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If you ever went to a casual dining restaurant chain in the early 2000’s, chances are someone at your table ordered spinach & artichoke dip. Now I’ve revamped that old school classic for a warm & decadent vegan spinach artichoke dip you’re going to love!
No mayo here! The base is made with cashews and carrots. Vegan & gluten-free.
One of my favorite foods on the whole planet is artichoke hearts.
I like them steamed.
Grilled.
Dunked in vegan garlic butter.
Or dipped in eggless aioli.
But best of all, I like the jarred variety in all of their briny glory.
They take kalamata olive hummus up a notch. They give flair to Israeli couscous salad or artichoke crostini.
They dazzle as fried artichoke hearts. And they and add oomph to artichoke pesto pasta.
And if you’re really looking for comfort food, let’s talk about spinach and artichoke dip.
Vegan spinach artichoke dip
I was introduced to spinach and artichoke dip back in the late 90’s. I was immediately obsessed with the one from T.G.I. Friday’s.
In fact, I loved it so much that I wouldn’t order it as an appetizer for the table. I ordered it as my meal.
There are some things you just don’t want to share.
I loved the hot, indulgent dip, the occasional bite of artichoke, and the warm tortilla chips that added just the right amount of salt and crunch.
Somewhere along the line, long before I went vegetarian, I stopped going to T.G.I. Fridays. Other people must have stopped going too, because I don’t think there are any locations left in my state.
But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t still a little part of my heart that belongs to spinach & artichoke dip.
Over the years, I’ve seen many versions of vegan spinach artichoke dip. They often involve a vat of vegan cheese and scads of eggless mayo in equal parts.
I’d totally dip into that at a party. But it’s not the kind of thing I tend to make at home.
Then one night, I made the Life Affirming Warm Nacho Dip from The Oh She Glows Cookbook. (The recipe is fantastic by the way. Highly, highly recommended.)
It is made with a base of cashews and carrots. But you would never in your life believe that from taste alone. It’s thick and gooey in a way that seems impossible with carrots.
(Those carrots have been holding out on us all this time with their goody-goody health nut act.)
It occurred to me that with some changes, it could be a great starting point for vegan spinach artichoke dip.
If you are a spinach & artichoke dip lover like me, you must make this. This warm and cozy vegan spinach artichoke dip is pure comfort food.
It’s dense and velvety with generous chunks of artichokes. The base is smooth and cheesy by way of nutritional yeast flakes & white miso paste.
If you would prefer a soy-free version, just omit the miso paste. It gives some depth of flavor, but the dip is still delicious without it.
Handfuls of local spinach finish out the dip.
One bite and it’s hard to stop. It ticks all of the pleasure sensors. Serve it with chips at your next gathering.
Warm vegan spinach & artichoke dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked in water for 2 hours or overnight
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 2/3 cup water Plus extra for boiling carrots
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon white miso paste omit for a soy-free version
- 2 big handfuls baby spinach
- 1 cup quartered artichoke hearts about 8-10 hearts from a jar, drained
- 1/2 cup yellow onion chopped small
- Handful tortilla chips Plus extra for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Drain the cashews and set aside.
- Put carrots in a small pot, cover them in water, and bring the water to a boil. Cook for five minutes or until they are fork tender, and then drain the carrots.
- In a blender, add the soaked and drained raw cashews, cooked and drained carrots, garlic, nutritional yeast flakes, salt, onion granules, 2/3 cup water, and miso paste. Blend until completely smooth. (Add extra splashes of water, if necessary, for blending.)
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sauce from the blender, baby spinach, artichoke hearts, and onion.
- Transfer the mixture to a 1 quart casserole dish. Smooth the top. Crunch a handful of tortilla chips in your hands and cover the top of the dip.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake uncovered for 25 minutes.
- Serve immediately with tortilla chips for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
Here’s what one reader had to say about this vegan spinach artichoke dip:
“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Oh. My. Goodness. We are big fans of creamy artichoke dip in this house, and this recipe did not disappoint. We may or may not have just used a spoon and taken some bites directly out of the serving dish to finish out the little bit that was left. Yum!” – Janis
Originally posted September 2014. Content updated May 2019.
Caitlin says
this looks so yummy, cadry!
Cadry says
Thanks, Caitlin!
Becky says
Cadry, this looks so amazing! My mom used to make a super gooey artichoke dip when we were kids, and this looks like it has a similar rich, creamy texture. My sister and I would beg her to make a tray of the stuff basically constantly.
Cadry says
Thanks, Becky! What a sweet memory about your mom!
Susmitha - Veganosaurus says
OMG that dip looks and sounds soooooooo gooooood, Cadry!
I’ve never tasted artichoke dip but I’ve heard so many people rave about it. I haven’t seen fresh artichokes being sold here, so I’ll have to hunt for the pickled kind and try this dip out.
