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This creamy and flavorful Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip is a warm, baked appetizer that all your guests will love - not just the vegans! Made dairy-free using silken tofu and nutritional yeast, this recipe offers a vegan twist on the classic party favorite. This vegan dip is also nut-free and has an oil-free option. Perfect for parties, potlucks and of course, game day grub!
Back when I was young enough to stay up late, my friends and I had a tradition of going to Applebee's for their 10 pm half-price appetizers.
One of my favorite things to order was the spinach artichoke dip.
I just couldn't get enough of that creamy, cheesy, warm goodness.
Of course, now I don't eat dairy anymore so those days are over.
The fact that I'm exhausted by 10 pm doesn't help either. 😉
Anyway, I have definitely enjoyed my fair share of vegan spin-art dips since then.
But, most of them were mayo-based and let's just say I'm not one to stick to the serving size.
So, I made it my mission to create a vegan version that was just as tasty but that wasn't mayo-based.
I also decided not to include any store-bought vegan cheese.
So, what ingredients are in this vegan dip recipe?
So glad you asked! This recipe includes the following:
- Silken Tofu - it worked so nicely in my vegan quiche as well as in my oil-free vegan mayo and oil-free vegan ranch dip so I knew it would be right for the job
- Frozen Chopped Spinach
- Canned Artichoke Hearts
- Onion
- Garlic
- Olive Oil (for the oil-free option, Pinot Grigio takes place of the oil)
- Plant-Based Milk - this adds some more creaminess in addition to the tofu; be sure to use unsweetened
- Nutritional Yeast - this gives the dip its cheesy flavor
- Dijon Mustard
- Lemon Juice
- Dried Dill Weed
- Paprika
- Cayenne Pepper - it adds a little kick to the dip, but you can leave it out if you prefer
- Salt
How to Make This Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
Start by preheating your oven to 375° F.
Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat.
Add the onion, garlic, spinach and artichokes to the pan. Season with salt.
Saute until onion becomes translucent, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
For the oil free option, add the onion, garlic, spinach, artichokes and wine to a nonstick pan. Season with salt.
Turn the heat to medium-high and saute until onion is translucent and wine has dissipated, stirring frequently, about 6-8 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, add tofu, milk, nutritional yeast, mustard, lemon juice, dill weed, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt to the bowl of your food processor.
Blend on high speed until ingredients are well-incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed.
Add the veggies to the food processor.
Pulse a few times until the veggies are chopped, leaving some large chunks intact.
Spread the dip mixture into a casserole dish.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until dip is bubbly and top is beginning to turn golden brown.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Tips
- Spinach: Be sure that you thaw and drain the spinach thoroughly or it will add too much moisture to the dip. To thaw the spinach, you can place it in a microwave safe container and use the defrost feature on your microwave. Instead, you can place the spinach (in the package or in a covered dish) in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Alternatively, you can add the spinach to a mesh strainer and run warm water over it, breaking up any icy chunks with your hands during the process. To drain the excess water, place the spinach in a mesh strainer over a bowl or over the sink. Press down with a spatula or squeeze with your hands until the water is removed.
- Artichoke Hearts: Ensure you are using quartered artichoke hearts packed in water. You do not want to use seasoned or marinated artichoke hearts because this will change the flavor of the dip.
- Tofu: Be sure to drain the excess water from the tofu. To do so, place the block of tofu on a plate for 5-10 minutes. Then, carefully hold onto the tofu and tilt the plate over the sink to drain the water off the plate.
Serving Suggestions
This dip is perfect with tortilla chips or gluten-free crackers. It's also great with veggies such as carrots, celery, zucchini or broccoli. You can even serve it with some vegan, gluten-free bread.
For more vegan dips, check out these recipes next:
- Oil-Free Vegan Ranch Dip
- Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Easy Guacamole
- Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip
- Green Olive Hummus
Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil (For the oil-free option, use ¼ cup Pinot Grigio)
- ¼ cup chopped sweet onion
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess water thoroughly drained*
- 14 oz can of quartered artichoke hearts, drained (in water, not seasoned or marinated)
- ¾-1 tsp fine sea salt or kosher salt, divided (use total salt amount to taste preference)
- 1 (16 oz) block silken tofu, drained**
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 6 tbsp unsweetened plant-based milk (I used Oatly brand oat milk; for the oil-free option, ensure you are using an oil-free milk)
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried dill weed
- ½ tsp paprika
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, spinach and artichokes to the pan. Season with ½ teaspoon salt. Saute until onion becomes translucent, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. For the oil free option, add the onion, garlic, spinach, artichokes and wine to a nonstick pan. Season with salt. Turn the heat to medium-high and saute until onion is translucent and wine has dissipated, stirring frequently, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- While the veggie mixture is cooling, add tofu, nutritional yeast, plant-based milk, lemon juice, mustard, dill weed, paprika, cayenne pepper and the remaining salt to the bowl of your food processor. Blend on high speed until ingredients are well-incorporated, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add the veggies to the food processor. Pulse a few times until the veggies are chopped, leaving some large chunks intact.
- Spread the dip mixture into a 1.5-qt. - 2-qt. casserole dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes until dip is bubbly and top is beginning to turn golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
(Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs for this recipe)
Suggested Equipment/Tools
Notes
Nutrition
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