Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

Creamy vegan spinach artichoke dip is a crowd-pleasing appetizer or snack made with all-natural ingredients. All the cheesy and creamy goodness without any artificial vegan cheese substitutes. Shhh! Nobody will even know it’s vegan!

When it comes to game day get-togethers, dinner parties, potlucks, or holiday gatherings with the family, dips, and chips are always a crowd-pleasing easy vegan appetizer.

This is the best vegan spinach artichoke dip ever! It has all the creamy and cheesy decadence of a restaurant-style appetizer, but the best part is that it’s vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free!

This vegan spinach artichoke dip recipe uses all-natural ingredients. You won’t find any vegan cream cheese, sour cream, or mayonnaise here. Instead, a base of cashew cream sauce makes this a whole food plant-based version of an American classic.

💗 Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• It’s all-natural. No “fake” cheese here!
• Simple ingredients
• Healthier version of the original recipe
• Gluten-free
• Oil-Free
• Crowd-Pleaser
• Perfect for game day parties, holiday gatherings, or even as a filling for a sandwich at lunch.
• Even non-vegans are going to love this dip. Shhh! Don’t tell them it’s vegan. They won’t know the difference.
• A creamy dip without any cream or cheese!
• Serve with crackers, pita chips, pita bread, tortilla chips, sliced whole-grain baguette, celery, red peppers, and carrot sticks.
• Easy and quick to make in 30 minutes.

🥣 Ingredients and Notes

Scroll down to the recipe card for complete measurements.

Ingredients for the blender:

• Raw Cashews: Cashews are what give the vegan dip the right texture. Raw cashews can be expensive, but buying in bulk helps keep the cost down since we use them in so many recipes. I prefer raw cashews for this recipe since they have a neutral flavor.
• Light Coconut Milk: I use light coconut milk to keep the calories and fat down in this recipe. Using this also brings a nice creamy factor to the dip. If you don’t have coconut milk, feel free to use unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Using ACV helps give this dip a little extra depth and bite! If you don’t have ACV you can also use lemon juice.
• Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is what brings the cheesy flavor to this dip recipe.

Ingredients for the skillet:

• Vegetable Broth: You can use your own homemade vegetable broth or use a store-bought one.
• Yellow Onion: Onion brings a little extra fancy texture and flavor to the appetizer.
• Spices: I use 2 cloves of minced garlic, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and paprika to bring all the best spinach artichoke dip flavors.
• Artichokes: I prefer to use the delicate canned baby artichoke hearts. Make sure to drain all the excess liquid and roughly chop the artichokes.
• Fresh spinach: If in a pinch you can also use frozen spinach, just make sure to thaw and drain the excess water. However, I recommend fresh over frozen. Whichever you choose, make sure to roughly chop it up.

📋 Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Soak cashews in hot water for 10-15 minutes. Drain cashews. In a high-speed blender add the drained cashews, coconut milk (or other unsweetened dairy-free milk), apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, and salt and pepper. Blend until a smooth and creamy sauce forms.

Step 2: Sauté onion in ½ cup of vegetable stock in a skillet over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic. Sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

Step 3: Add cayenne, and paprika. Stir to coat spices in onion mixture.

Step 4: Add chopped artichokes to the skillet. Add roughly chopped fresh spinach. Stir until heated through.

Step 5: Pour cashew cream sauce over spinach and artichoke mixture. Stir to combine.

Step 6: Transfer the skillet to the oven. Broil for 5 minutes or until the top turns a golden brown. If your skillet is not oven-safe, then transfer to a baking dish. (Optional: Sprinkle top with nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes before broiling).

❓ FAQS

👩‍🍳 Serving Suggestions

You may choose to serve this vegan spinach artichoke dip directly in the skillet or transfer it to a serving dish.

Serve with thin slices of whole wheat baguette, tortilla chips, almond crackers, or celery and carrot sticks.

❄️ Storage

You can store this spinach artichoke vegan dip in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

This vegan dip is also freezer friendly and can be stored in a freezer-safe container and kept in the freezer for 2-3 months. When ready to enjoy it again, remove it from the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw before reheating.

To reheat your vegan spinach artichoke dip, toss it in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 375F, or until warmed through.

💭 Expert Tips

• I prefer to make the cashew cream sauce using a high-speed blender. This one is my favorite! It helps to fully blend the soaked cashews into the sauce to create a smooth and creamy texture.
• You’ll need a skillet to sauté the vegetables and combine the cream sauce and then bake in the oven.
• You can prep the dip ahead of time and store it covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to pop it in the oven to broil.

😋 More Vegan Appetizers