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    Home » Recipes » Salad

    Creamy vegan ranch dressing

    Published: Sep 30, 2020 · Modified: Feb 6, 2023 by Maria · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This is the best vegan ranch dressing that will take your salads and cauliflower buffalo wings to the next level. Its cashew cream base is perfectly seasoned with flavorful herbs. It only contains minimal ingredients and comes together in less than 10 minutes. Keep this in your fridge to encourage yourself to eat more salads.

    A mason jar full of creamy vegan ranch dressing.
    Jump to:
    • ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
    • 🧂 Ingredients and substitutions
    • 👩‍🍳 Expert tips
    • 🥄 Directions
    • 🥗 Serving suggestions
    • ❄️ Storing
    • ❓ FAQ's
    • ♨️ More great recipes to try
    • 📖 Recipe

    I honestly can’t get enough of this vegan ranch and its creamy texture. It has been a staple in my fridge for years. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share it with you!

    ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

    • It's easy to make, healthy, delicious and dairy free
    • Kid friendly recipe
    • Made with easy-to-find ingredients that you probably already have in you pantry.
    • Works well as a dip for vegetables or as a delicious salad dressing.
    • Oil free and has zero cholesterol.
    • You can make this in less than 10 minutes.
    Creamy vegan ranch dressing on vegan cauliflower wings

    🧂 Ingredients and substitutions

    I love that this creamy ranch is made up of simple ingredients.

    • Raw cashews - make sure to use raw cashews and not roasted. The flavor of raw cashews is a lot more mild and works better for this recipe.
    • Unsweetened oat milk - or whatever plant milk you have. I don't recommend soy milk or almond milk as I've found they leave a weird after taste.
    • Apple cider vinegar - you can also use lemon juice
    • Salt and black pepper
    • Onion powder and garlic powder
    • Dried dill - fresh dill and fresh herbs will taste amazing in this as well, if you have them on hand.
    • Dried parsley - fresh parsley is also amazing.

    👩‍🍳 Expert tips

    • When the ranch has been sitting in the fridge, it tends to thicken up. Give it a good shake or add a splash of water.
    • Soaking the cashews makes them easier to blend, which will create a smoother dressing
    • To quick soak the cashews, boil some water and pour the water of the cashews in a coffee mug. Let them soak for 10 minutes. No need to soak overnight.
    • Make a big batch of this each week to have a delicious salad dressing ready to go. This will encourage you to eat more salads throughout the week.
    Vegan wings surrounded by a small bowl of vegan ranch dressing.

    🥄 Directions

    1. Add cashews to a large mug and pour some freshly boiled water over them. Let them soak and soften for 10 minutes. This helps them to blend easier, especially if you don't have a high speed blender.
    2. Drain the cashews and add them to your blender. Add in all of the ingredients minus the herbs. Blend until smooth.
    3. Pour the ranch into a mason jar and add in the herbs. Add a lid and shake to combine.
    4. Store in the fridge.

    🥗 Serving suggestions

    • This is an amazing vegan salad dressing, like for this crunchy rainbow salad.
    • This ranch dressing makes a great dip for your favorite fresh veggies like carrots, celery sticks, broccoli and cauliflower.
    • My favorite way to eat this is to drizzle it over vegan pizza! I know, super American thing to do! It was my favorite food combo when I was 14.
    • Dip some tater tots in this!
    • This also goes amazingly well with vegan wings or on these buffalo cauliflower tacos.

    ❄️ Storing

    This will last in an airtight container or airtight jar in the fridge for 5-7 days. I love using a mason jar with a tight fitting lid.

    I haven't tried freezing this yet, so let me know if you try it and how it turns out.

    ❓ FAQ's

    Can I make this nut free?

    If you’re allergic to nuts, it’s very easy to make a nut-free vegan ranch dressing.
    Instead of cashews, just use:
    1 cup of raw, soaked sunflower seeds (if seeds are ok for you)
    Or 1 cup of hemp seeds (if seeds are ok for you)
    Or ½ package of silken tofu. If you end up using tofu, just use half the amount of liquid that the recipe calls for.

