Meet Australia’s favourite dip!!! This Spinach French Onion Cob Dip is made using a French Onion Soup mix and is served in a cob bread loaf. It is unapologetically retro, gloriously unfashionable, breaks every real-food rule I preach, and is completely addictive!!
Spinach French Onion Cob Dip
This dip has been a fixture at Australian gatherings for decades, and when you take one bite you will understand why!! It is a French onion dip with spinach stirred through it that is famously served in a hollowed out cob loaf, a round crusty bread loaf that doubles as an edible serving bowl. Ripping into the dip-soaked bread at the end is the best part!!
And if you grew up in Australia, you already know that there is one sacred rule about this dip – it must, I repeat MUST, be made using a packet of French onion soup mix rather than caramelising onions yourself. Now is not the time to get snobby on me and insist you’re going to make it from scratch, Australia does not approve! Some things are perfect exactly as they are, and this Spinach French Onion Cobb Loaf Dip is one of them. 🥰
(PS Save onion caramelisation efforts for this Homemade French Onion Dip, it is truly worth every minute!)
Ingredients in Spinach French Onion Cob Dip
This dip is such a staple in Australian households there is a recipe on the back of the French Onion soup packet – 1 packet soup mix, 300g/10oz sour cream, 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 box frozen spinach. I personally find it too salty, the French onion flavour overpowering, and it’s too heavy on mayo-grease. My version uses half the mayonnaise and has a whole block of cream cheese for extra creaminess and a more balanced, less salty flavour.
French Onion Soup Powder (40g/1.4 oz) – You need one whole packet of French onion soup powder. Unlike my retro French Onion Soup Dip, salt-reduced won’t work here, you will find the dip under-seasoned. We need all the salt!
Cob bread loaf – This is a round crusty bread that’s sold here in Australia. I prefer a sourdough one because it’s sturdier, so the bread pieces don’t fall apart when dipped and the bowl itself is solid. Choose one on the smaller side, around 25cm/10″, so the dip fills the bowl right to the top. If you can only find a large one (some are mega!), make your bowl shallower. 🙂
⚡️Newsflash – it doesn’t have to be round! If you can’t find a round cob loaf, any bread loaf will be fine. A small to medium sourdough or pana di casa would be terrific.
⚡️Another newsflash! Bread doesn’t have to be present! You can even serve the dip in a regular bowl and pile crackers, chips, veggie sticks on the side. 🙂Frozen chopped spinach – You could sauté fresh baby spinach or English spinach instead, but I never have and probably never will, not for this dip!!
Mayonnaise – I recommend using whole egg mayonnaise which has a smoother flavour, less vinegary and less sweet than regular mayonnaise. I like S&W and Hellmans. Kewpie would also work.
Sour cream – The recipe calls for 300g / 10oz which is one of the standard size tubs we get here in Australia. If you have a 250g/8oz one, just top up with yogurt or more mayonnaise rather than getting a whole second tub just to use a bit. Substitute with a thick plain yogurt and an extra dollop or two of mayonnaise.
Cream cheese – This is not an ingredient listed in the back-of-packet recipe for Spinach French Onion Dip. But I like to use it because it gives the dip a lovely velvety, rich dip texture without using copious amounts of mayonnaise. If you don’t have it, you can substitute with an extra 1/2 cup each of mayonnaise and sour cream.
That’s it! No salt, no pepper, no fresh anything. How good is that! 😉
How to make Spinach French Onion Dip
I use a “make it now” method because I never seem to have the foresight to plan ahead to allow things to soften or thaw. But, if you are more organised than me, you can skip the microwaving steps. 🙂
1. The dip
Soften cream cheese – Put the cream cheese in a microwave-proof bowl and break it up roughly into 8 or so chunks using the wooden spoon you plan to mix the dip with. Microwave for 30 seconds on high, then mix until it’s smooth and quite loose, like sour cream.
Add the sour cream, mayonnaise and French Onion Soup powder, and give it a good mix.
Thaw and squeeze – Thaw the frozen spinach in the microwave – it takes me 1 1/2 minutes on high. Then grab handfuls and squeeze out excess water.
Mix in spinach – Add the spinach into the dip and mix. Dip, done! You culinary genius, you!! 🥳
3 hour rest – Put the bowl in the fridge for 3 hours (or even overnight) to let the flavours meld.
Pour the dip into the cob loaf bowl (below) and serve with the bread pieces on the side for dipping!
warm baked version
I usually serve this dip at room temperature, but there is something very cosy about serving it warm from the oven! I loosely wrap the dip filled bread with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Oil spray and salt the bread pieces, scatter around the unwrapped cob dip and bake for a further 15 minutes until the bread pieces are lightly browned. I’ve popped these directions in the recipe card too.
