I am not lying when I say that this Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip is ridiculously good and is always a HUGE crowd pleaser! It is perfectly creamy, deliciously rich and super easy to whip up.
Spinach artichoke dip reminds me of parties and uniting with friends. Whether it be the Super Bowl or holiday get together, there is really never a bad time to enjoy spinach artichoke dip! Growing up I was always eating the cheese-loaded versions, and while they were delicious, I always felt a big “blah” afterwards. It felt soo good going down but I almost always overate and regretted it!
This dairy-free version uses cashew cream instead of cheese for the base, packing in all of those healthy fats to keep it satisfying without it being too heavy. Trust me, this stuff is just freaking delicious!
Ingredients for Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
Cashews: The almighty ingredient for creaminess. The combination of cashews and water make give it the perfect consistency as a base! I have used both plant-based milk and water here, and I prefer it with water. If you use plant-based milk, make sure that it is non-sweetened
Onion and garlic: Yellow, red, and white onions all work for this spinach artichoke dip. We use half of a large onion or small onion for this recipe, about 3/4 -1 cup, chopped. I like using two large cloves of garlic in this recipe, but you could always add more if you are a garlic fan.
Nutritional Yeast: For cheesy flavor!
Spinach: I use 4 cups of packed spinach in the recipe, which is more than most recipes call for. I prefer using fresh spinach rather than frozen, simply because I find draining and pushing all of the water out of frozen spinach annoying and messy. However, you can use frozen spinach without a problem. Just be sure to defrost it and press all of the water out with a towel beforehand.
Artichokes: We use one can of plain, unmarinated artichoke hearts in this spinach artichoke dip. I have never tried it with marinated artichoke hearts. Please let me know in the comments if you use them in this recipe, I would like to know how it turns out!
White wine vinegar: This gives the dip a nice tang! If you don´t have any on hand, you could also use lemon juice.
Red chili flake: Just a small amount adds a nice flavor balance with the creamy cashews.
Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
To sauté
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 small onion, or 1/2 large (1-1/2 cup, minced)
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 cups raw unsalted cashews, soaked in hot water for 20min don´t have to soak if you have a Vitamix!
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp red chili flake
- 1/8 tsp black pepper (a few good cracks)
- 2 tbs white wine vinegar
- 3 cups fresh spinach, packed Can use baby spinach or larger spinach, as long as the hard stems are removed
- 1 can unmarinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped (14oz/400g) I like mine chunky so I do a rough chop, but you can also chop them more fine if you prefer
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C°/425 degrees F°
- Soak the cashews in hot water 15-20 min. Drain and rinse.
- To a high-speed blender, add the cashews, water, nutritional yeast, salt, red pepper flake, black pepper, and vinegar. Blend on high until creamy and there are no chunks of the cashews left. Taste the sauce, it should taste delicious! Add more vinegar if you want more tang or more salt if you prefer.
- Preheat oven to 425F. Heat oil in a large skillet and add the onion and a pinch of salt over medium-high heat, cook for a few minutes until it starts to turn translucent. Lower the heat to medium, add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the onion and garlic, spinach, and drained artichokes to the blender. PULSE, (don´t blend!) Until combined and chopped into smallish pieces.
- Add the mixture to a square or round baking dish (pie pan size) and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until warmed through and the top starts to brown.
- Enjoy with tortilla chips, pita bread, or toasted baguette slices! This Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip stays good in the fridge for 4-5 days and can be frozen for longer storage. When reheating after being frozen, allow to defrost completely and then either reheat in the oven or in a saucepan if you only have a small amount.
I would love to hear how you like this Spinach Artichoke Dip! Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Simply delicious! I didn’t have spinach at hand so I replaced it with chopped kale and it worked amazingly well!