Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

The best ever creamy, warm, hearty, baked spinach artichoke dip. This addictive artichoke dip is naturally vegan, paleo, and gluten free! This post is sponsored by Reese Specialty Foods. 

Warm, creamy, cheesy, and satisfying, baked spinach artichoke dip has always been one of my favorite comfort food appetizers. Spinach artichoke dip is traditionally made with a lot of dairy. Think sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, and Parmesan all mixed together. I prefer using nut based cream sauces over dairy sauces both in terms of taste and nutrition. Made with cashews as the base of the sauce, this irresistible baked spinach artichoke dip is vegan and paleo friendly. The whole food ingredients are simple and less processed, but the classic spinach artichoke dip flavor is all there.

If you follow my Instagram stories, you may have seen me unboxing an awesome package from Reese Specialty Foods. They sent me some of my family’s favorite ingredients: artichoke hearts, capers, horseradish, and hearts of palm. All of these ingredients are such a simple way to add delicious flavor to many different recipes. Reese has been a trusted name in gourmet cooking for nearly a century. A bunch of you messaged me on Instagram to tell me that you loved hearts of palm and were excited to see what I did with it. Though it’s an ingredient that I haven’t used much in the past, it was so much fun to step out of my comfort food zone and try it in new ways. I tested several ways of using it, but this spinach artichoke and hearts of palm dip was the clear winner.

You may be wondering, “What are hearts of palm, anyway?” My daughter calls hearts of palm “palm trees” and she’s not far off. Hearts of palm are the edible core of the stem of a particular type of palm tree. They are most often grown in South America and common in Brazilian cooking. One of the things I love about cooking is that I can take a little trip to anywhere in the world without ever leaving my kitchen. They’re a little bit crunchy, a little bit creamy, and remind me a lot of artichoke hearts. Hearts of palm are a delicious addition to salads, but are a versatile ingredient that can be used many ways. I’ve seen them used in everything from vegan “crab cakes” to ceviche. This vegan spinach artichoke dip recipe has to be my favorite use, however. The combination of the artichokes and hearts of palm creates the best hearty and comforting dip ever.

The bulk of the ingredients for this baked spinach artichoke dip are pretty straightforward: artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, and frozen spinach that has been thawed and well drained. The creamy sauce, however, is something special. I’ve raved about the magic that is cashew cream in the past. It’s what makes my favorite Broccoli Soup so rich and creamy. Cashew cream is simply raw cashews, soaked overnight and blended with water. Using raw cashews is important. Using roasted cashews will create a cashew cream that tastes nutty, rather than mild and creamy. To give our creamy sauce for this spinach artichoke dip that irresistible cheesy umami flavor, we need to add a little garlic powder, salt and pepper, and nutritional yeast. If you aren’t a fan of nutritional yeast, you can omit it, and if you absolutely love it, you can double the amount in this recipe. If you haven’t used this type of dairy-free cashew sauce before this may sound a little strange, but trust me when I tell you that it is absolutely delicious. There isn’t even the slightest hint of nuts in the finished dip, just delicious creaminess.

This is the best spinach artichoke dip I’ve had, and no one would ever know it’s dairy free. Yummy Hubby, who loves cheese, had no idea. After eating half the dish of my first test with this recipe, he said, “Uh oh, I’ve eaten half the dish!” He was glad to hear that this recipe is made with such wholesome ingredients that eating the whole batch is totally fine.

I love this spinach artichoke dip as a party appetizer, served with crostini, crackers, and veggies. But can I be honest? Just give me a fork.

If you’d like to stock your pantry with these ingredients, you can find deals on Ibotta. Click here to check them out!  Don’t miss the short video to see the step-by-step. You can also share the video to your timeline on Facebook here!

Continue to Content

Yield: Serves 6

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

Prep Time 8 hours

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 8 hours 25 minutes

A delicious warm spinach artichoke dip with hearts of palm and a creamy cashew based sauce. This wholesome dip is perfect for snacking or as part of a crudite platter.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/8 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (14 oz.) can Reese artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 1 (14 oz.) can Reese hearts of palm, drained and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/4 cup dairy-free mozzarella (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. To make the cashew cream sauce, drain and rinse the soaked cashews. Place the cashews into a blender or food processor. Add 1/2 cup of the fresh water and blend until smooth and creamy. Add the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt and pepper and blend again until very smooth and creamy. Add more water as needed to create a smooth sauce. Set aside.
3. Place the chopped artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, and spinach into a medium sized bowl. Pour the cashew cream over the top and stir in until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a small casserole or Au Gratin dish. I used an 8 1/2-inch oval baker. Top with mozzarella if using. Bake for 25 minutes, until the dip is very warm and the top is bubbly.
4. Serve with pita chips, crackers, sliced baguette, or veggies.

Notes

If you're in a hurry you can quick soak the cashews by pouring boiling water over them and leaving them covered for 2-3 hours. They should be soft and easy to break apart with your fingers.
*I do my best to calculate approximate nutrition information for my readers who like it. However, I can't guarantee accuracy as I'm not a nutritionist and I use a third party site. If your health depends on nutrition information, please use your favorite calculator to re-calculate. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 308Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 509mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gProtein: 14g