The BEST Vegan Ranch Dressing recipe! This creamy cashew vegan ranch dressing is the perfect party dip, salad dressing, or sandwich spread. It’s completely plant based, oil-free, gluten free, and soy free.
We all know salads can be a bit boring, but a creamy salad dressing just seems to make it more better. The problem is most store bought dressings are usually filled with dairy and oil. And, many of the vegan salad dressing options aren’t any better. They might be dairy free but still contain lots of oil and processed ingredients.
This delicious dairy free ranch dressing is better than anything you’ll find on the shelf. And, unlike many other vegan recipes that tend to use some type of vegan mayo as the base, this one uses only natural, whole-food ingredients.
So, what are we waiting for? Let’s make Vegan Ranch Dressing!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This vegan ranch dressing recipe is so easy and only takes about 10 minutes. You need 10 simple ingredients and I’d be willing to bet you have most of them.
- Raw cashews
- Unsweetened almond milk or soy milk
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Lemon Juice
- Garlic & Onion Powder
- Nutritional Yeast
- Dried Dill
- Dried Parsley
- Salt to taste
Table of Contents
Do Vegans Eat Ranch Dressing
Yes, if it’s this recipe:)
Just because you’ve given up oil and dairy doesn’t mean you have to give up something you love. And, it certainly doesn’t mean you have to give up flavor.
Also, your kids can once again drown their veggies in ranch dressing and you can live guilt-free. And, you’ll be voted favorite parent. You’re welcome.
How To Make Vegan Ranch Dressing
Raw cashews are the perfect base because they’re very neutral in flavor. And, they blend really well to create an amazing super creamy texture.
- So, start by soaking the cashews for 4-6 hours or boiling them for 5-10 minutes. This softens the cashews and makes them even creamier. FYI, I have a Vitamix and I still like to boil them because it enhances the texture even more.
- A few minutes before you are ready to drain the cashews, mix the almond milk or soy milk, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice together. Stir or whisk very briskly and then set it aside for a few minutes. You’re essentially creating vegan buttermilk.
- Once the cashews are done soaking simply drain them and add them to your blender or food processor.
- Then add the almond milk, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice mixture, and the remaining ingredients except for the dill and parsley. You don’t want to blend this because it will make the dressing turn green.
- Now, blend everything until its super smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl, add the dried dill and parsley, and whisk it all together until everything is well combined. That’s it!
You can enjoy this immediately. But, I like to put mine in the fridge and let it sit for a couple of hours. It thickens and the flavors have time to really sit together. AMAZING!
What To Serve With Vegan Ranch Dressing
The question should be, “What CAN’T you serve with vegan ranch dressing?”
- Drizzle it over these Fat-Free Potato Chips
- Pour it over my Quinoa Blackbean Salad
- It’s great in this Chipotle Bowl
- Over these Oil-free Oven Roasted Potatoes
- It’s great as vegan ranch dip for sliced veggies
- It’s also great on this Potato Chip & Tomato Sandwich. Yeah, that’s right!
You are going to love this Vegan Ranch Dressing recipe. It’s…
- Creamy
- Rich
- Tangy
- Full of flavor
- Easy to make
- & Extremely delicious
More Vegan Oil Free Salad Dressing Recipes
- Balsamic Oil Free Salad Dressing
- Vegan Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
- Garlicky Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Easy Vegan Chipotle Aioli
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Print
Vegan Ranch Dressing
- Prep Time: 10 mins.
- Cook Time: 10 mins.
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dips & Spreads
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The BEST Vegan Ranch Dressing! An easy vegan ranch recipe made with raw cashews that’s creamy and delicious. It’s the perfect party dip, salad dressing, or sandwich spread. Completely plant based, oil-free, gluten free, and soy free.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or soy milk
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 2 tsp. nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- 1 Tbsp dried dill
- 2 tsp. dried parsley
Instructions
- Soak cashews in water for 2-4 hours or boil for 5-10 minutes.
