This spinach artichoke Christmas tree is such a fun and festive Christmas appetizer! Homemade pizza dough gets filled with the best spinach artichoke dip then baked into the perfect Christmas party appetizer! It’s easy to make, unique, and delicious!
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Easy Christmas Tree Appetizer
With all of the Christmas parties, you always need a handful of delicious Christmas appetizers up your sleeve to make. There are always the classic crockpot meatballs and baked brie, but I always think something super festive is fun to make too!
This spinach and artichoke Christmas tree appetizer is just that – festive and delicious! It combines our super popular baked spinach artichoke dip and our homemade pizza dough together in the shape of a Christmas tree, making it perfect for any holiday celebration!
And while it may look fancy, it’s actually super easy to make! You could even replace the homemade pizza dough with store-bought if you really want to make it simple!
Why You’ll Love This Christmas Tree Snack
- Festive – This appetizer looks almost as good as it tastes. Plus, it is really easy to assemble.
- Twist on a classic – skip the chips in favor of savory spinach dip wrapped perfectly in homemade dough.
- Feeds a crowd – this tree is bigger than it looks, making it the perfect appetizer for even the biggest of family gatherings.
Ingredients in This Spinach Artichoke Dip Tree
Ingredient Notes + Substitutions
- Fresh spinach – I highly recommend fresh to avoid the excess moisture that comes from frozen spinach, however if all you have is frozen – thaw it, wrap it in a towel and squeeze to remove extra moisture, and then add into the dip.
- Greek yogurt – you can use sour cream in a pinch, it’ll still provide the tanginess that balances out all the other flavors.
- Pizza dough – I love any excuse to make my homemade pizza dough. If you want to save time, you can use a canned or store-bought dough as well.
- Parmesan cheese – you can use either shredded or grated parmesan. I personally prefer grated because it mixes into everything better, but shredded works great too. I normally just use what I have on hand!
How to make a Spinach artichoke Dip tree
Making this tree is as easy as mixing the dip, layering the dough, and baking it to perfection. It looks way more complicated than it is.
This recipe is written assuming that you already have pizza dough ready to go. If you don’t, you’ll need to make (or buy) the pizza dough first.
1 – Make the spinach artichoke Dip
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Rough chop the spinach and toss it in a bowl. Chop the artichokes into small piece and toss them in a bowl with the spinach and mix together.
- Heat the cream cheese in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl until it is softened, about one minute.
- Add the yogurt, mayo, garlic powder, and shredded parmesan into the cream cheese and mix until combined.
- Combine the veggies and cream cheese mixture until well combine, then set this aside while you prep the tree.
2 – Prep the Christmas Tree Pizza Dough
- Take the pizza dough and divide it into two even halves.
- On a piece of parchment paper, gently roll or stretch the dough until it forms a triangle that fills a cookie sheet. You can do this on the counter, then transfer the parchment paper to a cookie sheet or just do it directly on a cookie sheet.
- Roll out the other piece of pizza dough on a piece of parchment paper, making another triangle shape (that mirrors the one you just made). Set it aside.
- Take the dip from earlier and spread it onto the first piece of dough in an even layer.
- Take the second triangle of dough and place it on top of the dip layer and pinch all of the outside seams together the best you can to seal the dip in.
- Cut 1-inch-thick strips on both sides of the triangle, leaving about an inch of uncut dough in the middle of the tree, so it looks like a tree trunk.
- Take each branch and twist it twice to create the tree look.
3 – Bake and Serve
- Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.
- While it is baking, melt the butter in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Once melted, add the remaining spices to the butter and mix until well combined.
- Once the tree is baked, remove it from the oven and brush it all over with butter mixture.
Serve immediately while warm! It’s best when warm (as most bread items are), but it’s also still delicious at room temperature. You can either cut the pieces off for people to grab and enjoy or let people grab them on their own! It’ll be tasty either way.
Make it Green!
