Soaked cashews get blended with fresh lemon juice, garlic and flavorful herbs to create this Easy Vegan Ranch Dressing!
If you want to eat healthy without sacrificing on flavor, I highly recommend learning how to make your own vegan dressings and sauces.
I'm always changing up what dressings we have on hand.
When I want something vibrant and fresh, I whip up this Lemon Tahini Dressing.
When I need something classic and comforting, I go for Vegan Caesar Dressing.
And if I want my kids to gobble up raw veggies, I make this Easy Vegan Ranch Dressing!
Having dressings on hand that are made with wholesome ingredients is the way to go when you want to eat a healthier diet.
They take salads from boring to exciting. They make a great sauce for buddha bowls. AND they get me excited about veggies!
After you make this Easy Vegan Ranch Dressing, be sure to check out my other dressing recipes for some healthy meal inspiration!
Ingredients You'll Need to Make Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing
There are a few different ways you could make ranch dressing at home.
Most recipes call for one or a combination of the following ingredients: sour cream, mayonnaise and/or buttermilk.
However, none of those ingredients are dairy-free.
Today's recipe for easy vegan ranch dressing is made with a base of cashews.
You'll soak the cashews until soft before blending them with zesty lemon juice, minced garlic and a bunch of dried herbs.
To make this ranch dressing, you'll need the following ingredients:
- Raw cashews
- Fresh garlic
- Lemon juice
- Water
- Salt
- Dried dill
- Dried chives
- Dried parsley
That's it!
The lemon juice makes this ranch dressing tangy without having to use dairy buttermilk or sour cream.
Then the dried herbs gives it that classic ranch flavor that everyone loves (at least Americans!)
How to Make Homemade Vegan Ranch Dressing
Making your own ranch dressing at home couldn't be easier.
Simply follow the step-by-step instructions below and you'll be enjoying this homemade ranch in no time!
- Start by soaking the raw cashews. See below for different soaking instructions.
- Once your cashews have soaked and softened, remove them from the water and place them in your blender along with the ½ cup of water, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Blend until smooth.
- Add in the dried herbs and pulse to combine.
- Taste the dressing and add more lemon juice and/or salt if desired.
How Long Does Homemade Salad Dressing Last?
Thanks to the lemon juice and salt in this recipe, this ranch dressing should last for about 1 week in a sealed jar in the fridge.
How to Soak Cashews
There are a few different ways you can soak your cashews before you make this easy Vegan Ranch Dressing recipe.
Overnight Method: You can place the raw cashews in a bowl, cover them with room temperature water and place them in the fridge to soak overnight (or for 8 hours).
Quick Soak Method: If you are short on time, place the raw cashews in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Allow them to soak for about 15 minutes.
Boil Method: Another quick soak method is to boil the cashews for 5-10 minutes or until softened.
Once your cashews have soaked or boiled, drain and rinse off any excess water and continue on with the recipe.
Different Ways to Enjoy Ranch Dressing
Ranch dressing is such a classic American dressing and there are so many different ways to enjoy it!
I'll list out some ideas below:
- As a salad dressing
- As a dip for raw veggies
- As a dressing for sandwiches
- Paired with Buffalo Chickpea Salad
- As a dip for fries
- As a dip for pizza
- As a pizza sauce
- As a dressing for loaded baked potatoes
- As a dressing for pasta salad
- Paired with Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- As a dip for vegan "chicken" nuggets
📖 Recipe
Easy Vegan Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cashews soaked
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove or ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon dried chives
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Start by soaking the raw cashews. You can either do this by soaking them in room temperature water in the fridge overnight OR by pouring boiling water over them and allowing them to soak for 15 minutes. If you have a high speed blender, you don't even have to soak them.
- Once your cashews have soaked and softened, remove them from the water and place them in your blender along with the ½ cup of water, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Blend until smooth.
- Add in the dried herbs and pulse to combine.
- Taste the dressing and add more lemon juice and/or salt if desired.
- Pour the dressing into a sealable jar and store it in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- As a salad dressing
- As a dip for raw veggies
- As a dressing for sandwiches
- Paired with Buffalo Chickpea Salad
- As a dip for fries
- As a dip for pizza
- As a pizza sauce
- As a dressing for loaded baked potatoes
- As a dressing for pasta salad
- Paired with Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- As a dip for vegan "chicken" nuggets
Grace T. says
Can't wait to use this as a dip 🙂 we tried and this is our version https://bit.ly/3sPwQa3 Thanks for the recipe!
Faith VanderMolen says
It makes a great dip! Thanks for sharing your version Grace!