Cheesy Spinach Cob Loaf (Dip in a Bread Bowl)

You’ll be the star of any party by serving this cheesy spinach cob loaf (or creamy spinach dip in a bread bowl). It’s endlessly popular, easy to prep, and uses simple ingredients (plus, this version uses no mayo).

Cheesy Spinach Cob Loaf, at a Glance

⏰ Time: 40 minutes

🍽️Makes: 10 servings

🛒 Key Ingredients: Round or oval loaf of bread, spinach, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, sharp cheddar, mozzarella, garlic

🧠 Skill Level: Easy

👩‍🍳 Cooking Method: Stovetop, then oven-baked

🍳 Prep Ahead: Make the dip up to 3 days ahead of time and store in the fridge until you’re ready to fill the bread bowl, and bake.

💃 Perfect For: Easy entertaining, holiday appetizers, potlucks, a crowd-pleasing party food centerpiece.

The Kiwi Party Favorite That Delivers Every Time

There’s nothing quite like presenting creamy, bubbling, cheesy dip in a crispy bread bowl at a party. I don’t know why (well, I do really, it’s cheesy dip in a bread bowl) – but everyone gets very excited and starts to crowd around the table.

From what I’ve gathered from living overseas, a cheesy cob loaf (aka. any manner of dips in a bread bowl) seems to be a big Australian/New Zealand thing, so it joins the list of Aussie/Kiwi food that REALLY should be more popular all over the world (I’m looking at you mince and cheese pies..!)

Plus, it’s easy to prep ahead and a fab way to bring new life to stale bread – sourdough is brilliant, though I really recommend trying it with this no-knead rosemary parmesan bread.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Spinach. I’m using fresh spinach (I like baby spinach leaves), but you can absolutely use frozen spinach – either defrost it straight in the pan (pop a lid on to speed things up), or in the microwave first.
• Cream cheese. Low-fat cream cheese is fine here, and you could replace half of it with sour cream.
• Greek yogurt. I love the subtle tang this brings to the dip – it helps to cut through the richness of all the cheese. Make sure you use full-fat, thick Greek yogurt. Low-fat versions tend to split and curdle when they’re heated, which impacts the texture of the dip (it will taste great, but just look a bit grainy).
• Sour cream. This is optional, but it gives the dip an extra creamy layer.
• Cheese. I love the mix of mozzarella for the oozy stretch factor and sharp cheddar for flavor. Play around with the combination if you like – you could swap cheddar for gruyere, manchego, parmesan, blue cheese, or anything else with a good, strong flavor.

How to Make the Cheesy Cob Loaf

This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the cheesy loaf – the full recipe with ingredient quantities is at the bottom of the page for you.

1. Slice the top of your bread off.

1. Scoop out the middle to leave a deep cavity. Cut the scooped-out bread into little chunks, then arrange on a lined sheet pan tray and drizzle with olive oil.

1. Cook down your spinach with garlic, salt and chili flakes, until the spinach has wilted and the water has evaporated.

1. Add the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, sour cream if you’re using it, mozzarella, cheddar and lemon zest, and stir as the cheeses melt into the dip.

1. Transfer the dip into your bread bowl.

1. Scatter with more mozzarella and chili flakes.

1. Bake until gorgeously golden and bubbling.

1. Drizzle with sweet chili jam or hot honey sauce, then serve with the crispy bread pieces, crackers (I LOVE it with crunchy baked pita chips, sourdough dukkah crackers) or crudités.

Cheesy Spinach Cob Loaf FAQs

Can I make the cob loaf in advance?

You can make the spinach dip up to 3 days ahead of time, and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to fill your bread bowl and bake.

Could I use frozen spinach in the cheesy spinach dip?

Yes, you can. You can either add it straight into the pan and pop a lid on (this will defrost it by steaming it), or defrost it in the microwave first.

Just make sure the water evaporates as you’re cooking it on the stovetop (you don’t want a sad, watery dip).

Can I add anything else to the cheesy spinach dip?

I like to add about ½ cup of chopped artichoke hearts (from a jar) to turn this into a classic spinach and artichoke dip, or you could mix through homemade basil pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, chopped sundried tomatoes or speedy marinated olives.

If you’re not worried about this being vegetarian, cook bacon or diced chorizo in the pan first until super crispy, then remove from the pan and continue with the recipe, adding it back into the dip after you’ve mixed in the cheeses.

What’s the best way to take this cob loaf to a party?

