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Vegan Garlic Dough Balls with Cheesy Cashew Dip Recipe

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★★★★

4 from 43 reviews

These Vegan Garlic Dough Balls are soft, fluffy, and bursting with garlicky vegan butter flavor. Paired with a smooth and cheesy cashew dip, they make a perfect appetizer or party snack. Made from scratch using white bread flour and a quick-rise yeast, these dough balls are simple to prepare and bake to golden perfection, resulting in an irresistible finger food that’s great for celebrations or casual gatherings.

Ingredients

Scale

Dough:

  • 500 g (4 cups) white bread flour
  • 10 g (3 teaspoons) fast action (instant) yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 160 ml (⅔ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy), lukewarm
  • 160 ml (⅔ cup) water, lukewarm

Cheese Dip:

  • 75 g (2 + ⅔ oz / ½ cup) raw cashews
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 ½ teaspoons tapioca starch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
  • 160 ml (⅔ cup) water

Garlic Butter:

  • 85 g (rounded ⅓ cup) vegan butter/spread
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 heaped teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

  1. Mix Dough Ingredients: Place the bread flour in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook. Add yeast to one side and salt and sugar to the other to avoid killing the yeast. Pour in olive oil, lukewarm non-dairy milk, and water, then mix to form a rough dough.
  2. Knead the Dough: Knead the dough by hand on an unfloured surface or using the stand mixer on medium/high speed for 5-10 minutes until smooth, elastic, and tacky but cleanly pulling away from the bowl edges. Add a little flour if the dough is too wet, but avoid making it dry.
  3. First Rise: Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and set aside in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.
  4. Soak Cashews: While the dough rises, soak the raw cashews in boiling water until softened, set aside.
  5. Prepare Baking Sheet and Ramekin: Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and grease an 11 cm wide, 4 cm deep ramekin inside and out, placing it in the center of the sheet.
  6. Divide and Shape Dough Balls: Punch down the risen dough to release air, then divide into approximately 30 g portions, about 29 balls. Shape each piece into a smooth, well-sealed ball.
  7. Arrange Dough Balls: Arrange dough balls spaced slightly apart in two concentric circles around the ramekin on the baking sheet – around 11 in the inner circle and 18 in the outer.
  8. Second Rise: Loosely cover and let the dough balls rise for 30-40 minutes until puffy with a slow spring-back when gently poked.
  9. Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 210°C (190°C fan) / 425°F / gas mark 7.
  10. Make Garlic Butter: Gently heat vegan butter with crushed garlic, chopped parsley, and oregano in a pan until melted, then set aside.
  11. Prepare Cheese Dip: Drain soaked cashews and blend with garlic, tapioca starch, salt, nutritional yeast, cider vinegar, and water until very smooth. Heat the mixture in a pan over medium heat, whisking until it simmers and thickens. Remove from heat and cover surface with parchment to prevent skin formation.
  12. Assemble for Baking: Pour cheese dip into the ramekin, spreading it evenly. Optionally drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle fresh thyme. Brush the dough balls with about two-thirds of the garlic butter.
  13. Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden brown and an internal temperature of at least 90°C (194°F) is reached.
  14. Final Brush and Serve: Brush the dough balls with remaining garlic butter and serve warm alongside the cheesy cashew dip.

Notes

  • Use metric measurements and a digital scale for accurate and consistent results rather than relying solely on cup conversions.
  • If dough feels too wet during kneading, add a little flour, but be cautious not to make the dough dry as it will affect texture.
  • The cheese dip recipe is adapted from Bish, Bash, Bosh by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby.
  • Letting the dough balls rise properly ensures light and fluffy texture; poke test helps gauge readiness for baking.
  • Keep the parchment on the cheese dip surface while cooling to avoid a skin forming.
  • This recipe produces approximately 29 medium-sized dough balls suitable for sharing.

Keywords: vegan garlic dough balls, vegan appetizer, party food, bread recipe, cashew cheese dip, plant-based snacks

Find it online: https://foodiecara.com/vegan-garlic-dough-balls-with-cheesy-cashew-dip-recipe/