This Vegan Ranch Dressing is easy to make and full of flavor. Enjoy it on a salad, as a dip, or anyway you like to eat ranch dressing 🙂
This post was originally published on April 9, 2015; I am republishing it with new photos and text.
Raise your hand if you love ranch dressing! I used to be pretty addicted to it (i.e., I put it on everything), but these days, I mainly just use it on my salads or for dipping vegetables. This Vegan Ranch Dressing Recipe is easy to make, super creamy, and flavorful.
I have tried many store-bought vegan ranch dressings over the years and haven’t had great luck with any of them. They usually have a strange taste or texture, and trying new brands always gets expensive. Therefore, I decided to make my own, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out!
Why Your Body Will Love This Dressing
- Antioxidants – Cucumbers boast antioxidant power. Antioxidants help neutralize harmful free radicals in the blood, and the lycopene in tomatoes may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer. Tomatoes are also high in vitamin C, which supports our immune systems.
- Vitamins and beyond – Cashews, which contain zinc, vitamin E, and copper, support eye health. They also contain beneficial antioxidants that boost the immune system, and tryptophan, which helps us fall asleep.
- Gut and Metabolic Health – The probiotics in Apple Cider Vinegar promote gut health by supporting the healthy bacteria in the GI tract. It also slows the travel speed of food in our digestive tracts, improving metabolic health.
What You’ll Need For This Vegan Ranch Dressing Recipe
- Cashews – Cashews are the base of many creamy vegan sauces. You can boil raw cashews for about 20 minutes or soak them overnight to soften them before blending them.
- Vegan Mayo – I know some people are put off by vegan mayo, but I always use it and don’t have an issue with it. In fact, I prefer it over regular mayo. You could sub plain vegan yogurt if you don’t want to use vegan mayo.
- Vegan Buttermilk – I make this by mixing plain almond milk with a little apple cider vinegar and letting it sit until it becomes curdled.
- Fresh Herbs and Lemon Juice – Fresh herbs can be expensive, but they really give this vegan ranch dressing the freshness it needs. You can substitute dried herbs, but they will taste a little bit different.
- Cucumber – A little bit of cucumber really gives this dressing a refreshing taste, unlike most store-bought versions I have tried.
- Spices – I add onion powder and garlic powder instead of fresh garlic because I don’t want the ranch dressing to have too strong a garlic flavor.
How To Make Vegan Ranch Dressing
There are a few steps, but this recipe is easy to make.
- Add the almond milk and apple cider vinegar to a cup and let sit for 5 minutes, until curdled. Then add the soaked cashews, almond milk mixture, veganaise, lemon juice, cucumber, salt, onion, and garlic powder to a blender. Blend until you have a creamy mixture with no lumps, about 1 minute.
- Transfer the dip to a large bowl and mix in the fresh herbs, making sure they are chopped very finely.
- Enjoy as a dressing on salads or as a dip for vegetables. Makes about 3 cups.
How To Store Vegan Ranch Dressing
- Refrigerator – This Ranch Dressing Recipe is best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s fresh without the preservatives of store-bought dressing, so I recommend only storing it for up to 5 days.
- Freezer – You can freeze this ranch dressing. I recommend freezing it right after you make it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, and you will probably need to give it a good stir before using it.
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comments, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
Looking For More Vegan Sauce Recipes?
The Best Vegan Ranch Dressing
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Vegan Ranch Dressing is so creamy and flavorful! It’s perfect for dipping veggies in, putting on salads and much more!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/4 cup raw cashews soaked overnight or boiled for 30 minutes
- 1 1/2 cup veganaise, I used reduced fat
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 heaping cup chopped cucumber, peeled first
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped Italian parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives
Instructions
- Add the almond milk and apple cider vinegar to a cup and let sit for 5 minutes, until curdled. Then add the soaked cashews, almond milk mixture, veganaise, lemon juice, cucumber, salt and onion and garlic powder to a blender. Blend until you have a creamy mixture with no lumps, about 1 minute.
- Transfer dip to a large bowl and mix in the fresh herbs. You want to make sure they are chopped very finely.
- Enjoy as a dressing on salads or a dip for vegetables. Makes about 3 cups.
Notes
See above for storing tips.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Category: Dip, Vegan
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
Oh my goodness, I love that you made a vegan ranch dressing! It looks amazing, Izzy! I love the addition of cucumber and can’t wait to try this!
Thank you Kelly! The cucumber really makes such a refreshing difference!
I am so excited about this recipe, Izzy! It looks insanely good!!! I can’t wait to give this recipe a go 🙂 I LOVE ranch on pizza and everything, LOL! Pinned 🙂
Thank you, Ceara!! I love ranch on pizza too!! I try to pretend I’m too sophisticated for that, but who are we kidding 🙂
The inclusion of the almond milk is so creative. I love how healthy and light this is. Ranch is one of my faves as well…thanks for this inspired recipe, Izzy!
