Spinach dip is a wonderful way to spice up any dish, and it’s especially great when you have guests coming over, and you want to make things easier by putting out dishes that people can help themselves to.
But what if you’ve made far too much, or bought more than you needed? Can you freeze spinach dip?
While you can freeze spinach dip, how well the dip will freeze depends on what it’s made of, along with a few other things you need to know about.
To discover everything you need to know about freezing spinach dip (see also Freezing Cheese Dip), keep reading.
The Shelf Life Of Spinach Dip
As long as you keep it refrigerated at all times, spinach dip will last a maximum of 4 days.
This isn’t ideal, especially if you’ve made it from scratch, and you don’t want to eat every meal with it until you’ve used it all.
Freezing spinach dip can extend the shelf life of the dip for at least 3 months, but try not to keep it in the freezer for longer than that, as it will start to lose its flavor and texture.
Should You Freeze Spinach Dip?
The short answer is that it depends. How well spinach dip freezes largely depends on its ingredients, and how fresh it was to begin with.
As with most food products, freezing spinach dip in the first place is not the problem (see also How To Freeze Spinach). It’s the changes it goes through within this process, and then the thawing process, that alter the quality.
Once you thaw it, the dip can reduce to a watery mess, with a much thinner consistency than it had when it was fresh.
As spinach dip usually includes sour cream or cream cheese, this affects how well it will freeze, as both ingredients don’t freeze well to begin with.
Freezing spinach dip with cream cheese or sour cream (see also Freezing Sour Cream) can mean the dip will split, and the milk proteins can separate from the rest of the cheese, with the cheese itself turning crumbly or grainy.
Because spinach dip also has mayonnaise (see also Can You Freeze Mayonnaise?) in it, this makes the dip even trickier to freeze. Mayonnaise is notorious for going off quickly, and it doesn’t take long for it to become unsafe to use.
The best way of freezing spinach dip (see also Freezing Guacamole) is to do it in small quantities at a time, which will help reduce the drop in quality.
While there are things you can do to minimize the drop in quality, thawed spinach dip will never be as good as its fresh counterpart, as the consistency will be altered.
Incorporate the thawed spinach dip into cooking dishes rather than using it as is when thawed, as this will make the texture changes mostly unnoticeable.
How To Freeze Spinach Dip
How To Freeze Homemade Spinach Dip
Make sure to wait until the spinach dip is completely cool before you try to freeze it.
If you know you’ve made much more than you need, whether on purpose or by accident, separate the dip into a portion that you’ll use straight away, and a portion you’ll save for later.
This stops any cross contamination from occurring, keeping the dip that you’ll freeze safe for consumption. It will also mean that the dip will stay fresher a little longer.
Divide the dip into single serving portions, which will cut the defrosting time. The easiest way to do this is to use a muffin tin. Fill each mold with the dip, leaving a little room at the top.
Freeze the whole thing for about 2 hours, or until solid. Grab a freezer bag, and decant the dip into the bag, making sure to be quick. Get rid of any excess air, seal, label, and freeze.
How To Freeze Ready-Made Spinach Dip
If you’re worried about freezing the dip and it being completely sub-par compared to fresh spinach dip, you can freeze it in its unbaked form.
If you do want to freeze spinach dip raw, you’re better off using store-bought dip, as it has the advantages of containing preservatives and stabilizers, which will help retain the quality of the dip, even during the freezing process.
You can readily freeze store-bought spinach dip if it’s packaged in plastic, and as long as you haven’t opened it, you can put the whole thing straight into the freezer.
If the spinach dip is sold in a jar or a bottle, or you’ve opened it, you’ll need to decant it into a container that will survive the freezer.
Consider using a freezer bag, as this will save some room in your freezer.
Make sure you don’t fill the bag or container to the brim, as you need to give the dip some room to expand as it freezes.
Let out as much air as you can from the bag before you seal it. Label it, and lay it flat in the freezer. Once it’s thawed, the easiest way to cook the dip is to bake it in the oven.
How To Defrost Spinach Dip
When you want to use the spinach dip, transfer the container straight into the fridge, and let it thaw overnight.
Don’t try to thaw it on the counter to make the defrosting process quicker, as this can lead to bacteria growing, and food poisoning.
When the dip has defrosted, you’ll probably notice the dip has become much thinner, or the dairy has separated from the rest of the dip.
Luckily, you can fix this problem. Simply add some heavy cream (see also How To Freeze Heavy Cream) and mix it in to reconstitute the dip, and it should turn smooth again.
How To Reheat Spinach Dip
There are a few ways to reheat spinach dip, and it just depends on your preferences and how much time you have.
You can reheat it in the oven, the microwave, or on the hob.
If you’re heating it in the microwave, put the dip into a microwave safe container, and cook it on high in increments of 10 seconds at a time, until it’s reheated.
To reheat the spinach dip in the oven, preheat the oven to 400°F, and put the oven into a small oven-safe dish. Let it bake for about 35 minutes or so, until it’s hot enough to serve.
Reheating spinach dip on the hob is very easy.
Simply transfer the dip into a suitable pan, and let it warm up slowly, turning up the heat gradually and stirring as you go, to avoid the dairy splitting. It’s ready when it’s piping hot.
Conclusion
Spinach dip is a perfect accompaniment to any dish, but freezing it can be tricky. If you freeze it properly and use it within a few months of freezing, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t.
