The search is over, this is not just another vegan ranch dressing. This is the absolute best vegan ranch dip recipe there is! Tastes just like the original!
Let’s talk ranch. I have tried a few different recipes out there. Some not bad, but none that could stand up next to regular ranch and fool anyone. I swear I have served my vegan ranch dressing to many people and no one had any idea it was vegan.
Vegan Ranch Dressing
When I created my recipe I had regular ranch taste tests with friends to compare each step of the way. This is legit people. This vegan ranch dressing is the real deal. It’s a weekly staple and my kids will eat anything as long as it is dipped in mommy’s ranch!
Some of our favorite things to use it with are:
- Buffalo Sliders or wings
- Asparagus Fries
- Oven Fries
- Grilled Romaine Salad
- Avocado Kale Salad with Butternut Squash
- Easy Lentil Veggie Burger Recipe
- Easy Gluten-Free Vegan Black Bean Burgers
- Buffalo Chickpea Burgers
- The norm veggies, crackers, chips, etc
The best thing about having a few loved dips and dressings in your back pocket is weekly prep. I discourage the use of full recipes for your entire weekly meal plan. I encourage having many days when you make quick and easy meal ideas.
Having a dip or dressing ready to go in your fridge at all times, helps these quick and easy meals come together! If you want some tips on meal preps and plans check out my Ultimate Guide to Vegan Meal Prep with Grocery Lists.
Also you can read all about How to Meal Prep Vegetables for Easy Meals. Having veggies ready to go along with this vegan ranch dressing has saved my after school snack crazy so many times!
Can a vegan eat ranch dressing?
Generally speaking, no, ranch dressing has a dairy base. But this is exactly why I wanted to create this recipe. I KNEW there had to be a way to mimic that delicious ranch dressing taste and make it dairy free.
What is the best vegan ranch?
This one of course! If you’re looking for store-bought, there are some options out there, but nothing that tastes like the real deal in my opinion. PLus many are not made with whole foods. Which is fine for once in a while, but I feel best when I am sticking to mostly whole foods as much as I can!
This vegan ranch dressing is hands down one of the best one I’ve tasted.
Is ranch dressing really bad for you?
It really depends on what you classify as bad for you. Nutritiously speaking, store bought dressing can have processed ingredients and preservatives, plus it is high in sodium. Even homemade ranch can be high in saturated fat.
However, this recipe is made with all whole foods, is fully plant-based so dairy free, and full of nutrition!
Traditional and vegan ingredients
Traditional ranch dressing is usually a combination of mayo, sour cream, buttermilk and spices. But I used all whole foods to create this vegan ranch! Here is what I used to get that ultra creamy rich base without the diary:
- Cashews- still my favorite way to get ultra creamy vegan dip results.
- Dairy free milk- to add more creamy flavor while thinning out the texture.
- Lemon- help counteract the sweetness of cashews and contributes to the characteristic ranch tang.
- White distilled vinegar- also helps balance out the sweetness, and is the best way to get that tang ranch dressing needs.
Storing tips
This vegan ranch dressing is good in your fridge for about 7 days. However if you don’t think you will finish it all, you can freeze it! All you need to do is store in an air tight container. I like to put a layer of plastic wrap touching the top of the dressing to help avoid freezer burn.
When you are ready to eat, defrost on the counter then whisk it up to get the texture back. It won’t be exactly as it was fresh, but it still works great!
How To Make Vegan Ranch Dressing
- Place all ingredients, except the spices, into a blender and blend.
- Add spices and pulse until mixed.
- Refrigerate to thicken then serve with EVERYTHING!
Tips for cashews
If you don’t have a high speed blender, it will be harder to get that ultimate creamy texture. But I have a few tricks that work great! Here are some of the best ways to avoid a gritty end result:
- Soak the cashews overnight.
- Boil the cashews for 20-30 minutes.
- Grind the cashews dry using a coffee grinder or spice grinder. Then use the powder directly in the blender.
The Best Homemade Vegan Ranch Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened plain cashew or almond milk
- 14 tsp distilled white vinegar , (1/4 cup plus 2 tsp)
- 5 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews , (see note)
- 1 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp minced onion
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp mustard powder
Instructions
- Place the cashew milk, vinegar and lemon juice in a bowl and allow it to sit while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
- Add the milk mixture, cashews and salt into a high-speed blender and purée until smooth.
