On the first night of our 2026 Integrative Foot Zoning graduation retreat on the North Shore of O‘ahu, we set out a grazing table covered in monstera leaves, plumeria and orchids. There were two kinds of hummus, a spicy roasted jalapeño salsa, trays of cut vegetables and a warm glass dish of spinach artichoke dip. The dip was the first thing to disappear.
Most spinach artichoke dips are built on cream cheese, sour cream and a layer of melted Parmesan. This one gets its creamy texture from soaked cashews blended with lemon and garlic, the same trick behind my white sauce, and it still bakes up bubbling around the edges. It is vegan, gluten-free and oil-free, so everyone at our table could eat it, including graduates who avoid dairy, gluten and oil.
Jump to RecipeBefore the recipe, I want to explain why I build dips this way and what the ingredients do for the body.
Why I leave out the dairy
In my Integrative Foot Zoning certification, I teach that dairy can leach minerals out of the bones. The bones hold the body’s mineral reserves, and flat bones like the pelvis, ribs, breastbone and collarbone help with blood building. When those reserves run low, the body has less to draw on.
The usual party dip also brings along things I teach my students to watch for when blood building is weak: processed foods, food additives, rancid fats and vinegar. Many jarred artichoke hearts are packed in oil and vinegar, which is why this recipe calls for artichokes packed in water, or frozen ones.
Cashews give you the same creamy, scoopable texture without any of that. Soaked and blended with fresh lemon and garlic, they turn into a sauce you can build almost any dip on.
What goes into the bowl
Every main ingredient in this dip shows up on the lists of supportive foods I teach in my certification course.
- Spinach carries nutrients the liver can absorb easily and convert for the rest of the body. It is also rich in natural nitrates, which the body turns into nitric oxide, the molecule that relaxes and widens blood vessels.
- Artichokes are on my list of supportive foods for both the liver and the pancreas.
- Garlic contains astringent phytochemicals that kill pathogens in the liver and lower inflammation in the liver and gallbladder.
- Lemon juice helps break down pathogens, loosen and disperse fat cells, and help the liver protect the pancreas.
- Green onions carry sulfur compounds that disinfect the liver, expel pathogens and get bile flowing from the gallbladder.
Leafy greens become even more medicinal when you eat them with fruit, so I like to set this dip out next to a fruit platter.
Tips for making and serving it
- Squeeze the spinach hard. Water left in the greens makes the dip thin and loose after baking.
- Read the artichoke label. Choose hearts packed in water, or frozen hearts. Skip the marinated ones in oil and vinegar.
- Serve it cold if you prefer. The dip is fully edible before it goes in the oven. Chill it for an hour and it thickens into a spread.
- Make it ahead. Stir it together up to a day early, keep it covered in the fridge, and bake it just before guests arrive.
- What to dip. At the retreat we served it with cucumber rounds, carrots, bell pepper strips, celery and gluten-free, corn-free crackers.
- Allergy note. This dip contains cashews (a tree nut). It has no dairy, gluten, soy, corn, sesame or legumes.
Dairy-Free Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 1½ cups raw cashews soaked in water for at least 1 hour, then rinsed and drained
- ¾ cup water plus more as needed
- 1 large lemon juiced
- 4 garlic cloves
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- 10 oz fresh spinach or one 10 oz bag frozen spinach, thawed
- 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts packed in water drained and chopped (or 1½ cups frozen, thawed)
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
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Heat the oven to 350°F.
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Add the cashews, water, lemon juice, garlic and salt to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for about 2 minutes, until the sauce is completely smooth and thick like sour cream. Add water a tablespoon at a time only if the blender stalls.
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Put the fresh spinach in a large dry skillet with a splash of water over medium heat and stir until it wilts, 2 to 3 minutes. Let it cool, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can and chop it. If you use frozen spinach, skip the pan and squeeze it well.
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Stir the spinach, artichoke hearts, green onions and red pepper flakes into the cashew sauce. Taste and add more salt or lemon if needed.
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Spread the dip in a small glass or ceramic baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until it bubbles at the edges and turns lightly golden on top.
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Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Choose artichoke hearts packed in water, or frozen hearts, and skip the marinated ones in oil and vinegar. To serve it cold, chill the mixture from step 4 for an hour. The dip can be mixed up to a day ahead and baked just before serving. Contains cashews (a tree nut); free of dairy, gluten, soy, corn, sesame and legumes.
Bring it to your next gathering
Food you share with people you love is part of how the body heals. The body has a perfect blueprint, and when you feed it spinach, artichokes, garlic and lemon in place of cream cheese and processed oils, you give it more of what it needs to follow that blueprint.
If you want to learn how to read what your own body is asking for, the body keeps the record, and the feet show the signal. Start with the Sole Signal System.
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If you make this, tag me on Instagram at @amberbodilyhealth so I can see your table.
