Iiiit’s throwback time! Who else remembers that cool, creamy spinach dip with the crunch of water chestnuts, served up in sourdough bowl? (*raising my hand* – me too!)
Well, that’s exactly what I have here for you today. Except a little different. I hope that’s okay with you. Here’s the scoop:
Did you know the classic cold spinach dip recipe, in the style of many recipes hailing from the mid-to-late 1900s, called for dried vegetable soup mix? Well, maybe you did, but I didn’t! And I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly keep veggie soup mix hanging around in my pantry.
But I do have onion powder and garlic powder, and I thought maybe those two ingredients too could help make Creamy Cold Spinach Dip nirvana.
And you know what? I think I was right! In fact, I even made a point to buy some veggie soup mix so I could compare the two. I made the batch with onion and garlic powders and then another batch with veggie soup mix. We thought the non-veggie-soup-mix version was actually SO much better!
So here I am today in a retro sort of mood, sharing Creamy Spinach Dip with Water Chestnuts.
This stuff is so easy. Just mix mayo, sour cream (read on for equally delicious vegan and dairy-free options), spinach, water chestnuts, scallions, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper together. Aaand done! Seriously that easy.
For a dairy-free version, I use my cashew sour cream. So good! And to go all the way vegan, go with cashew sour cream and vegan mayo. Done and done.
Serve it up all classic-like in a sourdough bowl and some sliced sourdough baguette on the side.
Now that we’ve got this 1980s-style business settled, I just have to ask: Who exactly did shoot J.R.?
Creamy Spinach Dip with Water Chestnuts
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream (for dairy-free and vegan version, use cashew sour cream)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (for vegan version use vegan mayo)
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt + more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more to taste
- 1 10-ounce bag frozen spinach, thawed and liquid squeezed out*
- 1 4-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
- 1 bunch scallions (green onions, chopped [discard top 1/3 of green ends]; save a few for garnish)
- 1 medium loaf sourdough boule
- 1/2 sourdough baguette (sliced)
Instructions
- To a medium bowl, add the sour cream, mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well to combine.
- Squeeze the liquid out of the spinach and add to the bowl along with the water chestnuts and scallions. Mix well to combine. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired.
- To allow the flavors to develop, place dip in a lidded container and refrigerate for at least one hour, or up to 24 hours.
- When ready to serve, prepare the sourdough bowl. Use a serrated knife to slice off the top of the sourdough round, leaving enough of the bread to make a "bowl." Use your hands to pull out the soft center of the bread, leaving the crusty outside. Arrange on a platter along with sourdough baguette slices. Scoop dip into the sourdough "bowl" and use the reserved scallions for garnish. Serve!
Is it possible to have good results in this recipe kid you drain a can of spinach really well?
I’ve not tried it with canned spinach, but if it has the same consistency as frozen or otherwise cooked spinach (drained), it should work. If you try it please report back! 🙂
Delicious. I did add a squirt of fresh squeezed lemon to add a little zip.
This dip should be eaten on everything! My non vegan family also loved it. I made the cashew sour cream listed in this recipe and it is life changing. I had leftover and seasoned it up, stirred in a little almond milk, and used it as a dip. Everything was easy and tasted great!
I’m so glad it was a hit! I love to hear it. Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a review!