Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip (vegan, dairy-free)
185 Comments
Updated Jan 25, 2023
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Spinach artichoke dip is an all time crowd-favorite appetizer. This healthier version mixes spinach, artichoke hearts, onions, garlic, mayonnaise and cashew cream, and then it’s baked til’ golden. It’s unbelievably delicious, highly addictive, and no one will know it’s dairy-free!
When you think of a classic spinach artichoke dip, you’re probably expecting a super cheesy type of dish. But what if I told you that you can create this same effect without dairy?
I whipped up this creamy and garlicky dip with none other than soaked cashews (to create a cashew cream) and my homemade mayonnaise. This combination melds together to form an irresistibly smooth and luscious texture – making it one tasty and timeless appetizer. And if you’ve made my Vegan Alfredo Sauce, you know that I love cashews as a replacement for cheese.
Spinach Artichoke Dip Ingredients
To prepare this dip, you’ll need just a handful of ingredients and about 15 minutes of time.
- Cashews – 1 cup of raw cashews soaked overnight
- Mayonnaise – 1 ¼ cup
- Water – ¼ cup
- Spinach– 16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed, and drained
- Artichoke Hearts – 13.5 oz artichoke hearts, chopped and drained
- Onions– ⅓ cup onions, finely chopped
- Garlic – 4 cloves, minced
- Salt and Pepper – ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper
These simple ingredients make this recipe dairy-free, paleo and Whole30 friendly. And if you use a vegan mayonnaise, it’s easily vegan friendly as well. Perfect for everyone!
Note: For those who can tolerate small amounts of dairy, I recommend adding goat cheese to this recipe. I love goat cheese as it’s more easily digestible. Just add 4 ounces to the recipe. It will add some of that cheesy flavor while keeping the overall recipe healthy.
Is Frozen Or Fresh Spinach Better?
When it comes to spinach in this recipe, you can either us frozen or fresh. I prefer frozen as it’s faster and easier.
- For frozen spinach – make sure to thaw completely, and then squeeze all the liquid out.
- For fresh spinach – steam it first, blanch in ice water, and then squeeze all the liquid out.
How To Make Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
In just 4 easy steps, you’ll have the ultimate spinach and artichoke dip. Here’s what you’ll need to do.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Blend the cashews, mayonnaise and water in a food processor for 1-2 minutes, until creamy.
- Stir the cashew mixture and remaining ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish and bake for 20 minutes.
The recipe makes about 4 cups of spinach artichoke dip, which is the perfect quantity for a party!
How To Serve This Dip
What’s a dip without its crunchy side kick? While there’s a few options, I highly recommend my herbed cassava tortilla chips for a savory combination.
But if you’re looking for something more refreshing, fresh cut veggies such as cucumber slices or celery sticks will be just as delicious.
Make Ahead and Reheat Later
Need to prep this the day before? No problem. Just cover and refrigerate the mixture overnight, then pop it into the oven for baking when you want it.
Also, if you find yourself with leftovers (which you probably won’t), you can freeze it and save for another day. This dip should last about 3-4 days if stored properly in the fridge in a tightly sealed container.
More Vegan Appetizer Dips
Need more than one dip that’s dairy-free? Here are a few more of my favorites:
- Best Ever Guacamole
- Pico De Gallo
- White Bean Dip
- The Best Hummus
- Cauliflower Hummus
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip (vegan, dairy-free)
Description
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
- 1 ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup water
- 16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 13.5 oz artichoke hearts, chopped and drained
- ⅓ cup onions, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
- Add the cashews, mayonnaise and water to a food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes, or until creamy.
- Use a spatula to transfer the cashew mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and stir together.
- Transfer the dip to an oven-proof dish and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips, cucumber slices or other vegetables.
Lisa's Tips
- If you tolerate some dairy, adding 4 ounces of soft goat cheese makes it super creamy and keeps it healthy!
- Make sure to squeeze out all liquid from the spinach and artichoke hearts, as you don't want it watery.
- I love the mini casserole dish you see pictured and it fits the quantity of this dip perfectly!
- If you want to make this vegan, make sure to use a vegan mayonnaise option.
