Here we look at a couple of vegan ranch dressings of increasing complexity. These are easy to make and not only soy-free but nut-free and gluten- free too. Each one has its merits with the first being a straight forward and no nonsense type whilst the second recipe is richer in flavour and texture.
The third version is more interesting because it uses cashew nuts as the base for all that ranch dressing flavour.
Enjoy all of them with vegetables, salads, cauliflower wings, or pizza! All work as vegan salad dressings or as a dip.
None of these can be frozen and will separate out if thawed.
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[1] Recipe 1 – Vegan Ranch Dressing
Servings: 20 tablespoons; Preparation time: 5 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup vegan mayo
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 or 2 tablespoon dried chives
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley (optional)
- for a richer texture add some nut milk.
[2] Recipe 2 – Vegan Ranch Dressing
Servings: 20 tablespoons; Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 1½ cup vegan mayo
- ¼ to ½ cup non-dairy nut milk – any unsweetened original flavor
- 1½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic – crushed
- ½ tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- salt – to taste
Preparation:
- Add all the ingredients to a blender and blitz until a smooth white and thick paste is created.
- When the mixture is too thick for your liking, just add some non-dairy milk or even some water if milk isn’t to hand
- Each one can be easily stored in a jar in the fridge. All these flavours come through after about 4 or 5 hours.
- These vegan ranch dressings store easily in the fridge for 5 days but do use by then.
[3] Recipe 3 – Vegan Cashew Ranch Dressing
Serve: 20 tablespoons; Preparation time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 150 g raw cashews which are soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, or overnight in cool water or in the fridge
- 200 ml unsweetened nut milk
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ½ teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 pinch black pepper
- ½–1 teaspoon maple syrup or any other sweetener of choice to taste but not yacon syrup as its too pungent
Addition of Herbs:
- 3 – 4 tsp fresh minced dill or 2 tsp dried dill
- 3-4 tsp fresh minced parsley or 2 tsp dried parsley (optional)
- 1 tsp fresh chives or 1/2 the amount dried chives
Preparation:
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Soak cashews in very hot water for between 30 minutes and 1 hour, or overnight in cool water left in the fridge. While these cashews are soaking, measure out almond milk and add lemon juice and set aside to curdle to make a vegan “buttermilk”.
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Drain and rinse the cashews several times.
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Transfer to a small blender rather than a food processor. Some chefs prefer the food processor but it seems to wreck the texture.
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Add the almond ‘buttermilk’, pepper, garlic, vinegar, salt, onion powder, and maple syrup. Blend on high for up to 3 minutes or until very creamy and smooth.
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Add herbs and pulse several times to incorporate. The dressing should be relatively smooth by now.
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Taste and adjust flavor, as needed. It may need extra salt, lemon juice, dried herbs, garlic and so on. I think this is all about personal taste.
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Use immediately at room temperature or refrigerate for 3-4 hours to chill. It thickens in the refrigerator, so you can add more almond milk or water later on to thin if needed.
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Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 7-10 days.
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