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.
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!
Yields makes ~1 cup dressing
Save RecipeIngredients:
- 1/2 cup raw cashews , (if using something other than a powerful blender such as a Vitamix, soak for 3-4 hours in water)
- 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 chopped Persian cucumber (or baby cucumber)
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
Directions:
- 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!
Notes:
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.
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