There are various recipes for green dips, but this green dip is a sure fire winner. Not only does it taste delicious, but it’s super healthy and completely plant-based. As long as you have a food processor or blender, it’s ever so easy to make and quick too. Perfect for parties, potlucks, picnics or as a side dish to accompany dinner.
I love dips, especially when the weather starts to warm up and serving hot food no longer feels like a necessity. If you like foraging, stinging nettles are a highly nutritious and delicious green and perfect for this recipe, though not essential.
Dive Right In
- Why Make Green Dip?
- Green Dip
- Ingredients
- How To Make Green Dip
- Other Nettle Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- The Recipe
Why Make This Green Dip?
Delicious, nutritious, quick and easy – what more can you ask? If you need convincing here are a few more reasons why you might want to make this green dip.
- Intriguing – The colour and flavour of this dip will keep everyone guessing as to what’s in it. It’s a great conversation starter if talk is flagging.
- Nutritious – This green dip is packed full of nutritious ingredients. White beans are a good source of protein, fibre and various vitamins and minerals such as iron and folate. Nettle tops or spinach are a veritable powerhouse of nutrients including vitamins A, C and K. And other ingredients add extra goodness.
- Seasonal Twist – Although you can use spinach or other soft greens for this recipe, nettle tops add a seasonal twist. It’s especially fun for those who enjoy foraging or using seasonal ingredients in their cooking. Nettle tops are at their best in springtime, which makes this dip a perfect way to celebrate spring’s bounty.
- Striking Colour – The dip has a vibrant green colour which makes it stand out. Whether it’s for a party, a picnic or simply a family meal, this green dip is sure to catch the eye and entice people to give it a try.
- Unique Flavour Profile – The combination of white beans and nettle tops or spinach creates a unique flavour profile that is both savoury and earthy. The addition of nutritional yeast gives cheesy umami notes and tahini adds a nutty depth.
- Versatile – Dips are incredibly versatile and you can enjoy them in various ways. Use this green dip as a starter with vegetable sticks and crackers or try it as a spread on sandwiches or wraps. It makes a great side for many main meals and a delicious bed for roasted veg.
Green Dip
Packed with protein and nutrients, this seasonal vegan twist on a classic green dip is perfect for spring gatherings, family meals or everyday snacking. I’ve made it with fresh nettle tops and white beans, but you can use spinach or any other soft greens instead.
Green dip is usually made with cheese, but I’ve transformed it into a plant-based delight. It’s no less lacking in flavour. Indeed, I reckon it tastes even better.
Use it much like hummus, ie as a dip, to slather into pitta breads, as part of a meze feast or a bed for roasted vegetables for dinner. Whatever way you use it, it won’t last long.
You can add toppings to give it some extra pizzaz, but something simple and fresh works particularly well. I like to drizzle a little olive oil over the top then scatter with snipped fresh chives.
It will keep in a covered container in the fridge for a couple of days. Just give a good stir before using.
Ingredients
Combining a heap of nutritious ingredients into a delicious dip is a great way to incorporate beneficial nutrients into one’s diet. I’m highlighting the four main ingredients below, but you’ll also need garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning.
Greens
When they’re in season, I like to forage for stinging nettle tops to make this dip. Nettles are a veritable powerhouse of nutrition. They contain all of the essential amino acids, vitamins A, C & K as well as some of the B vitamins, fibre and a whole heap of antioxidants. They also provide various minerals including calcium, iron and magnesium. (Ref: Healthline)
Make sure you pick the young nettles and just take the tips, ie the top four to six leaves. Older nettles can be fibrous and tough.
However spinach, which is also in season in spring makes for a very good alternative. You can also use other soft green leaves, but you might not get the vibrant green colour that you get from nettles and spinach.
Nutritional Yeast
Nutritional yeast adds umami and a certain cheesy flavour. It’s easy to get hold of and a really useful store cupboard ingredient. It’s also fotified with vitamin B12, so useful for those on a plant-based diet.
Tahini
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds, much like peanut butter. You don’t need much for this recipe as it’s there to enhance rather than dominate the other flavours. But it adds richness as well as a whole heap of additional nutrients.
White Beans
For this recipe you can use any white beans you like. They’re pretty much interchangeable. I used butter beans (lima beans) this time.
