Easy Baked Vegan Dip with Spinach & Artichokes Recipe | VEEG (2024)

Easy Baked Vegan Dip with Spinach & Artichokes is a creamy, cheesy, gluten-free, appetizer, or healthy snack made with protein-rich cashews and nutritional yeast.

And even though this dip tastes very much like the addictively gooey appetizer most of us have overindulged in at one point or another, this dip is nutritious!

But, why health-up a dish that’s meant to be over the top?

So, there are two essential reasons that instantly come to mind in response to that question:you and me.

Since I plan on living a long, long time, I want there to be plenty of healthy people close to my age to enjoy. So this recipe is for us, you and me, and it’s in sincere hope for our longevity!

A common thread woven throughout so many traditional, comforting, ooey-gooey favorite recipes is that they’re unhealthy. It’s not their fault that artery-clogging fat and empty calories are their entire vein of existence, but it’s true.

I say that because, believe it or not, there are wonderfully nutritious ingredients that bring the creamy without health challengingbad-for-you fats.

By the way, a half of a pound of butter is not required to make something taste fabulously creamy!

And that leads me to a subject I love to explore, the nutrients you’ll gain when you enjoy Easy Baked Vegan Dip with Spinach & Artichokes.

The Secret to Satisfying, Healthy, Gluten-Free Appetizers and Snacks

Here’s a little backstory to set the stage. I’m a person who has food on my mind most of the time.That’s not something that started when I began living a plant-based vegan lifestyle, either, it’s just how I’m drawn.

Long before I began sharing my vegan recipes with you, I read cookbooks of all types for pleasure.Yep. Sorry to burst your bubble – I’m that person.

Hey, maybe that explains why I have a bit of a thing for rewriting familiar classic recipes to be healthier and plant-based; those recipes are in there (my mind), so I have to do something with that backlog of info – LOL!

Last winter, during the jolly season of dining, sipping, and indulgent snacking, I couldn’t help but notice a gap in vegan options at the appetizer buffet. That’s when I began thumbing through the mental list of favorite appetizers I’d ever eaten. I began reworking those faves and transforming them intogluten-free appetizers and snacks.And that, by the way is how we got to this recipe for an easy baked vegan dip with spinach and artichokes!

Also, along with being sure these appetizer and snack remakes are gluten-free and vegan, I’m setting out to do something more. I want these new easy baked vegan dips, munchies, and spreadable bites to be totally satisfyingly; loaded with plant-based protein!

Why all of the fuss about incorporating a significant amount of protein into the party foods I remember? To that I have but one question to ask.

So, aren’t you tired of being hungry at parties? Are you ready to be done with surviving hours of smalltalk on nothing more than the overlooked stragglers on a veggie plate?

Mind you, it’s not that I don’t love a tasty dip and veggie tray. And by the way, if you’re ever thinking veggies and dip, there’s a dressing and dip or two below.

Protein-Rich Creamy Cashews: Go Ahead – They’re GOOD for You!

So with all of this finger food rethinking, I landed on the reality that we vegans spend a considerable portion of time feeling hungry at parties. And the reason we’re always hungry is that the only thing available to eat at said parties is a few carrot and celery sticks that nobody else wants.

There, I’ve said it – rant over. Now, for the solution!

Rather than standing around hungry at that next get together, bring a protein-loaded appetizer delicious and satisfying enough to raise the eyebrows of the harshest vegan food critic.Bring with you, for example, a batch of this easy baked vegan dip with spinach and artichokes!

FYI: Your harshest vegan food critic isn’t just your kids or your partner in life that may or may not appreciate your plant-based lifestyle. The fiercest critics are those lifelong friends and extended family members watching every bite you take. On those rare occasions when you’re together, they secretly wage bets on how long you’ll last as a vegan. Yikes.

Sorry if that FYI sounds a bit bitter; this year has been a tough one. And if one lesson seems to trying to get across to me it’s this; change and differences make many folks uncomfortable.

So, if you’re over starving at dinner parties, potlucks, and cookouts, you’re going to love this!

And forget the horrible things you’ve heard about cashews being bad for you and all other nonsense regarding nuts and seeds. Cashews makes food taste creamy without adding a lick of unhealthy fat. And while they do have a bit of fat, it’sa good fatthat helps your body fight off the problems caused by the bad stuff.

More Good Stuff About Cashews

Cashews, though often called nuts, are seeds. And like most seeds, cashews are good for your overall health. Here are just a few positive takeaways regarding cashews.

