Wow you are going to love this recipe so much! This is a vegan version of the classic warm artichoke and spinach dip. It’s so indulgent and creamy, you’d never guess it’s dairy-free, nut-free and full of healthy whole food ingredients! It’s also super quick and easy to make – no standing over a hot stove, just a bit of blending, mixing and popping it into the oven or air fryer. The perfect vegan and gluten-free appetizer to wow your guests with easy vegan cooking at its best!
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This creamy vegan spinach artichoke dip has become an all-time favourite in this household! It is super quick and easy and SO delicious and creamy. It's a real crowd pleaser - I have served it to so many non-vegan friends and none of them can believe that it’s dairy-free!
This recipe is based on one by the amazing Yotam Ottolenghi, whose recipes I absolutely adore. However, despite being utterly divine, they are often a little more effort than I have the time or the patience for!
When I first made Ottolenghi’s vegan spinach and artichoke with silken tofu, I fell completely in love with it but I knew that I needed to simplify it somehow otherwise, realistically, I would never make it again. I didn’t want to be spending time caramelizing onions and cooking various different parts of the recipe, just for a dip. So, this is the very much paired down recipe that takes seconds to make, requires no cooking, but honestly tastes just as good! (Sorry Yotam!)
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Utterly delicious, indulgent and creamy without any nuts or dairy!
- Healthy whole-food ingredients - no artificial ingredients like vegan cheese or dairy.
- High protein - the silken tofu makes this a high protein dip, great when you might not have enough tofu in the other courses of the meal.
- Very quick and easy to make – there’s no cooking over the stove required for this recipe, just blending and then baking in the oven!
- Vegan, dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free.
The particular combination of ingredients in this vegan spinach artichoke dip recipe give a really full flavoured creamy dip but please be aware that this is not your typical "cheesy" artichoke dip recipe. So, it doesn't have the usual plant-based cheese replacements like vegan cheese or vegan cream cheese or even nutritional yeast to give a cheesy flavour.
Also, the silken tofu provides so much thick creaminess that it doesn't need the other vegan dairy replacement ingredients like vegan sour cream, or even almond milk or cashew cream to provide that creaminess. This is wholesome goodness in a super creamy dip that tastes like it is anything but wholesome!
Main Ingredients & Substitutes
- Marinated Artichokes – artichokes are a real pain to prep so in all my artichoke recipes I use jars of marinated artichokes instead. That way you get all the delicious flavour of artichoke without all the hard work!
- Frozen Spinach – again, to save time and effort, I use frozen spinach which I always have to hand in my freezer. You could use fresh spinach if you have some, but you will need to wash it really well, drain it, wilt it quickly in a pan with a lid on, then chop it. I prefer using frozen spinach which I just put into a sieve, rinse briefly under a hot tap to defrost it slightly, then squeeze out excess water with my hands and chop briefly (or buy ready-chopped even!).
- Silken Tofu – this is the really soft tofu with a panna cotta type smooth texture. It’s a great ingredient to keep in your kitchen for adding creaminess and protein, and it is usually sold in shelf-stable tetrapak packs that you can keep in the cupboard. The amount needed is half of a normal pack. A great option for using up the other half is this delicious tofu scramble! If you don’t have any silken tofu, you could also use soft tofu but make sure to whizz it really well in the blender so it is totally smooth.
- Garlic – just one fresh garlic clove is needed here and you don’t need to mince it, just slice it roughly and pop it in the blender with the other ingredients.
- Capers – I use baby capers because I prefer the taste and they don’t have the bitter seeds in them. Make sure to buy the capers in brine or if you buy salted ones, you will need to wash off the salt first.
- White Miso Paste – You want the sweet white miso paste rather than the other types of miso as they would give a different flavour profile.
- Onion Powder – this does a great job of substituting the flavour of real caramelized onions. If you don’t have onion powder, you could substitute with dried onions. Or, if you have the time or the inclination, you could substitute with a chopped onion that has been lovingly sauteed over a low heat for half an hour.
- Fresh Lemon Juice – I have tried this recipe with apple cider vinegar but it doesn’t work quite as well so I think you really need the small amount of lemon juice in this dip to cut through the creaminess of the tofu and artichoke and give those light citrus notes.
- Gluten-Free Panko Breadcrumbs (Optional) – for the crunchy topping, I use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs seasoned with some dried herbs and garlic powder. It is not essential and the dip will still be good without the topping. It just adds a nice contrasting texture between the creamy inside and the crunchy topping. You could alternatively use dried onions sprinkled on top if you prefer (but sprinkle them on for the last couple of minutes of cooking instead, so that they don't burn).
Please see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full list of ingredients and their quantities.
How To Make This Recipe
This is so simple just requiring a tiny bit of chopping and blending, then leaving it in the oven to cook! There are two toppings that you can do for ultimate wow factor or leave them out if you don't have time!
Step 1 - Preparation
- Pre-heat the oven or air fryer to 200°C/400°F.
- Chop the marinated artichokes into small pieces and set aside.
- Defrost the frozen spinach by placing it into a fine mesh sieve and running under some hot water for a few seconds, then squeezing out any excess water with your hands. Chop the spinach (or buy ready-chopped) then set aside. (Tip: you can chop it while it is still semi-frozen!)
Step 2 - Blending
Whizz up the rest of the dip ingredients (not including the chopped spinach and artichoke) in a high-speed blender (or food processor) until smooth and creamy (you may need to scrape down the sides a few times).
Then add the artichokes and spinach and pulse a couple of times to stir it in. Pour the mixture into an oven-proof dish.
For the optional topping: mix the topping ingredients together and pour on top of the dip mixture.
Step 3 - Cooking
Place the dip into the oven or air fryer for 15 minutes at 200°C/400°F.