    You can also make a nut free ranch using vegan mayonnaise.
    Mix a ½ cup of vegan mayonnaise with vinegar, salt, pepper and fresh herbs or dried herbs and a dash of water if you want a thinner dressing.

    Does vegan ranch taste like regular ranch?

    This homemade vegan cashew ranch comes out amazingly creamy. I would even say it tastes even better than ranch. It has all of the flavors that you expect in a ranch dressing. It has a delicious balance of creaminess, tartness, saltiness and is flavored with herbs like dill and parsley. The onion and garlic powder really help the flavors to pop.

    Is plant based ranch healthy?

    Since this ranch is made from raw cashews and not oil, it's a lot healthier than store bought bottle ranch. Cashews have a lot of health benefits because they contain a lot of minerals and vitamins. It's also cholesterol free and you can adjust the amount of salt in it if you'd like to eat less salt.

    ♨️ More great recipes to try

    • A small mason jar filled with vegan Italian dressing.
      Easy vegan Italian dressing
    • Easy vegan taco salad in a large glass serving bowl topped with beans, corn and tomatoes
      Vegan Taco salad with creamy avocado lime dressing
    • Israeli couscous salad in a serving dish.
      Israeli couscous salad (pearl couscous)
    • Vegan taco pasta salad in a glass serving bowl.
      Creamy Vegan Taco Pasta Salad

    If you loved this recipe, leave a 5 ⭐️ rating on the recipe card and comment below!

    📖 Recipe

    Vegan wings surrounded by a bowl of vegan ranch dressing

    Creamy vegan ranch dressing

    This delicious, creamy ranch dressing will encourage you to eat more salads throughout the week. Easy to make with minimal ingredients
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Salad
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 74kcal
    Author: Maria
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    Equipment

    • Blender

    Ingredients

    US Customary or Metric
    • 1 cup raw cashews
    • 1 cup water or unsweetened and plain oat milk
    • 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon dried dill
    • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground is best)

    Instructions

    • Boil some water and pour boiling water over the cashews.  Let soak for 10 minutes. Then drain.
      1 cup raw cashews
    • In a blender, blend the soaked cashews with water or unsweetened oat milk, salt, onion powder and garlic powder and apple cider vinegar.
      1 cup raw cashews, 1 cup water or unsweetened and plain oat milk, 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • Blend until smooth
    • Stir in dried parsley, dill and black pepper.
      ½ teaspoon dried dill, ½ teaspoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon black pepper

    Notes

    If you're allergic to cashews, you can also use raw sunflower seeds or hemp seeds. You can also use a half a package of silken tofu, just use ½ the amount of water.
    • When the ranch has been sitting in the fridge, it tends to thicken up. Give it a good shake or add a splash of water.
    • Soaking the cashews makes them easier to blend, which will create a smoother dressing
    • To quick soak the cashews, boil some water and pour the water of the cashews in a coffee mug. Let them soak for 10 minutes. No need to soak overnight.
    • Make a big batch of this each week to have a delicious salad dressing ready to go. This will encourage you to eat more salads throughout the week.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 74kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 236mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 4IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @DamnTastyVegan or tag #DamnTastyVegan!

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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    About Maria

    Maria is the creator of the blog and YouTube channel Damn Tasty Vegan. She has been a vegetarian since 2005 and vegan since 2015. She loves showing new vegans how easy and delicious living a vegan lifestyle can be. She is passionate about animal welfare and strives to help change the way animals are viewed and treated, by helping people transition to a vegan lifestyle.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jennifer Jarosiewicz

      December 12, 2022 at 9:48 pm

      5 stars
      Creamy and full of flavor! Easy to make, simple ingredients and cheaper than store bought!

      Reply
      • Maria

        December 14, 2022 at 9:15 pm

        So glad you loved the recipe, Jennifer!

        Reply
        • Dana Brown

          September 17, 2024 at 1:27 am

          Hi! Could you use fresh dill as a replacement for dried dill?

          Reply
          • Maria

            September 17, 2024 at 10:18 pm

            Yes! Fresh dill would be amazing in this. Chop it up finely and enjoy.

            Reply
    5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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