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This Vegan Spinach Dip tastes JUST as good as your grandma’s, but without any dairy involved! Bring it to your next event to wow your family and friends.
Growing up, my mom used to make the BEST Spinach Dip for our family gatherings. And by “best,” I mean the store-bought powder mix. But hey, that stuff was tasty!
I don’t miss many non-vegan foods, but I did miss that dip. Until now!
Thanks to a few plants, some vegan alternatives, and a fresh bread bowl of Pumpernickel bread, I no longer have those cravings. Oh yeah, and did I mention this dip takes less than 15 minutes to make?! Game. Changer.
I tested this recipe a few times before publishing it here on the blog, and I’m going to provide you with two different dip variations because of this. If you’d like your dip to be a little more chunky, I would suggest making the “cream” in your blender, and then using a food processor to finely dice your veggies. If you’d like it to be more smooth (which is more traditional), just add all of the base veggies to a blender and you’re good to go!
However you choose to make it, I sincerely hope you love it as much as I do. It feels really special to be able to re-create some of my favorite childhood snacks in a more compassionate (and healthy!) manner.
A Few Final Thoughts:
- You can serve this dip hot, cold, in a bread bowl, or with some carrots and gluten free crackers on the side.
- I would strongly recommend using Kite Hill Cream Cheese for this recipe. It’s oil-free, made from almonds, and is the most authentic Vegan Cream Cheese I have ever tasted!
- This recipe makes a large portion of dip; if you’re just making it for yourself, I would suggest cutting it in half
If you’re looking for some other party appetizers, you’ll also love my Pizza-Flavored Roasted Nuts and Savory Mango Salsa!
Finally, if you recreate this recipe and share a photo on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your yummy recreations 🙂
PrintBEST EVER Homemade Vegan Spinach Dip
This Vegan Spinach Dip tastes JUST as good as your grandma’s, but without any dairy involved! Bring it to your next event to wow your family and friends.
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 8 minutes
- Yield: 8 people 1x
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Silken Tofu
- 8 oz. Vegan Cream Cheese (I recommend Kite Hill)
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Broth
- 1/2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 Leek, white portion only
- 1 Small Carrot
- 1 Shallot
- 8 oz. can of Water Chestnuts diced (5 oz. Net Weight)
- 16 oz. Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and drained completely
- 3/4 tsp Salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
For a Chunky Dip:
- Blend the Tofu, Cream Cheese, Vegetable Broth, and Tomato Paste together in a blender until smooth. Using a Food Processor, pulse the Leek, Carrot, and Shallot until very finely diced. Transfer all ingredients into a medium pot and follow remaining directions below.
For a Smoother (Traditional) Dip:
- Toss the first 7 ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer this mixture into a medium pot.
- Add the diced Water Chestnuts and drained Spinach (make sure it is very dry!) to the pot and put the heat on high. Once the mixture begins to simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Season with salt to taste, and serve as desired — this dip is great both hot and cold!
Notes
I would highly suggest using Kite Hill’s Plain Cream Cheese for this recipe. It is the most realistic Vegan Cream Cheese I have ever tried!
Want to save this Vegan Spinach Dip for later? Pin it to your Pinterest boards using this image:
This was pretty spot on for a vegan spinach dip. Although I think the tomato paste can be omitted since I didn’t care for its taste in the recipe.
★★★★
This is one thing I crave at our family events. Mostly because everyone is busy eating the non vegan version. I miss it so much so would love to try this.
However vegan cream cheese is not something I can find..and I’ve looked hard.
Is there something that i could substitute it with?
Hey there! I like either the Kite Hill or Miyoko’s Kitchen Cream Cheeses, but Daiya will work in a pinch. All of these brands have store locators on their website! If it’s still not available in your area, you could substitute with a homemade cream cheese (there are several recipes online), or use a mixture of blended soaked cashews with vegan mayo for that extra “tang”
I made quite a few alterations to this because I think I’m used to a very unhealthy version lol! I added probably double the salt, about a tablespoon of garlic powder, 2ish tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and about a tablespoon of nutritional yeast. If I were to do it again, I would probably add fresh garlic at the beginning. Overall, it’s a good base recipe especially if you want something healthierz (if you don’t want it to be healthy, this is not the recipe for you ????)
★★★★
Amazing recipe! I brought it for a farewell potluck for one of my good co-workers, and didn’t even tell them it was vegan! They loved it. I loved it! I felt good to eat something vegan without the expense of an anima and be able to share it with people that aren’t vegan also! Only thing was, It was a bit strong on the onion flavor, and mind you i cut out half of the leek in the recipe cause it doesn’t specific a size and mine was huge! It was still onion-y! Everything else worked out great tho! i was very happy how fluffy the dip came out after i let it sit for a minute cause it was a little watery looking when i was cooking it on the stove and hadn’t added the dry spinach and water chestnuts yet. SSSoooo goood! Great Job!
★★★★★
Thanks, love! 🙂
Can’t wait to make this!!! What size tofu? They seem to be different ounces depending on the brand.
Good catch, Lisa! I have added it to the recipe – you need about 8 oz total for this one!
I’m just starting to be vegan. I made this and was very happy with results. I did add garlic powder & artichokes. So good!
★★★★★
Caitlin, what would be the conversion for/process to incorporate spinach if you were using fresh? Also, would the recipe be off if I switched out the water chestnuts for artichokes?
★★★★★
Hi Marina! You could substitute the water chestnuts for artichokes, just make sure they are pickled or already cooked some. If you are using raw spinach, you will need to cook it down until you have 5-6 cups of cooked spinach. Unfortunately I have not tested the recipe this way, so I cannot tell you how much raw spinach you will need. Keep in mind that it shrinks down quite a lot in during cooking x
Is this the tofu that comes in a box (not refrigerated)? Thank you!
I purchased it from the refrigerated section of my grocery store, but I have also seen it in boxes! Either will work.
I just made this to bring to my office holiday party tomorrow and I’m going to have to restrain myself from eating it all tonight. I followed the recipe pretty closely I just added some freshly ground black pepper at the end. If/when I make this again I might add some artichoke hearts. Great recipe!
★★★★★
love the idea of artichokes!
Can you substitute anything for the tofu?
Hi Brianna, I have not tested any substitutions for this, but I imagine you could just replace it with more cream cheese!
Did anyone ever find a substitute for Tofu?