This is the best vegan spinach artichoke dip you’ll ever taste and it’s loved by vegans and non-vegans alike! It’s loaded with spinach, artichoke hearts, garlic, and the creamiest sauce! This gluten-free and vegan artichoke dip is so easy to make and it’s ready in just 30 minutes!
*This recipe was originally posted on 7/11/16, but I updated it with better recipe instructions on 10/26/19.
I’ve always loved spinach dip– I mean who doesn’t? It’s the best dip!
Before I was vegan, I used to only get to enjoy spinach dip when we would go out for dinner and I would order it for an appetizer. It was definitely a treat food for me because the dairy version was loaded with butter, heavy cream, and cheese.
I’ve been on a mission to veganize all of our favorite dishes, and this vegan spinach and artichoke dip is our favorite so far! It’s better than the original version, it’s loaded with healthy plant-based ingredients, and it’s ready in 30 minutes!
This easy to make hot spinach artichoke dip recipe is, dare I say, even better than the dairy-based dip that I used to love. I can also tell you that this dip is loved by vegans and non-vegans alike! I always make this dip to bring to family gatherings, for our Halloween party, Thanksgiving feast and Christmas dinner, all of our friends and family love it!
What is Spinach Artichoke Dip Made of?
This healthy dip is made with a combination of raw cashews to make it creamy, nutritional yeast to make it taste cheesy, onions and garlic adds lots of flavor, and of course, loads of spinach and extra artichokes!
How to Make Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip – Step by Step Instructions
Step #1 – First, you’re going to make the simple cashew cream sauce. Start by boiling the raw cashews in water for 10 minutes and then carefully drain the water out and discard it.
Step #2 – Put the cashews, unsweetened coconut milk, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper into a high-powered blender. Blend on high until the cashew cream sauce is smooth and creamy (Photos 1 & 2). The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Step #3 – In a medium pan over medium heat, saute the diced onions in 2-3 tbsp of low-sodium vegetable broth until the onions are translucent. Add the chopped artichokes and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes (Photos 3 & 4).
Step #4 – Add the cashew cream sauce that you made, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, and nutritional yeast to the pan with the sauteed veggies and stir everything together (Photos 5 & 6).
Step #5 – Lastly, stir in the frozen spinach, mix it together, and let it cook until hot and bubbly. The mixture will continue to thicken as it cooks (Photos 7 & 8). You can eat it as is with chips or veggies or you can top it with vegan cheese and bake it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (Photo 9).
Is This Dip Gluten-Free?
Yes, this dip is gluten-free, it’s also vegan, dairy-free, vegetarian, oil-free, and WFPB.
What Goes With Spinach Dip?
You can enjoy this spinach dip with tortilla chips or with veggies, like carrot sticks, celery stalks, broccoli florets, or zucchini rounds. You can also use the dip to make vegan stuffed shells, vegan lasagna, mix it with pasta, or you could serve it over cauliflower steaks.
Can Artichoke Dip Be Frozen?
Yes, you can freeze the leftover vegan spinach dip. When you’re ready to eat it, put the frozen dip in the fridge for 24 hours to defrost. It will be a little watery when you first defrost it. Just give it a good stir to mix it up and the water will evaporate completely when you heat it up.
Notes & Substitutions
- I used frozen spinach because it’s convenient, but you can use fresh spinach too. You’ll need to use (2) 5 oz bags of fresh spinach and make sure to roughly chop it before you add it to the dip so it’s easier to eat. If you don’t chop the spinach, it will be big clumps of spinach when you try to scoop it.
- If you don’t want to use spinach, you could use thinly sliced kale instead.
- To keep this spinach and artichoke dip whole food plant-based, use jarred or canned artichokes in water, not oil. If you do use artichokes that were soaked in oil, try your best to drain as much of the oil as possible so the dip isn’t oily.
- You can substitute white wine vinegar for apple cider vinegar.
- If you can’t have cashews, you can substitute steamed cauliflower or cooked great northern beans. However, I will say that I think cashews are the best option to make a rich and creamy dip.
