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VEGAN RANCH DRESSING

Vegan Ranch Dressing – Thick, creamy and delicious, this ranch dressing recipe is made with cashews, flavorful herbs and lemon for a tasty salad dressing or dip for your favorite veggies!

top down view of a platter plate with fresh veggies and small bowl of easy vegan ranch dressing-dip in the center with dipped cucumber.

This vegan ranch is another wonderful addition to the collection of vegan dressings on TSV, along with this Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing, Creamy Lemon-Herb Hemp Dressing, Flax & EVO Balsamic Vinaigrette and Tahini-Miso Dressing.

You can never have too many delicious dressings, especially when they are versatile and can also be used for dipping!

Thick, creamy and full of great flavor, this delicious vegan ranch dressing is gluten free, oil-free, and soy-free. Plus, it’s super customizable, allowing you to use dried or fresh herbs, cashews or vegan mayo, and is a perfect replacement for dairy ranch!

I just know you’re going to love this easy vegan dressing as much as I do. So gather your ingredients and let’s make the best vegan ranch ever!

side angle top down view of easy vegan ranch dressing in a glass mason jar with white spoon.

Ingredients You’ll Need

So what goes into vegan ranch? It doesn’t take much to make this classic creamy dressing from scratch.

Here is everything you’ll need:

  • Raw Cashews – Mixed with water or unsweetened milk, cashews blend up into the most perfect creamy base. And if you don’t want to use cashews, there is also an option to use vegan mayo instead.
  • Onion & Garlic Powder –  These two classic aromatics add a nice layer of flavor.
  • Lemon – Adds a nice touch of brightness and zing.
  • Apple cider vinegar – My favorite vinegar to use, adding another punch of tang.
  • Dill – Use fresh or dried. Dill is a somewhat strong herb (a little goes a long way), so start low and add more as you like.
  • Parsley – Fresh or dried parsley will do.
  • Paprika – Just a pinch for flavor.
  • Salt & Pepper -To taste.

side by side photo of the process of blending cashes and herbs for easy vegan ranch dressing.

How To Make Vegan Ranch Dressing

Making homemade vegan ranch is super easy and only requires a few simple steps:

  • Simply add the cashews, water, onion and garlic powder, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar to the cup of your blender and blend until creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed every now and then.
  • Add the fresh or dried herbs, salt and pepper and finish mixing by hand.
  • For a thinner ranch dressing or dip, add a tad more water, a little at a time, until desired consistency.

And that’s it, enjoy this classic favorite right away or let it sit in the refrigerator to chill and thicken even more.

Recommended Equipment: I ♡ my NutriBullet (<affiliate link) for small jobs like this. It’s powerful, compact and easy to clean!

How To Make Vegan Ranch Without Cashews

If you’re allergic to nuts or just don’t want to use them, replace the cashews with 1/2 to 3/4 cup vegan mayo, no need to use a blender, just stir well to combine.

top down view of easy vegan ranch dressing in a glass mason jar with white spoon.

How To Store Leftovers

Leftovers will keep for 6 days in the refrigerator, in an airtight container.

Serving Suggestions

This creamy ranch dressing is super versatile and can be used in a variety of ways. Here are a few of my favorite options:

up close view of a sliced cucumber dipped in easy vegan ranch dip.

More Vegan Dip Recipes

If you try this vegan ranch recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

Print

VEGAN RANCH DRESSING

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 5 reviews

Thick and flavorful, homemade vegan ranch dressing is perfect for crisp salads or served as a dip with veggies!

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 5 min
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: Makes 1 cup 1x
  • Category: Condiment
  • Cuisine: Vegan, American

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup raw cashews, pref. soaked (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup water, + more as needed to thin
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh finely chopped
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried parsley or 2 tablespoons fresh finely chopped
  • generous pinch of paprika
  • plenty of mineral salt & fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

Add the cashews, water, onion & garlic powder, lemon and apple cider vinegar to a high speed blender, blend until creamy smooth. Add the dill, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper, and mix by hand.

For a thinner dressing, add 1 – 2 tablespoons of water at a time until desired consistency.

Use right away or let set in the refrigerator to chill.

Makes about 1 cup.

Store leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 6 days.

Notes

Soaking aids in the digestion of cashews. Soak cashews in 1 of 2 ways:

Quick soak cashews: To soak your cashews quickly, cover them with hot water and let set for 5 – 10 minutes. Drain cashews and use accordingly.

Regular soak for cashews: Cover with an inch of cool water, let soak for 2 – 3 hours. Cashews don’t need any longer than 3 hours, but will be ok if soaked longer.

In place of water when blending, substitute with unsweetened plant milk of choice.

If you’re allergic to nuts, replace the cashews with 1/2 to 3/4 cup vegan mayo, no need to use a blender, just stir well to combine.

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: My NutriBullet (affiliate link) does it again. It’s compact, easy clean, and is great for small jobs like this recipe!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
  • Calories: 101
  • Sugar: 1.2 g
  • Sodium: 293.7 mg
  • Fat: 7.8 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 6.1 g
  • Fiber: 0.8 g
  • Protein: 3.4 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

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6 Comments

  1. Oh my goodness I’m so happy I had a successful experience making this homemade vegan ranch dressing! I used fresh parsley and dried dill. Not sure if the fresh parsley is what kicked up the level of flavor. Either way, it was so delicious on top of our “bbq chickpea chopped salad” with cherry tomatoes, red onion, corn, corn chips,carrots. It would have also been good with some avocado and cilantro. Thank you!!! This is going to be written down as my permanent ranch dressing recipe.






  2. Before I was vegan, I actually never liked ranch. This is so much tastier to me and I have been putting it on grain bowls a LOT this summer. Awesome recipe.






  3. This is a game changer! I made this a few weeks ago and it’s been on repeat ever since. Our 10 year old daughter and I love this as a dip with veggies. So tasty!






  4. Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe, I am so excited to see this recipe and it is so delicious!






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      You’re so welcome Laura, and I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Cheers :)

  5. Just made this tonight…epic!






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