Vegan Kale & Artichoke Dip

Vegan Kale & Artichoke dip is a healthy spin on the classic spinach artichoke dip. It's the perfect appetizer for holiday parties or winter gatherings!

Vegan Kale & Artichoke Dip

Hey all, Jack here – now that it’s the end of the year, it’s holiday party time! And what does it normally mean to eat at a party in the winter? To a lot of Americans, that means spinach artichoke dip. I mean, what makes you feel like partying more than eating an entire loaf of bread dipped in cream cheese and mayonnaise?

Well, Jeanine and I don’t really think that’s much of a party any more. Our idea of a party is one where the next day you (or your guests) don’t feel awful. So we took a bit of inspiration from the classic party dip and made a spread that is still irresistible but infinitely more healthy. It uses two of our favorites for creamy vegan indulgences – sunflower seed puree and chickpeas. And the spinach is subbed out for kale, because why not?

I won’t lie though – I still ate way too much of this.

Vegan Kale & Artichoke Dip

5.0 from 6 reviews

Vegan Kale & Artichoke Dip

 
Prep time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: appetizer
Serves: about 2 cups of dip
Ingredients
for the dip:
  • 1 can artichoke hearts, drained
  • ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup (cooked) chickpeas, plus more to put on top
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • juice of ½ a small lemon
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast (not baking yeast, see notes)
  • 2-3 leaves of kale, chopped
  • tiny bit of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives
  • salt, pepper
for the crostini
  • slices of toasted bread
  • extra chickpeas
  • optional: quick pickled onions (recipe in this post)
  • a few pinches of red pepper flakes
Instructions
  1. Place HALF the artichoke hearts in the blender, coarsely chop the rest and set aside. To the blender add the sunflower seeds, water, chickpeas, garlic, mustard, lemon, nutritional yeast, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Blend until creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings.
  2. In a small skillet, cook the chopped kale in a little bit of olive oil (with a pinch of salt) until wilted. Set aside.
  3. Transfer dip to a bowl and stir in remaining chopped artichoke hearts, the cooked kale and chives. (Taste again). Chill until ready to serve.
  4. Serve the dip by itself with crackers or toasted pita wedges - or make crostini with a few extra toppings: Add some more olive oil to your skillet and cook the chickpeas until lightly browned. Top each toast with a slather of dip, some extra cooked kale, roasted chickpeas, pickled onions (optional), and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Notes
If you don't have nutritional yeast (and you're not vegan), you could sub 2T pecorino cheese (or more to taste). Or you could skip it altogether - it just helps give the dip a slightly richer cheesy flavor.

 

 

38 comments

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  1. Lauren from lavenderandvine.com
    12.16.2014

    This sounds delicious! I have been searching for a way to make spinach and artichoke dip healthier. As much as I love the taste, I don’t love the way it makes me feel. I’m curious to try a kale and artichoke dip. Raw kale isn’t my favorite but lately I have been loving mixing kale into savory dishes. Maybe I am turning into a grownup after all…

  2. Sunflower seed and chickpea purée sounds so creamy and delicious. I’m adding this to my appetizers-only dinner menu!

  3. Sharon from mauigirlcooks.wordpress.com
    12.15.2014

    I am a big fan of spinach & artichoke dip! Your dip sounds delightful & I will make it soon. Thanks for sharing!

  4. Erica from itsaflavorfullife.com
    12.15.2014

    Oh MY this looks like a fabulous appetizer!! Pinned!

  5. Allyn from girlnamedallyn.wordpress.com
    12.15.2014

    My husband is allergic to dairy and nuts, so this recipe is making me nearly giddy! I miss the traditional dip so much, and can’t wait to make this.

  6. I’ve made your sunflower seed cheese and it was really tasty, so I know this dip will be delicious. Can’t wait to make it as part of a holiday spread!

    • jeanine
      12.15.2014

      Glad you’ve liked the sunflower cheese! This one’s a little bit similar 🙂

  7. Katie from fromshorestoskylines.com
    12.15.2014

    This looks fabulous! Reminds me of hummus with the chickpeas. I’m definitely trying this out for my vegan friends this holiday season! And maybe surprising some of the non-vegan ones too 😉

  8. Eileen from hampiesandwiches.blogspot.com
    12.14.2014

    Yay, artichoke dip! I love the idea of punching it up with plenty of greens. So perfect for a holiday party!

  9. Michelle from marmaladeandrye.com
    12.14.2014

    Looks wonderful and a welcome deviation from the heavy cream based dips everywhere this holiday season!

  10. One of my favorites, but I hardly make this dish anymore because of the less-than-healthy ingredient list. Can’t wait to add this to our Christmas Eve anitpasti spread!

  11. I literally ate just about an entire bread bowl full of the traditional spinach dip at my nephew’s b’day party yesterday, now while it was super yummy….I think this version looks way healthier and still quite tasty. I love that you subbed in kale for the spinach, a great update. Now I’ll still probably eat too much of this, but at least it will do my body a bit better. Thanks for a great sounding swap out! Happy Holidays to all.

    • jeanine
      12.15.2014

      ha, well, truthfully – at any party you can find Jack and I by the table with the artichoke dip bread bowl eating the whole thing – (and not usually the healthy version!)

  12. This looks beyond amazing! I am having a little pre-party before watching the last Hobbit movie (geek alert!) and will be whipping this up as an appetizer for everyone. Thanks so much!

  13. yum this sounds even better than the original version. I can’t stomach the heavy kale artichoke dip so this would be a great option! Thanks for sharing!

  14. Mmm this looks scrumptious! I’m sure I could easily polish off a bowl of this haha!

  15. Gemma from cinnamongirldelights.blogspot.com
    12.14.2014

    These crostini look wonderful and I can totally picture myself serving this dip like you did for some Christmas party or gathering with friends.
    Lovely pictures! =)

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.