Ready to take this festive tree to the next level? Simply add some green food coloring to the butter mixture and brush it on before you bake the dough. This will give the tree a green color, making it all the merrier.
How to make this ahead of time
The easiest way to save time is to make the dough and the spinach artichoke dip ahead of time so when you are ready to roll and bake, they are right there ready to go.
If you want to make the entire tree ahead of time, you can make it all the way up to the point where would bake it, then wrap it tightly in foil and refrigerate for up to four hours if you’re using fresh dough (so it doesn’t overproof), up to 48 hours if using store-bought canned dough.
When you are ready to make it, pull it out and let it sit at room temperature for half an hour before you bake it using the directions above.
Recipe FAQs
How do I keep the dip from leaking out?
There is going to be some leakage with this pull-apart tree. That is the nature of twisting it to look like a tree. The dip will bake partially into the dough, making it easier to pull apart.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
Save any leftovers in an airtight container then enjoy it again later by reheating it in the oven until warmed through. I personally like to put it on a baking sheet in a cold oven, turn the oven to 350 degrees, and let the leftovers heat up with the oven. This keeps it from getting overcooked!
Do I have to make my own dough?
Nope! You can use store-bought or canned dough. Since every dough is portioned differently, just make sure you have enough to make both triangles.
Storage Information and Helpful Tips
Keep it for later by placing it in an airtight container and storing it in the fridge for up to three days. Much longer, and the dough will start to get stale and soggy.
To get a triangle shape, start by stretching the dough into the general shape, then use a rolling pin when necessary to turn the rectangle into a point.
Serve with a knife, or something to easily cut the pieces off, so people don’t have to tear with their hands. Plus, they can use the knife to scoop up anything that escapes.
Spinach Artichoke Christmas Tree
Ingredients
- 1 can artichoke hearts drained and roughly chopped
- 2 cups fresh spinach roughly cut into halves
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ⅓ cup mayo
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 12 oz homemade pizza dough canned or store-bought works too
- 2 TBSP salted butter
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Rough chop the spinach and toss it in a bowl. Chop the artichokes into small piece and toss them in a bowl with the spinach and mix together.1 can artichoke hearts, 2 cups fresh spinach
- Heat the cream cheese in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl until it is softened, about one minute.8 oz cream cheese
- Add the yogurt, mayo, garlic powder, and shredded parmesan into the cream cheese and mix until combined.⅓ cup mayo, ¼ cup plain greek yogurt, ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- Combine the veggies and cream cheese mixture until well combine, then set this aside while you prep the tree.
- Divide the pizza dough into two equal halves.12 oz homemade pizza dough
- On a piece of parchment paper, roll half the pizza dough out into a triangle the length and width of a cookie sheet.
- Take the remaining dough and roll it into a similar sized triangle.
- Spread dip evenly onto the first pizza dough, leaving half an inch around the border.
- Add the other triangle over top of the dip, and pinch the seams together.
- Cut 1-inch-thick strips on both sides of the triangle, leaving about an inch of uncut dough in the middle of the tree, so it looks like a tree trunk.
- Take each branch and twist it twice to create the tree look
- Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.
- While it is baking, melt the butter in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Once melted, add the remaining spices to the butter and mix until well combined.2 TBSP salted butter, 1/2 tsp garlic salt, 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- Once the tree is baked, remove it from the oven and brush it all over with butter mixture.
- Serve warm!
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Info
More Festive Christmas Appetizers
If you like festive holiday appetizers like this one, try these Christmas appetizers next!
- Christmas pesto tree – a Christmas tree shaped pesto snack!
- Christmas tree cheese ball – a traditional cheese ball but in the shape of a tree!
- Ham and cheddar stuffed Christmas trees – a classic combo in a Christmas shape!
- Christmas cheese board – my go-to Christmas snack that’s festive and fun!
- Christmas charcuterie board – a wreath shaped snack board, perfect for parties!
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