- Serving size is about 1/4 cup.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally published February 2016, but updated to include new photos and information.
My son is allergic to cashews, what can I use as a substitute?
Delicious dip. You don’t have to be vegan to love this one. Thank you, Lisa
Hi Kathy – Happy to hear you love this dip!
The mayo is made with eggs so isn’t vegan. Did I miss something in the instructions that adjusts the recipe to make it vegan?
Hi Valerie – yes, in the recipe card tips I mention to use a vegan mayo alternative, to make it vegan. Enjoy!
Have made this several times and really enjoy!
Has anyone tried in a crockpot?
I have 2 vegetarian daughters which has made holiday cooking a challenge for me. I decided to give this recipe a try being very skeptical of the cashews instead of cheese. I was WRONG!!! Oh, my goodness, this came out creamy, tasty, and AWESOME! I also made homemade naan bread for dipping, and the two together were great!!!
Hi Ray – I’m so glad this spinach artichoke chicken dip worked out perfectly!
Absolutely loved this recipe and will make it again. I used frozen spinach and it turned out great as recommended!!! Love all the recipes keep them coming I always recommend them to patients as a clean source for comfort recipes as well as simple clean ingredients
I’m glad this spinach artichoke dip turned out great with frozen spinach!
Loved this. Isn’t quite the same as those loaded with Parmesan cheese, but so yummy and feels so much better on my tummy!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Just prepped this for Thanksgiving appetizer tomorrow and it is fabulous!!! I still have to bake it, but I am already counting the hours at the thought of eating it!!! Thank you Lisa!!!
You’re more than welcome, Susan! Happy Thanksgiving!
As an update-my husband and I just finished devouring over half of the dip as an appetizer!! He just said, you know, we could have finished the entire dish.’ He’s 100% right!!! Great recipe!! Thank you Lisa!!
PS I’m making our Turkey recipe for our dinner.
Haha, yeah, it really is easy to polish off this entire dip. Hope you enjoy the turkey as well!
How is this vegan if it contains eggs in the homemade mayonnaise? I do wish your website contained more vegan main dishes.
Hi Robin – there is a note above about using vegan mayo if you’re vegan. ;)
Excited to try this! I’m guessing the cashews should be unsalted?? Having a hard time finding unsalted but will keep looking!
Yes, it’s best to use unsalted!
Has anyone tried this in a bread bowl? I’m thinking of putting it into a hollowed out sourdough round and baking it in that but it’s for a get together and I don’t want to mess it up!
Your recipe shows to use 1/4 water. Is this just plain water or the water that the almonds were soaked in? I used more than 1/4 cup water to soak 1 cup of raw almonds so I am assuming youre to use plain water and NOT the water that the almonds soaked in.
I did make this once before and it was delicious but don’t recall what I did.
Thank you
The water mentioned in the ingredients is plain water that hasn’t been soaked with the cashews.
Can you use fresh spinach for this recipe? If I were to add nutrional yeast, how much would you suggest? Thank you!!
If you’re using fresh spinach, steam it first, blanch it in ice water, and then squeeze all the liquid out.
I have an egg allergy. Is there any substitute for mayonnaise you’d recommend? All the vegan mayonnaise has lemon, which I am also allergic to, so I was hoping for a more whole-food substitute. Appreciate any ideas.
Looking forward to making this for Christmas for a few family members with a dairy allergy. Would it be possible to make this the night before, and bake it day of?
Hi Lisa – Big fan of your recipes! Thank you! Question: I’d love to make this, but is it possible to sub out mayo for greek yogurt or maybe go 1/2 mayo, 1/2 greek yogurt?
That should be fine :)
So yummy! I love this!!!
Question, is there a substitute for cashews? My husband is allergic to cashews and almonds and was curious if you had a substitution idea? Thanks
Unfortunately, most other nuts don’t go as creamy as cashews when soaked. While I haven’t tried Brazil nuts, I wonder if they might work as well.
I have successfully made this recipe a few times by substituting vegan mozzarella cheese for the cashews and water. I know that totally changes the recipe, but it turned out great and everyone liked it!
