The First Mess Cookbook
My cookbook has a section devoted to vegan appetizers and snacks, including a couple of great dip recipes!
Sneaking in with a super easy vegan artichoke dip with kale! I think it’s a fact that most people love a dip. This one has all the comfort and familiarity of a typical creamy and cheesy artichoke dip, but obviously I’ve remixed it a bit. It comes together quickly and is made with about 10 ingredients total. An entertaining win! Fans of this creamy-cheese vibe will no doubt love my spinach artichoke orzo as well.
I have lots of other options if you’re looking for vegan appetizer ideas, including this vegan red pepper dip recipe and this vegan eggplant dip recipe.
While I was working on this recipe, I noticed that a lot of sites/magazines label this dish as “hot” artichoke dip–a nod to it being baked and served hot obviously. Right away, my brain went to actually making the dip hot and spicy (and also warm) because I enjoy making everything spicy. This recipe makes about 3 cups of dip total.
We make this dip totally vegan with a super flavourful cashew cream. I’ve also added pepperoncini peppers for that bit of SPICE (both in the cashew cream and chopped up into the dip itself. Pepperoncini peppers also bring brightening acidity and a flavour-rounding slight sweetness to the party. Miso, nutritional yeast, Dijon, lemon, and garlic are all bringing their own special flare here. Kale replaces spinach for another fun twist. Once this thing is all heated up in the skillet and garnished, you’re ready to get the party started.
I mostly like to eat this warm vegan artichoke dip with lots of bread, but crackers and fresh vegetables are nice too. I think some people do tortilla chips? Sign me up for that salty goodness. You can make this dip ahead of time and store it int he fridge for up to 5 days. I like serving this dip warm and straight from the pan, since we do bring it together on the stovetop. You could also bake it though!
Spicy Vegan Artichoke Dip with Kale
Ingredients
DIP:
- ¾ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
- 1 tablespoon light miso
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 6 pepperoncini peppers, stems removed & divided (+ more if you want spicier)
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 oz frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups finely chopped fresh kale, packed
TO GARNISH:
- vegan “parm”
- chopped parsley
- chili flakes
- extra pepperoncini peppers
Equipment
Notes
- I prefer the flavour of frozen artichoke hearts over canned! It just seems cleaner to me.
- I reheated leftovers of this with a generous and indulgent dollop of vegan mayonnaise, and honestly I cannot recommend it more.
Instructions
- In an upright blender, combine the cashews, miso, lemon zest, lemon juice, Dijon, nutritional yeast, onion powder, 3 of the pepperoncini peppers, salt, pepper, and water. Blend the mixture on high until you have a thick but pourable cream. You should have about 1 ⅔ cups total of liquid. Set aside.
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Chop up the remaining pepperoncini peppers and set aside. Add the oil to the pan and swirl it around. Add the chopped artichokes and pepperoncini peppers to the pan and stir. Sauté vegetables until fragrant and warmed through, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add the kale to the pan and stir. Keep cooking and stirring until the kale is quite wilted and bright green, about 3-4 minutes.
- Pour the cashew cream from before into the pan, scraping out every last bit with a rubber spatula. Stir to combine with all of the vegetables. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Once the dip is uniformly hot and seasoned to your liking, transfer it to your serving dish.
- Serve the spicy pepperoncini, artichoke and kale dip with preferred garnishes and a selection of cut breads, crackers, and vegetables. Enjoy warm!
So great! Loved it!
New to the dairy free world and a big dip fan, so happy to find this for when I have a party or craving for some chips and dip. I added a bit of the peperoncini brine because I love the extra acidity and tang. Curious… where do you find frozen artichokes? I couldn’t find any and used can, but would like to try frozen.
Hi Heather! I grab them at Wegmans grocery stores! It’s their own house brand.
-L
Made this for NYE and it was a hit. I didn’t know frozen artichokes existed but they were surprisingly easy to find and made this dish much simpler to make than I’d have thought. Love the pepperoncinis as well – already had a jar in my fridge from making Laura’s Pizza Night Salad!
This is a family favorite! We have been making this dish for the holidays for several years now and it is always a hit. Love that its GF and vegan– so covers most bases. I’m making it right now to bring to a holiday party and just thought I’d leave a note to thank you.
Pondering making this the filling of a quesadilla. Thoughts?
We’ve used it as the filling for grilled cheese- wonderful!
Delicious! Terrific balance of flavors!
My wife and I make this roughly twice a month and got our friends hooked on it, too. We make this for every party – especially when we’re hanging out with non vegans. Everyone loves it. We found that it’s often better day 2. We’re going on a year and a half with this recipe in our lives and now we ALWAYS stock canned artichokes and frozen spinach (our only sub). Truly, this recipe is genius.
Just made this yesterday and it was great hot and cold! Turned out beautifully and was so easy to make. Thank you!
This looks amazing but I am planning to take it as part of a vegan cheese board to a family even about an hour away. Is it also good a room temp or do you suggest reheating it when I get there?
Hi Kate,
Apologies for my late reply here. This dip is still delicious at room temperature! I honestly prefer it that way myself :)
-L
I would love to make this recipe but cannot find pepperoncini in the UK. Is there another type of pepper that would work in this recipe? Huge thanks for any ideas.
Any type of pickled, slightly hot pepper is great in this recipe!
