Here’s our best vegan ranch dressing recipe, using cashews for a creamy base and tangy spices. Perfect for salads and dips!
Okay, let’s talk vegan dressings! Alex and I have many naturally vegan dressings in our arsenal: like our Best Balsamic Dressing, Italian Dressing, and Greek Dressing. But is ranch dressing vegan? Unfortunately, not. Ranch is a dairy-based dressing, and our homemade ranch dressing recipe includes both mayonnaise and yogurt. But we found a way to make it vegan… and it tastes fantastic. Here’s our best vegan ranch dressing recipe!
How to make vegan ranch dressing
Most ranch dressings are made with lots of it mayonnaise. To make this creamy vegan ranch dressing recipe, we used one of our favorite tricks: creamed cashews. Soaking cashews for an hour and then tossing them with water and salt is one of our favorite tricks for making a vegan alternative to mayonnaise and sour cream. We use it all the time, in soups, on tacos and on sandwiches (see our favorite cashew recipes…).
Cashew cream is the star in this vegan ranch dressing recipe. It adds richness and helps vegan ranch dressing stick to lettuce and veggies. Since we’ve made many healthy salad dressings that don’t stick to lettuce, we’re also aware of this aspect. Add delicious spices to the cashew cream: garlic powder, onion powder and dried dill. It’s instantly delicious, but we like to chill it for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend and the texture to set.
How to serve this vegan ranch dressing
This Best Vegan Ranch Dressing Recipe is perfect for any type of salad you make together! Here are some of our salad recipes where we would use it:
Now, of course, the ranch is perfect for soaking too! Here are some tasty dip ideas for our best vegan ranch dressing recipe:
How would you serve this vegan ranch recipe? Let us know in the comments below!
Related: How to make homemade salad dressing
This recipe is…
This Best Vegan Ranch Dressing Recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
The description
Here’s our best vegan ranch dressing recipe, using cashews for a creamy base and tangy spices. Perfect for salads and dips!
- 1 cup cashew nuts (or ¾ cup cashew cream)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, shared
- 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for at least 1 hour. To prepare ahead of time, soaking the cashews overnight is even better.
- Drain cashew nuts. Place the cashews, ¾ cup water and ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a blender, then blend on high for 1 minute. Stop and scrape, then add additional liquid as needed to achieve a creamy consistency. Blend for several minutes until creamy and smooth.
- In a medium bowl, add ¾ cup cashew cream (leaving a small amount to save for use as sour cream or vegan mayonnaise). Stir in apple cider vinegar, dried dill, garlic powder, onion powder, remaining ¼ tsp kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper.
- You can serve right away, but we prefer to chill it for a few hours to allow the flavors to intensify and the texture to settle. Then, before serving, mix it with a teaspoon or more of water to achieve a watery consistency.
- Category: dressings
- Method: flogged
- Kitchen: American
Keywords: Vegan ranch recipe, is ranch dressing vegan, best vegan ranch, cashew ranch dressing, salad dressing, homemade dressing recipe
