Learn how to make the absolute BEST Vegan Ranch Dressing Oil-free and No Mayo! This recipe is dairy-free and tastes better than the traditional dairy kind! Perfect for healthy salads. Made with cashews, yogurt, vinegar and spices!
BEST VEGAN RANCH DRESSING
Who doesn’t love ranch dressing? I know I ate bucket loads before going vegan and now we have the absolute most amazing vegan, oil-free ranch dressing that you will ever need! And unlike many versions out there, this one does not use vegan mayo or oil! Yes, this vegan ranch is oil-free and made with healthy ingredients! I’m all about recreating classics in a healthier way, just like with this Vegan Thousand Island Dressing that tastes 100% authentic!
CAN VEGANS EAT RANCH?
Yes, of course, as long as it’s vegan! Traditional ranch dressings contain mayo though, so are not vegan. There are vegan ranch dressing brands out there, but they are full of oil and unhealthy ingredients. Better to just make your own! But this vegan ranch dressing recipe will blow all the others away!
I used my original recipe as the base but changed up a couple of things and it is incredible. All my spices are the same but for that truly tangy and authentic taste and texture, I subbed most of the milk with yogurt! Oh boy did it improve that flavor! I found this to taste so much like the classic ranch and my family agreed. My hubby (Mr. Picky) called it “spot on” and “brilliant”.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
Full amounts and details on recipe card below.
- raw cashews
- non-dairy plain unsweetened yogurt: I use the So Delicious coconut yogurt, but Kite Hill almond yogurt is delicious, too.
- non-dairy milk: I used “lite” canned coconut milk because it’s very creamy and lends a beautiful texture. If you are allergic, make sure to use another creamy milk like soy or a high-quality oat milk.
- white vinegar
- dry mustard
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- dried dill
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN RANCH DRESSING
Step 1: Add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.
Step 2: Place in the fridge to chill until thickened.
I hope you love this Vegan Ranch Dressing as much as we do! I find that this ranch dressing is not only delicious on salads, but also on pizza or even avocado toast!
MORE VEGAN DRESSINGS TO TRY
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Best Vegan Ranch Dressing (Oil-free)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (75g) raw unsalted cashews (use sunflower kernels if allergic but keep in mind it will yield a different flavor)
- 1/2 cup (120g) non-dairy unsweetened plain yogurt, I used SoDelicious coconut buy soy or another creamy yogurt should work
- 1/4 cup (60g) canned "lite" coconut milk, shaken first (or soy milk, but I preferred the taste of the coconut)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (23g) white distilled vinegar (THIS IS KEY to ranch flavor, so do not sub with another vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- I use this scale.
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (for stirring in at the end)
FLAVOR VARIATIONS
- I tested this as other flavors too that were outstanding. Try any 3 of these separate versions with 2 tablespoons (30g) of fined diced of the following: chopped green or black olives, chopped green chiles or chopped pickled jalapenos.
Instructions
- If you do not have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, then you will need to soak your cashews overnight in a bowl of water, otherwise your dressing will be gritty. Drain, rinse and proceed.
- Add all of the ingredients, except the fresh dill, to a blender and process for a couple of minutes, stopping to scrape the sides, until completely smooth. The dressing will be on the runny side, perfectly pourable, but will thicken a lot in the fridge more like a dip for veggies.
- Pour the dressing into a container and stir in the fresh dill. This is so it is visible in the end dressing and does not turn the dressing green when blended.
- Use immediately or store in the fridge for a couple of hours to chill and thicken some before using.
- It will thicken up a lot like a dip overnight so give it a good stir before use. You can slightly thin it out with a tad of water and an extra splash of vinegar if needed. The dressing is good for a week in the fridge.
Nutrition
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I really like this dressing, but it leaves a horrible aftertaste in my mouth. I can’t pinpoint the ingredient that is causing this. For info, I used Kite Hill yogurt. Any suggestions?
Hmmm, not sure, I’ve never experienced that! Maybe the yogurt was off or something! Was it old? I’ve never head of anybody saying that before so I really don’t know. Maybe try a different brand of yogurt like soy or coconut.
Not crazy about Kite HIll yogurt. It’s weird.
Any yogurt will work here, I think I’ve tried them all!
It’s sooo yummy! Mine was pretty thick right out of the blender. I might try thinning it before I put it in the fridge. Absolutely amazing ranch flavor!! I’m cooking my way through your cookbook right now, and everything is delicious!
Best vegan ranch that I’ve made so far.
I used Apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar and I thought it still tasted good. Do you think if I replaced the vinegar with lemon juice it would still work?
I’m so happy to hear that! It will taste more lemony and less tangy like true ranch, but I imagine it would still be a delicious dressing either way!
I had to wait until I got mustard powder in my pantry to make this, and I am sad I waited so long, because that means it’s that means I missed out on it for all those extra days of my life. haha. This was amazing and I foresee that this household’s refrigerator will always have this vegan ranch it it waiting to be used. Thanks for yet another super recipe!
Yay Marlene!! Haha that made me laugh!
