Use fresh spinach for this oven-baked dish. Some use chopped spinach or not. Cashews play the role of the handyman: they replace cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise at the same time. And to taste, crunchy fresh vegetables or any type of chips are essential to increase the pleasure of this healthy dip.
1¾ cupraw cashewssoaked for 5 mins, rinsed, and drained
2cupswateror more
2tablespoonslemon juice
½teaspoongarlic powder
½teaspoononion powder
¼teaspoonsalt
2tablespoonsfresh chivesor green onions, chopped
1tablespoonfresh basil(optional)
1tablespoonfresh dill(optional)
4cupsfresh spinach(about 5 oz)
114oz-canartichoke heartsdrained and coarsely chopped
3clovesgarlicfinely chopped
Saltto taste
Freshly ground black pepperto taste
1cupvegan Parmesan cheese(optional)
1cupvegan mozzarella cheese(optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Prepare the homemade cashew cream cheese: soak cashews in 2 cups in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain. Place all ingredients except herbs in the blender and blend until smooth. Stop occasionally to scrape down the edges with a rubber spatula. Add chives, basil, and dill, and pulse or mix with spatula.
Place spinach, artichoke hearts, and garlic in a large bowl, a 9x9 baking dish, or medium cast iron skillet. Transfer the dip to ingredients and stir until ingredients are well combined with the optional cheeses, the parmesan and half the mozzarella. Spread in an even layer.
Top with the rest of the optional vegan mozzarella and bake for 20 minutes. Then broil the top for 1-2 minutes until golden.
Serve warm, ideally on chips.
Placed in an airtight container, this Dairy-Free Spinach and Artichoke Dip will keep for up to 4-5 days.
Notes
Avoid frozen spinach: it works best when cooked on the stovetop. Fresh spinach has good moisture content and wilts perfectly in the dip without steaming first. Frozen spinach can be quite dull tasting, disintegrate when squeezing out excess water after thawing, and be very runny when baked.
The taste of garlic comes down to details: forget the minced garlic in a jar and mince the garlic instead! Otherwise, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder will provide the garlic flavor needed.
Wrong texture, weird twist: blend the cashews well, so you don't get a grainy composition. If the consistency of the dip is too thick, add a little water.
The order of the added ingredients matters: make sure to add the fresh spinach to the baking dish first, then all the other ingredients on top. This will help contain them better.
Variations
Make an easy spinach and artichoke dip (dairy-free, mayo-free, vegan)...
With macadamia nuts: replace cashews or make half and half.
With a cheesy taste: add nutritional yeast. with increased umami: add miso.
Au gratin: cover with grated vegan Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
Spicy: sprinkle with cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes or mix in hot sauce, Sriracha or Tabasco.
Low-FODMAP Spinach Artichoke Dip. Replace cashews with whipped coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk and garlic and onion with asafoetida.
Low-Fat Spinach Artichoke Dip. Use coconut cream again or oat milk thickened with tapioca starch (aka tapioca flour) or arrowroot (thickening agents).
Nut-Free Spinach Artichoke Dip. Swap out the cashews for seed milk, like sesame or sunflower milk thickened with a thickening ingredient mentioned above, soy-based vegetable mayonnaise, or silken tofu.