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Cheezy & Spicy Vegan Spinach Dip

ByNandi Barta
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If you are looking for a cheezy and spicy vegan spinach dip, this might just be the perfect recipe for you. It is whole foods plant-based all the way as veggies and of course spinach leaves are turned into a smooth and creamy dip. Think of it as a Green Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce.

A white bowl from above with green sauce sprinkled with yellow flakes and red chili flakes. More small toasted bread pieces are around the bowl.

Are you looking for more dip recipes? Try our Smoky Roasted Eggplant Walnut Dip or our Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip or our Vegan French Onion Dip. Browse through our Vegan Dips recipe gallery for even more inspiration.

What kind of spinach dip recipe is it?

These are several recipes for spinach dips that feature cream cheese, mayonnaise or sour cream mixed together with cooked spinach. If you want to substitute those with vegan alternatives you can easily recreate them. However, if you want something different and unique, you should try this recipe.

We used our Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe as an inspiration to create a cheezy, spicy, and truly creamy dip. So what can you expect?

  • smooth and creamy
  • cheezy
  • spicy with a kick
  • nutritious as it contains only whole foods
  • budget-friendly, pantry staple ingredients
  • allergy-friendly as it is nut-free, gluten-free, and oil-free
A white bowl from above with green sauce sprinkled with yellow flakes and red chili flakes. More small toasted bread pieces are around the bowl.

Ingredients

To make this cheezy spinach dip you require only 8 main ingredients and a good blender or food processor. The better your blender is, the smoother your dip will be. No soaking or overnight preparation is needed. The below ingredients will give you approx. 2 cups (5 dl) of creamy spinach dip:

  • fresh or frozen spinach leaves
  • a handful of sunflower seeds
  • one carrot
  • one potato
  • one sweet potato
  • half onion
  • one clove of garlic
  • nutritional yeast and SPICES!!! (the most important part obviously) – see the exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom

How to make vegan spinach dip?

Blanching spinach leaves

  1. Boil water in a kettle.
  2. Wash spinach leaves.
  3. Take a saucepan and add the washed leaves.
  4. Pour the piping hot water on the leaves and wait for a minute.
  5. Drain the water.

Pre-cook veggies

  1. Peel and dice potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots. The smaller you dice them, the shorter will be the cooking time. Peel and chop onion and garlic. 
  2. Boil veggie broth in a pan and add diced potatoes, diced sweet potatoes, diced carrots, chopped onion, and garlic).
  3. Cook them until soft, then drain it, but reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. 
Close-up of the diced vegetables cooking for the easy vegan mac and cheese no nuts sauce (carrot, sweet potato, potato, onion, garlic)

Blending to a creamy dip

  1. Add the pre-cooked veggies, the blanched spinach leaves, the sunflower seeds and all seasoning to your blender or food processor.
  2. Blend them until creamy. We use our trusted Vitamix* to make this dip extra smooth without a single little piece to find. It makes such a difference.
2 photo collage of a blender from above showing first a yellow sauce with wilted spinach, the second shows a green sauce

What can you serve with a cheezy spinach dip?

  • Take some flatbread or pita wedges (maybe make our flourless gluten-free tortilla) and dip them in it.
  • Have some pita chips, crackers, or even tortilla chips with it for a quick snack.
  • Cut up some fresh raw veggies into sticks, like carrot, cucumber, rutabaga (Oh so delicious…), celery, or bell peppers and scoop up some.
  • This dip is a great addition to any party platters or appetizer boards next to classic hummus or vegan cream cheese.
A white bowl with green sauce sprinkled with yellow flakes and red chili flakes. A hand is holding a piece of toasted bread to dip it in. More small toasted bread pieces are around the bowl.

FAQs and substitutions

How do you store this dip?

You can keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days tops without any problem. 

Can you freeze it?

I never had to freeze it as it is usually gone by day 2. If you try to freeze the sauce, let me know how it turns out.

What can I use instead of sunflower seeds?

You can use cashews or almond. If you want a nut-free option, you can use pepitas aka pumpkin seeds.

Can I use frozen spinach instead of fresh leaves?

Absolutely. Frozen spinach has already been blanched. So you can even skip that step. Let it thaw before adding them to the blender. It is important to squeeze any excess water out of it otherwise it will thin your dip significantly. Usually on bag of frozen spinach is 10 oz (280g), which is equal to 1 pound (450g) of fresh leaves. In this recipe we blanch 5 oz (140g) fresh spinach leaves, so you can substitute it with 3 oz (90g) frozen spinach.

A white bowl with green sauce sprinkled with yellow flakes and red chili flakes. A hand is holding a piece of toasted bread to dip it in. More small toasted bread pieces are around the bowl.

This Vegan Spinach Dip recipe is vegan, vegetarian, nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, and WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based).

More vegan spinach recipes

You can browse through our Vegan Spinach Recipes or check out these.

More vegan dip recipes

If you want more recipes, visit our Vegan Dips recipe gallery or check out

A white bowl with green sauce sprinkled with yellow flakes and red chili flakes. A hand is holding a piece of toasted bread to dip it in. More small toasted bread pieces are around the bowl.

Cheezy – Spicy Vegan Spinach Dip

Nandi Barta
If you are looking for a cheezy and spicy vegan spinach dip, this might just be the perfect recipe for you. It is whole foods plant-based all the way as veggies and of course spinach leaves are turned into a smooth and creamy dip. Think of it as a Green Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Appetizer, Sauce, Side Dish
Servings 2 cups
Calories 300kcal

Equipment

  • our Vitamix A2300
  • Regular blender
  • Stockpot

Ingredients
  

To blanch

  • 5 oz Fresh spinach leaves

To pre-cook

  • 1 cup Potato (diced) 1 medium
  • 1 cup Sweet potato (diced) 1 small/medium
  • ½ cup Carrot (diced) 1 medium
  • ¼ cup Onion (chopped) 1/2 small
  • 1 clove Garlic
  • 3 cup Veggie broth

To blend

  • 1 cup Veggie broth aka cooking water
  • ⅓ cup Sunflower seed (raw, unsalted)
  • 2 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
  • ½ tsp Hot chili powder or flakes
  • ½ tsp Sweet smoked paprika powder
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • ⅛ tsp Pepper
  • ½ tsp Sriracha (or any other chili paste) optional depending on how hot you like your cheese sauce

Instructions
 

Blanch spinach leaves

  • Boil water in a kettle. Wash spinach leaves.
  • Take a saucepan and add the washed leaves. Pour the piping hot water on the leaves and wait for a minute. Drain the water.

Prepare ingredients

  • Peel and dice potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots. The smaller you dice them, the shorter will be the cooking time. 
  • Peel and chop onion and garlic. 

Pre-cook ingredients

  • Boil veggie broth in a pan and add all vegetables (diced potatoes, diced sweet potatoes, diced carrots, chopped onion, and garlic). Cook them until soft.  
  • When ready, reserve 1 cup of cooking water. 

Blend everything to make a sauce

  • Transfer all cooked vegetables and blanched spinach leaves into a blender. Add sunflower seeds (no need to soak them), nutritional yeast, lemon juice, spices, and the reserved cooking water.
  • Blend them until you have a creamy sauce. 

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