Vegetarian Gastronomy

Painting With A Green Palate...100% Vegan & 80% Gluten-Free Cooking

Painting With A Green Palate...100% Vegan, & Gluten-Free Cooking

Vegan Cucumber Ranch Dressing

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cucumber ranch 1

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…

Ranch was one of my favorites growing up, along with Thousand Island dressing.

Then came my college years, I ditched the Thousand Island, but still craved Ranch Dressing every now and then, especially with zucchini fries and late night cheesy sticks in the dorms while studying.

Sometime half way through college, I gave up eggs, and using Ranch as a dipping sauce was one of the last things to go. My husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, had never eaten eggs, and loved using store-bought Cucumber Ranch Dressing. It was the only flavor of Ranch dressing that did not contain eggs. I tried it, used it every now and then, but it just wasn’t the same, so I ended up ditching Ranch all-together.

In my post college years, I became a lover of using good quality olive oil coupled with balsamic vinegar and freshly ground black pepper as my staple salad dressing.  After I got married, since my husband loved Cucumber Ranch, we used to carry the store-bought version in our fridge, but a few years into our marriage, I convinced him to stop buying it because of how unhealthy it was; the amount of processed ingredients it contained and many preservatives.

Now comes the time period after I became Vegan. Once again, my love of Ranch came back, and I started to crave that creamy Ranch-like flavor and texture. 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 Cucumber Ranch Dressing!

So there you have it… my love-hate relationship with Ranch, that ended in love with this awesome recipe.

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This dressing/sauce tastes SO much better than any store-bought version I’ve ever had and is easy to make. It’s also full of clean, good-for-you, whole ingredients so you can dip and drizzle away to your hearts content! The kids love dipping veggies in it, and even my husband loves it, which means a lot.

Make a batch and store it in the fridge for a few days. Drizzle it over salads, use it as a dip, or even as a spread in your sandwich or burger. Coming to the blog soon are some great recipes using this Cucumber Ranch. Let me know how you’d use it in the comments below! And don’t forget to take a picture and tag me on Instagram if you try out the recipe!

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5 from 4 votes
cucumber ranch 1
Print
Vegan Cucumber Ranch
Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

You can enjoy ALL the ranch you want with this vegan, clean, "better than store-bought" cucumber ranch dressing!

Course: Condiment, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegan
Keyword: healthy ranch dressing, vegan dressing, vegan ranch dressing
Servings: 4 servings (makes 1 cup total)
Calories: 93 kcal
Author: Anjali Lalani
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 , or baby cucumber chopped
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp fresh cilantro , finely chopped
  • 1/2 tbsp fresh parsley , finely chopped
Instructions
  1. If you had to soak your cashews, drain them.
  2. 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.).
  3. Blend until completely smooth. Taste and feel free to adjust the amount of lemon juice and/or salt if needed.
  4. Empty the contents of the blender into a bowl. Mix in the finely chopped parsley and cilantro.
  5. Chill and store in the fridge until ready to use. Drizzle over salads, use as a dipping sauce, or spread on your favorite sandwich!
Recipe Notes

Cashews - You do not need to soak the cashews if you are using a powerful blender such as a vitamix. Simply blend on high until the dressing gets nice and creamy. If you do not have a powerful blender, this recipe will still work just fine, as long as you soak the cashews for 3-4 hours prior to blending to ensure creaminess.

Nutrition Facts
Vegan Cucumber Ranch
Amount Per Serving
Calories 93 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 3mg 0%
Potassium 117mg 3%
Total Carbohydrates 5g 2%
Sugars 1g
Protein 3g 6%
Vitamin A 0.8%
Vitamin C 1.3%
Calcium 0.6%
Iron 6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

  1. Rashmi says

    November 30, 2015 at 12:04 AM

    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 :-D
    Reply

    • anjali says

      November 30, 2015 at 1:51 PM

      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!
      Reply

  2. Reshana says

    November 30, 2015 at 5:40 AM

    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 :)
    Reply

  3. Mandy says

    December 3, 2015 at 9:20 PM

    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! ❤️
    Reply

    • anjali says

      December 4, 2015 at 2:10 PM

      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!
      Reply

    • anjali says

      December 23, 2015 at 10:27 PM

      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!
      Reply

  5. Yvonne says

    December 25, 2015 at 12:13 PM

    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.
    Reply

    • anjali says

      December 28, 2015 at 2:42 PM

      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!
      Reply

  6. Pallavi says

    June 29, 2016 at 3:22 PM

    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!!
    Reply

    • anjali says

      July 5, 2016 at 3:17 PM

      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!
      Reply

  8. Amy says

    January 29, 2018 at 4:10 PM

    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!
    ★★★★★
    Reply

    • anjali says

      January 29, 2018 at 10:45 PM

      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...
      Reply

  9. Elyse says

    June 18, 2018 at 4:27 PM

    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!
    ★★★★★
    Reply

    • anjali says

      June 25, 2018 at 10:08 AM

      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!
      Reply

  10. Lyn says

    June 19, 2018 at 9:05 AM

    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!
    ★★★★★
    Reply

    • anjali says

      June 25, 2018 at 10:07 AM

      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!
      Reply

  11. Ami Kanani says

    September 4, 2018 at 1:09 PM

    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!
    Reply

    • anjali says

      September 4, 2018 at 1:34 PM

      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!
      Reply

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