2. cutting the Cob loaf bowl
You can cut the bread bowl out using this method no matter what shape your bread is. You can even do this with individual bread rolls – imagine that! Your very own cob dip, all to yourself!! 🎉
Cob loaf bowl – Cut the lid off the cob bread (about 2.5cm / 1″). Use a bread knife for this, it’s easiest!
Cut circle – Cut a circle into the bread, leaving a 1.5 – 2cm edge and base (0.6 – 0.8″) . Take care not to cut all the way through the base.
Score the middle of the bread into 2.5cm / 1″ squares.
Pull the pieces out to create the bowl.
Cob loaf dip bowl, done! 🎉
Cut the lid into 2.5cm / 1″ pieces.
Ripping into that bread bowl!
I recommend adding some crackers or chips on the side too (or, I suppose, veggie sticks), because you’ll end up with more dip than the bread alone can handle . My favourite is plain crinkle cut potato chips. They go SO WELL with French Onion flavoured dips – try it once and you’ll be converted for life!
And don’t forget, while ordinarily you feel a sense of sadness as you see a bowl of dip nearing the end, with a cob loaf dip it’s actually cause for celebration. Because now you get to rip apart the dip-soaked bread bowl!! Frankly, some would argue this is the whole reason we made the dip in the first place – and I would find it difficult to disagree……🥰
There you go. A great Australian classic. Brilliant in its simplicity. Don’t overthink it. Just embrace the powder.
Hope you get a chance to try it! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Spinach French Onion Cob Dip
Ingredients
- 1 packet (40g/1.4oz) French onion soup mix powder, full salt (not low salt)
- 250g/8 oz cream cheese , full fat
- 300g/ 10oz sour cream , full fat (or 250g/8oz tub + top up with yogurt or extra mayo)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise , whole-egg or Kewpie
- 250g/8 oz frozen chopped spinach , thawed (I microwave), excess water squeezed out with hands (Note 1)
- 1 cob loaf (crusty round bread), preferably sourdough, or other shape loaf, about 25cm/10oz wide (Note 2)
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
- Warm cream cheese then mix well to soften. Mix in mayo, sour cream and soup, then spinach. Fridge 3 hours, serve in bread bowl!
FULL RECIPE:
- Soften cream cheese – Put the cream cheese in a microwave-proof bowl and use a wooden spoon to roughly break it up into 8 or so chunks. Microwave on high for ~30 seconds then mix well until it is soft and loose, like sour cream.
- Mix – Add the sour cream, mayonnaise and soup powder, mix well. Then stir in spinach.
- Fridge 3 hours – Refrigerate, covered, for 3 hours (or overnight) to let the flavours meld.
- Bread bowl – Using a bread knife, cut a lid off the bread (about 2.5cm/1" thick). Cut around the inside of the loaf, leaving a 2cm/0.8" border and base. Score the bread inside the ring into 2.5cm/1" squares, then pull the pieces out with your fingers to create a bread bowl.
- Serve – Take it out of the fridge 1 hour prior to serving to take the chill out and loosen (if needed, warm slightly in microwave). Give it a good mix, pour into the bowl and serve with the bread pieces on the side for dipping. I recommend providing extra dippers (crackers, chips – my favourite is crinkle cut plain potato chips) as there is more dip than bread!
Warm baked version
- Loosely wrap the dip filled bread with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Olive oil spray bread pieces and season with pinch of salt. Scatter around the unwrapped cob dip and bake for a further 15 minutes or until the bread pieces are lightly browned. Serve warm!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Jaffle
Dip. ✅ Outfit. ✅ We are World Cup ready – Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi oi oi!!
Those kiddie size hats were a great find because the sweat band idea I had in my head didn’t translate quite as well in real life….
Who knew golden retriever puppies had so much flappy skin on their face!!
Meanwhile, Dozer is up in the Big Sky Kitchen, sniggering, telling Jaffle I told you it was coming!!! 😂
He was really suffering from overheating in that kimono – so much polyester!! 😂
Love a good Cob Dip. Only thing I do differently is lightly toast the bread pieces. Yum.
Oh my goodness, that Jaffle post was so adorable and funny 😂 I’m sure Dozer is having a chuckle! We love your recipes and everything you and what you do, not to mention your doggos ❤️
Thank you for sharing your adorable photos of Jaffle and Dozer…they really tickled me 🐾🐾🐾🐾❤️❤️
Haha🤣
I needed that chuckle. What cuties – both of those boys.
