This is the BEST vegan spinach artichoke dip! It's warm, creamy, cheesy, flavorful and the perfect crowd-pleasing appetizer. It's easy to make, ready in 30 minutes and gluten free.
Video Tutorial
Why we love this recipe
- Perfect crowd-pleasing appetizer for holidays, game day, or any other occasion!
- 100% vegan and gluten free, but tastes just like the original.
- Quick and easy to make: ready in about 30 minutes. You can also make ahead and bake just before serving.
- Off the charts good! This dip is seriously delicious. Approved by vegans and non-vegans alike!
Ingredients
Here are some of the key ingredients you'll need:
Ingredient Notes
- Shallots: you can also use yellow onion. We use shallot because you only need ½ cup here, which is about the size of 1 medium shallot (whereas an average onion is about 1 ½ cups).
- Artichokes: we use water-packed artichokes here. You could use marinated artichokes, but they tend to be more expensive and it doesn't change the flavor much.
- Spinach: spinach is classic, but we also love this recipe with kale (or a mix of both).
- Cashews: raw, unsalted cashews are best here. They're not meant to add much flavor – their primary purpose is to make a super creamy, rich sauce. To prep for the sauce, you'll need to soak the cashews in water to soften them up.
- Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy, savory flavor to this dip.
- Miso also adds a savory, umami flavor to this spinach artichoke dip. If you don't have any, you can leave it out, but it really packs a big flavor punch!
- Vegan parmesan: we typically use Follow Your Heart vegan parmesan, but there are several fantastic brands out there! You could also sub with vegan mozzarella-style cheese, or leave it out altogether.
Step-by-step instructions
Prep: Soak cashews in room temperature water for 2-3 hours (or super hot water for 15 minutes). Preheat oven to 375˚ F.
Heat oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallot (or onion) and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.
Remove half of the sautéed shallot mixture and set aside.
Add artichokes and spinach to pan and continue to sauté until greens are wilted - about 3-5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
Meanwhile, add soaked cashews, water, lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, miso, vegan parmesan, vegan cream cheese and reserved half of shallot/garlic mixture to a blender. Blend on high speed until completely smooth and creamy.
Pour cheese mixture into skillet with artichoke/spinach. Stir well to incorporate, then top with remaining 1 cup of vegan parmesan.
Bake for 10 minutes, until dip is hot and bubbly and cheese is melty.
Serve with toasted bread, pita, chips and/or fresh vegetables.
Expert Tips
- Don't skip the cashew soaking. I know it can seem like an unnecessary step, but soaking softens the cashew up so they blend into a perfectly smooth, creamy sauce. If they're not soft enough, you may end up with cashew pieces in the dip (definitely not what we're going for!).
- Short on time? In a pinch, you can soak cashews in super hot water for 15 minutes before using in this recipe.
- Storage: Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Reheating: if reheating the entire skillet, heat in a 350˚F oven until heated through (5-8 minutes). If reheating a small amount in a bowl, reheat in the microwave in 30 second intervals until heated through.
FAQs
-Toasted bread/baguette
-Pita or pita chips
-Tortilla chips
-Potato chips
-Sliced vegetables (carrots, cucumber, celery)
-By the spoonful (we won't tell 😉)
Yes! Make the entire dip ahead of time, but don't bake. Cover with foil or wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Continue by baking as usual (but note that it may need a few extra minutes in the oven since it was refrigerated).
Yes. Thaw the spinach ahead of time, then squeeze to remove excess moisture before adding to the recipe. *NOTE: if using frozen spinach, only use 6-8oz.
This particular recipe is meant to be served warm. It still tastes fine cold, but it thickens up as it cools, so it's not the best texture for dipping.
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Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This is the BEST vegan spinach artichoke dip! It's warm, creamy, cheesy, flavorful and the perfect crowd-pleasing appetizer. It's easy to make, ready in 30 minutes and gluten free.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup finely diced shallot or yellow onion
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 15 oz can artichokes, roughly chopped
- 4 cups spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews (soaked for 2-3 hours in room temp water or 15 mins in very hot water)
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 tsp white miso*
- 2 tbsp vegan parmesan style cheese + 1 cup for topping
- ⅔ cup vegan cream cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚ F.
- Heat oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallot (or onion) and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove half of the sautéed shallot mixture and set aside.
- Add artichokes and spinach to pan and continue to sauté until greens are wilted - about 3-5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
- Meanwhile, add soaked cashews, water, lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, miso, vegan parmesan, vegan cream cheese and reserved half of shallot/garlic mixture to a blender. Blend on high speed until completely smooth and creamy.
- Pour cheese mixture into skillet with artichoke/spinach. Stir well to incorporate, then top with remaining 1 cup of vegan parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes, until dip is hot and bubbly and cheese is melty.
- Serve with toasted bread, pita, chips and/or fresh vegetables.
Notes
Don't skip the cashew soaking. Soaking softens the cashew up so they blend into a perfectly smooth, creamy sauce. Short on time? In a pinch, you can soak cashews in super hot water for 15 minutes before using in this recipe.
Storage: Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheating: if reheating the entire skillet, heat in a 350˚F oven until heated through (5-8 minutes). If reheating a small amount in a bowl, reheat in the microwave in 30 second intervals until heated through.
Can you use frozen spinach? Yes. Thaw the spinach ahead of time, then squeeze to remove excess moisture before adding to the recipe. *NOTE: if using frozen spinach, only use 6-8oz.
Shallots: you can also use yellow onion. We use shallot because you only need ½ cup here, which is about the size of 1 medium shallot (whereas an average onion is about 1 ½ cups).
Artichokes: we use water-packed artichokes instead of marinated in this recipe.
*Miso: Miso adds a savory, umami flavor to this spinach artichoke dip. If you don't have any, you can leave it out, but it really packs a big flavor punch!
Nutrition: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. This information should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dips
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Large Side
- Calories: 295
- Sugar: 1.9 g
- Sodium: 868.8 mg
- Fat: 23.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.7 g
- Fiber: 4.2 g
- Protein: 5.9 g
Barb says
delicious for vegans and non vegans alike!
I made ahead (did not bake then) and baked for 30 minutes the next day and it was great. It worked well with my home-made vegan cashew parm as well.
I wondered if you would recommend freezing (pre-bake or post-bake)?
Frankie Klasfeld says
What can be used in place of the vegan cream cheese?
Lexi says
If you're not vegan, regular cream cheese works of course, but there's not really a great substitute otherwise. You could leave it out and make a little extra cashew mixture but it definitely wouldn't be quite the same