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Want a healthy, quick, and tasty alternative to hummus? Introducing Spinach & Sunflower Seed Dip!
This spinach dip is flavored with fresh basil, lime, and nutritional yeast. Plus, it’s a bit crunchy, thanks to the addition of toasted sunflower seeds. It will make a great addition to any appetizer platter!
First, we start with the onions and garlic that are sautéed until golden brown. Make sure to cook them until they caramelize for extra flavor.
Next, we add spinach and sautée until cooked. At first, it will release a lot of water. Keep cooking until almost no water remains. Spinach not only brings a whole package of vitamins and calcium, but sunflower seeds also add healthy fats and protein! Win-win!
Finally, transfer the spinach to a food processor and add the remaining ingredients. For a nice crunch, we have sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast for a subtle cheesy flavor, basil leaves for freshness, and a squeeze of lime juice.
Then, to make it richer and creamier, I added a couple of tablespoons of oil. Olive oil works great here, but if you are avoiding oil, just use water to get the right consistency.
This spinach & sunflower seed dip is delicious served with crackers or raw veggies but can also be spread on toast and topped with cherry tomato halves for a fancier appetizer!
Looking for another dip to serve on the side? Check out this Caramelized Shallots Hummus!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Easy Spinach & Sunflower Seed Dip
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 medium onion minced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 6 cups packed baby spinach
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds toasted
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 3-4 leaves fresh basil
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp salt adjust to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced onion and garlic, and sautée until the onion starts to caramelize. Make sure it starts to brown as it will add a lot of flavors.
- Add the spinach and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until it is cooked and almost no water remains in the skillet.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a food processor. Add the toasted sunflower seeds, oil, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, basil, lime juice, and salt. Process for about 5 seconds, you don’t want to process too long to keep some crunch from the sunflower seeds.
- Taste and adjust the saltiness to your liking and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. Top with sunflower seeds and serve with raw veggies, crackers, etc.
- This spinach dip will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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This looks delicious and simple to make, Thomas. I’ll give it a try.
Thanks Charles!
You can successfully replace the spinach with some pigweed or spring nettle. The Pigweed (Chenopodium album) has a sweeter taste than spinach.
I have been wanting to try this, and was so happy to finely make it. It is very yummy!!
Thanks for your feedback Jwiltz!
Yum!! I love me a good dip this looks very appetising
This has been a good dip to help me get more iron intake from the spinach, thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome!
Hi, love the look and style of the recipes here, quick question, what could I replace the tomato in the recipe with? Thanks
Hi Sally,
Thank you! I would simple omit it.