The ladies at work have been making this for years anytime we have a birthday celebration. It’s so addictive, I tell them it’s my crack cocaine!
Jaffle what’s so funny? I really, really got a kick out of that sweatband on his head. Beautiful Dozer cannot get enough of looking at him. I was seeing him for years such a cutie😍
This is so timely for me. I have a party next week that is 70’s food theme. The party is in the afternoon but I have a medical appointment that morning. Should I keep it separate and put dip in when I arrive or will it survive being in a temperature cooler in the completed stage? I live in Texas so it will be pretty hot out
Keep the dip seperate from the bread bowl until you’re ready to serve. It stops the bread from going soggy.
My mom and her friends used to make a similar dip in the 90’s (in America). It was creamy with lots of pepper and bits of deli ham, baked inside a pumpernickle loaf. The recipe is lost!! If anyone knows it, please share!
Put ehat you wrote into Chat gpt:
That sounds very much like the classic 1980s–1990s American ham and cheese bread bowl dip that was often served baked in a hollowed-out pumpernickel loaf.
A likely version would have been:
Creamy Ham & Pepper Bread Bowl Dip
Ingredients
250 g cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1½–2 cups finely diced deli ham
1–2 cups shredded Swiss cheese or cheddar cheese
2–3 green onions, finely sliced
1–2 tsp coarse black pepper (many recipes used a generous amount)
Optional: 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Optional: pinch garlic powder
To serve
1 large round pumpernickel loaf
Method
Cut the top off the pumpernickel loaf and hollow out the centre, leaving a thick shell.
Tear the removed bread into bite-sized pieces for dipping.
Mix cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise until smooth.
Stir in ham, cheese, green onions, pepper and any optional seasonings.
Spoon mixture into the bread bowl.
Replace the lid loosely or leave open.
Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 25–35 minutes, until hot and bubbling.
Serve with the pumpernickel bread pieces.
Another Possibility
If it was extremely peppery and creamy, it may have been based on the famous Knorr Spinach Dip style recipes popular in the 90s, but with:
I didn’t think of doing that, thank you so much! Sounds about right, I’m going to try it!
Ash, that sounds amazing.
Before I look at the recipe I always went to Dozer first. Now I always go to Jaffle first. Love it the tradition continues .🩵
Blast from the past! Made something similar to this years ago but with vegetable soup mix and pumpernickel bread. Will definitely try this version
Jaffie looks adorable 🥰
I laughed SO much, at the pup pics today, I’m loving both the new pics of Jaffle and Dozer’s memories!
I can’t wait to try THE dip. I think everyone will love it!
Loved the photos ofJaffle, a good chuckle first thing in the morning. 😂
AS A RULE I don’t like to see animals dressed up in people clothes. But he couldn’t hear me laughing… wouldn’t want him to feel bad. Blessings J
Thanks for sharing. Love your sense of humor
Here in Canada I used to use “ KNORR” vegetable soup in a packet and also added a small can of (drained) chopped bamboo shoots- that’s going back 45+ years ago
( ouch)
Going to try this for sure, but come on now Nagi, you have to get behind our Socceroos! Only comes around once every four years after all. 😂😂
I have made the same dip for many years using a packet of Spring Vegetable soup instead of french onion soup and no cream cheese. It tastes just as awesome (not too salty either)
Looks delicious Nagi! Recipe is easy enough but I have to find French onion soup powder. We have onion soup mix in the U.S. Jaffle is simply adorable!! Love the green and yellow on him! 🥰
I used to make this a long time ago, and it was always a hit. I guess I’ll take it to Happy Hour next week. Thanks for the reminder, Nagi. I love Jaffles, is he from the same breeder as Dozer?
I love the funky music choices that accompany the videos.
Can you put the name of the track at the top of each video, please?
What do we do if we live in France and have no French onion soup powder?? Substitute idea please !
You could do a cheese and bacon Cob, there are a lot of recipes out there, Nagi has a jalapeño popper dip you can use in a cob loaf, hope that helps
try using spring vegetable soup mix
You can sub pretty much anything by entering DIY whatever-it-is into Google.
Hello Nagi ! All your readers seem to love this dish and this recipe : a total popular adhesion 👍!
Never tried it but I definitely will 😉!
Not a football fan (I confess I am unable of naming many names of our French team… oops !!), but I will find many other occasions to share this dip for sure !
Jaffle ´´Yes she did it, but… I love her !’´´.
Baby Jaffle, you’re such a cute cutie !! Irrésistible 😉!