This recipe for dairy free ranch dressing is going to quickly become your go to recipe for ranch dressing! Made with just a few ingredients, this creamy vegan ranch dressing is made without eggs or coconut milk! Ready in just 5 minutes, this dairy free ranch is vegan, gluten free, dairy free, paleo, low carb and Whole30 friendly!
Why you will love this recipe
- This dairy free ranch dressing is made with soaked cashews and comes out thick, creamy and slightly tangy with easy to find ingredients! Best of all, it’s ready in just 5 minutes and is less expensive than the higher end ranch dressings at the store!
- There is something about ranch dressing that you can’t deny! It makes vegetables disappear and adds so much depth and flavor to a dish!
- High quality ingredients. Typical ranch dressing that sold at grocery stores is full of unwanted ingredients (like hydrogenated oils and unnecessary sugars). The versions sold in the store without those ingredients are typically incredibly expensive, and it’s much more budget friendly to make it at home.
- No mayo and no coconut milk! No need to make your own mayo with eggs and oil in this recipe. It’s so easy and you don’t have to worry about the emulsion of the eggs with the oil. You get all the same flavors with cashews instead!
- Great for dipping, salads or pouring over any meal! Again who doesn’t love ranch dressing! Some of our favorite ways to use this dressing is as a dip for chicken nuggets, tater tots or for dipping fries!
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What is vegan ranch dressing made of?
- Raw cashews (soaked) see tips below
- Water
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Garlic Olive Oil
- Dried Chives
- Dried Parsley
- Dried Dill
- Salt
How do you make dairy free ranch dressing?
- To make this cashew ranch dressing you start by soaking the raw cashews.
- You can either soak them in filtered water on the counter for up to 8 hours or you cover the cashews in boiling water for about 3-4 minutes to soften them. I usually don’t plan ahead enough so I normally boil them. If you have a Vitamix or something similar you may not need to soak the cashews, but it’s an easy step so I wouldn’t skip it
- Once the cashews are softened, drain the soaking water.
- Add the cashews, fresh water, apple cider vinegar and garlic olive oil to a high speed blender. Blend on high for about 45 seconds until smooth.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and blend just quick enough to incorporate.
- Note: If you add all the ingredients to the blender at once, you will get a light green dairy free ranch dressing. The taste will still be amazing but because you blend the dried herbs for so long, they will turn the dressing green! I may or may not have learned that from first hand experience!
Common Questions
Can you make cashew ranch dressing without a blender?
If you don’t have a high speed blender (I use a little ninja bullet blender) you could also try to make this recipe with an immersion blender or in the food processor. However, I think the texture will be tough to get exactly right in the food processor.
How to thicken or thin out cashew ranch dressing?
- If your cashew ranch dressing seems a little thin after blending, it will thicken in the fridge. The dressing should thicken up within 30 minutes to 1 hour in the fridge.
- If the dressing still isn’t thick enough, you can soak about 1/4 cup of cashews in boiling water, drain the water and blend the cashews into the dressing previously made.
- To thin out the dressing, simply add 1-2 tbsp of water at a time and blend with the blender or using a spoon.
How long does vegan ranch dressing last?
This dairy free ranch dressing should last about 5-7 days in the fridge in a sealed container.
How to store dairy free ranch dressing
I usually store most leftovers and homemade sauces in glass containers so I can easily see what we have on hand. For storing the leftover dairy free ranch dressing I like to use:
- Mason jars or leftover salsa jars that have been run through the dishwasher
- Glass bottles or leftover kombucha bottles with wide mouths
Ideas on how to use this dairy free ranch dressing
- On salads
- On wraps or sandwiches
- With bbq chicken or buffalo turkey meatballs (or salmon)
- Drizzled over roasted potatoes
- In chicken salad or tuna salad instead of mayo
- Dipping sauce for veggies
Substitute ingredients:
- Apple Cider Vinegar: What if you don’t have apple cider vinegar? You can use lemon juice, lime juice or red wine vinegar. The vinegar is the kick that gives the ranch dressing the tang that you would normally get from buttermilk so it’s important that you don’t skip this ingredient!
- Cashews: If you are nut free or can’t tolerate cashews, you could also try this recipe with hemp hearts or raw sunflower seeds. I have used hemp hearts and raw sunflower seeds in the past but they are not as sweet as the cashews so you may need to add 1 tsp. of maple syrup to help the flavor come together. You will need to soak the sunflower seeds just like the cashews, the hemp hearts do not require soaking.
- Dried Herbs: You can certainly use fresh herbs to make this recipe as well. The rule of thumb is to double or triple fresh herbs for dried. This means if you want to use fresh chives, for example, you would want 3 tbsp fresh chives since the recipe calls for 1 tbsp. dried.
If you love this vegan ranch dressing you should also try:
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Dairy Free Ranch Dressing
$2.86 Recipe/$0.36 ServingThis dairy free ranch dressing is ready in 5 minutes and is the perfect thick and creamy dressing recipe! Made with cashews, this recipe is egg free, dairy free, vegan, low carb, paleo and Whole30! You won’t believe how easy this is to make! Perfect for dipping vegetables or pouring over salads!
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Servings: 8 servings
Guided Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked - $1.86
- 1 cup water - $0.00
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar - $0.12
- 2 tbsp dried chives - $0.50
- 2 tsp garlic powder* - $0.20
- 1 tsp dried parsley - $0.10
- 1/2 tsp dried dill - $0.05
- 1/2 tsp salt - $0.03
Instructions
- Soak the raw cashews on the counter 2-8 hours or cover them in boiling water and soak for 4 minutes.
- Drain the water from the cashews.
- In a high speed blender, combine the cashews, fresh water, garlic olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Blend for about 45 seconds
- Add the rest of the ingredients and blend quickly (5-10 seconds) to incorporate
- Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow to thicken slightly.
Notes
* To make this recipe low FODMAP, replace the garlic powder with 2 tbsp. garlic olive oil.
To ensure that your dressing does not turn green, wait to add the spices until the last 5-10 seconds of blending.
Store leftover dressing in a air tight container for up to 5 days.
Budget tip: you can often buy small quantities of dried herbs and spices at your local health food store in bulk. This means you can buy just a few teaspoons at a time if you don’t usually cook with these herbs/spices.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
121
Fat
10
g
Carbohydrates
5
g
Protein
2
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
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Courtney
Monday 30th of December 2019
Can use dried ranch packet? I’m forget on getting herbs that I don’t use often.
Samantha Rowland
Monday 30th of December 2019
Yes, you certainly can. You will likely need about 3 tablespoons of dried ranch packet.
Karly
Sunday 17th of March 2019
I need to try this!