Looks delicious! I’m planning on making this for Thanksgiving, we have a new family member who is vegan. I just want to warn some who might not know but mayo is not vegan, it includes egg. You can find vegan mayo at the store though. Thanks for the inspiration!
Do you think using roasted unsalted cashews instead of raw cashews would work?
That’s fine. It will just have a slightly roasted flavor from the cashews.
I’m vegan and made this recipe for a potluck-style birthday. I stumbled across this dish while trying to figure out an option that non-vegan friends could also enjoy. I intended to bring a little description card for the dip but forgot and all throughout the night people kept coming up to tell me how amazing the dip was and when I asked if they knew it was vegan they seemed shocked! I think it worked out that I didn’t bring the card because now I know that it was a hit for everyone.
Thanks for sharing that story Amber! I love to hear stuff like that. Sometimes people don’t realize how good simple, healthy food can taste!
Can i use cashew cream or milk. Instead of raw cashews? I don’t have a processor
Cashew milk will be a bit too thin for this dip. You can try blending the cashews in a blender, but gently pulsing instead of blending completely. Otherwise you will end up with cashew milk!
Hi,
I would like to say that I am very impressed with your website and all your recipes. I have done some of them and just love them. I have a bit of difficulties with the dairy recipes and the nuts. I wish I could do all your paleo recipes for banana bread, muffins and etc. but sadly I am allergic to all nuts. I can’t have dairy and I tried oat and coconut yogurts but I do not like them.
Again, congratulations for a well done job.
Diane
What can I use in place of mayonnaise that would be dairy (milk allergen), gluten and soy free?
I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and so thankful I found your site months ago when I started my new lifestyle with food. Now I’m just learning how to replace certain ingredients with those that I can have. I also bought a Vitamix and am a lover of hummus again!!! So easy to make!!
Hi Cassie – mayo isn’t dairy. :)
This recipe looks great! I want to make it soon! I am wondering can it be served cold or would that alter the flavors? Thanks!
Hi Audrey – I think it’s better served warm, but you could also serve chilled.
This recipe is not vegan. Mayonnaise has eggs in it.
It’s notated in the tips section to use a vegan mayonnaise if you’d like the recipe to be vegan.
Thank you for the recipe. Its really a good version of spinach artichoke dip. Instead of the cashew cream(which is good by the way) I used a can of white bean and I love garlic to I added powder also.I’m dairy free for a year now. Don’t really miss cheese to much but I would still love a little Parmesan in this dip.even though it doesn’t need it. I also, like dairy free version because it doesn’t make you feel heavy and bloated.I have tried several of recipes. All good and I watch on you tube.God Bless. :)
Thrilled to hear you enjoyed this healthy spinach artichoke dip Cindy!
This looks wonderful but how are you calling this “Vegan” right now? Your second ingredient is Mayonnaise and then you recommend adding goat cheese. Calling this dairy free is false advertising.
This can be completely vegan if you use a vegan mayonnaise.
There isn’t any dairy in this recipe….so I’m not quite sure why it would be false advertising?!? This recipe is by far the BEST vegan spinach artichoke dip we’ve made
Sometimes, traditional mayonnaise isn’t dairy-free. So it can depend on the type of mayonnaise used.
Traditional mayo is usually dairy free but includes eggs, which are obviously not vegan. However, it’s pretty easy to find vegan versions at the grocery store.
Amazing! So delicious! Everyone loved it and could not believe there was no dairy in it. We all agreed it was way better than the dairy version we used to use. It will now be my go to for appetizers. On another note, not only does it taste great but you feel good after you eat it and the next day. I did make a few changes because I found the recipe shortly before our get together so I did not have time to soak the cashews. I used 1/2 cup cashew butter and 1/2 cup water instead. I also added a jalapeno and extra garlic all to the food processor and then mixed in the spinach, artichoke, and chopped onions. So yummy!!!!
Happy to hear everyone enjoyed this dip so much! You can never go wrong with added garlic and jalapeno :)
This was amazing! I’ve been dairy free for a while now and finding recipes that are easy has been a struggle. But this was super simple which is always needed! Also the people who aren’t dairy free in my life didn’t even miss the cheese and didn’t know it was dairy free at first!