- Just before you are ready to drain the cashews, about 5 minutes, add the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice to the milk mix really well. Allow it to sit for just a couple of minutes. You’re essentially making vegan buttermilk. This step is not essentially necessary, but I feel it does enhance the overall flavor.
- Drain cashews and add to your blender with almond milk, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast and salt. Blend until everything is smooth and creamy. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.
- Pour mixture into a small bowl and add the dried dill and parsely. Mix until everything is well combined.
- Serve on top of your salad, sandwich, or use as a dip for a veggie tray.
- You can store this for up to a week in a jar with an airtight lid in the fridge.
Notes
The dressing will get thicker as it sits in the fridge. You can thin out with a little more almond milk or water until you get the consistnecy you like.
Keywords: vegan, plant-based, oil-free dressing, cashew ranch, vegan ranch dressing, healthy salad dressing, vegan salad dressing, vegan ranch dip
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I added some chipotle seasoning to add more flavor and a little bite. We thinned it out with almond milk and it worked perfectly. This is the best vegan rach dressing we have made so far. Thank you so very much!!!
Hi – As suggested, I thinned out the Ranch Dip/Dressing, and adjusted the seasoning to taste. It’s a perfect dressing for salads, potatoes, and other vegetables. I was a little skeptical about it tasting like non-vegan Ranch dressing. It tastes like Ranch dressing, even better! I’m looking forward to making it into a dip the next time.
Thank you, Valerie!
Authentic ranch flavor! We love this recipe. The consistency is perfect for dip. As Shane suggests, you can thin it out with a bit more almond milk for a more dressing-like consistency.
I eat a lot of ranch dressing and hadn’t found one I liked. I was on the verge of buying a bottle of ranch but decided to try your recipe. It’s really good! Now I don’t need to buy bottled ranch. Thank you!
Thank you, Melanie! If you wouldn’t mind, I’d really appreciate you giving it star rating. It helps me and other with the “google gods.” 🙂 Blessings.
could you use pumpkin seeds instead of cashews. Nut allergy
I would try something like hemp seeds. They cream up very nicely.
Since the cashews are going into the blender why do they first need to be chopped? Thanks!!
They don’t. That’s a misprint. I just fixed it. Thanks for catching it.
I make this nearly every week. Delicious! I use raw sunflower seeds instead of cashews, and rice milk instead of almond. Plus chives instead of onions, and celery salt and ginger instead of garlic. It’s still delicious. I finished some off yesterday and I might make another batch tonight!
That’s awesome, Colleen! Thank you so much for sharing your substitutions. They sound great! Blessings.
Wow, yum!! It’s been AGES since I had ranch dressing, so I don’t even remember what it tastes like, but this has got to be better. It’ll make a great dip or dressing! Thanks!
I make this exactly like recipe says. It is now my favorite ranch dressing. I have a Vitamix and I do soak or boil the cashews for the creamiest dressing.
Thank you so much!
So happy that they are ingredients that everybody will have in their home,
Hi Shane. I love a lot of your recipes,although I don’t comment very often. Can’t i use soy milk instead of almond? That’s what I have right now.
Yes, absolutely! Almond milk is simply my preference. I’ll amend the recipe to mention that as a choice.
This looks really good and I’m anxious to try it….I’ve been disappointed so many times by the other vegan ranch dressings I’ve tried. I like that you didn’t add any sweeteners. What I don’t understand is why it would last only about a week in the fridge. It has both vinegar and lemon juice in it. Wouldn’t that make it last longer? I will rate it after I make it and see how it tastes.
Would it be possible to white beans for the cashews?
I’ve never tried it. I would try Tofu if you are not opposed to soy over the white beans. You’ll probably get more of a “hummus” consistency. But, hey, I say it’s worth trying…at least once:)
i HAVE USED CANNELINI BEANS AND IT IS GOOD BUT, I prefer it with the cashews because it creamier. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
I have been looking for an easy Healthy dressing creamy is my fav… gonna give this a go 🙂
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it.
Amazing!!!