Cheesy Vegan Pumpkin Dip
If you’ve got some small pumpkins laying around that you don’t know what to do with or some leftover pumpkin purée from a can, whip up this easy cheesy vegan pumpkin dip! You’ll just need a few basic ingredients and a food processor or blender. And some pumpkin, obviously.
why make this cheesy vegan pumpkin dip?
Making this pumpkin dip is just the start of plenty of dish possibilities. Yes, you can obviously eat it as a dip with chips, crackers, bread, vegetables, etc. But you can also put it on pasta and you’ve got a cheesy pumpkin mac. Or pour it over some nachos. You could even use it for scalloped potatoes, why not? And it’s healthy, unless of course you do end up using it on nachos. But even then, it’s healthy poured over unhealthy so it cancels itself out. Flawless logic for you there.
Plus, all you need are a few basic pantry staples to make it. The recipe is nut-free, so there’s no cashew soaking or blending involved and you don’t need a high-powered blender. Frankly, I was using a small food processor meant for nuts and such to test the recipe. Since it’s thickened on the stovetop, the mixture is loose enough to not require powerful blending.
And, if all that didn’t really inspire you, you can also easily freeze this pumpkin dip. So if this year you bought a bunch of small pumpkins to decorate, you can just cook them, purée them, make the recipe and freeze! Or you can simply freeze the purée itself. I always like to freeze some pumpkin purée when it’s the season to have some year round for when a pumpkin soup or dessert craving hits. Just make sure to use baking/cooking pumpkins. The big pumpkins meant for carving don’t have as much flavour and the purée will be quite thin. Opt for the small ones like sugar pumpkins or you could even use butternut squash for this.
If you make this recipe please let me know in the comments! All feedback is very much appreciated and I would love to hear from you! You can also tag me on instagram @the.quaint.kitchen or use the hashtag #thequaintkitchen to share your creations!
Cheesy Vegan Pumpkin Dip
Ingredients
- 1 sugar pumpkin or other cooking pumpkin, you’ll need 300g of purée
- 160 g plantbased milk or water
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp white pepper or a few cracks of black pepper
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, (grapeseed, canola, vegetable…)
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce
- cayenne, to taste
Instructions
Pumpkin Purée
- Preheat your oven to 190°C/375°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminium, parchment or a silicone mat.
- Cut your pumpkin in half lengthwise and scrape out the stringy bits and seeds using a metal spoon. You can cut out the stem too but that’s optional.
- Oil the cut sides and place them face down on your baking sheet.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until you can easily pierce it with a fork. Depending on the size of your pumpkin, you might need to bake it longer.
- Let it cool until warm so you can scoop out the flesh.
Cheesy Pumpkin Dip
- To your food processor or blender, add 300g of pumpkin flesh and the milk or water, nutritional yeast, arrowroot starch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, white or black pepper, oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce and cayenne.
- Blend until smooth, then pour into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk constantly until it bubbles and thickens, then it’s ready to use!
Notes
- *Disclaimer: I have a tiny not-so-great oven, so your bake time may vary from mine.
- I strongly suggest making recipes by weight, if you make them by cups I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the same results.
- You can freeze the purée or dip in a tightly sealed bag or container.
- You could also use canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling).
- It will keep about a week in the fridge in an airtight container, but it will set. Simply heat it up lightly on the stovetop or in the microwave to loosen it, stirring often.