If I don’t cook my own beans from dried, I tend to use jarred beans these days. They’re so much nicer. They are, however, a bit more expensive. The ones I use are salted, so I only add a pinch of additional salt to the dip. I also don’t drain and rinse them as I do with tinned as they don’t have the same taint.
How To Make Green Dip
Because of the greens, there’s a bit more to this recipe than just bunging everything in a blender and blitzing. But not much.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions, timings and quantities of ingredients used.
Step 1. Prepare Nettles
Wash the stinging nettle tops (or spinach) well in cold water. Give the leaves a brief shake to remove some, but not all, of the water. Then transfer them directly into a medium sized saucepan.
Place the lid on the pan and bring it to a moderate heat. Allow the greens to wilt in the moisture still clinging to their leaves. This should only take a minute or two.
Transfer the leaves along with any water left in the pan into a blender or food processor.
Top Tip
Use rubber gloves to both pick and wash the nettles. This way you won’t get stung.
Step 2. Blend
Rinse and drain the beans if using tinned, but otherwise just spoon the beans into your blender or food processor and don’t worry about getting some of the cooking water in too.
Add all remaining ingredients bar the olive oil and whiz until you have a smooth dip. If the mixture is too stiff, add a splash of water.
Add the olive oil and whiz again. Taste test at this point and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice if you think it needs it.
Top Tip
You’ll get a much smoother result with a power blender than you will in a food processor. However, it’s harder to remove all of the dip from a blender.
I scrape out as much as I can, then add a cupful or two of warm water and a teaspoon of miso paste. Blend briefly and not only do you have a delicious and nutritious cup of instant soup, but your blender is an awful lot cleaner and there’s less food waste.
Step 3. Serve
Scrape as much of the contents as you can out into a bowl – see my top tip above.
Swirl the dip with a spoon or knife so it looks inviting and to create pockets for the olive oil. Then drizzle with the oil if liked and dip away.
A scattering of freshly picked and snipped chives works well with this green dip.
Other Nettle Recipes You Might Like
- Creamy butterbeans & mushrooms
- Green flatbreads
- Nettle powder
- Nettle soup
- Spanakopita with wild greens
- Spring tonic nettle smoothie
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this green dip with nettles or any other type of greens, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for making dips?
Please rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?
If you’d like more recipes for foraged foods, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Green Dip. PIN IT.
Green Dip: Delicious, Nutritious And Vegan
Ingredients
- 40 g nettle tops or use spinach or similar instead
- 225 g cooked white beans equivalent to 1 tin drained and rinsed (I used jarred butter beans (lima beans))
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling, if liked
- ½ lemon juiced
- ¼ tsp sea or rock salt may need less depending on what type of beans used
- good grinding of black pepper
Instructions
- Wash the nettle tops or spinach well. Give the leaves a brief shake to remove some of the water, then place them in a medium saucepan.40 g nettle tops
- Bring the pan to a moderate heat and allow the greens to wilt in the moisture still clinging to their leaves. This should only take a minute or two.
- Place the leaves along with any water left in the pan into a blender or food processor. Add all remaining ingredients bar the olive oil and whiz until you have a smooth dip. If the mixture is too stiff, add a splash of water.225 g cooked white beans, 1 tbsp tahini, 1 clove garlic, 3 tbsp nutritional yeast, ½ lemon, ¼ tsp sea or rock salt, good grinding of black pepper
- Add the olive oil and whiz again. Taste test and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice if you think it's needed.1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Scrape the contents out into a bowl and dip away.
Shirine Mahawish says
Looks gorgeous and I feel like I’m doing my body some good just by looking at it!
I wondered why you need to add nutritional yeast? How does it help the recipe?
Thank you and best wishes from London!
Choclette says
Hi Shirine. Glad you like the look of it. You don’t have to add the nutritional yeast, but it does give an umami boost as well as add a bit of additional nutrition. You could always omit it and add an extra spoon of tahini instead.
Rini D says
We loved this dip so much! Definitely making it over and over again.
Choclette says
Yes, it’s a definite keeper. Glad you like the recipe too and thanks for letting us know.
sherry says
This dip looks delicious – so vibrant and green and very healthy too! Great flavours.
cheers
sherry
Choclette says
Thank you Sherry, it’s a great way to use nettles and one of my favourite dips.