Perfect plant-based party food, this Hot Spinach Dip is thick and creamy and loaded with spinach. The dip itself is gluten-free, but of course, serving it in a bread bowl is not. This crowd pleaser is fast and easy to prepare, especially if you’ve got the Mother Mix on hand – but still super easy if you don’t. You can make this spinach dip ahead of time, store in the fridge, and then heat it up in the oven just before serving.
Ingredients
The dip is made with a few simple ingredients: fresh spinach, fresh basil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and lemon juice, along with the base made from the Mother Mix (or its components: almond flour, nutritional yeast, tapioca starch and salt). We love the sun-dried tomatoes, but you can leave them out if you don’t have them on hand.
About the Mother Mix
About the Mother Mix
The Mother Mix is an all-natural, gluten-free dry mix that you can make in minutes and store in your pantry.
Use it to jumpstart over 16 different creamy and cheesy plant-based recipes - from Spinach Dip to Scalloped Potatoes and Veggie Pot Pie.
You can also use it on its own -- just add water, blend, and heat -- to make a simple vegan cream sauce, delish over roasted veggies!
About the Mother Mix
The Mother Mix is an all-natural, gluten-free dry mix that you can make in minutes and store in your pantry.
Use it to jumpstart over 16 different creamy and cheesy plant-based recipes - from Spinach Dip to Scalloped Potatoes and Veggie Pot Pie.
You can also use it on its own -- just add water, blend, and heat -- to make a simple vegan cream sauce, delish over roasted veggies!
Making Hot Spinach Dip
This dip comes together really quickly.
- Start by sautéing the spinach in hot oil. Once the spinach is softened, remove it to a strainer, and press out the water. Transfer to a cutting board and chop it into small pieces. Set aside.
- Make the base dip by adding the Mother Mix (or equivalent ingredients, see Recipe Card) and water to the blender. Blend for one minute, and then transfer to saucepan and stir and heat until the dip is thickened.
- Combine the spinach mixture, the basil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes (if using) with the base dip. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. It’s ready!
Chop the cooked spinach into small pieces.
Make the base dip.
Combine the spinach, basil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes with the base dip. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste
Step 1:
Start by sautéing the spinach in hot oil. Once the spinach is softened, remove it to a strainer, and press out the water. Transfer to a cutting board and chop it into small pieces. Set aside.
Chop the cooked spinach into small pieces.
Step 2:
Make the base dip by adding the Mother Mix (or equivalent ingredients, see Recipe Card) and water to the blender. Blend for one minute, and then transfer to saucepan and stir and heat until the dip is thickened.
Make the base dip.
Step Three:
Combine the spinach mixture, the basil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes (if using) with the base dip. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. It’s ready!
Combine the spinach, basil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes with the base dip. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste
If you’re gluten-free, or just don’t want a bread bowl, this Hot Spinach Dip is tasty served with corn chips.
Optional: Making the Bread Bowl
If you want to serve this in a bread bowl, use a sharp knife to cut a large circle in the top of the bread. Don’t cut all the way through the loaf, just enough that you can pull out the top of the loaf. Pull enough bread out of the centre of the loaf so that you have room for about 2.5 cups of spinach dip. You can also use your knife to partially cut some additional pieces out of the top of the bowl. This just makes it easier for eaters to get the bread separated from the bowl. Reserve any removed pieces of bread for dipping.
Cut a circle in the top of the bread.
Pull bread out of the centre so there's room for the dip.
Make partial slices into the bread to allow easy separation
Now, just spoon the dip into the bowl. This is really good when the entire bread bowl is hot! Put the bread bowl, along with the bread pieces for dipping, on a baking sheet. Heat it for about 10 minutes at 250F. Serve immediately.
Optional: Making the Bread Bowl
Step 1:
If you want to serve this in a bread bowl, use a sharp knife to cut a large circle in the top of the bread. Don’t cut all the way through the loaf, just enough that you can pull out the top of the loaf.
Cut a circle in the top of the bread.
Step 2:
Pull enough bread out of the centre of the loaf so that you have room for about 2.5 cups of spinach dip.
Pull bread out of the centre so there's room for the dip.
Step 3:
You can also use your knife to partially cut some additional pieces out of the top of the bowl. This just makes it easier for eaters to get the bread separated from the bowl. Reserve any removed pieces of bread for dipping.
Make partial slices into the bread to allow easy separation
Now, just spoon the dip into the bowl. This is really good when the entire bread bowl is hot! Put the bread bowl, along with the bread pieces for dipping, on a baking sheet. Heat it for about 10 minutes at 250F. Serve immediately.
Make it Ahead
You can make this Hot Spinach Dip, including the bread bowl, ahead of time and store in the fridge for a few hours with the dip right in the bread. When you’re ready to eat, just heat it in a 250F oven for about 12-15 minutes, then serve.
Tips: Plant-based snacking
Some people think when it comes to snack time, there's not much but celery and carrots. The good news is that many common dips and spreads are naturally plant-based - think salsa, guacamole, hummus, and nut butters for starters.
If you want to vegan-ize a dip made with mayonnaise, try our vegan mayo, it's quick and inexpensive. Or check out the commercially available options at the grocery market.
Keeping some of our DIY Mother Mix on hand will help you whip up creamy dips in no time, like this Spinach dip or our Easy Vegan Queso Dip.
Related Recipes
Here are some other recipes that use the Mother Mix:
Recipe Card
Hot Spinach Dip (Vegan and GF)
Ingredients
- 6-8 cups fresh spinach
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil, julienned
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped {optional)
- 1 1/3 cups Mother Mix + 2 cups water {See Recipe Notes for link}
Optionally, if you do not have the Mother Mix
- 1 cup almond flour {also known as almond meal, or ground blanched almonds}
- 2 cups water
- 4 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons nutritonal yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
Optionally, to serve
- 1 round loaf bread Sourdough, white, and whole wheat would all be good.}
Instructions
- Prepare the spinach: In a large frying pan, add a small amount of oil and heat and then sauté the spinach until wilted. Remove from pan, put in a strainer, and press out extra water and then chop the spinach into small pieces. Set aside.
- Make the base dip by combining the Mother Mix and water (or the individual ingredients) in the blender.Blend on high for one minute.Transfer to a medium saucepan and cook and stir over medium heat for about 7-8 minutes, until the dip is thick and stretchy.
- Add the spinach, basil, garlic, and lemon juice (and sun-dried tomatoes, if using) into the dip and stir well. Taste and add salt and pepper if you like.
- Serve as is, with some dippers, or make a bread bowl:Using a sharp knife, carve out a big circle of the bread. Remove enough of the bread in the middle to allow room for the dip (about 2 1/2 cups)Sliced the carved-out bread into cubes for dipping.Pour the spinach dip into the bread bowl. You can serve like this, or even better, put it on a baking sheet and heat the bread bowl and the bread cubes for 10 minutes or so in a 275F degree oven. This way you get a hot dip and slightly crispy cubes, perfect for dipping. If you are making it ahead, refrigerate until you want to eat, and then heat it up.
If using precooked spinach, what size can or frozen box do you think this cooks down to (after squeezing out the precooked stuff)? Thanks. 🙂
Hi Kay! The recipe calls for about 6-8 cups fresh, which would cook down to about 1/3 to 1/2 cup, or approximately 3 ounces. I think if you have a little more or less it should not be a problem, but it’s always a good idea to start with the lesser amount, taste it and adjust. Thanks, and I’ll add the conversion information to the recipe post too.