It’s here! Our go-to recipe for easy, vegan spinach and artichoke dip! Let’s do this!
This 10-ingredient recipe comes together quickly and easily with foolproof methods.
Inspired by our White Bean & Kale Artichoke Dip, we simplified things even more and removed vegan cream cheese as an ingredient, as it can be difficult to find for some and often contains processed soy (an ingredient many try to avoid).
The base is instead made of a simple puréed cashew cream seasoned with nutritional yeast, sautéed shallot and garlic, salt, and pepper.
We went for fresh spinach, but you can always use frozen if that’s what you have on hand (just be sure to thaw and squeeze out excess liquid before use). And once the spinach and artichokes are combined with the sauce, simply bake for a few minutes until bubbly and hot. Then serve. Swoon!
We hope you LOVE this dip! It’s:
Creamy
Cheesy
Vegetable-Packed
Savory
Comforting
Versatile
& So delicious
This would make the perfect dip to go alongside fresh vegetables, pita chips, baguette, or flatbread! Our favorite is tortilla chips – something about the crunchy/salty factor just works.
If you’re into dips, also check out our Creamy Hummus from Scratch, Roasted Jalapeño Hummus, Easy Muhammara Dip, Mediterranean Lentil Dip, and Cheesy Jalapeño Corn Dip!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Cheesy Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip
A vegan version of classic spinach and artichoke dip! Just 10 ingredients required, creamy, cheesy, packed with veggies, and SO delicious!
Ingredients
DIP
- 1 1/4 cups raw cashews
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (sub water if avoiding oil)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 3/4 cup chopped shallot
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk (or unsweetened rice milk)
- 5 Tbsp nutritional yeast (adds cheesy flavor)
- 1/2 tsp each sea salt and black pepper (plus more for spinach and artichokes)
- 4 cups loosely packed chopped fresh spinach (organic when possible)
- 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts (rinsed, drained, dried, and roughly chopped)
- 2 Tbsp vegan parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
FOR TOPPING / SERVING (optional)
- 2 Tbsp gluten-free vegan bread crumbs (we like Ian's brand)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flake
- Baguette, Pita Chips, or Vegetables
Instructions
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Soak cashews for 1 hour in very hot water (uncovered) or in cool water overnight. Then drain and set aside.
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In the meantime, heat a large oven-safe metal or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil, garlic, and shallot. Sauté for 1-2 minutes. Then lower heat to medium/low and sauté for 2-3 minutes more or until just golden brown and slightly caramelized. Set off the heat to cool.
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Once cashews are soaked and drained, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C). To a blender, add soaked and drained cashews, half of the sautéed garlic and shallot, almond milk, nutritional yeast, sea salt, and pepper and blend into a creamy purée, scraping down sides as needed.
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Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Dip should be cheesy in flavor and well salted, so consider adding more nutritional yeast for cheesiness or another pinch sea salt for saltiness. Set aside.
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Heat the skillet with the remaining shallot and garlic over medium-high heat and add spinach and chopped artichokes. Season with a pinch each salt and pepper and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, to wilt and soften spinach.
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Turn heat off and add all of the sauce. Stir to combine. Sprinkle the top with vegan parmesan cheese, bread crumbs (optional), and red pepper flake (optional).
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Bake for about 5-8 minutes or until the dip is hot enough to serve. Be careful not to over-bake or the cheese sauce can begin to dry out and lose its creamy texture. Serve hot with assorted vegetables, tortilla chips, crackers, or toasted baguette - tortilla chips being our favorite.
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Store leftover dip covered in the refrigerator up to 4-5 days. Reheat in an oven-safe dish at 350 degrees F (176 C) until warmed through (or in the microwave), adding more almond milk as needed if dip has dried out.
Notes
*As written, the recipe makes a total of approximately 4 1/4-cups artichoke dip.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional or serving ingredients.
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 17)
- Calories: 106
- Fat: 6.6g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Potassium: 327mg
- Carbohydrates: 9.1g
- Fiber: 2.9g
- Sugar: 1.5g
- Protein: 4.8g
- Vitamin A: 34.7%
- Vitamin C: 12.8%
- Calcium: 7.5%
- Iron: 9%
YES I’m so glad you removed vegan cream cheese from this recipe! I can find it in my area but I just hate the taste of it… prefer the taste of natural foods in most of my meals (like the cashews and nutritional yeast). Can’t wait to try this :)
Miyoko vegan cheese has a great cream cheese and butter.
We have an allergy to cashews. Could soaked raw almonds work instead?
I prefer the taste (and price) of almonds and usually use them instead!
Thank you! I’ll try it! Also wondering about garbanzo beans – chickpeas as a nut substitute? Maybe it’ll lose the creaminess factor though?
My son has allergy to just about all tree nuts, is there anything that I could substitute with?
Piggybacking on this comment! I would also love to know if there’s a nut substitute!