-L
I love this recipe! I’ve made it a handful of times and am always happy with the results. Due to availability, I usually use the jarred pepperoncinis and eyeball how much to use and add a little of the pickling liquid for a little more flavor. I’m not a big fan of kale so I usually use spinach with wonderful results. Thanks for a wonderful recipe Laura!
I’ve made this dish 3+ times and it’s an absolute slam dunk every time! So easy to put together, and soooo delicious. I’ve recently started soaking my cashews in boiling-hot water and have cut the soak time down to 1 hr without compromising the texture of the dish.
I am a vegetarian obsessed with spinach & artichoke dip (the cream cheese/mayo/cheesy kind) and love to scarf some down on special occasions. I’m trying to incorporate more vegan days into my life, and this caught my eye. While it of course doesn’t have the exact greasy creamy profile of its cousin, this is absolutely delicious, hits on many of the same savory flavors, and is also something I can’t quit eating — even though I am trying to save some for my husband!
This would taste great with crackers, warmed baguette slices, fresh veggies, and more. Yum – thanks for the recipe!
I absolutely love this dip! My husband and I look for excuses to make it again, and we are now up to four! The balance of everything is just perfect, and we love it with fresh veg like cauliflower and carrots, with crackers, pita bread or focaccia bread!
Boyfriend bought me your cookbook for Christmas and prior to, I had never heard of your food blog. Now, I am always looking through your cookbook and online for meals and appetizers- especially when we’re entertaining. I made this dip today for a potluck and it is SO GOOD!
I used roasted cashews and found that I needed to add about 1/2 cup of water to the cashew cream to get the right consistency. Other than that, the recipe was super simple to follow and I’m excited to hear what my guests have to say… if there is any left by the time the party starts!! :)
I’ve been making one recipe of yours after the next after the next lately because they’re all so good. I made this one for just me and my partner to snack on, but I wouldn’t hesitate to serve it at a party. I’ve never been drawn to artichoke-spinach dips, butI love the idea of using kale here, which really holds on to its robust texture in a warm dip, unlike spinach. It was perfectly creamy and just a little bit spicy–a complete winner.
So glad that you enjoyed it, Sara! Thanks for this feedback :)
-L
Turned out really good! Will definitely be keeping this one!
I LOVE this recipe. I’ve made this on 3 separate occasions for parties and get togethers, and each time it has been devoured so quickly. This dip is so surprising. It’s creamy, perfectly tangy and delightfully spicy. It’s a dream, and it comes together quickly too.
This recipe looks great and I’m making it tonight for Xmas eve.
Wondering if you know that there are ads for steaks 3 times while scrolling thru recipe thou. One has a picture of a big raw steak. The ads are from a company called 44 steaks. Just thought you would want to know.
Love all your recipes online and your cookbook is my most used. thanks.
Hi Debbie,
I appreciate this feedback and will bring it to my ad provider.
-L
I’m allergic to cashews and swapped for boxed silken tofu (shelf-stable so it’s easy to keep on hand). It came out beautifully. Bonus: no need to soak! This is one of my favorite recipes you’ve made. It’s truly comforting. Thank you!
First of all, I just made this to take to a Christmas party tonight and. I. Cannot. Stop. Eating. It!!! So delicious. Secondly, I made it nut free using raw sunflower seeds and that worked beautifully :) (also cheaper).
Finally, did you add cayenne or some kind of chili to the recipe? I dont see in the ingredients list but it seems to be in one of your pictures…I could also be totally seeing things lol. In any case, thank your for your wonderful, plant-based and FLAVOUR BOMB recipes!!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Ilona! I really appreciate your notes on the sunflower seed substitution too. I just garnished my dip with a bit of Aleppo chili flakes because I pretty much sprinkle them on everything :)
-L
Did you use 1 cup of sunflower seeds? Did you also soak them? Thank you! This is my first foray into making a creamy vegan dip.
I made this last night to enjoy by the fire with a glass of wine. Delicious!! Thanks for another great recipe, Laura!
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was amazing! My company loved it also. I will definitely be making it again soon. It’s a keeper!
This produced more of a pate for me, with a good flavor. But the recipe as written didn’t quite work out. The soaked cashews would not blend and certainly didn’t result in a “pourable cream” without adding some liquid to even get the blender going (I added some water and a tablespoon or two of vegan mayo). Even then it was dense so I served in a shallow dish with a knife for spreading on crackers, not dipping. Everyone enjoyed it on Thanksgiving – just didn’t turn out as expected!
Any suggestions on making this ahead to bring to a potluck party? Would you cook as the recipe describes and then reheat in the oven? Or just serve room temp? Or pick another recipe, . Thank you for so many amazing recipes both beautiful and delicious and all the inspiration!
Peperoncini: what a brilliant twist, Laura! Tell us, please: where do you get your frozen artichoke hearts? I’ve heard of this wonder product but have never found them myself in (Toronto) supermarkets so far … Thank you!
Hi Sherry!
I grab mine on my USA (Buffalo-area) day trips. It’s a bummer that Canada hasn’t embraced the frozen artichoke yet! You can definitely use canned or jarred ones in this recipe as well though :)
-L
I found frozen pkgs ov artichoke at Trader Joes.
I’m not typically drawn to spinach artichoke dips. This dip sounds so good, though! I love the pepperoncini twist.
This looks absolutely delicious! I am so tempted to make right now.