extra for dip. Cut in half if you would like less.
Spinach and Artichoke Dip Galette
Ingredients
Single crust buttermilk parmesan pie crust
- 1 ¼ cups (157 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (113 grams; 1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¼ cup (0.5 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 4-5 tablespoons (~¼ cup) cold buttermilk (or milk or water if you don't have)
- 1 egg, for egg wash
Spinach and Artichoke Dip (enough for 2 galettes)
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
- 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts (or frozen, thawed, and drained artichoke hearts)
- 8 ounce cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 grams) sour cream (or plain greek yogurt)
- ¼ cup (60 grams) mayonnaise
- ½ cup (1 ounce) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated
- 1-2 scallions or green onions, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic or onion powder (not salt!)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional or more if you like it spicy!
Instructions
Make the buttermilk parmesan galette crust:
- Chill your cubed butter (cube it before you freeze it!) in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. If using water instead of buttermilk, also freeze your water for 10-15 minutes so it's ice cold.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, parmesan cheese, granulated sugar, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk to incorporate.
- Gently toss the cold chunks of butter into the flour mixture to coat. Using your fingers, squeeze the chunks of butter between your fingers and incorporate with the flour until the butter is about pea-sized. It’s okay if some chunks are bigger in size (about the size of a walnut).
- Make a well in the center and add the cold buttermilk (or milk or water if you don’t have). Stir with a rubber spatula just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gather the dough with your hands or bench scraper and pat into a rectangle about ½-1-inch thick. Using a bench scraper, fold the dough into thirds like a letter (or in half if it's crumbly). Rotate the dough 90 degrees, pat it down with your fingers into a rectangle, and repeat one to two more times until no more dry patches remain (Note: you can watch my cheddar chive biscuit or heirloom tomato galette highlight on Instagram to see how I do this).
- Gently shape the dough into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. In the meantime, prepare the spinach and artichoke dip.
Make the spinach and artichoke dip:
- Thaw the spinach according to the package instructions, transfer it to a colander to drain, and squeeze the excess moisture out using a kitchen towel. I find that working in batches gives me more leverage when squeezing.
- Drain the artichoke hearts and gently squeeze to remove the excess liquid inside. Set aside a few artichoke hearts for the top and quarter them. Roughly chop the remaining artichoke hearts into bite sized pieces.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, parmesan, mozzarella, garlic, green onions, and spices.
- Stir in the drained and chopped spinach and artichoke hearts. Set aside.
Assembling the spinach and artichoke dip galette:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. If you have a pizza stone or baking steel, place it in the oven and let it preheat for 30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a circle (about ¼ inch thick) and trim the edges if desired using a sharp knife. Transfer the rolled out dough onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Spoon half of the spinach and artichoke dip onto dough, leaving a 2 ½-inch border around edges. Even out the dip using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula and fold the edges. Top with the reserved artichoke heart quarters.
- Transfer the galette to the freezer and chill for 10-15 minutes.
- Beat an egg with 1 tablespoon of water and brush egg wash onto the crust. Lightly sprinkle with flaky sea salt, everything bagel seasoning, poppyseeds, sesame seeds or your desired topping.
- Bake until crust is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. If the dip is getting too brown, then cover the top with a small piece of foil. Let the galette cool on the pan for 10 minutes if you can wait that long. Slice and enjoy!
