You can enjoy ALL the ranch you want with this dairy-free ranch dressing recipe! Only 1-bowl, easy, healthy, vegan, made with whole ingredients, and so much better than any store-bought ranch dressing!
This recipe was originally published on 11/29/2015.
This easy dairy-free ranch dressing tastes SO much better than any store-bought version I’ve ever had.
It’s also full of clean, whole food ingredients so you can dip and drizzle away to your heart’s content! We love using it as a dip with veggies or pizza, drizzling it on salads or tacos, or using it as a spread for burgers!
Ranch Dressing & Me
Ranch dressing and I go way back. I’d even go as far as to say we have a history together, and it goes something like this…
- Growing up, ranch dressing was one of my favorites and the only way I’d eat raw veggies or a salad.
- During college, I enjoyed Ranch with zucchini fries and late-night cheesy breadsticks in the dorms while studying.
- About halfway through college, I gave up eggs, and using Ranch as a dipping sauce was one of the last and hardest things to let go (yes…even harder than a cookie).
My husband (BF at the time), used store-bought Cucumber Ranch Dressing since it was the only flavor that was eggless, but it didn’t quite taste the same.
But a few years into our marriage, I convinced him to stop buying the store-bought Cucumber Ranch because of all the processed ingredients and how unhealthy it was.
…and then I went vegan.
I started to crave that creamy, subtle herb, slightly tangy flavor. And my love for Ranch came back. So much so, that I had to create my own healthy vegan version. After experimenting with a few different ingredients, I fell in love with this delicious Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing Recipe!
Is Ranch Dressing Vegan?
Traditional ranch dressing usually includes ingredients like buttermilk, sour cream, and/or mayonnaise. So no…most store-bought ranch dressings are not vegan.
You could technically swap the ingredients for store-bought vegan substitutes, but I still love this ranch recipe over all others because it avoids the use of preservatives and tastes exactly like the ranch dressing I grew up with!
Is Ranch Dressing Healthy?
Have you ever looked at the ingredients in ranch dressing at the store? It’s full of dairy, unhealthy fats, processed ingredients, and fillers. Not very healthy in my opinion.
But when you create a healthy vegan ranch dressing made with whole foods, that is just as creamy and tastes exactly like the store-bought versions you grew up with…then dip away!
Vegan Ranch Dressing Made With Whole Foods
This vegan dressing is an 8-ingredient, 1 blender, easy recipe that’s made with ingredients you already have on hand. It really doesn’t get easier than this.
I tried using vegan mayo or tofu as the base for this recipe, but the taste just didn’t cut it.
So cashews it was! Blended cashew cream makes for the perfect neutral non-overpowering flavor and texture. This base combined with a few other ingredients makes for an ultra-creamy, but not heavy, tangy, herbal flavor that makes Ranch so irresistible!
- Base – cashews
- Acid – apple cider vinegar & lemon juice
- Fresh herbs – parsley & cilantro
- Spices – onion & garlic powder
I even love throwing in a small piece of cucumber if I can to take it up a notch!
How To Make Dairy Free Ranch Dressing – Step by Step
Once you see how easy this recipe is, you’ll be making a batch or two every week!
Add all the ingredients, except for the fresh herbs, into a blender.
If you’re using a powerful blender such as a Vitamix, you do not need to pre-soak the cashews. Otherwise, soak and drain the cashews before placing them in the blender.
Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
Add the chopped fresh cilantro and parsley, season to taste with salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Make double the batch and store it in the fridge for a few days.
Ideas For Using Vegan Ranch Dressing
Using this dairy free vegan ranch dressing will be easy! The hard part is making sure you have enough, so make sure to double the batch! Here are a few of my favorite ways to use this creamy vegan sauce:
- Use it as a dip for veggies, fries, etc.
- Spread it onto your favorite sandwich or burger
- Drizzle it on pizza or tacos
- Use it as it was originally intended…an awesome vegan salad dressing!
My favorite recipes to pair with this vegan ranch:
- Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
- Mixed Green Salad with Roasted Cauliflower, Avocado, Cucumbers
- Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
- Baked Crispy Cauliflower Rice Bites
- Baked Crispy Eggplant Rounds
- Crispy Portobello Mushroom Fries
- Maple Roasted Colored Carrot Sticks
Are you looking for more easy sauces? Check out my Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Green Peruvian Sauce, Creamy Cilantro Tahini Sauce, or Sweet Jalapeno Lemon Cream Sauce.
If you liked this Pineapple Kale Smoothie Recipe or any other recipe on the blog, please consider rating it with the star rating system and leave a comment below! I love hearing from you and seeing your delicious re-makes! You can tag and FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM @vegetariangastronomy. Or you can help me spread the word about my recipes on PINTEREST and FACEBOOK!
Healthy Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing (Vegan)
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup raw cashews , soak for 3-4 hours in water if not using a powerful blender
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teasp lemon juice
- 1/2 teasp onion powder
- 1/4 + 1/8 teasp salt , adjust based on taste
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp Persian cucumber , (optional) or any cucumber chopped
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro , finely chopped
- 1/2 tbsp fresh parsley , finely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- If you had to soak your cashews, drain them.
- Place the cashews along with the other ingredients, EXCEPT the chopped cilantro and parsley, into a blender (I used my Vitamix, but any blender will work.).
- Blend until completely smooth. Taste and feel free to adjust the amount of lemon juice and/or salt if needed.
- Empty the contents of the blender into a bowl. Mix in the finely chopped parsley and cilantro.
- Chill and store in the fridge until ready to use. Drizzle over salads, use as a dipping sauce, or spread on your favorite sandwich!
