Pour homemade Vegan Ranch Dressing over salads, slather it on sandwiches, drizzle it on your avocado toast, or serve is as a dip with cut vegetables. Dairy-free ranch salad dressing is super easy to make, and this recipe comes together in just a few minutes!
Vegan Ranch Dressing
It’s finally starting to warm up here on the East Coast, and I’ve found myself craving salads. Yes, I do crave salads. I love crisp and crunchy romaine lettuce combined with bright purple cabbage and juicy grape tomatoes. I love to throw in beans, cooked grains, and sometimes even leftover cooked veggies to give my salads some oomph and to keep me full throughout the afternoon.
Salad ingredients are important, sure, but a really good dressing is key. Non-dairy ranch dressing is one of favorites. Since it’s pairs well with spicy foods, I like to drizzle it over my salad when I’m including sriracha baked tofu or peppery roasted chickpeas, but really, it tastes good with just about any kind of salad ingredients, hot or not.
Sure there are a few dairy-free ranch salad dressing brands available now, but most of them contain a lot of oil. This homemade vegan ranch recipe is made with a cashew base, making it a much healthier option.
I’ve actually posted this non-dairy ranch dressing here on my blog before, but I’ve always included it as an add-on to another recipe. As I’ve recently had requests from health coaching clients as well as blog readers for a good ranch dressing, I wanted to highlight it in its own post.
What is Ranch Dressing?
Ranch is a salad dressing that's usually made from buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, herbs, and spices. It's usually made with a mayonnaise or oil emulsion base. Sour cream and yogurt are sometimes used, too.
The dressing was developed by California dude ranch owner Steve Henson in the 1950s. His ranch, which of course was called Hidden Valley, served it to their customers. It was so well loved that the ranch began selling it for customers to take home with them. The dressing became so popular that he eventually had to open a factory to manufacture it. Eventually they sold the Hidden Valley brand to Clorox.
How to Make Vegan Ranch Dressing
This recipe comes together super quickly! You just mix everything together a blender, and you're ready to go! I like to use my Blendtec‘s Twister Jar, which I find works best with cashew-based sauces, to mix this recipe.
If you're unable to get fresh herbs, you can used dried. You'll need a heaping teaspoon each of parsley and chives (or dill). If you're feeling daring, go ahead and use both chives AND dill!
So Many Uses!
Of course, I like to use this Vegan Ranch Dressing on my salads, but pairs nicely with so many other foods as well! I like to use it in the place of mayo on sandwiches and wraps, and I’ve been known to add a little splash of it to tacos, too.
It’s a perfect dipping sauce for buffalo cauliflower, or even just for carrots and celery sticks. If you want to use it as dip, you may want to make it a little thicker, so use less liquid and add more a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the constancy you want.
This dressing freezes well. Make a double batch so that you have some on hand when a craving strikes! It may thicken after freezing. If it does, just mix in a little water or non-dairy milk until it reaches the consistency you want.
Vegan Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked for at least 2 hours, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk (more if needed)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh chives or dill
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients except the fresh herbs in a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick, add a little more non-dairy milk, on teaspoon at a time. Pulse in the herbs.
Other dressings you might enjoy include:
Serve your ranch dressing with:
- Buffalo Tempeh Salad
- Vegan Taquitos with BBQ Chik'n Nuggets
- Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
- Cornmeal Crusted Brussels Sprouts
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