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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The flavor is this was really great! I made it with some shredded seitan, but so many other good options as well. Mine got a little thick around the edges and i only cooked it for 20 minutes. Any tips on how to keep it more creamy, yet heat it through all the way? Thanks for a great recipe!!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! If you want it creamier and more loose, you could just heat it on the stovetop until warm but not thick. Skip the oven altogether maybe. Thanks!
I would love to try this recipe. Do you have a vegan buffalo sauce that you use or make?
Hi Becky. There is a sauce that I make in my buffalo cauliflower wings recipe. You may want to check that recipe out! Enjoy!
I am wondering if you could use jackfruit instead of artichokes. I’m thinking the jackfruit could give a more shredded “chicken” like texture.
Jackfruit is great sub in this recipe!
RIDICULOUSLY good and so easy! The leftovers were the best part; I made a full recipe for the four of us as part of a big appetizer spread knowing there would be some leftover, and it reheated beautifully in the microwave and was incredible with crudite and triscuits for lunch the day after the SuperBowl, and then it made the most AMAZING rice bowl with leftover brown rice, chopped broccoli, baby spinach, black beans and leftover dip. It is so creamy and flavorful and delicious that it would be awesome in burritos, as a chilled spread for sandwiches or wraps, or just as the best dip ever. I absolutely love buffalo cauliflower but it always tastes better to me hot and isn’t great for parties or events. This is a win because you can dip room temperature cauliflower and all other vegetables into it and it stays warm longer (and is good cold or at room temperature, too!). Will definitely be making again, and even modifying for fun by adding in things like spinach or tomatoes to mix it up. Big fan!
Thank you, Kelly, for sharing your fabulous feedback and so many ideas! How thrilling you loved the dip! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Made this for the Super Bowl tonight — absolutely Delicious! Added some chopped celery on top (along with the green onions) for some extra crunch. This may be my go to dish for parties now. ☺️
How awesome the dip was a hit with you, Shellie! Thanks for sharing your amazing feedback and review!
I recently changed to a plant-based diet – this recipe is truly very, very good! Thank you for sharing this – I would honestly choose this recipe over traditional Buffalo chicken dip!
You are welcome, Kevin! I’m so glad you loved the dip! Thank you for sharing your terrific feedback!
Can you tell me a substitute for cashews? I have a vegan GF son who can’t eat cashews
Raw slivered almonds are your best bet, maybe sunflower seeds, though I haven’t tested either. Soak them very well first.
This is so delicious and tastes just like the real thing. I have made it with artichokes and with jackfruit and both are sooo good.
I’m happy to hear you are loving the dip! Thanks for your fabulous ideas and feedback! Wishing you happy cooking!
I love this dip. Wondering if I can make a day ahead and heat right before serving. Will this work?
Hi Michelle. I’m so glad you love the dip! Yes, you can make it ahead and keep it covered in the fridge until it’s time to heat it up.
Shockingly amazing! Wow! Thank you for this amazing recipe!!!!
Hi Laura. How wonderful that you loved the dip! Thank you for sharing your great feedback!
This was surprisingly good for being nut based. You could taste a watery undertone though, so I think next time I’ll use soy or pea milk instead of water and I’ll add more artichokes. I added a ton of celery and it really needed it. I didn’t have a Vitamix, just a Cuisinart so it definitely wasn’t the right texture and it was pretty darn spicy, but I’d make it again with tweaks! None of my family could guess it was cashews so that’s good.
This is a great recipe even for non vegans. I didn’t have artichokes but it still was good. I blended in a jalapeño with it.
I’m so happy you loved the dip! Thanks for your great feedback!
Love this! It was a big hit at the last party! Can you make ahead of time and bake it right before the party or is it better to wait?
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit, Linda! Yes, you can make it ahead and keep it covered in the fridge until it’s time to heat it up.
Nora you are a genius in the kitchen! This is a staple go to of mine and never fails to impress people. It’s one of the few recipes I have that I keep exactly as written because it’s already perfect <3
Thank you for your kind and positive words! I sure love creating delicious and easy recipes, and I am so glad you are enjoying them! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Absolutely delicious! Tastes just like its non-vegan counterpart, but the texture is so much better.
Hi Rachel. I’m so glad you love the dip! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback and review!
Soooo amazing !!! I added 1/2 cup nutritional yeast for some cheesiness. Telling all my friends . So good !
Thanks so much for sharing your amazing feedback, Erika! Happy cooking!
Wow, the flavor is so good. Nice and spicy, I used the regular Frank’s Red Hot. Over pulsed the artichokes, kind of missing the chunkiness but nonetheless delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you for sharing your feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed the dip!
This recipe was amazing. My meat eating husband loved it. So creamy and delicious, didn’t even miss the dairy.
Helpful hint, I ordered my groceries for this online and they gave me artichokes marinated in oil vs water. I didn’t have time to run to the store to exchange so I rinsed and soaked the artichokes with water and it came out perfectly fine. Flavor was delicious!
Thank you for sharing your review and comments! I’m glad you guys loved the dip!
This dip is amazing. I don’t like artichokes so I use roasted cauliflower instead and it comes out delicious. Serious soooo good. I’d eat it every day if I could
I will have to try this soon!
I love how at the end of the notes it says “if” you have leftover dip because I never do, haha! Meat eaters and vegans go nuts for this every time I make it and it’s soooo easy. I use mild buffalo sauce so it’s not spicy. It’s so good that I can eat absurd amounts of celery (which I only eat with this dip). Thank you for the awesome recipe!
You are welcome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful comments!
This was fantastic!! Husband wanted buffalo chicken dip but I wanted to veganize it and this was the perfect recipe. I did what another reviewer suggested and added 2tbsp of nutritional yeast and it came out amazing. Great recipe!
Hi Nicole. I’m happy the dip turned out fantastic for you! Thank you for sharing your fabulous review and comments!
SUPER easy, DELICIOUS, everyone loved this! I have a pretty cheap blender, so after I added the artichokes and pulsed a couple of times, it was all smooth, no chunks. But that was ok! Cut up some celery and carrots, got some tortilla chips, threw some green onion on top and WOW! I couldn’t believe it was vegan even though I made it. So simple and delicious, this will be my go-to party recipe from now on for sure.
Hi David! I’m thrilled this will be your go-to party dip! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, comments, and ideas! Happy cooking!
Thanks for the recipe, never would have thought to use artichoke instead of chicken! Please note, Franks Buffalo wing sauce is Not vegan as it contains dairy (butter flavor does contain milk product). But plain ol Franks Hot Sauce is vegan and great for the dip, just using a bit less 🙂
Hi Courtney! I’ve done quite a bit of research on the Frank’s wing sauce, and even though it contains “butter type flavor” it is vegan. But plain Frank’s red sauce works too.
That question is actually asked on Frank’s website. Here is the company’s answer:
We are happy to let you know the natural butter type flavor of Franks Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce is made with natural ingredients derived from sources other than milk and butter. Please be assured that the current formulations of Frank’s® RedHot® Sauces do not contain any animal derivatives or synthesized milk proteins. -JM
I made this for a party this past weekend and it was awesome! Super easy too
Hi Lia! I’m glad the dip was a hit! Thank you for sharing your great review!
If I use the vegan “chicken” recipe instead of artichokes, how much of the 6 should I use?
I’d say about 1-2 cups of the “chicken”, chopped up small. That might be 2 of 6, I’m not totally sure though. Enjoy!