- If you want to make a cashew-free white bean vegan spinach artichoke dip, use this recipe.
- If you’d like to add some heat to this creamy dip, add a couple of slices of minced jalapenos to the dip to add a spicy kick.
- If you’d like to make a baked spinach dip, follow the instructions to make it and then you can pour the dip into an oven-safe dish, top it with vegan cheese (optional) and bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Success Tips
- Make sure to use raw cashews to make this dip so you can control the amount of salt that is in the spinach dip.
- Don’t skip boiling the raw cashews for 10 minutes prior to blending them because it helps the cashews to break down and boiling the nuts (or soaking for 2-3 hours) makes it easier for your body to digest.
- Do not use sweetened or vanilla-flavored plant milk, it will make the dip taste sweet instead of savory. My favorite plant milk to use is unsweetened coconut milk (from a carton), unsweetened cashew milk, or unsweetened almond milk.
- While you’re cooking the spinach dip, you may need to add more vegetable broth if it gets too dry. The dip should be very saucy and rich.
- Store the leftover spinach dip in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze it for a future snack.
More Vegan Spinach Recipes You’ll Love!
Creamy Spinach Artichoke Lentil Chickpea Soup
Pesto Spinach Quinoa Stuffed Tomatoes
Spicy Thai Spinach Sweet Potato Noodles
Vegan Grilled Cheese with Spinach & Zucchini
Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
Equipment
- High-Powered Blender
- Large Pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews (Boil for 10 minutes or soak for 2-3 hours)
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (or unsweetened cashew or almond milk)
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)
- 1 1/2 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2-3 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- (2) 14 oz cans artichoke hearts in water, rinsed, drained, and roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- (3) 10 oz bags frozen spinach
Instructions
- First, you're going to make the cashew cream sauce. Start by boiling the raw cashews in water for 10 minutes and then carefully drain the water out and discard it.
- Put the cashews, unsweetened coconut milk, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper into a high-powered blender. Blend on high until the cashew cream sauce is smooth and creamy. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- In a large pan over medium heat, saute the diced onions in 2-3 tbsp of low-sodium vegetable broth until the onions are translucent. Add the chopped artichokes and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cashew cream sauce that you made, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, and nutritional yeast to the pan with the sauteed veggies and stir everything together.
- Lastly, stir in the frozen spinach, mix it together, and let it cook for 10-15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. The mixture will continue to thicken as it cooks. You can eat the dip just like this with chips or veggies or you can top it with vegan cheese and bake it in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Notes
- Make sure to use raw cashews to make this dip so you can control the amount of salt that is in the spinach dip.
- Don't skip boiling the raw cashews for 10 minutes prior to blending them because it helps the cashews to break down and boiling the nuts (or soaking for 2-3 hours) makes it easier for your body to digest.
- Do not use sweetened or vanilla-flavored plant milk, it will make the dip taste sweet instead of savory. My favorite plant milk to use is unsweetened coconut milk (from a carton), unsweetened cashew milk, or unsweetened almond milk.
- While you're cooking the spinach dip, you may need to add more vegetable broth if it gets too dry. The dip should be very saucy and rich.
- Store the leftover vegan spinach artichoke dip in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze it for a future snack.
…. Follow up to my last comment. After making the dip I was spooning it out of the pot and into storage containers when I happened to notice something dark which I pulled out of the dip. It appeared to be part of an aphid! must have been in one of the cans of artichokes. I wish I had known that I should have been looking for those in the artichokes before cooking with them. I’m pretty grossed out and will probably throw away all of the dip now so that was a complete waste of my time and energy and ingredients 🙁
I’m so sorry that happened to you! I’ve never heard of that happening or thought to even look for aphids in a can of artichokes or I would have made a note of it to warn people. I guess it could really happen with any ingredients but I understand your frustration! I apologize and I hope you give the recipe a try again one day <3
Hardly your fault, is it! Thanks for the recipe, can’t wait to try x