Zesty Silken Tofu Dip for veggies, Crackers, and More

Indulge in a vegan taste sensation with our Tangy Silken Tofu Dip! Silken tofu and smooth cashews blend into a creamy base, nutritional yeast and miso make it tangy, while zesty notes of lemon, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and a Medjool date provide a tantalizing twist. This dip isn’t just delicious – it’s a protein-packed, plant-based delight that elevates your veggie snacking to a whole new level. Perfect for parties, gatherings, or a simple afternoon treat.

Savory vegan dips are perfect for more than vegges! You use vegan honey mustard dip as a salad dressing, and vegan pimento cheese dip as a sandwich spread. Kalamata olive dip would look lovely next to this tofu dip on a vegan charcuterie or snacking board along with some seasoned roasted nuts.

Have you ever used silken tofu before? Silken tofu is a versatile ingredient that offers a smooth and creamy texture, making it a popular choice in both savory dishes and dressings like vegan tzatziki sauce and desserts like vegan puddings and sweet vegan cannoli dip.

Its delicate consistency blends seamlessly into recipes like vegan creamed corn casserole, providing a rich, protein-packed base for vegan alternatives to dairy products. Whether you’re whipping up a velvety chocolate mousse, a hearty blended soup, or a dairy-free smoothie, silken tofu can enhance your dish without overpowering other flavors. For those looking to experiment with plant-based ingredients or simply seeking a subtle way to enrich their cooking, silken tofu is an excellent option.

Ingredients needed to make a tangy zesty vegan tofu dip with silken tofu

Don’t be afraid of all of the many ingredients listed below! You can easily gather them together and measure everything out while the cashews are soaking. Then it’s simply a matter of blending everything up.

• raw cashews – By “raw” cashews I mean not roasted and not salted. You will be soaking these raw cashews in hot water for about 30 minutes. If all you can find is roasted salted cashews then you’ll need to soak overnight and triple-rinse to removed the salt.
• one Medjool date – You can soak the (pitted) Medjool date along with the cashews to soften it. Medjool dates are a great sweet alternative to processed sugars. You can substitute with 1-3 teaspoons of maple syrup. This is a savory dip but a little sweetener adds an under-layer of flavor. Start with one teaspoon and give it a taste before adding more.
• seven ounces silken tofu – My silken tofu comes in an 14 or 16 ounce container. See the recipe card below for suggestions of what to do with the remaining silken tofu.
• nutritional yeast
• lemon juice – Use freshly squeezed or bottled lemon juice.
• apple cider vinegar
• white miso paste – Which is really not “white” but more the color of peanut butter.
• garlic  – Peeled and lightly chopped. You will be blending the garlic so no need to mince it. You can also use jarred garlic for this recipe.
• Dijon mustard
• onion powder, salt, and black pepper
• optional chopped fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, or dill for garnish
• You’ll also need a food processor or a high-speed blender

How to make tangy tofu dip with cashews and…other stuff

The exact ingredients with measurements can be found in the recipe card below along with more concise abbreviated instructions. Read on for more details, tips, and tricks so that you will feel confident making this recipe.

Step 1: Soaking the cashews and the Medjool date

Soak the cashews and pitted Medjool date in hot water. If you are using a high-speed blender (like a Vitamix) or a food processor, then you can soak for only 30 minutes. If you are using a standard blender then soak for two hours, changing the hot water every thirty minutes.

I soak the date along with the cashews to save dirtying another dish. They soak the same amount of time so it’s a great way to do it. Make sure to remove the pit from the date or you will be sad when it’s accidentally blended with your other ingredients. You’ll ruin the tofu dip and possibly your very expensive blender.

You’ll know the cashews and date are softened enough if the cashews can easily be scraped with your fingernail and the Medjool date is soft and mushy. Drain and rinse the soaked cashews and date and discard the soaking water.

Step 1 and 1/2: Prepping the other ingredients

While the cashews and dates are soaking you can gather and measure the other ingredients. This will save valuable preparation time so you will be ready to go when the cashews are ready.

Peel and chop the garlic. You don’t need to mince or excessively chop the garlic because you’ll be adding it to a blender. I just give the peeled garlic a quick wack or two to get it started.

Consider if you will use fresh herbs for garnish and which herbs you’ll use. I like the peppery spice of chives and add them to almost everything like vegan blue cheese dressing and roasted butternut squash sauce. Prep and chop the fresh herbs. You won’t be adding the fresh herbs to the blender but using them for garnish when you are serving the tofu dip.

The silken tofu

Carefully open and drain the silken tofu. Silken tofu is very delicate. You’d never press it like you would firm or extra firm tofu needed in tofu sausage crumbles or a baked tofu. You can gently pat the silken tofu dry but that’s about it.

You might have noticed that this recipe uses only seven ounces of silken tofu and might wonder what can be done with the remaining tofu in the package. To use the other half of the tofu you can either double this recipe (though that makes a lot of dip!) or use it to make a tofu smoothie, pudding, or protein overnight oats. See the notes section in the recipe card below for more suggestions.

Steps 2 and 3: Blending the tofu dip

Add all of the ingredients – except for the fresh herbs to a high-speed blender or food processor. Add the drained silken tofu, soaked cashews, Medjool date, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, miso paste, garlic, Dijon mustard, onion powder, and salt and pepper.

Blend everything for a few minutes until the tofu dip is nice and smooth and creamy. You might need to stop halfway through and scrape down the sides of your blender.

Remaining steps: taste, season, and eat!

Taste and season the dip with more salt and pepper according to your preference. Blend the tofu dip again to incorporate the extra seasonings. Transfer the tofu dip to a serving bowl and let cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes for the flavors to fully develop. Garnish with your choice of fresh herbs and serve.

This is something fun that I like to do with my tofu dip. I portion it out into small containers for portion control and then take one to work with some veggies or lentil chips for a quality mid-morning snack. You can do the same and portion out small servings as an afternoon snack for your kids too.

The printable recipe card