If you’ll have oven access, I recommend taking the dip and hollowed out loaf separately, then assembling and baking the loaf when you arrive. You can also bake it just before you leave, cover it in foil, and then serve it as you arrive. It’s best when warm, when the cheese is lovely and gooey.

Watch How to Make the Cheesy Loaf

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @Zageer on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.

You’ll be the star of any party by serving this cheesy spinach cob loaf (or creamy spinach dip in a bread bowl). It’s endlessly popular, easy to prep, and uses simple ingredients (plus, this version uses no mayo). Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins

Servings: 10 servings

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

• 1 large round loaf of bread
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 teaspoons chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 350 g spinach leaves, chopped (12oz)
• 1 cup cream cheese
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• ½ cup sour cream, optional
• ½ cup mozzarella, grated
• ½ cup cheddar, grated
• 1 lemon, zested (optional)
• Black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sweet chilli jam

Method

1. Prepare your bread bowl.Heat your oven to 400℉ (200°C) fan. Slice the top of your loaf right off, then use your knife to cut into the middle and carve out a cavity in the middle of the bread.Don't throw away the bread you've cut out – slice both the top and the insides you've cut out into chunks. Transfer the hollowed-out loaf and the sliced bread scraps to a lined oven tray. Drizzle the bread scraps with a little olive oil.
2. Wilt the spinach.Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, then add your garlic, salt and 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes, and stir for a minute. Pile on the spinach (you might need to do this in stages, depending on the size of your pan), then stir it around the pan as it wilts down and the water is released.If you have a lid for your pan, you can pop it on to speed up the process. Keep stirring the wilted spinach for a couple of minutes, so the water can evaporate.
Excess water will mean a watery dip, so it's important to do this step.
3. Add the cheese.Add the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and sour cream if you're using it, and stir to mix them through the spinach. Add three-quarters of the grated mozzarella and all the grated cheddar, then stir as they melt into the dip. Finish with the lemon zest and a good grind of black pepper, then taste, and add a little more salt if it needs it.
4. Bake the dip.Spoon the dip into the hollowed-out cavity of your loaf, then scatter over the remaining mozzarella and chili flakes. Transfer the tray to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the bread is golden and crispy and the cheese is melted and bubbling.
5. Garnish and serve.Remove from the oven, then transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle the sweet chili jam on top of the hot dip, then arrange the crispy bread scraps all around it. Serve with more crackers and crudités for dipping, and enjoy right away while the dip is hot and gooey.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving
Calories: 356kcal
Carbohydrates: 43.3g
Protein: 13g
Fat: 15.7g
Saturated Fat: 7.7g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.5g
Monounsaturated Fat: 5.3g
Trans Fat: 0.4g
Cholesterol: 35mg
Sodium: 738mg
Potassium: 382mg
Fiber: 4.1g
Sugar: 6.9g
Vitamin A: 3915IU
Vitamin C: 11.4mg
Calcium: 250mg
Iron: 2.3mg

Notes

PREP AHEAD: You can make the dip itself 3 days ahead of time if you like, but wait until you’re ready to serve to pop it into the bread bowl and bake it. INGREDIENT NOTES: It’s important to use full-fat Greek yogurt here – the low-fat variety tends to split and curdle a bit when you heat them, which will make the texture of the dip a little off (it will still taste great though). SUBSTITUTIONS: Use frozen spinach if you like – defrost it either in the pan itself or in the microwave is fine. Low-fat cream cheese works well here. Play around with your cheeses – I like to mix something mild and stretchy (mozzarella) with something strong-flavoured (cheddar here), but you could use gruyere, blue cheese or manchego. OPTIONAL ADDITIONS: Try adding ½ cup of chopped (jarred) artichoke hearts for a classic spinach and artichoke dip, or mix through homemade basil pesto, sundried tomato pesto, chopped sundried tomatoes or marinated olives. If you’re not worried about keeping the dip vegetarian, cook some diced streaky bacon or chorizo in the pan first, then set it aside and add it back into the dip after you’ve mixed in the cheeses. SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I like to serve the dip with a big pile of crackers and crudites for dipping – crunchy homemade pita chips or sourdough dukkah crackers are great. LEFTOVERS? Scoop out the dip from the bread if there’s any leftover – you can tear up the bread and bake it into croutons. Try tossing the dip through pasta for a GORGEOUS pasta sauce, or use it as a spread on sandwiches.