I haven’t made this recipe but I’ve made another vegan spinach and artichoke dip that required cashews. I’m allergic to all tree nuts and peanuts too. I used sunflower seeds instead and it was delicious! Looking forward to trying this recipe with sunflower seeds. I wonder if hemp seeds would work too? Never tried it. But they seem to have more of a “nuttier” flavor.
I’ve tried both Sunflower and Hemp subs and I vastly prefer the sunflower to hemp when trying to make something ‘cheesy’. The hemp tastes a bit floral? its hard to describe but not very kid palatable
To get the creamy factor I would suggest blending some steamed/boiled cauliflower. It gets REALLY creamy when blended at high speeds.
Thanks for sharing, Rachael! Such great info.
Daya ‘s jalapeno Harvati style cheese is …delicious ! my favorite…always in the fridge. take this from a French person !
Do you think the cashew base used here could be swapped for the vegan cream cheese used in your jalapeño corn dip recipe (and have a similar taste)? Thanks!
I suppose, but we haven’t tried using just cream cheese. Let us know if you do!
So excited this doesn’t use any cream cheese!! Simple ingredients I always have on hand…perfect!! :)
Omg I have to try this ASAP! I love spinach dip but am trying to cut dairy so this is perfect. Yummm thank you!
What else could I use instead of nutritional yeast? I avoid it as it is too acidic. I also read it supposedly is really bad as it ferments in digestion & produces toxins inside our bodies… sad!
Hmm, not sure about that. It is a key ingredient in the flavor. But you could just sub some miso paste and maybe up the garlic.
Miso paste. Thank you! Iam not a true vegan but I prefer most vegan recipes. However every time I see nutritional yeast as an ingredient, I walk away. I really don’t like the flavour. But now I know miso paste is an option I have a whole new world to explore. Thank you so much! One more step towards veganism.
Oh my word just made this!!!
It is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!!
I literally cannot get enough, the only change I made was I didn’t have red pepper flakes so I added a few drops of Chipotle Chohula sauce
Thanks, Kathy!
What is this ingredient? 5 Tbsp (adds cheesy flavor), the recipe doesn’t say? I’m thinking nutritional yeast but??
Yes, nutritional yeast!
Sooooooo good!
I added a bit of lemon juice (about a teaspoon)
Thanks for sharing!
Soooooo good!
I added a splash of lemon (about 1 tsp).
I will definitely repeat.
Thanks, Hadass!
HOLY CRAP. THIS WAS SO GOOD!!! I have to use all caps!!! In fact, it was so good that I just texted a picture of it to my mom, who doesn’t care about vegan cooking at all, just because i was so excited. She said, “Good! Eat the whole thing! You’re too skinny!” The only modification I made was that I only used 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast because I don’t care for the taste too much. But a small amount was perfect! Oh, I didn’t have shallots, but onions worked great. Thank you thank you! You’re a freaking chemist in the kitchen!
PS, I also didn’t have any vegan parm, but it is delicious anyway!
Thanks for sharing! Yay!!
It’s awesome! I used vegetable broth instead of oil. I didn’t have raw cashews, so I used roasted. I think it would be better with raw (less cashew taste) but it’s still yum!
Whoop! Thanks, Chana!
I just made this dip. It is amazing! My three granddaughters love it too. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Margaret!
We loved it! Eating whole foods like this instead of the original means you fill up faster and stay satisfied longer. My husband and I couldn’t eat dinner after having this on our picnic lunch! Such a delicious recipe, definitely a crowd pleaser! You must have been a dairy and meat eater because you’re able to get these recipes true to the original taste minus all the nasties! Thank you!!
Ha! Thanks for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed it, Carmella! xo
Is it possible to use frozen artichokes?
We haven’t tried but I think it should work! Let us know if you give it a go.
This was so good!! I halved the recipe for my family, and it was quickly devoured. I missed spin dip and this was perfect!
Yay! Glad to hear that, Emily!
This was absolutely delicious–but–although it was cream-colored after coming out of the oven, it turned grey after sitting in the fridge overnight! And not just a little grey, truly a dark grey-brown color. I’m not sure what I did wrong; maybe added too much black pepper? The taste and consistency was not affected, so it was still delicious, it just didn’t look appetizing. Kind of a bummer as this would be a perfect “company” dish. If I try it again, maybe I’ll switch to white pepper instead of black.
Hmm that is indeed very odd, Shannon. For a more vibrant color, I’d recommend adding more nutritional yeast and if you added quite a bit of extra pepper, that may have affected it as well.
Yes, this is vegan, and it’s amazing! Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip tastes like the traditional dish but so much better. Soy, dairy, oil, and gluten free!
This turned out great! I added about 1Tbsp more nutritional yeast and another 1/2 tsp salt. Will try adding some lemon juice next time, too. Overall delicious!
Whoop! Glad to hear it, Shannon!