You can put a lid on (or some foil) for the first half of the cooking time and then remove the lid for the second half, so that it doesn’t brown too much but I find this isn't that necessary as I like it quite crunchy on top!
Meanwhile, for an extra optional topping (Ottolenghi style), cut a long red chili in half lengthways and remove the seeds, then slice half of it finely. Add to a small cup or bowl with some lemon juice and salt and leave to pickle while the dip is cooking. This is what Ottolenghi does with his dip and it is sensational! It adds a zingy spicy citrus flavour to cut through the creaminess of the filling.
Remove the dip from the oven and decorate with the pickled chili slices and some fresh coriander leaves. Serve with tortilla chips and a spoon!
This is a summary only. Please see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this page for full instructions.
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm with some tortilla chips or crudites like chopped red peppers, celery or carrot sticks. It helps to serve this creamy vegan dip with a spoon to break through the crunchy topping and to make sure each person gets a good dollop on their tortilla chip!
Note, this dip is quite substantial so it needs sturdy dippers like tortilla chips, pita chips or crackers rather than regular crisps (chips) which will just break with the weight of it!
As an alternative, this dip would also work really well as a quick creamy sauce for pasta!
Making Ahead & Storage
You can make this easy vegan spinach artichoke dip up to 3 days ahead of time and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge ready to bake in the oven or air fryer when you are ready for it. Do not add the panko breadcrumb mixture until you are ready to bake it otherwise it will go soggy. I usually make this dip in a le Creuset mini casserole pot I have so that I can take it from the fridge and put it straight into the oven.
I have also frozen this dip before when I made double the recipe and stored half of it for another day. It worked brilliantly. You just freeze it after blending (before cooking) then take it out of the freezer the day before you need it and defrost slowly in the fridge. Cook as normal for 15 minutes in the oven or air fryer.
Leftovers
I’m fairly certain you won’t have any leftovers of this dip but if by some miracle you do, it heats well again the next day for snacks or add it to your pasta or spread on toast with some vegan cheese sprinkled on top and grilled.
FAQs
Yes! Make it up to the point of blending and mixing in the chopped artichoke and spinach, then pour into a freezer-proof container and store (i.e. before cooking and without the toppings). It will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Then, take it out of the freezer the day before you want to serve it and leave it in the fridge to defrost. After it has defrosted just follow the recipe for cooking instructions.
No (unless you have an allergy to soy!). Soy foods like the tofu in this recipe, are made from soya beans which are a really healthy plant-based food. In the US they are often genetically modified which some people are wary of. To avoid this, just choose organic tofu and then you will know that it is not from GM crops.
📖 Recipe 📖
Quick Creamy Vegan Artichoke & Spinach Dip (Nut-Free)
Ingredients
Dip ingredients:
- 100 g marinated artichokes in oil
- 100 g frozen spinach
- 170 g silken tofu, drained
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, (or use the artichoke marinade oil)
- 1 tablespoon capers, (including brine)
- 1 tablespoon sweet white miso paste
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt & a grind of black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne powder
- 1 handful fresh coriander (cilantro), about 5g (stalks and leaves)(roughly chopped)
Panko Topping
- 2 tablespoon gluten-free panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Pickled Chilli (optional)
- ½ long red chilli, sliced
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preparation: - Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.- Chop the artichokes into small chunks and set aside.- Defrost the spinach by placing it in a fine mesh sieve and running under warm water for a few seconds. Squeeze it to remove as much liquid as possible, then chop fairly small.100 g marinated artichokes in oil, 100 g frozen spinach
- Add the rest of the dip ingredients (except the artichokes and spinach) into a blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy. (You may need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.)170 g silken tofu, 1 garlic clove, 1 tablespoon capers, 1 tablespoon sweet white miso paste, 2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt & a grind of black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne powder, 1 handful fresh coriander (cilantro), 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Stir in the chopped spinach and artichokes. Then pour the mixture into an ovenproof dish.(Optional) Mix together the panko topping ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle over the top of the dip.2 tablespoon gluten-free panko breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Put in the oven or air fryer for 15 minutes at 200°C / 400°F. (Put a lid or some foil on top if it starts to brown too much).
- (Optional) Meanwhile, de-seed and slice up the red chilli and mix in a bowl with the lemon juice and salt. Leave to pickle while the dip is cooking.½ long red chilli, ½ tablespoon lemon juice, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Serve with the pickled red chilli slices scattered on top of the dip and garnished with coriander leaves.
Notes
- The two toppings are completely optional to provide additional texture and flavour contrast (Ottolenghi style).
- This dip will keep for 3 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer. Just re-heat in the oven or air fryer when ready to use.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a ⭐ star rating ⭐ on the recipe card!
More Recipes
If you like this plant based artichoke and spinach dip recipe, you may like these other delicious vegan and gluten-free dip recipes too:
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The Happy Whisk (Ivy) says
OMG!!! I don't do dairy and I LOVE spinach and artichokes. This is perfect. Question for you. Awhile back I bought capers for the first time. Sadly, they smelled and tasted of nail polish remover. Why is that? I want to try a new brand - can't recall the brand I bought. Anyway, love this recipe. Looks like I have everything except the capers. Cheers, Ivy.
Camilla Sanderson says
Oh if you love spinach and artichokes and you miss the dairy version, you will LOVE this recipe, I'm sure! I used to love creamy food and was worried I'd miss it when I went vegan but there's nothing to miss! I quickly discovered it's so easy to make creamy food without dairy. This one is super creamy from the silken tofu and so yummy! As for your acetone-smelling capers, that's a new one to me! I don't think I'd eat them just in case - they're definitely not meant to smell like that! You can make the recipe without them anyway - just add a little more lemon instead. It has a slightly different flavour profile but will work too! Let me know once you've tried it! Camilla x