Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing, Dairy-free
Ranch dressing is an American staple. For some families, it’s the only way they can get their kids to eat a few veggies. Here is a raw vegan version of ranch dressing that is tasty, super easy to make and comes together really fast, especially with a bit of thinking ahead. If you didn’t know, you wouldn’t even think this ranch is dairy-free, it’s so rich and creamy. I’ve fooled a few of my friends with this recipe, too!
Raw Ranch Dressing is a great match to a plethora of garden fresh vegetables. I think using a ranch dressing makes it so much easier to increase your daily intake of veggies, and don’t most of us need more veggies in our life?
Once you’ve had a homemade ranch dressing, you never want to go back to store bought. The homemade version is just so much more fresh, and the ingredients surpass those of it’s commercial counterpart. No more high fructose corn syrup, MSG or low fat ranch versions. If you have a regular blender and know you’d like to make some ranch dressing, plan it around when you soak your cashews. The longer they soak, the smoother the dressing will be. If you have a high powered blender like a Vitamix, you can skip the soaking or can soak them for 15 minutes or so.
After storing the dressing in the refrigerator, the dressing may thicken. If the dressing gets too thick, just add almond milk or water by the teaspoon, and stir until the desired consistency is reached. If you do this you may need to adjust the seasoning and add more salt or whatever you fancy. I have added the extra liquid without needing to use additional seasonings. The original recipe came from a DVD from our public library a few years ago (source unknown) and then I modified it with some ideas from my friend Jolie who sourced the Gluten-free Goddess. I love adding the apple cider vinegar for the bite and to help promote good gut health. Use less apple cider vinegar if you want less bite. Omit dill if you aren’t a fan. Add celery seed if you’d like. Recipes can be flexible to taste.
Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing, Dairy-Free, Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews soaked for at least 15 minutes and up to 3 hours
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 T lemon juice
- 1 t onion powder
- 1 t garlic powder
- 1/2 t salt
- 1 T minced fresh basil or 1 t dried basil
- 1/4 t fresh ground pepper
- 1/4 t dried dill
- 1/8 t paprika
- dash Cayenne pepper
Instructions
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Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.
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Pour into airtight container, and store in the fridge.
Pinning to my eating healthy board, I’ve made the raw mayo, and love it. I think I’ll like this too.
Hi Joyce. Thanks for the pin! Blessings to you and yours!
To sweeten, just put a couple drops liquid Stevia in! Yum! Also, I have to tell you, I used this dressing in place of Ricotta cheese in my Squash-Baked Macaroni and Cheese, and it was so fantastically yummy I could not stop eating it! Great dairy free substitute!
Hi Piper! That sounds like a great substitution. I love learning about food. Thanks for sharing!
I love ranch dressing and this looks a like a good alternative.
Thanks, Lynnie, and thank you for visiting!
I have been searching for a recipe exactly like this!!SO awesome! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing! I have wanted a dairy-free ranch dressing option for some time. Can’t wait to try this!
Dee @ gypsyveganmama.blogspot.com
Hi Dee. I am glad to hear, and I hope you enjoy it!
Pinned this! So excited to try it! I used to make my own dressing from yogurt and mayonnaise, but now dairy is out. Hooray for cashews!
Hi Julia. I hope you enjoy it as much as me and my family do!!! Yes, so glad cashews exist! In fact I just made a dairy-free pumpkin cheesecake using cashews yesterday. Blessings!
This looks wonderful. Thank you!!
You are welcome, Rebecca. Thanks for visiting!
Your ingredients sound so yummy! I haven’t had ranch dressing in over 10 years because of the junk in it. I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing at Raw Foods Thursdays!
Heather
Hi Heather! No junk here! You are welcome. Thanks for visiting!
I made this Ranch Dressing today and it is really yummy. I added a sachet of sweetener and it tastes just like a bought one 🙂
Hi Merryl. Great tip to add the sweetener because that would make it more store-bought! Thanks for sharing!
This is SO yummy! Thanks for sharing sister!
Hi Jolie! You are welcome! Thanks for the inspiration!