Vegan Ranch Dressing
Vegan Ranch Dressing—Thick, creamy, and delicious, this ranch dressing recipe is made with cashews, flavorful herbs, and lemon. It’s a tasty salad dressing or dip for your favorite veggies!
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. It is a perfect replacement for the 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!
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 into the perfect creamy base. If you don’t want to use cashews, you can also 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.
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 occasionally.
- Add the fresh or dried herbs, salt, and pepper and finish mixing by hand.
- For a thinner ranch dressing or dip, add a little more water, a little at a time, until you reach the 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. There is no need to use a blender, just stir well to combine.
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:
- Serve with a tray full of colorful, fresh veggies for a healthy snack or appetizer.
- It’s great as a chip dip, like with these homemade Baked Potato Chips.
- Serve as a dip for Baked Sweet Potatoes Wedges or Roasted Red Potatoes.
- Pour it over salads like this hearty Cobb Salad or Green Salad with chickpeas.
More Vegan Dip Recipes!
- Vegan Sour Cream
- Vegan French Onion Dip
- Fresh Mango Salsa
- Spinach Artichoke White Bean Dip
- 7 Layer Fiesta Dip
If you try this dressing recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintVEGAN RANCH DRESSING
Thick and flavorful, homemade vegan ranch dressing is perfect for crisp salads or served as a dip with veggies!
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: Makes 1 cup 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Cuisine: Vegan, American
Ingredients
- 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!
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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.
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.
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!
Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe, I am so excited to see this recipe and it is so delicious!
You’re so welcome Laura, and I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Cheers :)
Just made this tonight…epic!