This Dairy Free Spinach Artichoke Dip is the EASIEST appetizer to make and absolutely delicious. All you need is one bowl, 10 minutes to prep, and 6 simple ingredients. Perfect for game days, hosting, and indulgent snacking.
If you like hot dairy free dips, you will also love my Creamy Vegan Buffalo Dip, and my Vegan Jalapeno Popper Dip.
If you know me, you know I LOVE a good creamy dip and this one is no different! It's rich, packed with cheesy flavor, and seriously addicting.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Made with simple ingredients. This vegan dip is made from just 6 main ingredients plus salt and black pepper. No nutritional yeast, cashew cream or nuts, or other unnecessary ingredients to achieve the perfect creamy texture.
- A delicious crowd pleaser. If you're looking for the best, easy vegan appetizers to serve for football games, parties, or holidays, look no further than this dairy-free spinach artichoke dip. Or if you're hoping to put out a spread, you may enjoy these Top 20 Vegan Dip Recipes. Or check out my favorite appetizer recipes for more inspiration.
- Great way to get your raw veggies in. Serve this hot, creamy dip with your favorite veggies such as carrot sticks, cauliflower florets, broccoli florets, celery sticks and red bell pepper. It's easy to get your veggies in when you've got a delicious appetizer to dip them in.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Vegan cream cheese - My favorite dairy-free cream cheese brands are Tofutti and Trader Joe's. Many people love Kite Hill as well if you can't find Tofutti or Trader Joe's cream cheese, but it is almond milk based and contains nuts.
- Vegan sour cream - My favorite non-dairy brand is Tofutti. It's much thicker than many alternative brands making it the perfect base for a thick, cheesy dip that rivals the dairy version.
- Artichokes - I used artichoke hearts marinated in oil - I love the additional flavor it adds. If desired, you can also make this vegan spinach artichoke dip recipe using canned artichoke hearts packed in water. This will create a more neutral flavored dip
- Spinach - My recommendation is to use frozen spinach. It's already been cooked down, is quick to defrost, and helps cut down on the required prep work. But if desired or necessary, you can make this vegan artichoke dip recipe using fresh baby spinach. To do so, cook the chopped spinach down in a dry, nonstick skillet. Once cooled, squeeze out the excess water and use as normal.
- Vegan parmesan cheese - If possible, I highly recommend purchasing a block of parmesan and shredding it yourself. It melts better and looks more appetizing - a plus when serving non vegans. However, when in a rush, pre-shredded parmesan cheese works well too!
Step by Step Instructions
- Prep the artichoke and spinach. Drain the marinated artichokes thoroughly, then chop into bite sized pieces. Thaw and drain the spinach, squeezing out any excess liquid. Here are 4 Spinach Defrosting Methods you may find useful.
- Mix the dip ingredients together. In a large mixing bowl with a spatula or an electric hand mixer. Alternatively, you can pulse these ingredients together in a food processor, but be careful not to overdo it. The dip should be fairly chunky!
- Transfer to the baking dish. Pour your spinach artichoke dip into a greased casserole dish and top with extra vegan parmesan cheese and optional breadcrumbs.
- Bake. Bake this spinach dip for 18-20 minutes. If using dairy free cheese, the cheese may not look completely melted, but the dip itself should be hot and bubbly!
- Serve. Serve this party appetizer hot with your favorite dippers.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
This delicious dip will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freezing is not recommended - dips that are made with cream cheese and sour cream (including dairy free) do not freeze well. Upon thawing, the texture changes and becomes separated and grainy.
Reheat leftovers in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl or in the oven. If baking, cover tightly with tin foil and heat until warmed through, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Time Saving Hacks
Prepare this spinach artichoke dip up to 12 hours in advance through recipe step 5. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and place unbaked in the refrigerator overnight. Then when ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature while you preheat the oven. Bake as usual.
Recipe FAQs
This will vary person to person, but you can't go wrong serving with tortilla chips, bagel chips or pita chips. These chips are savory, yet neutral in flavor and pair well with other dairy free dips, such as Everything Bagel Dip, Creamy Vegan Buffalo Dip, or Vegan Jalapeno Popper Dip (dairy free).
If you're looking for more dipper ideas outside of tortilla chips and pita chips, try veggie sticks, baguette slices or cubed bread, or pita bread.
Yes, you can make this dip in a high-speed blender, but it is important to not over blend. To avoid this, I'd recommend adding the vegan cream cheese, vegan sour cream, vegan parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper in first and blend until just combined. Then, add the artichoke hearts and spinach and pulse a couple of times to combine.
The most common cause of watery dip is not removing the excess water from the frozen spinach. It is important to squeeze out all of this excess water before adding it to your dip or it will water it down! It is also important to thoroughly drain the artichokes before using. The more dry, the better!
Tips for Success
- How to melt vegan cheese: If your vegan parmesan cheese is not melting well, you can broil this dip for the last 2-3 minutes. This will help the cheese melt much better as well as toast the breadcrumbs until nice and golden brown.
- Use gluten-free breadcrumbs, if desired. Without the bread crumbs, this dip is naturally gluten-free. However, if you want that crispy, crunchy top and are gluten-free, use gluten-free bread crumbs made from gluten-free bread. It will taste equally delicious and be just like the classic dip you know and love.
- Use leftover dip in mashed potatoes. It's the best, creamy addition I promise! Give it a try with my Quick Mashed Potatoes in Kitchenaid Mixer.
Related Recipes
If you make this recipe, I would absolutely love for you to leave a rating and review. I absolutely love connecting with you!
The Easiest Dairy Free Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese dairy free / vegan
- ½ cup parmesan, plus approx ¼ more for topping dairy free / vegan
- ½ cup sour cream dairy free / vegan
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 14 oz marinated artichoke hearts drained + chopped
- ½ cup frozen spinach thawed and drained
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ cup bread crumbs optional for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a medium sized casserole dish. I used a 2 ½ quart sized dish.
- Chop the marinated artichokes into bite sized pieces.
- Thaw and drain the spinach, squeezing out any excess liquid.
- Using a large mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. A kitchen aid mixer or hand mixer works well for this but is not necessary.
- Once it is fully mixed, pour it into the greased casserole dish and sprinkle extra parmesan cheese and optional bread crumbs on top.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes. The cheese on top may not look completely melted if it is dairy free, but the dip itself should be hot and melted.
- This dip with stay well in a closed container for up to 4 days in the refrigerated.
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