Chipotle Almond Spread/Dip (w/other Favor Variations) - Gluten-free, Vegan

Since we have been here in California I have really been getting back to my roots of making all of my own foods, right down to breads and dips, etc. I sometimes hate the extra time to make things I can buy at the store, but the quality is unmatched and the same goes for the health benefits. When you are making your foods from scratch, there are no unknown ingredients, no preservatives or other junk. Just good clean food.

Chipotle Almond Spread/Dip (w/other Favor Variations) - Gluten-free, Vegan

It is hard to remember why you do it, when your life gets busy and the packaged food is glaring at you from the aisles of the store, with “wonderful” health claims like gluten-free, organic, all natural, non-gmo, etc. But remember this doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t have strange, unknown ingredients in it, still.

I was craving a snack the other day and didn’t want hummus again, but I wanted something similar but sans bean. This creamy spread is thick, still a tad bit chunky (depending on how long you process), and served best with crackers or fresh vegetables as a dip. It is also great spread on a slice of toast or fresh bread, or added to steamed veggies, pasta, rice, quinoa or other grain. It is perfect in a wrap or on a veggie burger and really nice in place of mayo or mustard on your favorite sandwich or in place of mayo in tuna (or mock tuna) salad.

Chipotle Almond Spread/Dip (w/other Favor Variations) - Gluten-free, Vegan
[print_this]Chipotle Almond Spread / Dip (w/other Favor Variations) – Gluten-free, Vegan
yields just over 1 cup of dip

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup raw organic almonds, soaked overnight* OR 2 cups of leftover almond pulp (without vanilla or sweetener)
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice (from appox 1/2 lemon)
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 3 teaspoons liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon ground chipotle (or whatever herb or spice you prefer)
  • sea salt, to taste
  • 1/4 cup of water (you may or may not need this, and it may be less – you won’t need this if using almond pulp)

Optional add-ins to change the flavor profile:

  • Spices like chipotle or smoked paprika.
  • Fresh herbs like rosemary, cilantro, mint , basil, etc
  • Vegetables like roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, jalapeños
  • Try roasting an entire bulb of garlic and adding that.
  • The possibilities are endless.

You can really have fun with this dip and make it however you want. Add in whatever you’d like, make combinations. Just make it your own, the base stays the same, you can just tweak the recipe as you see fit. My three favorite flavors personally are chipotle, rosemary and roasted garlic.

Place all ingredients in your food processor and pulse just until chunky. You can either continue blending for a smoother spread, or stop while there are still little chunks of almonds. I like it to where it isn’t totally smooth and creamy and a tad bit of the nuttiness comes through. You may want to drizzle in a little water if it seems like it is too thick or chunky, use your own judgment.

*soaking the almonds is important to making this dip creamy, otherwise you would end up with almond butter if you processed it long enough.

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