Vegan Cashew Cream Spinach Dip

Reading the title of this post, I can only assume you’re thinking that while a vegan spinach dip will surely be healthier than a regular version, it can’t possibly be as delicious. It’s not an exact dup for the spinach dip you’re used to, but it’s pretty close. And it is beyond delicious, in a “maybe one more bite…just one more… and one more…” sort of way. The base is made of cashew cream, which is a wonderful surprise the first time you experience it – it’s a bit sweeter than your typical creamy dip bases, so it needs to be flavored differently, but the texture isn’t gritty like you might expect. As long as you give it enough time in your food processor, (or beloved NutriBullet), it gives you a perfect, smooth starting point for your spinach dip. Bonus: cashew cream is crazy easy to whip up, and doesn’t require any unusual ingredients – just cashews, water, lemon juice, and salt.

This spinach dip is flavored primarily with scallions, dill, lemon, and Lawry’s, which go together with the cashew cream like an absolute dream. It’s best chilled – that will help the cashew cream have a thicker consistency, closer to the sour cream/mayo base this dip would typically have. This recipe calls for fresh spinach that you wilt before adding, but you could use frozen spinach instead if that’s what you have on hand. Just make sure to squeeze excess water out of the frozen spinach before adding it to your dip.

You can serve it with tortilla chips, pita chips, or even celery and carrot sticks if you’re really going the extra healthy mile.

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Vegan Cashew Cream Spinach Dip

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

Cashew Cream

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews 212g
• 2/3 cup + 1 Tbsp water 166g
• 1/4 tsp salt
• juice from 1/2 small lemon

Spinach Dip

• 1/2 cup chopped green onion about 3 onions
• 5 oz bag fresh spinach
• 1 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
• 1/4 cup dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp dill weed
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

Instructions

1. Step 1: Let cashews soak in water for at least an hour. Longer soaking may yield smoother cashew cream, but an hour is fine. I only did an hour and it was perfect. 

   Step 2: Make cashew cream: add cashews (drain off the water they soaked in), water, lemon juice, and salt to food processor or NutriBullet and pulse until smooth. If the texture seems gritty, keep blending until smooth. Pour the cream into a bowl and cover. Let it chill in the refrigerator until it's time to add spinach and seasonings. 

   Step 3:  Remove stems from fresh spinach leaves and roughly chop leaves in half. Chop green onions. 

   Step 4: Wilt spinach in a large skillet over medium heat. Add a bit of olive oil to the skillet to prevent sticking. 

   Step 5: Stir lemon, parsley, dill, Lawrey's, and green onion into the cashew cream sauce. Stir in wilted spinach.

   Step 6: Enjoy with your favorite chips, crackers or vegetables.

   Note: Can be made a day or two ahead of time. If you go that route, don't stir lemon juice into the dip along with the other ingredients. Keep it separate, and stir it in just before serving, to keep the flavor bright.