The Vegan Ranch Dressing / Dip You’ll Want to Serve With Everything

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This Homemade Vegan Ranch Dressing Recipe is so tasty, I have a batch (or eight!) made up in the fridge at all times. It’s great on salads, as a veggie dip, or even as a spread on sandwiches or wraps–I promise, you are going to LOVE this.

Bonus–it’s perfect for most special diets too–it’s dairy-free, vegan, paleo, keto, and nut-free too.

vegan ranch dressing with sliced vegetables

My mom always had the rule that at buffets we had to get at least some sort of vegetable. While I was not a particular fan of the rule (I like vegetables much better now) the salad I made was a good excuse to use the buffet’s ranch, and lots of it.

I have since grown up and learned that ranch is kind of controversial. Instead of lightly coating salads as is the case with most vinaigrette it is usually used to drown it beyond the recognition of vegetables.

I also decided I did not care, I liked ranch.

After learning a bit about the stuff you get in the store, full of all kinds of nasty GMO ingredients I decided I should just try to make it myself. This was when I was just beginning to run a kitchen, and I did not even know if it was possible to make homemade ranch dressing. I have since learned a bit about cooking, and ranch.

I began to make it occasionally with buttermilk and homemade mayonnaise, due to food allergies. The common egg and dairy-free subs were based on either almond or cashews- two things I could not have. Or vegan mayonnaise – something that is hard to find with nourishing ingredients. Too-da-loo ranch. ?*tear*

I would try every so often when the urge hit. I made dairy-free ranch seasoning mix and used it for tenders and jicama, but started really wanting the real ranch dip and dressing. So, the great ranch experiment began. I actually got so determined a few weeks ago that I went through several bottles of olive oil and a few bags of sunflower and pumpkin seeds (to be a base for vegan mayonnaise) trying for that perfect dairy-free ranch dressing.

Then through making another dressing I realized I was going about it the hard way. I did not need to make a mayonnaise and thin it out with a dairy/coconut/nut free “milk,” I could basically make an extra thick vinaigrette that was full of ranch flavors and some sort of white creamy base.

vegan ranch dressing in jar

Once I figured that out it was much easier. I frequently use hemp seed in smoothies because of its nutrition and protein. It is a soft seed that blends very well. I blended the hemp with water, vinegar, garlic, onion, salt, a date (which is optional) and dried mustard to a somewhat creamy and off-white base.

The next part I needed was oil. The oil I recommend for this dairy-free ranch dressing is virgin avocado oil. It does not have a strong flavor, like most other unrefined oils. But, as it is very hard to find in my little town I ended up using light tasting (or refined) olive oil. Not as healthy as it could be, but still world’s better than the stuff in the store, and safe for our family. I think I will try to use avocado oil from Amazon though next time, as it is a virgin oil.

All that was needed then was parsley and dill, the herbs behind ranch dressing’s classic flavor. I used dried as it is easier, and pulsed into the ranch to the darker bits from using hemp camouflage in.

The resulting vegan ranch dressing recipe makes a dressing that is so thick it can be used as a dip, or very slightly thinned out for dressings. The kids thought it was pretty awesome, and I was happy to have ranch again!

Note – Our family LOVES this recipe as is, as a dressing, but if you leave out the additional water that is added with the date, it’s more like a dip.

For everything.  We can’t get enough of this.

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Serving Suggestions to Take This to the Next Level

Though this dressing / dip is great as is, over the years we’ve found some add-ins that make it just phenomenal!

Trader Joe’s Green Dragon Sauce
Trader Joe’s Sriracha Sauce
Frank’s Hot Sauce

I’m sure most any hot sauce would work, but the above taste great.

Oh—and adding some grass-fed butter to your hot dish before adding the above toppings to it adds amazing flavor–with a bit of salt sprinkled on top. My favorite is cauliflower rice with the ranch, butter, and some Green Dragon. Mmmmm.