Cashews:

• may improve blood sugar control
• give you a healthier heart
• are rich in nutrients
• contribute to weight loss
• are exceptionally rich in unsaturated fats
• are low in sugar and high in fiber
• provide multiple vitamins
• give us minerals such as copper, magnesium, and manganese (These minerals are necessary for energy production, brain health, a robust immune system, and healthy bones.)
• are rich in a couple antioxidants known to decrease inflammation and reduce cell damage

One fact that stood out to me like no other when reading this incredibly informative articleabout the pros and cons of creamy cashews is this: naturally creamy cashews are not as fattening as many of us may believe. And cashews are high in fiber, which helps you feel full longer. High fiber content is a desirable in regard to combating the battle of the bulge.

And on the flavor side of creamy cashew talk, they tend to taste a little cheesy, which brings me to another important ingredient inEasy Baked Vegan Dipwith Spinach & Artichokes.

Cheesy Nutritional Yeast: Not as Scary as it Sounds

Cheesy nutritional yeast or “nooch,” as some call it, is not as odd as its name may sound. If it frightens you a little, I guess I’m in good company.

I’ll never forget the first time I came across cheesy nutritional yeast in a recipe ingredients list. I quickly flipped to the next page in the cookbook I was reading, and sure enough, that odd ingredient had made its way into that list, too. That’s when I decided to run toDebbie’s Health Foods,a neighborhood beacon of goodness on which I depend,to see what I could find about the weird sounding stuff promising the moon. Seriously, nooch has a reputation of tasting good on everything by adding a certain cheesiness without a drop of dairy.

So, after talking to a couple of folks, I found out a couple of important facts about the cheesy nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is either fortified or non-fortified.

At first it’s a little confusing because it doesn’t turn out the way it sounds.

Fortified nutritional yeast has added vitamins and minerals, while non-fortified nooch only has what it has on its own.

You’d think that added nutrients could only be a good thing but as it turns out, that’s not the case with nooch.

Many fortified varieties are full of human-made synthetic vitamins to make the product appear naturally more nutritious. That’s extra sad since its extra nutrients are anything but natural.

Nutritional yeast is often a staple for vegans. So, it bugs me to learn that the nutrients in the fortified variety are not naturally occurring, but rather human-made.It bugs me because my bet is that most folks may not be aware that what they are eating has synthetically added nutrients.

So, non-fortified nutritional yeast is a favorite of mine for its natural nutrients and lack of synthetic additives.

And another thing that bothers me about the subject of nooch is the stories of its virtue or detriment that float around among the plant eaters. Here are some of the issues around the powdery cheesy stuff.

So, does non-fortified nutritional yeast cause troublesome yeast overgrowth? Nope, if fact, no varieties of nooch contain yeast that would cause that problem.

But doesn’t non-fortified nutritional yeast have MSG-like compounds that may cause you to want to eat it regularly? Nope, not at all. Those compounds that are similar to MSG are not, in fact, the same.

MSG is a human-made additive. But the amino acid in non-fortified cheesy nutritional yeast that some confuse with MSG, is naturally occurring.

I’m not going to kid you, all of the science talk is not my bag. But after years of being a plant-based vegan, I can tell you that I have found that I prefer to stay clear of human-made ingredients.

Also, nutritional yeast is a completeprotein as it contains all nine essential amino acids that we human types mustgetfrom our food. Nutritional yeast is an easy way for vegans to add valuable proteinto their meals.

So now you and I know a lot more about the non-fortified variety of cheesy nutritional yeast, or nooch.

In the recipe ingredients list below for Easy Baked Vegan Dip with Spinach and Artichokes, I share the brand of nooch we like the best.

18 MORE Protein-Rich Party-Worthy Dishes

Here are a few protein-rich recipes sure to stand proud at any party! And the best part of these recipes is that they won’t leave the plant-eaters hungry!

• Vegan Tofu Kale Salad with Chickpeas
• Creamy Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing
• Vegan Apple Sausage
• Creamy Cashew Garlic Cheese
• Dairy-Free Feta Cheese Dip
• Vegan 7-Layer Salad
• Hemp Potato Carrot Cheese Sauce
• Mama’s Vegan Southern Style Potato Salad
• Greek Chickpea Pasta Salad
• Heart Healthy 5-Minute Oil-Free Hummus
• 1-Bowl Pizza Frittata
• Happy Jalapeño Hemp Seed Hummus
• Hippie Harvest Tofu Feta Dip

Thank You for Joining Us for Easy Baked Vegan Dip with Spinach and Artichokes!

So, in closing, as always, Mike and I want you to know that we appreciate you taking the time to check out our recipes.

And if there is anything you’d like to see us tackle, drop us a line and we’ll see what we can cook up!

Happy Eating!