- Add the parsley, garlic powder, onion, onion powder, dill, black pepper and mustard powder to the blender and pulse until well mixed. Refrigerate the dip to thicken.
- Serve with everything!
Notes
- If you are not using a high speed blender, there are a couple of options for making your sauce smooth: You can use a coffee grinder to grind everything to a fine powder, or make sure to soak your cashews overnight, or for at least 2 to 3 hours. If you forget, you can also boil them for 30 minutes.
- This makes about 2 cups. Serving size is 1/4 cup.
- Serve this with everything!
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Nicole says
Hi Sophia,
I love the flavor of this, but I just can’t get the texture right 🙁 The first time I ground up the cashews very fine, and it was slightly grainy. My next attempt I soaked the cashews overnight and this time it was even more grainy! I have a pretty new Ninja blender so I don’t feel like that is the problem. Could it be my raw and organic cashews are not a high enough quality? I am so determined to get this right! Lol
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Nicole! So sorry to hear about the texture. Unfortunately, I think that the lack of a good high speed blender may be the issue. The Ninja isn’t the best for smooth creamy sauces. The only blenders I know for sure get nut based sauces ultra creamy smooth because I have used them are the Vitamix, Blendtec and the newer Kitchen Aid K400. I have used a coffee grinder to grind my cashews before and had a great result with a regular blender, but the coffee grinder really makes them into a fine powder. Much more so than using a blender to do it. My only other suggestion is maybe using cashew butter that is super creamy. The issue is that it would need to be from raw cashews and have no other ingredients. This is very hard to find in the stores. If you have a good food processor you could make your own from the cashews, then use that for the dressing. Not sure how well it would work but I think it might! Let me know!
Nicole says
Thank you so much for the quick reply. Now that I am on this healthy food journey I may need to invest in another blender!
veggiesdontbite says
You are so welcome! If you are looking for something budget friendly that works great, I really recommend the Kitchen Aide one! I love my vitamix and think it’s amazing, but it is also very pricy.
Sylvia says
Thank you for a fabulous recipe. Made this over the weekend and enjoyed it during the week with my two picky eaters; girls ages 11and 14. We used it as a dressing for salad and dip for falafel balls. A definite “wow!” Sauce that we will keep in the rotation. Thank you for a healthy alternative for store bought ranch!
veggiesdontbite says
I am so happy you guys liked it Sylvia!
Sara says
This is FAB!! As a long-time vegan (and oil-free) I haven’t found a go-to ranch dressing I loved until now! I followed the recipe exactly (I even ran to the store to buy white wine vinegar – note: it’s worth it for the flavor profile and was only 99 cents)
When I said to my non-vegan ranch-loving husband, “See, doesn’t it taste like ranch?” He replied, “Actually, I’d argue it tastes better than ranch!” Um, mInd blown. From a burger and pizza loving dude, that is high praise indeed. Thanks for the great recipe, Sophia!
veggiesdontbite says
I am so thrilled Sara! Thank you so much for the great review!
Melanie says
I followed the recipe to a T. The method I used was to boil the cashews for 30 minute. Unfortunately, I still felt the dressing was too grainy, which was disappointing. I will definitely try it again and maybe with the soaking overnight. Know I won’t get anyone to eat it with the texture the way it is right now. Great taste! I am looking forward to trying it again! Thanks!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Melanie! Unfortunately it sounds like your blender may not be pureeing the cashews enough. I would suggest using the method where you grind the dry cashews with a coffee or spice grinder to get them into a powder, this method works best when the blender isn’t doing the job. To get a really great textured dairy free dressing or sauce that uses nuts, you need to have a pretty strong blender so you can get it really smooth. You don’t need a Vitamix these days, as there are a lot of less expensive great ones out there (Like the new kitchen aid). But a good blender will make it nice and smooth. Or grab a grinder and do that!
Virginia Gross says
It IS the best vegan ranch. I’ve tried several recipes and this beats them all!
veggiesdontbite says
Yay!!! I am so so happy you liked it! Thank you so much for the great review!
