Hot Spinach Dip (Vegan + GF)

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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.

Making Hot Spinach Dip

This dip comes together really quickly.

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.
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.
3. 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!

If you’re gluten-free, or just don’t want a bread bowl, this Hot Spinach Dip is tasty served with corn chips.

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.

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.

About the Mother Mix

The Mother Mix is your shortcut to making a wide variety of creamy or cheesy plant-based recipes. Use it on its own to make a simple dairy-free or vegan cream sauce or as a base for a dip. The Mother Mix is an all-natural, gluten-free dry mix that you can make in minutes and then store in your pantry so it’s ready when you are to make some delicious comfort food.

Printable Recipe Card

Hot Spinach Dip (Vegan and GF)

Chock full of spinach and warm and satisfyingly creamy, this plant-based hot spinach dip is simple to prepare and easy to make ahead. All the tasty goodness while mayo-free, dairy-free and gluten-free. Not gluten-free if served in a bread bowl!

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Course: Appetizer, dip

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dairy-free spinach dip, easy dip, easy party food, gluten-free spinach dip, hot spinach dip, makeahead spinach dip, mayo-free spinach dip, mother mix, plant-based spinach dip, spinach dip, warm spinach dip

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 10

Calories: 104kcal

Author: Sylvia Eastman

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.

Notes

Storage and Reheating

You can prepare this ahead of time and store in the fridge, and then reheat over low to medium heat when you are ready to serve. This even works if you already have it in the bread bowl, just place it on a baking sheet and warm it up for 12 to 15 minutes or so at about 250F.

About the Mother Mix

See this post on the Mother Mix,  is a DIY pantry staple that you can use for over 15 different comfort food recipes on not not nutritious. 

About the Nutrition Information

Nutrition information is an estimate only and does not include serving in a bread bowl. 

Nutrition

Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 250mg | Potassium: 164mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1720IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg

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