I LOVE this recipe so much!! I use it for my regular/leaf salad but also made the baby red potato salad as well and it was amazing!! I have your book but I have also started a binder and have been adding a print out of all my favourites from this Blog to it in page protectors as I try them it is alerady an impressive collection LOL thanks for the great recipes!!
Aww I’m so honored to hear that!
Loved this recipe so much and it is becoming a regular. Many thanks for your sharing
So thrilled to hear this Jan!
This is seriously the BEST vegan ranch dressing I’ve every had! I went around the house giving taste-tests to my children and husband…high marks from all of them (even the daughter that doesn’t like coconut)! This will be my go-to ranch dressing from now on. Thank you!
Woohoo, I love hearing that so much!
Seriously awesome! My favorite ranch dressing recipe ever. Thank you so much. I love your website and it doesn’t bother me if you have eight ingredients or 20 ingredients.
Hi! I’m really excited to try so many recipes I’ve looked at today. Can you give an estimate on about how long the dressings and ketchup will last in the fridge?
Thanks!
After trying and enjoying your Thousand Island dressing, I tried this one – because Ranch is really my favorite dressing. This was fantastic! I used
plain almond yogurt and plain unsweetened almond milk. Most enjoyable salads I’ve had since moving to plant based, no oil eating. Thank you so much!
Really, really delicious. I was shocked at how good it tasted. It could fool even the pickiest eaters!
Yay that is awesome!
This recipe looks great but I cant get coconut yogurt. I gonna make a coconut cream and try that. I’ll let you know how it works. Thanks for helping us be healthy and well.
Hi Amber, you can use any dairy-free yogurt, doesn’t have to be coconut! You need the tang from yogurt for that ranch flavor, so I wouldn’t use coconut cream. That’ll not provide the tang and make it taste like coconut.
Excellent flavor! Mine ended up a bit thick & a little gritty, but I don’t even care! I’ll try processing it longer next time. (I just have a plain old food processor & soaked the cashews for about a day.) This is so good that I will gladly make it again & again to perfect it!
After recently having some very abnormal heartbeats, I gave up caffeine and committed to live a whole foods plant based life. I just recently found this AMAZING blog by sheer luck, and this was the first thing I made, as I had everything on hand. My daughter, who will only eat Follow Your Heart ranch was skeptical to try another one of my attempts at a healthier ranch. The first thing she said, “Mom, can you put this in my lunch everyday next year with carrots?” Yes, yes I can! We ate it on tortillas with buffalo cauliflower last night, and on the RAREST of occasions ALL five of us LOVED dinner!!! Thank you for the time and effort you put into making these WFPB recipes with NO OIL!!!! You’re a LIFESAVER!!!! <3
Thank you so much Kelly for this amazing review, it means so much!!
This is so delicious! I subbed 1/4 cup cashew butter for the cashews. I will make this often, thanks!!
This is so delicious! I subbed 1/4 cup cashew butter for the cashews. I will make this often, thanks!!
Love this recipe! But since I usually add wasabi horseradish to commercial ranch dressing for an extra”bite”, i added about a teaspoon to this recipe and it was also awesome!
Sounds delicious Cathy!
This recipe is AWESOME! The flavor is nice and bold, and the texture is wonderful. I’m excited to try more of your recipes, I have the vegan alfredo sauce pinned and I look forward to trying it out really soon. Nicely done!
Yay Katie!! Really happy you enjoyed it so much, thank you for the kind words and feedback!
AWESOME!!!! This is just amazing. I think it tastes better than dairy ranch. As usual, I start making your recipes before reading through and used almond yogurt instead of coconut yogurt.
I have to say it’s so delicious even with my mistake 😋
Yay Marie, so happy to hear that! OH yes, I found an amazing almond yogurt too that is really thick and creamy that works great as well, I use it for almost everything now!
I finally found a family favorite! Switching to a nutritarian style lifestyle for myself, husband and four kids 10 and under has posed some challenges, but now that we have a favorite sauce with the perfect smooth texture, it’s game on. Big salads are back on the menu. And it’s so yummy that when we serve it at gatherings, the non-vegan friends appreciate it too. Well done!
SO happy to hear this Amy, thank you so much!
Oh yes this IS the best! Finally a ranch dressing that tastes like I’m not vegan 🙂
Dianna,
I made this recipe and instead of using the cashews,
I used vegan mayo. Our fave recipe! With or without the cashew cream. 🙂 Thanks for an amazing recipe, Brandi!! It’s a winner!
I just discovered your site and am very excited to try your recipes. However, I can not have nuts. It is very difficult to find recipes that are vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and contain no nuts.
Hi Dianna, yes, I use nuts since I don’t use oils in my recipes and where fat is needed for texture, nuts mimic oil results beautifully. Some recipes you won’t be able to make, unfortunately, but I have plenty of nut-free recipes on my blog.
This was DELICIOUS!! I have made so many vegan (oil-free) dressings that taste funky but this just tasted like…. ranch! Thank you for a winner recipe! (Also, as a note- I only had cashew milk and used that and it tasted great)
Yay Kristen! Really glad this was such a hit for you!!
This is an amazing recipe! I have tried other oil free ranch dressings and none of them came close to what I was expecting from ranch dressing. This recipe taste just like ranch dressing and I am in love with it! Thank you so much for putting this together