Creamy, cheesy, flavor packed Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip, with a secret ingredient! Made with all whole plant food ingredients.
I have got the most perfect party food for you. SERIOUSLY. This Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip has all the flavors of buffalo wings, but in dip form! It has a secret ingredient in place of the usual chicken, and is made with all whole plant food ingredients.
That’s right. You don’t have to go buy any expensive or hard to find vegan cream cheese, faux meat or non-dairy cheese shreds. The incredible dip comes together with 7 ingredients (+ water) and about 40 minutes, most of which is hands off!
Let’s get the party started.
The secret ingredient…
The ‘chicken’ in this dip is………… ARTICHOKES.
That’s right. Artichokes. When I was trying to decide what to replace the chicken with, I remembered how artichokes have a sort of shredded chicken quality to them, especially when they are processed just a little bit. I was afraid the artichoke flavor would overpower the dip, but nope. It came out perfect. Any artichoke taste is mild compared to the deliciously creamy, spicy flavors from the cashews and buffalo sauce.
Of course, you could always substitute some vegan chicken or even jackfruit if you wanted, but I’m sticking with artichokes.
What should I serve with Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip?
- Celery sticks
- Carrot sticks
- Tortilla chips
- A sliced baguette
- And maybe some chopped green onions (they look pretty on top and taste good)
Want more Vegan Party Foods?
- The Best & Easiest Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- BBQ Cauliflower Wings
- Vegan Cheese Ball
- Ultimate Fully Loaded Vegan Nachos
Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 cup buffalo sauce
- (1) 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained | in water, NOT marinated in oil
For serving
- celery sticks, carrot sticks
- tortilla chips
- crackers or sliced baguette
- chopped green onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Soak the cashews: Heat up about 3 cups of water in a tea kettle or small pot. Pour the boiling hot water over the cashews and let them soak for 5 minutes. Drain them when ready to blend.
- In a high powered blender such as a Vitamix, add the soaked, drained cashews, 1 cup of fresh water, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Blend until very smooth.
- Now add the buffalo sauce and artichokes. Pulse a couple of times, but do not blend. You want to leave quite a bit of chunky texture!
- Transfer to an oven safe dish (1 1/2-2 quarts, a pie pan works as well), and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Serve warm with celery sticks, carrot sticks, tortilla chips, crackers or a sliced baguette. Chopped green onions on top look pretty and taste good, too. Enjoy!
Notes
- I recommend using Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce for best results.
- You can also use frozen, thawed artichokes if desired. Just don't use the marinated artichokes, as they will change the flavor of the dip considerably. Stick with canned artichokes in water or frozen.
- If you have leftover dip, store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. When reheating, add a little water to thin it out, as it will thicken as it cools. Simply warm in the microwave, or oven, and stir a little water in to thin it out a bit.
Nutrition
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THIS IS SO GOOD! I’m slowly trying to turn my husband vegan 🙂 He LOVED this recipe. Like another reviewer wrote, I overpulsated the artichokes, but I have a crazy intense blender. Next time I might just take the extra 5 min and chop them myself. The recipe does make a lot but the leftovers reheated just as good as the original batch for the next two days.
I’m so happy to hear the recipe was loved!
I made this for an engagement party with mostly non-plant based eaters. Everyone loved it. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome! Glad it was a hit.
This was so good! I cut the recipe in half and it turned out perfectly, eating it now!!
I’m so glad it’s good!
I made this tonight for the championship game for my husband and his friends! It was delicious! I even used it as a “dressing” for a Buddha bowl! Seriously amazing!
So glad it was good!
Hmm a scale on 1 to 10 with ten being hot how hot is the dip. Could you cut back on the hot sauce?
It’s about a 5-6 I would say, quite spicy. Feel free to cut back on the buffalo sauce, and add more to taste.
Unfortunately I’m allergic to cashews. Do you recommend anything that could substitute this (other nuts, seeds, etc.)?
Thank you!
Raw slivered almonds are your best bet, maybe sunflower seeds, though I haven’t tested either. Soak them very well first. Hope you enjoy!
Have you considered using VioLife cream cheese?
