30-Minute Vegan and Creamy Spinach + Artichoke Dip
Difficulty: 2/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 1/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8
The Challenge: Spinach + Artichoke Dip
Looking for the perfect dip for game day, tailgating, or around this holiday season?
Here it is. Our vegan + creamy spinach artichoke dip is 100% dairy-free and 100% vegan. This takes a delicious and heavily cheese + cream-based recipe, turns it into a vegan dish, and doesn't skip a beat.
Spinach + artichoke dip is typically a combination of fresh spinach, some canned artichoke hearts, cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, and a couple other ingredients. Heavy, heavy, heavy. The great thing about this dish is you lose all that heavy feeling and have something that isn't a belly bomb and is way more healthy for you. Check out the nutrition comparison.
At only 215 calories per serving, this dip doesn't add on to the belt but doesn't lose a lick in flavor. Plus, it has no cholesterol. Compare that to 240 calories, more fat, more cholesterol, and more saturated fat. The healthier choice for the old ticker is plant-based.
I typically make everything from scratch for my dishes, but for this recipe, I did use some store-bought products for the vegan cream cheese + sour cream. This is not an endorsement, but I find the Tofutti line to be quite good and was used in this product. Any vegan cream cheese or sour cream (or one you make yourself) will work.
Overall, this dish just kicks butt. It was frikin awesome and oh so good.
Let's get into it.
Spinach + Artichoke Dip
- 2 tbl olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup white onion, diced
- 6 cups fresh spinach
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 14 oz can of artichoke hearts, diced
- 8 oz vegan cream cheese
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbl lemon juice
- 4 oz vegan sour cream
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1 tbl nutrtional yeast
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
The Rest
- corn chips or pita chips
- crudite (perhaps)
Equipment You'll Need:
Cutting Board . Sharp Cutting Knife . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Medium Saucepan . Food Processor . Mixing Bowls . Spatula . Oven Pan . Serving Bowl
Before You Cook:
- Wash and cut all fresh ingredients
- Turn oven to broil (525F)
1. To start, put oil and garlic and onions in medium saucepan. Cook it down for a few minutes until starts to become translucent over medium heat.
2. While the onions and garlic are cooking, blend together in high-speed blender or food processor the cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt. This will act as a parmesan cheese.
3. Empty out the parm from your processor, add in the 1/2 cup cashews + 1/4 cup water. Turn on high, let it run for 60 seconds. Scrape down the sides, let it run for another 60 seconds. Do that until you have a very smooth texture. This is your liquid mozzarella.
4. Once your onion and garlic have cooked, start adding 2 cups of spinach to the pot at a time. Let it cook for about 30 seconds, then add another 2 cups. Once that is done, let the spinach cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the artichokes (make sure they are dry and don't have a lot of liquid on them). Cook for another 60 seconds.
5. Next, add the vegan cream cheese. Stir with a spatula to its melted and broken down. Then add in the vegan cashew-based mozzarella sauce you just made. Turn the heat to low, add in the sour cream and cashew-based parm you made. Cook on low for another 60 seconds. Transfer to a pan for the oven and broil for 6 minutes to brown the top.
6. Once the dip is pulled from the oven, transfer to a serving bowl and serve with chips or crudite. Enjoy!
