Baked Kale & Artichoke Dip with Greek Yogurt

Name: Baked Kale & Artichoke Dip with Greek Yogurt
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces light cream cheese; 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt; 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese; 1 tsp lemon zest; 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 1 clove garlic (minced); 1/4 tsp sea salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1 cup canned artichoke hearts (chopped); 2-3 cups chopped kale (loosely packed); 3 tbsp white cheddar cheese (grated)

by Hannah Magee, RD on Dec 3, 2019 (updated Aug 18, 2023) 4 comments »

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The holy grail of hot dips! This healthy artichoke dip with fresh kale is my take on traditional spinach and artichoke dip. It’s lightened up with creamy Greek yogurt, light cream cheese, and uses chopped kale to change things up. Bake for 30 minutes, and serve warm with chips, pita or veggie sticks.

Bowl of kale and artichoke dip with a toasted baguette being dipped in

About This Baked Kale and Artichoke Dip:

A good spinach and artichoke dip was always a shareable family favourite when eating out at restaurants. A creamy, cheesy, hot dip served with tortilla chips and warm, crispy pita bread…how could you go wrong?

I kind of have this thing for creating healthy appetizer ideas – especially dips. I love making a good healthy baked dip at home, like my Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip with Greek Yogurt, Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Greek Yogurt, and French Onion Dip with Greek Yogurt. This time around, we’re doing baked Kale and Artichoke Dip.

It’s like a healthy spinach artichoke dip, but with kale instead! Similar to spinach, kale is so nutritious and fibre-rich. So why not switch things up and try this dip?!

What Makes this Hot Dip Healthy?

As I Registered Dietitian, I love to share the why behind the ingredients used in my recipes. Here are some of the things that make this greek yogurt artichoke dip nutritious.

Greek yogurt! It’s high in protein, and rich in essential micronutrients like calcium, selenium, and phosphorus. I make a ton of my recipes with Greek yogurt because it’s a great way to add nutrition, and it can act as a substitute for creamy ingredients like sour cream and mayonnaise.
Kale is definitely super-nutritious. It’s a great source of beneficial fibre, and is rich in vitamins and minerals like iron, folate, calcium, vitamin K, vitamin C, and antioxidants.
Light cream cheese. In this recipe, I used a mix of light cream cheese to reduce saturated fat and greek yogurt to increase the protein content for a more balanced appetizer. I used 2% greek yogurt because I didn’t want to take away too much creaminess, but you could definitely use non-fat greek yogurt if you like.
Lemon juice serves a double purpose. Not only does the addition of lemon add flavour, it also helps us get more nutrition from the dip. The vitamin C in lemon juice helps us absorb the beneficial iron in kale.
It’s homemade! When you make your favourite restaurant foods at home, you’re able to better control what goes into it. In a lot of restaurant food, there’s often more salt in order to preserve it and add flavour. When you make it fresh at home, you don’t need as much of certain ingredients like oil and salt. Don’t get me wrong, I love eating out and trying new restaurants, but it’s good for our health to get in the habit of cooking at home more often.

Bowl of kale and artichoke dip with another bowl of nacho chips for dipping in the background

How to Make This Healthy Baked Dip:

cream cheese, greek yogurt, parmesan, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl — Add light cream cheese, plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to a bowl and mix together.

spinach, artichoke hearts, and white cheddar cheese — Add light cream cheese, plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to a bowl and mix together.

Tips for Making This Recipe:

You can use fresh or frozen kale. Both work well, but if you are using frozen kale be sure to let it defrost and press out the excess water first. For the artichokes, I like to use canned or jarred.

Chop both your kale and artichokes into small pieces. It makes the dip more consistent and creamy. No one wants giant kale leaves in their dip!

If you want to go totally homemade, make your own pita chips for dipping, too! Cut fresh pitas into even, triangular pieces. Brush lightly with oil and season as you like, then bake at 425F for about five minutes until crispy. You could also serve this dip with vegetable sticks, like carrots, celery or bell pepper.

Bowl of kale and artichoke dip with a toasted baguette being dipped in and a bowl of nacho chips for dipping in the background

More Healthy Appetizer Recipes:

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