Yes, it’s not vegan, but I like grass-fed butter and that way I can get some good nutrients in me without the ill effects of most other dairy products since they tend to bother me.

Other Homemade Salad Dressings and Dips

I have a thing for homemade salad dressings. It’s really a thing.

Here’s a list of examples on my site of the salad dressing obsession.

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette – the perfect amount of sweet and tang
Zingy Avocado Dressing – this is a great dressing or dip. Simply delectable!
Nutritional Yeast Dressing – my son loves this on almost everything!
Balsamic Vinaigrette–5 Ways – you can easily change this dressing up to make 5 different delicious versions
Moroccan Vinaigrette – this is the perfect melding of flavors. Tastes great on mains, sides, and salads as well.
Healthy Chick-fil-A Sauce – this is such an easy one to make and I’ve included a nut-free, soy-free version too!

Recipe Notes

  • For a low-carb recipe, omit the date and use a low carb sweetener instead. A pinch of stevia extract works well–or you could use whatever sweetener you like to taste or just omit the sweet ingredient entirely. I tried this recipe both with and without the date. While I preferred it with it, it was definitely not necessary. I would recommend taking it out of the blender, tasting and adding to taste stirring rather then blending in (so you won’t over blend the oil or herbs). If using the date, add an extra teaspoon of water.
  • The color of the ranch will depend on the oil used, and whether or not use use the date. It will never be a pure white because of the hemp seeds.
  • For those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this qualifies as an “S.”
vegan ranch dressing in glass measuring cup and in glass bowl with vegetable strips with title reading keto vegan ranch dressing.
ranch dressing surrounded by sliced vegetables

Vegan Ranch Dressing: dairy, egg, nut, allergy-free

This allergy-free Homemade Vegan Ranch Dressing Recipe is great for salads, veggies, or as a spread on sandwiches or wraps. It’s vegan and nut-free to boot.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dressings, Seasonings, etc.
Cuisine: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Keto, Low-Carb, Paleo, THM:S, Vegan
Servings: 8
Calories: 170kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Blend together the hemp seeds, water, garlic powder, onion powder, dried mustard, salt, vinegar, and date if using until smooth. A regular blender might take about 3 minutes. A high speed blender will be super fast.
  • Once everything is blended, add in about 1 tablespoon of the oil. Stir it in with a spoon, and then turn the blender back on and drizzle in the rest.
  • Add the parsley and dill and pulse a few times to combine. I like to make the herbs kind of small so that the uneven white of the hemp will be less apparent.
  • Use the vegan ranch dressing as is for dips, or you can thin out with a touch of filtered water to desired consistency for a salad dressing.
  • Store in the fridge.

Notes

  • For a low-carb recipe, omit the date and use a low carb sweetener instead. A pinch of stevia extract works well–or you could use whatever sweetener you like to taste or just omit the sweet ingredient entirely. I tried this recipe both with and without the date. While I preferred it with it, it was definitely not necessary. I would recommend taking it out of the blender, tasting and adding to taste stirring rather then blending in (so you won’t over blend the oil or herbs). If using the date, add an extra teaspoon of water.
  • The color of the ranch will depend on the oil used, and whether or not use use the date. It will never be a pure white because of the hemp seeds.
  • For those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, this qualifies as an “S.”

Nutrition

Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 221mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg | Net Carbs: 3g

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

{I think this vegan ranch dressing would be fabulous not only on salads but also on veggies or as a spread on flatbread, wraps, or sandwiches.  The possibilities are endless.}

Do you make your own homemade salad dressing?

Debra Worth - writer at Whole New Mom

Debra Worth is first and foremost a daughter of the King of kings. She lives in mid-Missouri with her husband of five years and three young children. Debra has a passion for cooking healthy foods and blogs about healthy allergen friendly foods at her blog, Worth Cooking.