Happy to hear you find my recipes easy to follow along to, yet delicious Ashley!
Hey, I wanna try this, but I only have roasted cashews at home. Would that make a difference as opposed to using raw cashews in the recipe?
I don’t typically recommend roasted cashews as they can flavor the recipe.
Hi there! I am not vegan, looking for recipes because my nephew’s GF is vegan…doesn’t Mayo contain eggs? Is this recipe truly vegan? I don’t want to serve something as vegan that really isn’t, I’d feel terrible! Thanks for any guidance!
Hi Kate – For this recipe to be vegan, you can use a vegan mayo :) Otherwise, the rest of the recipe is good to go.
Let me start by saying that I am a full fat, heavy cream-in-my coffee type of girl and the Whole 30 by it’s very nature goes against everything I believe in. But I am now a convert. I’m on day 11 and decided to try this recipe as both my boyfriend and I like Spinach Artichoke dip and it’s not something I’ve ever made before. I am dairy and added-sugar free and cannot believe I haven’t caved. I thought I would hate this but I had hope. I wanted to hate this, because in doing so I could justify my anti-non dairy bias. But I did not. I loved it. My boyfriend liked it, but I really enjoyed it. What it lacks in cheese and gooey goodness it makes up for in flavor. It was creamy, thanks to the cashews. My intention was to have it as an appetizer before dinner. But we enjoyed it so much and were so full that we opted instead for a smoothie for dessert and called it a night. I served it with dehydrated veggie “chips” and it was yummy. Look forward to trying other recipes.
Happy to hear this turned out to be a recipe you loved Maddie! Excited to see what you make next :)
Omg, this recipe is soooo good! I added some vegan mozzarella cheese to it as well.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Ashley!
Wow, this dip is amazing! I added some nutritional yeast but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I will definitely make again!
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed this dip Elle :)
This was really good. Will make again
Glad you enjoyed this recipe Jean!
I am lactose intolerant so I was really excited to give this a try. I have tried vegan spinach artichoke dips before and this was not nearly as good. This recipe has a really strong mayonnaise taste so I didn’t enjoy.
Hi Jen – sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe. Hopefully you’ll like some of my other recipes better!
I can’t wait to try this recipe out for the Super Bowl! One question – have you experimented with adding any nutritional yeast or store-bought dairy free cheese? Just curious, as I’m eager to make the most out of what I have lying around my kitchen! Thanks!!
Hi Emily – Yes, you can certainly use either of those items in this recipe to give it that cheesy flavor as well. I use nutritional yeast in my vegan alfredo sauce recipe. :)
Hey! Just a couple things- your homemade mayonnaise recipe includes eggs, and this means the recipe isn’t vegan. But you can substitute veganaise or a vegan homemade mayonnaise :) also, goat cheese doesn’t contain the high levels of lactose that cows milk does, and is more homogenized… meaning it’s easier to digest and doesn’t instigate the symptoms of lactose intolerance as much. Sheep’s milk cheeses (like feta!) and Greek yogurt are even better options than goat cheese because they are almost completely lactose free :)
Do you have to use frozen spinach or can it be fresh?
Hi Vallari – you can use fresh and saute it down as well. I have a separate video on how to do that!
I love this dip, and I want to make it for a friend who is lactose intolerant but is allergic to cashews. Is there another dairy free base for this dip?
Hi Anna – unfortunately, I’ve only tried this with cashews as the base. Sorry!
I love all your food recipes
HI! Great recipes! Do you think this would work without artichoke? Maybe replace the artichoke with spinach? My husband wants a dairy-free spinach dip for Christmas, he doesn’t artichoke. Thanks for your help and recipes!!!
Hi Emily – yes, no problem on that swap! Enjoy!
This recipe is SO good that I constantly crave it and want to make it again and again. Lisa nailed the flavors of this recipe, it tastes exactly like indulgent restaurant dip that is not nearly as healthy!!! If you enjoy spinach artichoke dip, you absolutely need to make this recipe!
Thrilled to hear this spinach artichoke dip was a success :)