Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 15 mins

Total: 25 mins

Servings: 8 servings

Yield: 4 cup

Spinach artichoke dip is a luscious wonder nearly everyone loves. But if you're a plant-based eater, it's a no-go. There's the eggs in the mayo, the dairy in the cream cheese and sour cream, not to mention the gooey melted cheese we like to pile on top.

What if spinach artichoke dip could be made over for vegans? And what if it were filled with healthful, whole-food ingredients? We've swapped out the usual dip ingredients with plant-based options like soaked cashews and nutritional yeast, turning this delicious dip into a heart-healthy treat that tastes rich and creamy. Bonus: Because of the ingredient swaps, while it tastes great heated like the classic, it won't lose anything texture-wise if served cold. That makes it a viable grab-and-go snack to boot.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 1 cup baby spinach leaves

• 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for one hour in warm water to yield 2 1/4 cups

• 3 cups cooked artichoke hearts, quartered and drained if canned

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 cup milk

• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Steps to Make It

1. Gather your ingredients.

2. In a small sauce pot or pan over medium heat, add your olive oil. Once warmed, add the minced garlic and sauté for one minute, stirring frequently. Add the spinach and sauté for two minutes further, until spinach is fully wilted. Remove from heat.

3. Drain and rinse the cashews. Place the garlic/spinach mixture into a blender and add all remaining ingredients, from cashews to pepper. Blend on low until all ingredients are incorporated and mixture is fairly smooth, but still has large flecks of green from the spinach. This will take about 15 seconds in a high powered blender, or 45 in a standard one.

4. This can be served as is for a chilled dip. To serve it as a hot dip, preheat your oven to 400 F, pour the dip into a baking dish, and heat in the oven until gently bubbling, 12-15 minutes.

Tips

Cashews should be soaked in a bowl in three or more cups of warm water. If you're pressed for time, they can be soaked for 30 minutes in very hot water instead. Be sure to drain and rinse them well before adding them to the blender. Soaking nuts removes the antinutrient saponins from the skins; failure to rinse them well will lessen the improved digestibility that soaking provides.

If available, precooked fresh artichoke hearts are ideal. If unavailable, next-best would be frozen artichoke hearts, which can be thawed under running water. Canned artichoke hearts work just fine in a pinch. For any preparation, trim off any hard edges on top of the heart. If you can't easily tear it with your hands, it won't blend well.

Variations

• For a colorful roasted pepper artichoke dip, add 1/2 cup prepared roasted red bell peppers and blend with other ingredients.
• For additional cheesy flavor, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese to the blender. Or, if serving hot, sprinkle the cheese over the dip before placing it in the oven.
• To deepen the garlic flavor, squeeze 2 to 3 cloves roasted garlic from a roasted bulb, and blend with other ingredients.
• For a spicy dip, add 2 to 3 tablespoons pickled jalapeño slices, and omit black pepper. Jalapeño slices can be blended with other ingredients, or minced and sprinkled atop the dip.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	270
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g	23%
Saturated Fat 3g	17%
Cholesterol 3mg	1%
Sodium 393mg	17%
Total Carbohydrate 22g	8%
Dietary Fiber 6g	21%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 8mg	40%
Calcium 74mg	6%
Iron 3mg	16%
Potassium 510mg	11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.