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Recipe Rating




 

61 Comments

    1. Hi there. You could try but I think it won’t taste great. Definitely not as creamy. Maybe try with a dairy free milk? That could work. Do let me know if you try it!

  1. So, mine turned out very bland and thin. I was wishing for it to be good, obviously! Any I tail thoughts? I used everything in the recipe as is.

    1. Hi Sarah! Hmmmm….I am guessing you might have made a mistake in measuring since it’s not thin at all. Did you make one batch or how many? I’ve done it myself where I put in too little hemp and it’s not good that way.

      1. Well, it only calls for 1/4 cup of hemp. There is much more liquid (oil, water) than the hemp, like 3x as much as the hemp. So.. is the hemp supposed to expand?

        1. Hi again – Yes, those measurements are correct. In fact I typically add a little more water (about 1.5 cups when I make 4 batches at once). It doesn’t really expand, I don’t think, but when you blend it, it blends with the water and oil to make a thick dressing. Did you blend it?

            1. That’s a good question. I linked to the product that I use. You want the shelled kind. I have never tried it w/ the seeds but the terms are often used interchangeably. Did you use a similar product?

              1. I figured out the problem. I was not using the smoothie 1-cup blender, but a food processer. When i used the cup smoothie blender, it pulverized the hemp seeds, thus creating a consistency of ranch dressing. thanks for your help!

  2. 5 stars
    This was fantastic. I didn’t have hemp so used cashews. No longer nut free but so creamy. I used my Ninja. Definitely what I needed to eat more vegetables! Thanks!

    1. I am SO glad you liked it. I literally eat this each and every day. I’ve mentioned it in another comment I think, but it’s amazing with Trader Joe’s Green Dragon Sauce or mixed with my homemade ketchup as a kind of Thousand Island dressing :). Thanks again :).

  3. 5 stars
    We made this today!! I was leery, as many vegan ranch dressings are too sweet or don’t taste like it. This does! We just blended it all together on smoothie in our deluxe cooking blender and poured it nicely into a jelly jar. It’s a pretty green thanks to the parsley and dill.

    1. I’m soooo glad! It’s literally in my fridge or on my counter all the time. In fact I just ran out so off to make more – I do 3 batches at a time now! – YUM! You made my day.

      1. I can absolutely see why! We are already halfway through the first batch and I have 4 lbs of hemp seeds left to use. Even my fella said he might sneak some (cause he tends to skip the healthy stuff to make more for us).

        1. Wow no way – that is so great! My youngest used to really not want to eat it but he eats it all the time now. We developed a keto italian dressing I’ll have to get up on the site – and he mixes them together. I personally LOVE it mixed with this ketchup as a sort of thousand island type and it’s great w/ Trader Joe’s Green Dragon sauce.

  4. Hi Adrienne. What could I substitute for the hemp? It seems I’m allergic to it. Thanks! This looks like a good recipe!

    1. Hi there! I think I would try cashews since they are really mild. Or possibly sunflower seeds otherwise. Macadamia might be an option as well. Do let me know how it goes!

  5. I have been looking for a ranch recipe and was going to try boiled egg whites for the creamy base but may try this also. I have been using the ranch recipe from snowdrops but it takes a lot of expensive cashews.

    1. Sorry, I meant snowdrop on the raw freedom community board. It is a great recipe but want to try something without cashews.

    2. I would love to know what you think about this. I’m out and have to make more – we have it around all the time!

  6. Thanks kindly, Adrienne. Just to let you know the Ranch dressing recipe does not print properly

  7. 5 stars
    A friend who knows I recently have had to give up anything dairy…..I used to be able to tolerate hard cheeses and ranch dips….but alas….no more.

    This gives me hope. I can’t use spur cream on a baked tater, so I used to use ranch. My potato with my steak last night sucked.

    I am so freaking excited to try this. I will post a review as soon as we’ve given it a test run.

    Thanks for doing to work so we all can enjoy ranch.