Thank you, Annie! I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who doesn’t like ranch 🙂
hahaha I had such an addiction to ranch dressing when I was younger too! I put it on everythingggg. And now it’s been so long since I’ve had it!
This looks fantastic! I really love that you blended the cucumber into it! Will definitely be trying! 🙂
It is funny how so many people put it on everything! I try not to soak too many dishes in it these days, but sometimes your pizza needs a little ranch 🙂
It looks gorgeous
Thank you!
Haha, I can’t imagine you being a picky eater! This Ranch looks amazing — I can’t believe it’s Vegan!
Oh, I was the pickiest of them all, haha! I lived on mashed potatoes, ranch, and grilled cheese! Thanks, Ashley!
I love Vegenaise — it’s so creamy and it’s all I buy. I hate mayo! I’ve never tried cashew cream, but I need to try it. This dressing sounds amazing, Izzy!
Me too, Marcie! For some reason regular mayo kinda grosses me out, but I can eat so much vegenaise! I’ve been obsessed with cashew cream lately!
As with most previous commenters… yes I’m a ranch addict too. 🙂 And my 3-year-old is now. I did the vegan buttermilk trick in my vegan lemon olive oil cake… never thought to make ranch with it! I can’t wait to try this version and feel less guilty about putting it on everything. Do I cause ripples in the space-time continuum if I use vegan ranch on a hamburger? If you’re reading this comment, doing so didn’t cause the universe to implode. 🙂 Pinning!
Haha! You are definitely not alone, Meggan! Haha, not at all!! I won’t tell anyone 🙂
LMAO – I was looking for vegan ranch because as a type O blood I can’t have buttermilk. I will definitely be eating meat with it!!!
a lot of people are off dairy but not meat. I wonder if I can make this with almonds. can’t have cashews. Anybody try?
Feel free to eat anything you want with it 🙂 I’ve never used almonds myself, but if you try I would recommend using slivered almonds with no skins and soaking them overnight first.
Oh yes, I’m a major ranch fiend too. I’ve never tried making my own vegan version. You may it look so easy! I bet the cucumber does give it a delicious fresh flavor too. I can’t wait to try it!
It was so much easier than I though it would be, Sarah! Basically you put everything into a blender and then you have ranch 🙂 The cucumber really makes it!
I am a major ranch addict too! When I was vegan for a few months, I definitely missed ranch dressing the most. These vegan version looks wonderful! Like the real thing! Can’t wait to give it a try : )
I was surprised at how much it tastes like the real thing! I haven’t eaten ranch regularly for a few years and I was definitely missing it 🙂
I sooo get it… I love ranch dressing, but I love your version even better!! Have you seen the ingredients in some of the commercial ranch dressings? So excited you developed this, Izzy! Cashews are magical and I love finding new ways to use them, and your recipe is perfect! I can’t wait to whip this up! Thank you for this… have a lovely weekend!
Thank you, Traci!! Yuck, I have seen them and there are way too many of them! I’m obsessed with using cashews in sauces these days, they really are so magical! I hope you are having a great week 🙂
I still put Ranch on a lot of things — it just makes such a tasty flavor combo! I’m not a big fan of the creepy ingredients in most Ranches though, so I love this vegan version
Haha, I agree Kelly! I try to pretend like I don’t use it as much, but I totally still love it!
I’m a total ranch addict, too! I used to use it on pizza, though I’ve stopped doing that. This vegan version looks perfect, Izzy!
Ranch plus pizza is kinda magical! Thank you, Gayle!!
Izzy, this looks very delicious and healthy! Must try this soon. Pinning it for later 😉
Thank you, Olivia!!
I used to put ranch on everything growing up and I can’t lie, I still do sometimes to this day. I love this version and that it’s so much better for you than store bought! Hope you have a great weekend!
Haha, me too Danielle! Sometimes the food just calls for some ranch!
Hi. I’m Dannii and I am a ranch addict too! I also make my own, so I don’t feel so bad about eating it so much, as it is healthier than buying it. It’s the perfect dip.
Haha!! Welcome to the club, Dannii!!
this recipe looks great! though i have a question – do you know if it will still be ok without the onion/garlic/chives? there are groups of people out there who don’t eat any vegetables of the Allium family (onion, garlic, scallions, chives, leeks, etc.) It’s for religious reasons, so any help making allium-free vegan ranch would be great!
Thanks! I think it would still taste good without them, just maybe not as “Ranch” flavored as with them. I would just add a little more of the other herbs to make up for it!