Hi Vegetarian Carnivores! Today I am so excited to bring you my Super Bowl Game Day mega indulgent snack, aka my vegan spinach artichoke dip! This recipe has been a long time coming, as this traditional dip was a childhood favorite for as long as I can remember. I still daydream about BJ’s Restaurant’s version of this.
I knew I had to make a wholesome plant based version of it. And what better way to inaugurate this delicious recipe than on Game Day! I served it alongside the non vegan stuff and literally everyone was FLOORED when they found out there was no cheese! I literally had someone come to me and say “this is so good, I can literally taste the cheese wow.” And don’t worry – this recipe will be just as tasty even if you don’t have it on a game day 😉
The big secret
The trick to an amazing spinach artichoke dip is the base. The smoother and thicker the base, the better. For this recipe, I used a creamy homemade cashew base, with a few simple additions. To get a really creamy and smooth cashew blend, you are going to need to do one of two things.
1. You can soak your cashews in water for 4 hours or overnight.
2. If you are pressed for time, pour boiling water over the cashews and let it sit for half an hour.
Now, I highly recommend not skipping the soaking step because once the water gets into the cashews, they will swell and become much more workable in the blender. Or else you’ll end up with super grainy cheese sauce.
The spinach and the artichoke
Ah, two of my favorite foods in the world. These are two absolutely wholesome vegetables that have distinct flavors and textures. The creaminess of the cashew sauce is going to perfectly contrast the distinct chunks of spinach and artichoke in every single bite. And with the slight tang of lemon juice, it is nothing short of glorious.
Vegan cheese
I used Follow Your Heart’s vegan parmesan and Daiya’s vegan mozzarella shreds to supplement the cashew sauce in this recipe. You can feel free to leave them out if you have a hard time finding them in the store (Whole Foods is the only retailer that consistently has them, in my experience). But do use them if you can, because they add to the extra creaminess and nutty texture we all love from cheese.
Ok, so without further ado, vegan spinach artichoke dip!
Ingredients (for 10 servings)
- 1 1/2 cups raw unsalted cashews, soaked according to suggestions above and then drained
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 2 cups non dairy milk (I used Ripple)
- 1/2 packet Daiya vegan mozzarella shreds
- Vegan Parmesan, to sprinkle
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 pack store bought chopped frozen spinach
- 2 cans chopped artichokes, drained and rinsed, and roughly chopped
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a food processor, combine cashews, milk, and nutritional yeast and blend until completely smooth and creamy.
- In a saucepan on medium heat, saute garlic, onion, spinach, and artichokes until spinach completely cooks through.
- Pour cashew cream into saucepan and turn heat to medium high. Stir for 5 minutes until mixture bubbles.
- Mix in vegan mozzarella for extra creaminess and keep mixing until completely melted in.
- Taste and add salt as needed.
- Turn off heat and add lemon juice. Mix well.
- Pour mixture into an oven safe dish and sprinkle parmesan, if desired.
- Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, and broil at 525 degrees for an additional 5-7 minutes until parmesan begins to brown.
- Let dip cool slightly.
- Enjoy immediately! Or store for up to 4 days.
Results
This was hands down one of the BEST vegan cheese recipes I have ever created. I am super proud of it and excited to see all your renditions of it! Drop me a comment below or message me on social media with your wonderful pictures!
See you soon!
Janani <3 <3
Ever since I was a kid, I love to eat spinach after seeing the famous Popeye drawings. In addition to the high iron content, spinach helps me to maintain a healthy lifestyle and detoxify my body.
It is the first time I see a recipe for vegan spinach artichoke dip and for me a big advantage is that it is very easy to prepare and cook. Do you think that instead of vegan Parmesan I could use another vegan cheese that I already have?
Yes! Popeye was one of my inspirations to eat spinach too! I’m glad you like the recipe- and don’t worry if you don’t have vegan Parmesan… you can always use nutritional yeast to top it off or simply leave it out because the base sauce is so creamy on its own!
Now this is what I really love to cook and eat! Thanks so much, because I craved for both spinach and vegan cheese so much that I’m so happy this food is exist 🙂 A question here. I love it to be spicy. Is it alright if I add some chilly powder before the baking? Or should it added after everything is done? Thanks
That’s what I like to hear!! And absolutely- add in your chili flakes before you bake it off! The baking is the very last step in the recipe. Thanks for your support!
Artichoke dip is my kryptonite, I can just keep digging it is with chips all day long. Thanks for sharing the secret! Who would have know that the cashew will do the trick! Thanks for the quick cooking hacks lol sometimes I just want to eat it now lol I have to check out the grocery store near by id they have Daiya Mozzarella or not. I love the creamy dip so I have to get it. Thanks for the recipe. Will have to go to the store and get some ingredients first.
Cheers!
It’s my kryptonite too!! any vegan mozzarella will work great – Daiya, Violife, 365, etc.. And if you can’t find it, you can just leave it out because the cashew cream is creamy enough to be left alone!! I am just extra haha
This dip if made my mouth water, it is the perfect accompaniment for those days when there is a game of our favorite sport. Sometimes our minds cannot imagine the wonders that can be created in the kitchen, and I definitely I will not wait for the game season to begin to prepare this tasty dip.
Amazing!! You’re so right… the game is optional LOL