Description
This dairy free spinach artichoke dip is a super luscious (healthy!) version of this classic snack dip. Served warm, and made with raw cashews, artichokes, spinach, and a variety of whole food flavor boosters for a recipe that everyone will enjoy! Made without mayonnaise, cream cheese, sour cream, or store bought vegan cheese. Vegan, Whole30, lactose free, and paleo.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 1 cup water, plus more to soak cashews
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup shallots (from about 2 medium shallots), cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced into half moons
- 6 green onions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
- 1 14 ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
- 10 ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain extra liquid – about 3/4 cup
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Soak the cashews. In a medium sized heat proof bowl cover raw cashews with just boiled water. Allow to soak uncovered for 20-30 minutes or up to several hours – until pale and plump.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Caramelize the alliums. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add shallots and cook, stirring every 30 seconds or so, until tender and nicely caramelized – about 7-8 minutes. When the edges of the shallots start to darken add a tablespoon or two of water and scrape up any stuck-on bits to reincorporate them into the onions. Don’t worry about watering down the flavor – the liquid will evaporate as the shallots continue to cook. Repeat this step 3-4 times through the cooking process until shallots are meltingly tender and evenly golden brown. Add green onions and sauté another 3-4 minutes, until they have wilted and started to caramelize. Transfer onions to a bowl with chopped artichoke hearts and thawed and drained spinach.
- Make the cashew cream base. Drain cashews and add to a high speed blender with 1 cup water, lemon juice, coconut aminos, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and onion powder. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. When done it should be entirely smooth with no pieces of cashew remaining.
- Mix all ingredients together. Pour cashew mixture into the bowl with salt, pepper, onions, artichoke hearts, and spinach and stir to combine. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if desired.
- Bake and serve! Transfer dip to a small oven safe baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 18 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5-8 minutes, until warmed through and a slightly darker shade on the top. Do not over bake or the dip will dry out and lose its creamy consistency. Serve hot with crackers, chips, or cut veggies, and enjoy!
Notes
If you’re making this dip for a party and want to prep it ahead of time all you have to do is prepare it up until just before baking and store in the refrigerator either in the baking dish or in a sealed container. Before baking let it come back to room temperature or add an extra 5 minutes onto the baking time and proceed with the recipe as written.
This dip should keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in a sealed container.
To reheat: Either warm in the microwave or covered with foil at a low temperature in the oven (300-350 degrees F) for 5-10 minutes until heated through.
It an also be enjoyed cold, though it will have a thicker consistency straight out of the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven Baked
- Cuisine: American