Vegan spinach artichoke dip is loaded with artichoke hearts and fresh spinach in a creamy cashew sauce.
That classic warm dip gets a revamp with this decadent dairy-free & gluten-free version.
If your go-to appetizer order back in the early 2000’s was spinach & artichoke dip, you’re going to be all over this baked vegan take on it.
It’s made with a base of cashews and carrots. But you’d never know it from the thick, rich, and indulgent body of this spread.
It’s the perfect counterpart to salty tortilla chips or toasted baguette for dunking.
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. Handfuls of fresh spinach finish out the dip.
One bite and it’s hard to stop. It ticks all of the pleasure sensors.
In this post:
Why readers love this recipe
“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
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.
Raw cashews: Raw cashews add creamy body to this dip. I recommend using raw cashew pieces, because they’re less expensive than the whole variety. Look for them with other nuts at the grocery store.
Carrots: Carrots are for color and nutrients.
Garlic & onion: Fragrant garlic and onion add bite and flavor.
Nutritional yeast: This inactive yeast adds cheesiness. Do not replace it with brewer’s yeast. Look for it in health markets or Trader Joe’s. It’s sometimes sold alongside alternative flours.
Granulated onion: I prefer the pop of flavor from granulated onion, but it can be replaced with onion powder.
White miso paste: This fermented soybean paste adds umami and salt. It’s often sold near tofu at the grocery store.
Baby spinach: Choose fresh spinach that isn’t wet or wilty.
Artichoke hearts: Use water-packed jarred or canned artichoke hearts. Simply drain & cut them into quarters.
Look for canned & jarred artichoke hearts in the Mediterranean section of the grocery store. They’re usually near the olives. I don’t recommend using oil-packed or fresh artichokes here.
Salt: A little salt brings the flavors to life.
Tortilla chips: Obviously you’ll need something to scoop up all of that delicious dip. Tortilla chips are also used as a crunchy topping.
Step by step instructions
This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Boil cut carrots in water until fork tender (about five minutes). Then drain.
Add the following to a blender:
- Soaked & drained raw cashews
- Cooked & drained carrots
- Water
- Garlic
- Nutritional yeast flakes
- Granulated onion
- Miso paste
- Salt
Blend until smooth.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cashew/carrot mixture with two big handfuls of baby spinach, quartered artichoke hearts, and diced onion.
Put the mixture into a 1-quart casserole dish & top with crushed tortilla chips.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Serve with tortilla chips or toasted crostini.
Storage instructions
Leftover dip will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
To reheat any leftovers, I tend to use the microwave. Note that the dip will continue to thicken in the refrigerator. So you’ll need to add a splash of water & stir before reheating. Then pop it in the microwave until warm.
After reheating, if it’s still too thick (especially around the edges), add another splash of water and stir until the sauce is smooth.
The leftovers aren’t going to be as pretty out of the microwave, but it will still taste great.
FAQ
Easily! For an oil-free option, simply leave off the crushed tortilla chip topping. Then serve it with your preferred oil-free dipping device.
No, this warm appetizer isn’t soy-free, because of the miso paste. The miso paste adds some cheesy, umami richness. However, it’s not a must. So if you need/want a soy-free option, just leave it out.
More artichoke recipes you’ll love
If you’re a fan of artichokes, you’re sure to enjoy these recipes:
- Fried artichoke hearts (air fryer recipe)
- Artichoke crostini with hummus & cashews
- Vegan crab cakes
- Vegan pesto pasta
- Israeli couscous salad
- Kalamata olive hummus
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Vegan spinach artichoke dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked in water for 2 hours or overnight
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- ⅔ cup water Plus extra for boiling carrots
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- ½ teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon white miso paste omit for a soy-free version
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 big handfuls baby spinach
- 1 cup quartered artichoke hearts about 8 hearts from a jar, drained
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped small
- Handful of 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. Then drain the carrots.
- In a blender, add the soaked and drained raw cashews, cooked and drained carrots, ⅔ cup water, garlic, nutritional yeast flakes, granulated onion, miso paste, and salt. 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 to 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
- Cover the raw cashews in boiling water for at least ten minutes (or as much time as you have). Pro tip: A microwave will work here!
- Grind dry raw cashews in a coffee grinder until they’re fine like a flour. Then add them to the blender and continue the recipe as written.
- If you have a high-speed blender, you can skip soaking the cashews. Although, you may want to add a splash more of water to help it blend easily, if necessary.
Nutrition
Content updated January 15, 2021. Originally posted September 2014.
Bianca Phillips
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
Awesome! I hope you love it, Bianca.
Janis Ware
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
Oh, I don’t blame you one bit. This dip is definitely eat-by-the-spoonful worthy. So glad you enjoyed it, Janis!
Becky Striepe
This looks so great! I love the addition of a crunchy topping.
Sarah
This looks great! Unfortunately, we have nut allergies in our house, any substitution suggestions for the cashews?
Cadry
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
Thank you for the suggestion! I’ll give it a try
caitlingu
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
Thanks, Caitlin! Let me know if you try it! If you’re an artichoke fan like me, you’re sure to enjoy it. 🙂
Claryn
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
Thanks, Claryn!
Jojo
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
Yes, you’ll have to give it a go! I think you’d like it!
acookinthemaking
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
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! 🙁
veganbabette
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
Oh, great! I hope you enjoy it if you decide to make it!
Joey
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
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!
Hannah
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 🙂
Emma
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
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!
ameyfm
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
Yes, that nacho dip is crazy good! I’ve made it several times. It may be my favorite recipe in that book.
Laura Black
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
Aren’t you sweet? Thanks, Laura!
Amanda
Pinning this! I also have a sweet spot for spinach artichoke dip. 🙂
Cadry
Spinach artichoke lovers unite! 😀
Liz
Must try this! I’d use some of the carrot cooking water in the dip, though. Thanks for sharing!
Cadry
Good idea, Liz!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
Oh man, this looks so so good! I might make it and eat is all myself : )
Cadry
That’s a danger! I have certainly come close! 🙂
Susmitha - Veganosaurus
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
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!
Becky
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
Thanks, Becky! What a sweet memory about your mom!
Caitlin
this looks so yummy, cadry!
Cadry
Thanks, Caitlin!