Ashley says
This vegan ranch dressing is very tasty! Thank you!! I didn’t have any cashew milk made so I used water and upped the raw cashews, it worked great.
veggiesdontbite says
I’m so happy you liked it Ashley! Thanks for the great review!
Kerry says
Sounds yummy
How long will this keep refrigerated?
Thanks so much
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Kerry! It keeps about a week! You can also freeze it, the texture after frozen isn’t as smooth but you could whisk it hard or blend it again a little.
Stacy Beal says
Oh my! I just ran across this recipe a few days ago and it was a little different than others I had seen online, so I thought I would give it a try. I am SO glad I did. This is by far the best ranch dressing recipe I have found! Thank you so much!!!
veggiesdontbite says
Yay! I am so happy you love it as much as we do!!
Bonnie says
Oh Sophia, you have no idea what you have just done for our home/table!! My hubby is a die hard ranch dressing snob and only likes the BEST of the best store bought ranch dressings! I was just in the kitchen whipping up a batch of this amazing dressing and I got done and he asked, “What are you making?” I told him and he said, “Can I taste it?” Of course I said YES! The next comment he made was, “Well there isn’t any need to buy anymore store bought because this is the best yet!” THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS AMAZING DRESSING! So glad I found you and website! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes! Now you just need to come up with a 1000 Island one that is equally as good as the ranch one and I will be one happy camper no longer in need of dressing recipes! Thank you again!
veggiesdontbite says
Wow Bonnie!! Thank you so so much for this awesome review!! I am thrilled your hubby loves it!!
Shani Schkloven-Friedman says
You have won another gold medal in my home! Thanks again for another outstanding recipe!
veggiesdontbite says
Oh yay!!!! I’m so happy you like it!
Lynn Armstrong says
You are right Sophia – this is absolutely the most authentic vegan ranch dressing that I’ve ever tried! In fact, it’s the best creamy-style dressing I’ve ever made. I used almond milk, and apple cider vinegar since I didn’t have any distilled white. It was so good, I just ended up eating a big salad for dinner!
veggiesdontbite says
I am thrilled you love it too!! It really makes salads taste more like a meal. We love to load them up and drown them in ranch! Haha! Thank you so much for the great review.
Olwyn says
What are the chances I can use white beans instead of cashews as I am allergic to them? Or would hemp seeds or sunflower seeds work? Thanks.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Olwyn! The cashews are unfortunately the best way to get a creamy real ranch dressing result. If you cant have them, you can most certainly try seeds or white beans but it won’t be the same. If you want to experiment I’d try a mix of both.
ACC says
So, did you wind up making this with white beans and/or seeds? I am interested in how this would be with beans.
veggiesdontbite says
I’m not sure if they tried it but I can tell you that if you use all beans it will definitely not be the same. It won’t be the same without the cashews in general, but seeds or a combo seeds and beans will yield much better than all beans.
Lisa says
This recipe is fantastic, we always have it on hand. Thank you for creating such a realistic ranch dressing.
veggiesdontbite says
I am so so happy you love this as much as we do!
Renee Breit says
Delicious!! Just had a carrot with this dressing as a snack (after letting it sit overnight)! Definitely mixed greens for dinner!!! Thanks Sofia.
veggiesdontbite says
SO happy you liked it!!!
Julie Ann Connary says
Hi – love your website and Blog. Just purchased your cookbook on Vegan Burgers and Enchiladas. I noticed that some recipes call for “cooked or canned chickpeas” and some call for “soaked overnight chickpeas”.
I have found in my quest for Falaffel, that I prefer to use “soaked overnight chickpeas” vs. “canned chickpeas”. The flavor and texture is superior.
So why do you make the distinction in your recipes?
Can I use “soaked overnight chickpeas” in any recipe that says “cooked or canned chickpeas”?
Thanks, Julie Ann
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Julie Ann!! Thank you so much for your support!! The reason between the two is the texture that I was going for. The ones that call for soaked chickpeas is because I need that more chewy type texture for the final recipe. The ones that say cooked or canned is because the softer texture is needed. You can definitely swap either or, but the end result may change a little texture wise! I appreciate you being here!