Air Fryer Spinach Cottage Cheese Dip

This Spinach Cottage Cheese Dip is the perfect healthy spinach dip! It's packed with protein, full of flavour and takes only 10 minutes to make! It's the perfect addition to a balanced snack to please even the toughest critic!

The best high protein dip

If you know me you know I love a good snack. I also love a good spinach dip. The problem is despite how good it tastes traditional spinach dip can be so heavy I always feel gross after eating it. That's why I decided to make my own version. This cottage cheese spinach dip is the perfect snack for three reasons:

• Protein: By swapping the traditional cream cheese base with lower fat cottage cheese you get the perfect high protein dip!
• Veggies: This gluten free spinach dip uses a whole block of frozen spinach! So if you aren't a huge veggie lower, this is the perfect way to sneak in some added vegetables and nutrients into your diet.
• Flavour: No matter how nutritious a snack is if it doesn't taste good I won't eat it. That's why this dip is PACKED with flavourful herbs and spices. It's honestly so good you won't even know its healthy.

The best part? It's a spinach dip I can eat every single day.

What Ingredients do I need for spinach cottage cheese dip?

This spinach dip is SO easy and requires only a few ingredients (plus it's a gluten free spinach dip!). If you count the spices as one ingredient it's basically a 3 ingredient spinach dip, so it's a recipe you are going to want to make DAILY.

Cottage cheese: Choose a lower fat cottage cheese (I like using 0 or 2%) for the perfect protein packed base. Cottage cheese is having a moment on social media right now (and for good reason). It's the perfect lower cost, nutritious swap for cream cheese or mayonnaise to add to dips and dressings to add a little extra nutrition while keeping the same creaminess we all know and love.

Frozen spinach: You can't have spinach dip without spinach! For this cottage cheese dip I use frozen spinach. This is mainly for convenience but also to save money. I buy the frozen, chopped spinach blocks and use one block for each dip serving I make. You can definitely use fresh spinach as well, you will just need about 3 cups of spinach, chopped VERY finely.

Olive Oil: A little olive oil to help blend the cottage cheese to make it nice and smooth! Any neutral tasting oil will work here (avocado oil works great as well)!

Spices: Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and dried red pepper flakes are all you need to get the most flavourful cottage cheese spinach dip!

Red bell pepper: Optional! I like to add in some chopped red bell pepper, for more colour and more nutrients!

Cheese: The best part about spinach dip is the ooey-gooey cheese in my opinion. It's optional but highly recommended to top your spinach dip with some shredded cheese before baking ( parmesan or cheddar both work)!

Air fryer- This isn’t an ingredient but for this air fryer spinach dip you will need an air fryer! I personally love this one! However any air fryer will work!

How to make cottage cheese spinach dip

THREE steps. That's all it takes to get this high protein dip.

Step one: Blend your cottage cheese with the spices and olive oil. I don't recommend skipping this step as your cottage cheese won't have the same creamy, smooth texture! I use either my high-powered blender, food processor or magic bullet ( it really just depends on what's on the counter).

Step two: Mix in your spinach and red bell pepper using a spoon. If you are using frozen spinach, defrost your spinach first either by leaving it at room temperature or microwaving it for about 2 minutes. Once it is defrosted squeeze out the excess water using either a cheese cloth, paper towel or small strainer.

Step three: Add your spinach dip to a greased oven safe dish and top with shredded cheese. Air fry for about 5 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

** the dish will be HOT when you remove it from the air fryer so be sure to use oven mitts.

Serving suggestions: for a balanced snack pair this cottage cheese dip with pita, crackers or your favourite chopped veggies!

Can I make this gluten free spinach dip in the oven?

As with all of my air fryer recipes you can make this cottage cheese spinach dip in the oven! Although I always recommend using an air fryer if you have one (to save time and get that crispy cheesy top) an oven will work just fine.

I recommend baking your spinach dip in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and broiling for about 2 minutes prior to removing (this helps ensure the cheese is nice and bubbly)!

Other great high protein dip options:

If you love this cottage cheese dip as much as I do you need to try some of my other favourite high protein dips:

• cheesecake fruit dip
• herb and garlic cottage cheese dip
• chickpea veggie fritters with a creamy dill dressing

PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decide to make this spinach cottage cheese dip don't forget to tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment below!