Cadry says
Thanks, Susmitha! The canned or jarred kind work better for this recipe anyway. It would be a lot more work to start from raw artichokes. I hope you enjoy it!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
Oh man, this looks so so good! I might make it and eat is all myself : )
Cadry says
That’s a danger! I have certainly come close! 🙂
Liz says
Must try this! I’d use some of the carrot cooking water in the dip, though. Thanks for sharing!
Cadry says
Good idea, Liz!
Amanda says
Pinning this! I also have a sweet spot for spinach artichoke dip. 🙂
Cadry says
Spinach artichoke lovers unite! 😀
Laura Black says
I’ve always loved spinach and artichoke dip. I never imagined a vegan version. I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for the creative genius!
Cadry says
Aren’t you sweet? Thanks, Laura!
ameyfm says
ooooooh! Genius! I love that Nacho Dip from Oh She Glows. One of my friends made it for a potluck and I just about ate the whole damned thing. What a great idea to use that recipe as an inspiration for your spinach and artichoke heart dip. Bookmarked!!!
Cadry says
Yes, that nacho dip is crazy good! I’ve made it several times. It may be my favorite recipe in that book.
Emma says
This looks so so delicious. I’ve actually never had spinach and artichoke dip. Maybe it’s an American thing? But I adore artichokes too and definitely want to try this recipe.
Cadry says
It might be an American thing. It was pretty omnipresent in the late 90’s/early 2000’s at chain restaurants. If you love artichokes, you should definitely try it out!
Hannah says
I can’t even get over the picture of you and the cat. As in the joke “Why do high school girls go to the bathroom together in odd numbers? Because they can’t even.” I seriously can’t even. I wish our cats would let us do this!
The dip also looks super delicious, and using cashews and carrots is so smart. But that picture is probably my favorite thing about this entire MoFo 🙂
Joey says
I have no knowledge of TGI Fridays and I don’t think I’ve been in one, but funnily enough I’ve still heard of this legendary dip, everyone seems to rave about. I’m still not sure about artichokes, but I think that so many people have praised the dip, I’m totally making it.
Cadry says
You’ll have to let me know if you try it! But if you’re not interested in artichokes, you could always make the original nacho dip. It’s stellar!
veganbabette says
I’m bookmarking this. I’ve never had artichoke dips, surprisingly, but I’ve always been tempted by the ones I see online. I even have cashews on hands. And I’m curious about those carrots.
Cadry says
Oh, great! I hope you enjoy it if you decide to make it!
acookinthemaking says
Ohhh that looks so amazing! I could definitely take that down as an entree all on my own…
P.S. – Boo spambots! They are the worst.
Cadry says
Yes, when I’ve made this dip, I’ve just kind of decided that’s my dinner for the night. And with a base of carrots, spinach, artichoke hearts, and onions, why not?
P.S. I agree! Spambots are the worst! 🙁
Jojo says
Oh yum, I’ve actually never had artichoke dip but it sounds super amazing and totally my kinda thing! I’ll have to try it sometime!
Cadry says
Yes, you’ll have to give it a go! I think you’d like it!
Claryn says
This is so inventive! I love that this recipe doesn’t rely on mayo or other processed stuff. Will definitely be giving this a try.
Cadry says
Thanks, Claryn!
caitlingu says
Oh my god, that looks AMAZING!! I love artichokes too. Somehow, I’ve never had spinach and artichoke dip but I think it’s time!
Cadry says
Thanks, Caitlin! Let me know if you try it! If you’re an artichoke fan like me, you’re sure to enjoy it. 🙂
Sarah says
This looks great! Unfortunately, we have nut allergies in our house, any substitution suggestions for the cashews?
Cadry says
I have never tried it, but I know some people use sunflower seeds instead of cashews in recipes. If the people in your household can handle seeds, it could be worth a shot. Isa from the PPK makes a mac and cheese with sunflower seeds that is very popular. Let me know if you try it and how it goes!
Sarah says
Thank you for the suggestion! I’ll give it a try
Becky Striepe says
This looks so great! I love the addition of a crunchy topping.
Janis Ware says
Oh. My. Goodness. We are big fans of creamy artichoke dip in this house, and this recipe did not disappoint. We may or may not have just used a spoon and taken some bites directly out of the serving dish to finish out the little bit that was left. Yum!
Cadry says
Oh, I don’t blame you one bit. This dip is definitely eat-by-the-spoonful worthy. So glad you enjoyed it, Janis!
Bianca Phillips says
YUMMMMM!! My fave local vegan restaurant has amazing spinach-artichoke dip! But it’s not as healthy as this one (mostly vegan mayo hahaha — good for a treat but not all the time). I’ll have to try this!
Cadry says
Awesome! I hope you love it, Bianca.