Cheddars Santa Fe Spinach Dip

January 16, 2021 by Stephanie Manley, Last Updated February 11, 2022 66 Comments

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Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is a wonderful restaurant. It does a good job of combining a moderate price and a delicious menu that everyone will love. One of my favorite appetizers there is the Santa Fe Spinach Dip. Now you can recreate this appetizer at home with this easy copycat recipe.

homemade Cheddar's Santa Fe spinach dip and tortilla chips

A great dip makes every gathering better. Whether it is family movie night or tailgating with a group of friends, Cheddars Santa Fe Spinach Dip is sure to be a hit! Cheddars Spinach Dip is wonderfully creamy with a four-cheese blend and just a hint of spice. This stuff is so delicious that even folks who claim they hate spinach can’t get enough of it! Try it once, and you are going to want to make it again and again. That’s okay because the Cheddars Spinach Dip recipe is quick and simple to prepare. Soon you are going to look for reasons to make it!

Table of Contents

How to Make Cheddar’s Spinach Dip

If you can use a knife and turn on an oven, you can make this dip. The only thing that is even a little complicated about this recipe is finding a way to squeeze out all the liquid from the thawed spinach without making a mess! Sure, you can use countless paper towels to squeeze the spinach dry, but there are better ways.

Perhaps the easiest way is to use a potato ricer. A potato ricer is a kitchen too that is great and making mash potatoes and drain spinach. Just fill the chamber of the potato rice halfway and gently squeeze over the sink. If you don’t have a potato ricer, you are not out of luck. Use a salad spinner to spin the spinach or put the spinach in a colander in the sink and press down with a plate.

However you remove the liquid from the spinach, you must get it as dry as you can. Otherwise, the dip will be much too watery.

Gussying Up the Spinach Dip

This dip is great as it is, but if you like to take things to the next level, we have you covered. Substituting the juice of a lemon and its zest for the jalapeno pepper does a fantastic job at brightening the spinach dip. Do you love artichokes? Make this a simple spinach and artichoke sip by replacing some of the spinach with an equal amount of canned artichoke hearts. Maybe you can’t get enough spice? In that case, perhaps you might want to replace some of the spinach with drained and chopped canned poblano peppers.

There are many ways to make this Cheddars Spinach Dip recipe your own, so don’t be afraid to get creative.

Tips for Making and Serving Spinach Dip

Use a wide and shallow casserole dish. Not only will you get more of that crispy cheese layer on top that everyone loves, but it will be much easier for everyone to reach the dip.
Bake in individual ramekins. Don’t want to share? That is alright, this some is that good. Avoid double-dipping and dip hogs by giving each person separate portions. If you are making the dip in individual ramekins, you will need to watch your timing to avoid overbaking.
Serve on top of toasted or grilled bread. Hearty, artisanal bread is the perfect base to turn a spinach dip snack into a light meal.

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Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

Frozen spinach
White onion
Cream cheese
White Cheddar cheese
Monterey Jack cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Minced garlic
Jalapeno pepper
Seasoned salt
Sour cream
Salsa
Corn tortilla chips

Cheddars Santa Fe spinach dip ingredients

How to Make Cheddar’s Spinach Dip

Thaw spinach then drain and squeeze liquid from the spinach.
Place spinach, diced onions, cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, mozzarella cheese, garlic, jalapeno pepper, and seasoned salt in a bowl.
Stir until well blended.
Spread the mixture into a 1-quart casserole dish
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top is nice and bubbly.
Serve with sour cream, salsa, and warmed tortilla chips.

CopyKat Tip: Use a kitchen towel to squeeze liquid from cooked or thawed spinach. Wrap the spinach in the towel, twist, and tightly squeeze.

homemade Cheddars Santa Fe spinach dip and tortilla chips on a wood board

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