This vegan spinach artichoke dip recipe is ultra creamy. It creates the ultimate dairy free and gluten free appetizer! Made from a base of white beans, cashews and cauliflower this is a nutritious and incredibly tasty recipe.
Skill: Easy | Time: 45 min | Servings: 8
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Is Spinach Artichoke Dip Vegan?
Most spinach artichoke dip recipes are not vegan as they’re almost always made with dairy products. Luckily, there are many ways to create a creamy and delicious dip that’s dairy free.
You could find vegan alternatives to dairy products used in traditional recipes (ex. vegan cream cheese or sour cream). However, these can be expensive or hard to find for many people.
This recipe creates tasty nutrition from a base of blended white beans, cashews and cauliflower. Together, these form a creamy dip that’s perfect for mixing in your spinach and artichoke!
Ingredients and Substitutions for Dairy Free Spinach Artichoke Dip
This recipe uses basic ingredients that should be easy to find at most grocery stores. The combo of flavors creates a creamy dip that is hard to get enough of!
- Cauliflower: I love using cauliflower as the base for vegan cheese sauce alternatives; its white color works perfectly in this recipe. The cauliflower adds bulk, and once cooked, blends nicely to create a creamy base for this recipe. Some cauliflower taste comes through, so if you won’t like that, you could try peeled white potatoes instead.
- Onion: Onion adds such a great flavor to this dip. You can simply cook the onion until soft or caramelize it for even more rich and delicious flavor.
- Cashews: This nut is a great choice for adding creaminess and healthy fats to any recipe. I love using cashews in recipes that replicate dairy products as the fat content adds so much flavor. It’s also a softer nut meaning it blends well. You could also use blanched almonds or sunflower seeds in place of the cashews.
- Olive oil: For delicious richness and flavor, cook the onion in some olive oil. This added healthy fat helps create a delicious dip!
- White beans: Beans are a great ingredient to blend into creamy sauces or dips. They are higher in starch content which thickens the dip and improves its creamy texture. I use white beans to keep the color of the dip white but most canned beans should work.
- Artichoke: As one of the main ingredients, you’ll need a can of artichoke hearts. I always buy artichoke hearts that are canned in water. We’ll use some of this water in the recipe, so don’t discard it all.
- Spinach: Along with artichoke we need lots of spinach. I find it easiest to use frozen chopped spinach since this recipe would take a very large amount of fresh spinach. Thaw the spinach, then place into a mesh strainer to press out excess water.
- Plant-based milk: To blend everything nicely we’ll need some liquid, and a creamy plant-based milk is my top choice. I typically buy unsweetened soy milk, but any type of plant-based milk should work.
- Nutritional yeast: This magical ingredient makes any non-diary recipe taste cheesy!
- Garlic powder: For some delicious flavor, I find that garlic and onion powder help make this recipe taste more like a classic spinach artichoke dip.
- Old Bay seasoning: This seasoning salt blend adds lots of flavor. If you don’t have Old Bay on hand, or don’t like it, any seasoning salt should work instead.
- Salt: Aside from nutritional yeast, salt is also a key factor in making vegan recipes taste cheesy. Cheese, and cheesy dips, are always very high in salt content so if you want that classic flavor, you’ll need some extra salt.
- Black pepper: Ground black pepper rounds out the flavors in this dip nicely.
How to Make This Recipe: Instructions, Video Tutorial and Tips
This simple recipe involves cooking a few ingredients before blending them up into an ultra creamy dip. Add the chopped spinach and artichoke, stir together, then serve!
Step 1: Prep and Cook the Onion, Cauliflower and Cashews
To start, peel and dice the onion, then cut the cauliflower into small florets.
Warm some olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook until the onion begins to soften and turn translucent. If you like, you can keep cooking the onion until it’s caramelized!
Once you’ve cooked the onion to your liking, add cauliflower and cashews to your pan along with a measured cup of water.
Place a lid on the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes until the cauliflower is fork tender. This means that it’s easy to poke a fork through the cauliflower. Cooking time largely depends on the size of the florets, so ensure you cut them fairly small and make sure they’re cooked before blending.
Also, keep an eye on the amount of water in your pan while cooking. You may need to add extra water to ensure there’s always some in the pan to cook the cauliflower.
By adding cashews while cooking the cauliflower, it removes the need to pre-soak them. They’ll soften and blend well once cooked alongside the onions and cauliflower.
Once your cauliflower is cooked, remove the pan from heat and let it cool while you prep other ingredients.
