Spinach and Artichoke Dip (dairy-free, paleo)
This dairy-free, paleo-friendly spinach and artichoke dip is creamy, flavorful, easy-to-make and sure to be a crowd favorite.
This past week the weather has been absolutely frigid. My parent’s house, while only an hour northeast of Los Angeles, is at a much higher elevation. And that translates to colder temps. Even snow…yes, snow in LA County (not even joking). So I’ve had to make a few emergency trips to my brother’s house in Orange County to defrost in the “normal” 70 degree Cali weather.
When it’s this cold outside, all I do is dream of warm-weather destinations. And right now, I’ve got Portugal on the brain. Want to know why? ‘Cause I’m going to Portugal in May! And I’m ridiculously excited.
The impetus for my trip is to attend a 4-day food photography workshop hosted by Marta and Sanda – two stellar food photographers who I admire. In the last 6 months (since learning to shoot RAW) I’ve become absolutely smitten with food photography and want to learn, absorb and soak-up every ounce of wisdom from those way more “pro” than me. But let’s be honest, eating good food and drinking wine in the Portuguese countryside with a group of fun, like-minded people…yeah, that was the clincher.
I’ll be doing healthy travel research for Portugal over the next couple of months, but if you have any tips, to-do’s or must-see’s…let me know. I may even stay longer and toodle around the country for a while (where “may” = 95% likely). You know me and slow travel.
This trip also means I need to get better at the whole recipe development planning thing – and soon. Other food bloggers have content calendars weeks (if not months) in advance – knowing exactly what recipes they’re going to post and when. Me, I whip stuff up as the mood strikes. Case in point: this dairy-free, paleo spinach artichoke dip.
Yesterday I made this recipe on a bit of a whim and not to brag, but it’s crazy good. I wasn’t sure if a dairy-free version of a spinach and artichoke dip was possible…but when it came out creamy, garlicky and perfect on the first attempt, you know you’ve got a winner. My mom, who isn’t dairy-free even thought it was the bomb. So how does it get creamy? Soaked cashews and my homemade mayonnaise which turns into the most luscious, creamy mixture.
This recipe makes quite a bit of dip – 4 cups worth – but you always need a ton for a party, right? And if you have too much, freeze half and save it for the following week. It’s delicious meal prep.
I’m not 100% dairy-free (I consider myself dairy-light) – so I decided to add a little bit of goat cheese to half the batch. And I’m not gonna lie – it’s divine! If you do eat small amounts of dairy, I highly recommend the goat cheese. But either way, this spinach and artichoke dip is unbelievably good…especially with my herbed cassava tortilla chips.
Enjoy!
Pin for later:
Spinach Artichoke Dip (dairy-free, paleo)
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
- 1 recipe mayonnaise (or 1¼ cups)
- ¼ cup water
- 16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can artichoke hearts, chopped and drained
- ⅓ cup onions, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 4 ounces goat cheese (or 2 ounces for half-batch)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
- Add the cashews, mayonnaise and water to a food processor. Blend for 1-2 minutes, until creamy.
- Use a spatula to transfer the cashew mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and stir together.
- Transfer the dip to an oven-proof dish and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with herbed cassava tortilla chips, cucumber slices or other vegetables.
Other recipes you might like:
Herbed Chevre, Spinach and Smoked Salmon Pinwheels
Pulled Pork Street Tacos with Cassava Flour Tortillas
Prosciutto-Wrapped Sweet Potatoes with Maple Balsamic Glaze
Spinach Dip
We are known for bringing “healthier” dishes to events. I brought this dish and it was enjoyed by even the skeptics! The fat content is high for us but then again, it’s a snack, not a meal! It is a wonderful, clean alternative to traditional spinach and artichoke dip. Thank you!Side note, I did not include the goat and it was still wonderful!
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed the recipe Danielle! And I agree that it’s always enjoyed by the skeptics as well. ;) x
I’m usually way to lazy to write reviews but I have to…this was friggin amazing!! My son developed a dairy allergy so I’m always looking for dairy free for him & us to enjoy! The texture was perfect , super creamy. I did add a jarred roasted red pepper slice to the processor to add a little pizazz.
Hi Regina – thanks so much! And I’m happy you did review and let me know. :) I’m glad you and your son enjoyed the dip and I love your addition of the roasted red pepper. Yum!
Do you have a carb count for this recipe ?
No, I don’t. But you could plug it into an online nutrition calculator for that info. :)
Wow-I lived in Portugal for ten years. Where did you go for the food photography workshop?
How lucky were you! I LOVED Portugal and can’t wait to go back one day. Here’s a post I did on the workshop: https://downshiftology.com/food-lifestyle-photography-workshop-alentejo-portugal/ and another I did on Lisbon: https://downshiftology.com/gluten-free-lisbon/ :)
Thank you so much for the post! I kept with dairy free, and added a good squeeze of lemon plus a can of water chestnuts..we are destroying it!! My Daughter is eating it like a casserole and I had to cut her off! Thx again.
Ooh, water chestnuts would add an awesome crunch! Sounds like a fab add. Thanks Michele – so happy you liked it! :) x
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I love that this is much healthier version of spinach and artichoke dip! What exactly are the cashews soaked in?
They’re just soaked in filtered water. Place them in a glass bowl of water, cover and soak overnight. Super easy! Soaked cashews become very creamy when blended…like on my dairy-free cheesecakes. :) x
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So sorry you’re experiencing such cold weather! It was 55°F here in Ohio – unseasonably warm, for sure. Weird weather! I’ll take it though – it’s normally super snowy and beyond freezing this time of year. Hang in there! And thank you for sharing this incredible dip recipe! I loooove Spinach-Artichoke dip.
Seems we’ve done a swap (though I’m happy to return your cold weather to you!) ;) Glad you like the recipe – I’ve been eating it all up today…so will have to make another batch for Sunday. x