Warm vegan spinach & artichoke dip

Name: Warm vegan spinach & artichoke dip
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 1 cup raw cashews (soaked in water for 2 hours or overnight); 1 cup carrots (chopped); Water for boiling carrots + 2/3 cup water for sauce; 2 cloves garlic; 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon onion granules; 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 + extra for serving

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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! 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, give flair to Israeli couscous salad or artichoke crostini, dazzle as fried artichoke hearts, and add oomph to artichoke pesto pasta.

And if you’re really looking for comfort food, let’s talk about spinach and artichoke dip.

I was introduced to spinach and artichoke dip back in the late 90’s and 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. At one point in my life, I even had their frozen version stock-piled in my freezer for dip emergencies.

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.

Vegan 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.