Rashmi
I love your story about the ranch dressing 🙂
This looks so creamy and yummy. I love dipping veggies in dips and usually dip in hummus which is also delicious 😀
anjali
Ha thanks Rashmi! It really did delay me giving up eggs in college…just couldn’t move away from zucchini fries dipped in ranch. But now I don’t have to with this recipe =) And yes, Hummus is my go-to as well…love it!
Breann
Adding fresh dill to this definitely made it more ‘ranch’ tasting, excellent recipe!
anjali
Thank you for the feedback! Adding dill is a great idea! I’ll have to try it next time. Glad you loved the recipe and thanks for the comment!
Reshana
Im glad you are in love with the ranch dressing again. This looks so yummy! I would definitely go the veggie route, celery, carrot sticks, baby corn… YUM 🙂
anjali
Thanks Reshana…veggies do taste the best dipped in this recipe. I just made some again today…it’s so good!
Mandy
Anjali!!!!! This ranch dressing was fabulous!!!! I literally kept trying little spoonfuls before dinner…so good! Creamy, fresh and way better than any dairy based ranch I had back in the day. We used it on tacos, veggie burgers and dipped peppers + cucumbers in it. Definitely making this again…and again! ❤️
anjali
That’s awesome Mandy! Your tacos looked delicious! Although I called it a dressing, it’s really a sauce that can be used on anything!! At least that’s what I’ve been doing ha! And agree…so much better than the ranch I had when I was younger. Although I’m also pretty sure that my taste buds have changed for the better now. Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and leaving a comment!
Kristen
Thank you for the inspiration! I changed it up with some dried herbs and it’s fantastic! Love your website!!!
anjali
Thanks Kristen! Thank you so much for visiting my site and trying out my recipe! I love this ranch with everything these days =) Nice to have connected with you on IG!
Yvonne
Hello Anjali,
I made this dressing a few minutes ago, and it’ so delicious. Will taste even better tomorrow after the flavours ‘mingle’ overnight. Plan is to serve it with a romaine lettuce. Next time I may roast the garlic clove first to provide a silkiness to the dressing. Great recipe. Thank you.
anjali
Thank you Yvonne! It definitely will taste even better the next day, as most sauces do =) I have a new salad recipe using this dressing coming in the new year which I can’t wait to share! I’m sure roasted garlic would taste great in this as well. Thank you so much for trying the recipe and visiting my site! Happy Holidays!
Betsy
Very yummy!! I omitted the apple vinegar for more lemon juice ♡♡♡ my 9 yr old scraped the blender with a tortilla haha
anjali
So great to hear! Love it when the blender gets scraped by kids because they love it! Thanks so much loved reading this review!
Pallavi
I loved this! I substituted rice vinegar for Apple cider, didn’t have lemons, and used more water than suggested, but it came out yummy! I added a piece of Serrano pepper for taste as well. Thank you!!
anjali
That’s great!! Thank you SO much for letting me know…and the serrano pepper probably added a nice element of spice to it as well! Thanks for trying it out. If you like spice, try my Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, it’s absolutely delicious and I’m posting a taco recipe that goes with it soon. I also have a super spicy Peruvian sauce coming up that’s great with bread!
Pd
Only 5 minutes?? Ranch is my favorite!
Amy
Hi Anjali! I made this and it’s delicious! I made it for Jasper because he loves dipping foods in sauces, but I think it’s my new favorite. I put it on roasted sweet potato with avocado. I’m eating more vegetables, yay!
anjali
Ah you made my day Amy!! This is a staple in my fridge…make it all the time as a dip or dressing or just to have in the fridge as a sauce. Sweet potato and avocado with this sounds great, will have to try it. And yay to more veggies! Thank you! And lunch soon…
Elyse
This dressing was incredible! I just used regular cucumber and it turned out really well. It tasted like a yummy combination of ranch dressing and raita, and you’d never guess that it was vegan!
anjali
Thank you!! And yes…with the cucumber it totally tastes a little like raita never realized that! This dressing is a staple and we love it…thanks for the great review!
Lyn
Hi this is awesomeness…. but how long do you think it keeps in fridge and could I freeze??? Thanks p.s. Made this with buffalo cauliflower tacos…. favorite for sure!
anjali
So great to hear and glad you loved it!! It’ll probably keep in the fridge for 3-4 days depending on the fresh herbs. Since it’s cashew based, you could probably freeze it but may need to give it a quick whirl after defrosting to get that smooth consistency back. I’ve never tried freezing it but great idea since I make it so often! Glad you loved the tacos…soo good!
Ami Kanani
Do you think it would still taste like “ranch/raita” if you included the cilantro and parsley in the blender also? Would be nice not to have to finely chop. Thanks for your opinion!
anjali
I think it’s still taste good if you blended it all together, but maybe more herb flavor. Sometimes when I’m lazy to chop, I blend all the ranch ingredients until smooth and creamy, then add the parsley and cilantro and just pulse few times to chop it in!
Beena
Hi! Can this be made with dried parsley and cilantro? If so, what would be your recommended measurements? Thanks! ?
anjali
Hi! Yes…it probably can although I haven’t tried it myself! In general, 3 teasp fresh = 1 teasp dried for both parseley and cilantro! Try that conversion and let me know how it goes. Since it’s dried you can always add more later.
Anumeha Taori
This sauce is so light. Love the cucumber flavor. Made with easily available ingredients at home.
anjali
Thank you so much for the great review!
Sherryn Adair
Fabulous!! Was going to buy yogurt cucumber dressing but store was out of it —this was easier, tastier and very versatile. Thank you ??
anjali
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it…yes it’s so versatile. I make a batch and use it throughout the week.