Made this for a party last night and all my girlfriends loved it and asked for the recipe!! I over processed the artichokes but we all still loved it. They blended so fast so maybe next time I may add hand cut chunks to the mix after it’s blended! Thank you so much for this
You’re welcome, and I’m glad it turned out great!
Could I make this in the slow cooker once I have put all the ingredients together?
Yes, I think that will work.
Did this work???? I want to do it in my crockpot!
Did anyone try it in the crockpot?
Hi Nora
Could I use the artichokes in oil and rinse off the oil? Would that work
Yep that’s fine. Enjoy!
Hi! Can you tell me if this is also soy free? I have someone that is vegan, but also gluten and soy free. TIA
I am quite positive it is soy free, yes. Just make sure to check the ingredients on your buffalo sauce, but the one I use does not contain soy. Thank you!
Thank you!
This sounds awesome! Have you verified that the Frank’s sauce you recommend is vegan? It lists “natural butter flavor” as one of the ingredients, not sure what that means…
Yes, I have verified this and they are vegan. Hope you enjoy it!
Fantastic news, thank you!!
This is amazing. Great texture and flavor. I did use 2 – 12oz jars of artichokes and tastes spot on!
I’m glad you liked it!
Hi Nora. Thanks for this post. This is such a great and simple recipe. I brought it to a party and it was well received! I did make the mistake of over processing the artichokes and ended up adding a second can which I chopped by hand. I will definitely make this again and as another person suggested, I will try using jackfruit in place of the artichoke hearts.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Jackfruit would be great in here as well.
Hi Nora,
I just made this buffalo dip and realized afterwards that because my husband doesn’t eat anything the least bit hot, I should have only made half the recipe! Is it free able? It is scrumptious, but I can’t eat it all before it spoils!
Thank you in advance!
I think it will freeze well, yes, but I haven’t personally tried it. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work though!
I would like to know if it froze well please
Would roasted cashews work in a pinch?
They will work, but you may have a stronger cashew flavor in the finished dish. Raw cashews are buttery and smooth with nearly no nutty flavor at all.
Used 2 cans of artichokes and it was perfect! I love how easy and quick this was. Thank you!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Love all your recipes!!! They are my go to for everything! I currently have this one in the oven and it’s smells amazing! We usually use make another cauliflower buffalo dip and it use garbanzo beans….. I’m wondering if using those and only one cup of cashews would be good for this recipe?
Thank you so much! I imagine you could sub garbanzo beans for some of the cashews, yes, but I haven’t tried it myself. Should work out okay though!
Hello Nora,
I’ve made this recipe last night with half cauliflower and half broccoli and it was very good!
Thank you for your recipes 🙂
Cecilia
So good to hear, sounds delicious! Thank you!
Nora – I made this for Memorial Day and it was a smash. All gone! People couldn’t believe how good it was! ?
I’m so glad it was a hit for Memorial Day! Yay!
Are you able to prepare this the day before? Would you assemble until ready to bake and refrigerate then?
Yes, that is exactly what I would do. Should be fine, it just might need a little longer in the oven to get warm. Enjoy!
This is amazing. So good. I skipped baking it-it was warm enough for us from soaking the cashews. And we just couldn’t wait after trying the first bite! Next time I might add more artichokes. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the dip! I don’t think you could go wrong using more artichokes. Thank you!
I’m going to try making this with jackfruit later! I’ll let you know how it goes…
Hi Nora – for your avid readers ‘across the Pond’ – what is the British equivalent of ‘Buffalo sauce’, please?
Buffalo sauce is usually hot sauce with vinegar and maybe butter. In the U.S. it’s usually Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce, but here is a recipe I found so you could make your own (just use vegan butter or leave it out). Thanks!
You can get Franks hot sauce in UK supermarkets.
what is buffalo sauce?
Buffalo sauce is something you can buy at most grocery stores (in the U.S. that is). It’s often used for buffalo wings and is made with hot sauce, vinegar and sometimes oil or butter.
OMG!! This is amazing! Can’t believe how good and creamy it is. A big hit with all my friends and family (non-vegans). Thank you for another winner!!