Bound to be a hit at your next party, this Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip has all that creamy flavor without any dairy. This paleo, vegan and Whole30 friendly appetizer is simple to put together and nobody will know this isn’t the classic version.
Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip
Is there anything better than Spinach and Artichoke Dip? It is such a classic appetizer that everyone loves. We wanted to update it to make it a bit more healthy so we took all the flavors to create a nutrient-dense dip that is so creamy and delicious without any actual cream! We did leave an option to top it with cheese and broil it, but the dip itself is so flavorful it won’t be missed if you need to leave it off for a totally dairy-free dip.
This crowd favorite is perfect for parties, or for an appetizer for a night in. It’s simple to make, made with mostly pantry staples and can even be made ahead of time (no more than a day) and reheated.
Ingredients Needed
- Olive Oil
- Frozen Spinach
- Canned Artichokes
- Garlic
- Salt and Pepper
- Cashew Cream
- Cheddar Cheese (optional, omit for dairy-free)
How to Make Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip without Dairy
To make this dish free from any dairy, we turned to cashew cream. Cashew cream is simply soaked cashews that are blended until they are smooth and creamy. It’s a great replacement for heavy cream or in some recipes cream cheese. It can be used for both savory or sweet recipes! We’ve used in so many different dishes, and it’s our number one choice to replace dairy where it fits.
We left it optional to add a bit of cheese on top of the dish to get that traditional spinach and artichoke dip feel, but you won’t miss it too much if you omit it to make this dish totally dairy-free.
What to Serve with this Dip
Serve this dip with crackers (homemade or store-bought), tortilla chips, and cut up veggies.
If you like this healthy dip recipe, check out these others:
- Roasted Eggplant Dip
- 7 Layer Taco Dip
- Jalapeño Popper Dip (Options for Dairy and Dairy-Free)
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Hummus Dip
If you like this spinach and artichoke recipe, check out these others:
- Spinach and Artichoke Spaghetti Squash
- Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Chicken
- Spinach Dip Stuffed Mushrooms
- Healthy Creamed Spinach (Made Without Cream!)
Healthy Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1-15 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained
- 5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
- 1/4 cup cashew cream
- ½ cup cheddar cheese, optional (omit for dairy-free)
Directions
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Once hot, add onion and garlic and cook until softened about 7 minutes.
- Add in salt, black pepper, pepper flakes, artichokes and spinach and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in cashew cream.
- Transfer mixture to a food processor or a high-speed blender and pulse until coarsely chopped.
- Taste and adjust spices and salt as desired
- If adding cheese, transfer dip to a oven-safe baking dish, layer with cheese and broil until cheese begins to bubble.
- Serve hot with crackers, tortilla chips and vegetable crudité.
Recipe Notes
- To make cashew cream, check out this post.
- This dip can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Reheat in an oven safe dish, covered, at 350 degrees until warmed through.
- This recipe was originally published in 2015, and rephotographed and republished in 2019.
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22 comments on “Healthy Spinach & Artichoke Dip”
Spinach and Artichoke is basically a Game Day Staple. And then you went and made it healthier and now I want to MARRY this dip. Pinned!
YUM! I love artichoke and spinach dip but never thought to make it with cashew cream–that is brilliant!! I wish I had this recipe when I was dairy free, but glad to have it now 🙂
Oh.. the cashew butter sounds awesome in this recipe Lexi would add a nice nuttiness! Can’t wait to try this, spinach dip is one of my favorite!
Can we substitute with almonds cream?
Confession- I hadn’t tried this infamous dip until I was in America and fell in love…I may or may not have also eaten the bread bowl it came in. Another winner buddy!
OH girl you just found my favorite appetizer but now I get to have it guilt free. WIN!
Lexi,
Is the cashew cream essential to the recipe? Can it be substituted or removed? We have a nut allergy in the house.
Thanks, love all your recipes!!
~MB
This is my FAVORITE dip ever! It’s such a relief to have a version I can actually eat safely 🙂
I’m so happy you liked it!!!
Oh my gosh this looks absolutely amazing!! I haven’t had spinach artichoke dip in ages but how fun to make a dairy-free version! I’m going to make it this weekend!
I had the same question about the cashew cream…nut allergy….can something be substituted or can it be left out?
Thanks!
Where do you find cashew cream..what section of store.
You make it!
Can I leave the cashews out?
I subbed cauliflower puree for the cashew cream and it is AMAZING!!! It’s better than getting it at a restaurant and guilt free, SO SO GOOD!!
Are the cashews raw or are they roasted? Every time I see a recipe that calls for soaking cashews, it never says one way or the other
Raw!
I am allergic to cashews. Is there a substitution that would work?
By the way, I have made your maple glazed salmon many times and it always gets rave reviews.
Hi Theresa. If you can’t do cashew cream, a cream cheese or dairy free cream cheese could work in place of it. So glad you loved the salmon. It would be so helpful if you could leave a review of your experience with it on that recipe page. Thank you! – Kelli
Omg I love you for this!
Is 2 cups frozen spinach literally spinach from a bag of frozen spinach stuffed into a 2 cup measure? Have you used the frozen box kind?
Yes, exactly. It is roughly 8 ounces of frozen spinach. We haven’t tried the frozen box kind but should work the same?