Step 2: Prep the Artichoke and Spinach
Set up your blender or food processor. I recommend using a blender as it’ll create an ultra-creamy dip!
Open your can of artichoke hearts and remove 2 tbsp of the liquid from the can. Add this to the blender. Then, drain away the remaining liquid. Chop your artichoke hearts into small pieces and set aside.
Fully thaw your spinach (using a microwave if needed). Place the spinach into a mesh strainer and use a fork or spoon to press out as much excess liquid as possible.
If your spinach is already chopped, simply set it aside. If it’s not chopped, cut it into small pieces then set aside.
Step 3: Blend the Dip
Add the cooked and slightly cooled cauliflower, onion and cashew mix to your blender, along with any liquid left in the pan.
Add the remaining ingredients, excluding artichoke and spinach, to your blender. Next, drain and rinse a can of white beans and add them to the blender along with nutritional yeast, plant-based milk and other spices.
Blend this mixture until fully smooth.
Remove your dip from the blender, into a large bowl. Add chopped artichoke and drained spinach, then stir until everything is well combined.
How to Serve this Recipe: Create a Balanced Vegan Meal
I consider a balanced meal one that contains protein, carbohydrates, fats and vegetables (or fruits). Even though this is an appetizer recipe, it meets all those criteria!
There’s plant-based protein in white beans and cashews, with nutritious carbohydrates in the white beans too.
There are healthy fats in the cashews and olive oil, plus loads of veggies (cauliflower, onion, spinach and artichoke!).
This means you could serve this dip as a main meal if you want!
I like to serve this dip in a pumpernickel bread bowl! You can also serve it with any type of bread, cracker, pretzels or vegetables.
While you can serve this recipe hot or cold, I strongly prefer to serve it hot. If needed, you can reheat the finished dip in a microwave, a pot on the stove or bake in an oven. If baking it, coat the top with a drizzle of olive oil or some vegan cheese shreds first to keep the top from drying.
How to Store Leftovers: Refrigerating and Freezing this Recipe
Refrigerate leftover dip in an airtight container for up to a week. Serve cold or reheat in your microwave, a pot on the stove or in the oven.
I haven’t tested if you can freeze this dip. I suspect it’ll freeze and thaw without issue.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, please rate and comment below so others benefit from your experience.
More Tasty Vegan Appetizer Recipes
Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip (Dairy Free)
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Blender or food processor
- Large pan
- Can Opener
- Mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 1 C onion , diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 C cauliflower florets (about ½ a medium cauliflower)
- ½ C cashews
- 1 C water (or vegetable broth)
- 540 mL can white beans , drained and rinsed
- 398 mL can artichoke hearts , canned in water
- 2 tbsp artichoke water (liquid from the can)
- 150-300 g frozen chopped spinach , thawed
- ½ C plant-based milk , I use soy milk (unsweetened)
- ⅓ C nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- black pepper , to taste
Instructions
Step 1: Prep and Cook the Onion, Cauliflower and Cashews
- Warm some olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it softens and starts to caramelize. For added flavor, continue cooking the onion until fully caramelized (optional).
- Once you’ve cooked the onion to your liking, add cauliflower, cashews and water. Place a lid on your pan and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the cauliflower is fork tender (easy to poke a fork through). Keep an eye on the pan to ensure there’s always some water; add extra as needed).
- Once your cauliflower is cooked, turn the heat off and let the pan to cool with the lid off.
Step 2: Prep the Artichoke and Spinach
- Open your can of artichoke hearts and scoop 2 tbsp of liquid into the blender. Drain away remaining liquid. Chop the artichoke hearts into small pieces and set aside.
- Ensure your spinach is thawed when you put it into a mesh strainer and press out all excess liquid. If it’s not well chopped, chop it into small pieces and set aside.
Step 3: Blend the Dip
- Open a can of white beans, rinse them, then place into a blender or food processor.
- Place the cooled, cooked vegetable mixture to your blender.
- Add all remaining ingredients (everything except for the spinach and artichoke) to the blender: plant-based milk, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, Old bay, salt and pepper.
- Blend together until smooth and creamy. If using a food processor, it may not blend perfectly smooth. You may need additional liquid to blend the mixture – I recommend extra plant-based milk if needed.
- Once blended, remove the dip from your blender and place into a large bowl along with the chopped artichoke hearts and drained, chopped spinach. Stir until everything is well combined, breaking apart clumps of spinach as you go.
- This recipe can be served warm or cold (warm is my preference).
Vegan Sloppy Joes Recipe (with Lentil “Meat”)
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