    1. I can’t wait to hear what you think. Tip – we prefer dried cilantro to the dried parsley. We used it b/c we had a bunch of it and I think it tastes better. I should maybe work on another version. Enjoy!

  8. Hi! Please give some storage tips. (Fridge and freezer/ just fridge? How long it will keep in the fridge? Thanks for all you do! -Gigi

    1. I think it could be stored either way. Sorry but I can’t make claims about shelf life – it gets eaten up pretty quickly though :).

  9. I have made this in the past and came to get the recipe again I saw the stir in a tbsp of oil, I don’t remember that step. Was that added later? Is there a reason not to just put it all in while blending slowly?

    1. Hi there. It wasn’t added later. I don’t know about that step but I will contact the author of the post. Thanks!

    2. It has been ages since I have made this, but if I remember correctly it was because it was so thick I had trouble drizzling in the oil. I also had a pretty lame blender, so it might not always be necessary.

  10. Mmmmmm I could eat this by itself! Tons of flavour. I can’t use vinegar so I replaced it with lemon juice. This recipe is a keeper….. so is the 5 ingredient salad dressing! Thank you

  11. Wow, I just made this and it is bomber! I might back off on the salt a wee bit next time, but the texture and flavor are spot on and so delicious! thank you!

        1. Thanks so much, Tessa. We LOVE this. I’m out of mustard seeds and am kind of desperate to make this again. It helps me get veggies into my diet–I’m such a dip person!

  12. This looks (and reads) like it is wonderful. May I ask, is the dressing photographed the same as the recipe? Thanks.

  13. Yum, this looks delicious! I love that it’s nut-free too so both me and my daughters can give it a shot. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂

  14. I was so happy to have found this recipe for allergen free ranch dressing! Unfortunately my son has a reaction to mustard and canola oil, which is made from mustard seed, as well as to gluten, dairy and nuts. Can I substitute the mustard, or leave it out?

    1. Hey Pam, mustard helps to emulsify ingredients (plus it adds some flavor), but I think it should be fine to leave it out. Just make sure you go slowly when adding the oil. Let me know if it works!

  15. This looks excellent! I’ve been looking for a mayo-free ranch dressing for quite some time! Now just to find a safe replacement for hemp seeds… Thanks for sharing 🙂

        1. I think Debra addressed this in a different comment, but I think a different nut or seed would work best – maybe cashews or sunflower?

          1. Just seeing this, sorry. I think the best substitution would be 1/4 cup chopped cashews. Soak in the water for an hour or two before blending (or until soft enough to blend smoothly). I am pretty sure it would work! I probably would have used them if I did not have an allergy to cashews.

          2. I think you could replace with 1/4 cup chopped cashews. Just soak in the water used in the recipe until they are soft (an hour?). Not positive, but that would be my guess. I probably would have used them instead of hemp if we could have them.

  16. I have been making dressing for quite awile now that it is easy. I discovered that if you throw all the ingredients in a pint mason jar and use and emulsion (stick) blender it only takes about 15-20 seconds and it turns out thick even with just oil, lemon juice and spices. I found my blender at a garage sale for $5.

    1. I tried this recipe with the immersion blender and it worked great. I would like it better thinner and less garlic. My kids loved it, even the 18 mo old!

  17. I am soooo excited to try this! But I don’t use white vinegar due to corn allergie. What do you think about using ACV?

      1. Yes, ACV will work. We too have a corn allerrgy and Iit is supposed to be white WINE vinegar. Will have the typo fixed. Hope you enjoy it!

    1. Hey Laurie, I really don’t think those would work as they do not blend up creamy. Hemp is very soft seed, almost like cashews.

      1. I would love to try this! Based on your previous response, would cashews work in place of the hemp? I have a sensitivity to hemp and have no idea what would be an interchangeable replacement. Thank you!

        1. I think they should work, I would recommend measuring them chopped and then soaking them in the water a few hours before blending. I would love to know if they work!