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    Home » Recipes » Dressings

    June 10, 2020 48 Comments

    Vegan Cashew Ranch Dressing

    6.3K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    I've been making this vegan cashew ranch dressing for years, but it just occurred to me that I've never posted the recipe here on the blog. I apologize for that, I didn't intend on keeping this recipe secret, I always want to share all of my recipes with you. I've just been making this vegan dressing without really thinking about it. You see, this dressing is adapted from my cashew caesar salad dressing but it has a delicious flavor all its own! I just sub a few of the ingredients, and presto: the best vegan ranch dressing ever!

    Vegan Cashew Ranch Dressing! 9 ingredients and 15 minutes or less to make. This creamy dressing tastes just like the classic but it's dairy-free, healthy, oil-free, whole food plant-based! Drizzle this over every salad, bowl, or you can even use it as a dip. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #wfpb

    The best I say? Yes, the best. The reason why this ranch dressing is the best is as follows:

    • This dressing is completely whole food plant-based. Meaning it's oil-free and healthy. Yes, creamy dressings can be made healthy!
    • It keeps well in the fridge for up to 1 week, so you can drizzle this over everything all week long.
    • The dressing thickens in the fridge so you can also use this as a dip!
    • Vegan ranch is easy to prepare using only 9 ingredients.
    • And this dressing is quick to make, just 15 minutes, or even less time if you have a high-powered blender!

    See. It's the best!

    Vegan Cashew Ranch Dressing! 9 ingredients and 15 minutes or less to make. This creamy dressing tastes just like the classic but it's dairy-free, healthy, oil-free, whole food plant-based! Drizzle this over every salad, bowl, or you can even use it as a dip. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #wfpb

    Creamy, tangy, drizzle it everywhere perfection. Again, I apologize for not sharing this recipe sooner, because my goodness I love this stuff. Keep reading for my instructions!

    To make vegan cashew ranch dressing:

    Boil the cashews if needed to make them softer and easier to blend.

    If you have a high-powdered blender you can skip straight to the next step. (See my favourite blenders in this post). If you have a regular blender, you may want to soften the cashews first to ensure they blend smoothly. To do this add the cashews to a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. Drain and rinse with cold water before using.

    blend the dressing until smooth and creamy.

    Add the cashews to your blender along with 1 cup of water, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt blend until completely smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Add the parsley, chives, and dill and pulse a few times to incorporate.

    Vegan Cashew Ranch Dressing! 9 ingredients and 15 minutes or less to make. This creamy dressing tastes just like the classic but it's dairy-free, healthy, oil-free, whole food plant-based! Drizzle this over every salad, bowl, or you can even use it as a dip. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #wfpb

    Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week. The dressing gets thicker as it cools, and can even be used as a dip.

    Drizzle this dressing over big salad filled with lettuce or kale or onto a bowl brimming with grains broccoli and celery, or serve as a dip with veggies such as carrots and cucumbers, or drizzle over a baked potato. The combos are endless!

    Bon appetegan!

    Sam Turnbull.

    Print Recipe
    4.97 from 33 votes

    Vegan Cashew Ranch Dressing

    9 ingredients and 15 minutes or less to make. This creamy dressing tastes just like the classic but it's dairy-free, healthy, oil-free, whole food plant-based! Drizzle this over every salad, bowl, or you can even use it as a dip.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time15 mins
    Course : Salad
    Cuisine : American
    Servings: 16 (makes about 2 cups)
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup raw cashews
    • 1 cup water
    • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoons dried parsley
    • 1 teaspoons dried chives
    • 1 teaspoon dried dill
    US Customary - Metric
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    Instructions

    • If you have a high-powdered blender you can skip straight to step 2. If you have a regular blender, you may want to soften the cashews first to ensure they blend smoothly. To do this add the cashews to a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until the cashews are very tender. Drain and rinse with cold water before using.
    • Add the cashews to your blender along with 1 cup of water, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt blend until completely smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. Add the parsley, chives, and dill and pulse a few times to incorporate. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week. The dressing gets thicker as it cools, and can even be used as a dip.

    Notes

    Cashews: raw cashews are my preferences as they have a mild flavour and are quite soft so they are easy to blend. For substitutions, you can try replacing the cashews with softened blanched almonds, softened raw sunflower seeds, white kidney or navy beans (reduce water), or soft tofu (reduce water). 
    Dried herbs: if you want to substitute dried herbs for fresh herbs use double the amount. So 1 teaspoon dried herbs = 2 teaspoons fresh herbs.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2tablespoons (recipe makes 16 servings) | Calories: 48kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 421IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken
    « Vegan BBQ Shredded Tofu (shredded chicken)
    Vegan Buffalo Tofu Dip (Buffalo Chicken Dip) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Randi says

      March 02, 2023 at 12:13 pm

      Hello! Great recipe! I love it. However I do have one question… I have made this in both a high powered blender and also a food processor. How do I get rid of the clumps to make it smoother? I have boiled my cashews before both times as well.

      Or is that just going to be part of the dressing? Please help! I just don’t love the texture.

      Reply
      • Jess @ IDTLC Support says

        March 06, 2023 at 1:26 pm

        Thanks for your question! You may want to try the recipe with a longer soak (cashews in water overnight), and if you have the same results it could be that your cashews are getting older or that the blades on your machines are getting dull.

        Reply
    2. Kate says

      January 12, 2023 at 9:49 am

      5 stars
      The best vegan ranch recipe I've tried. Very easy and yummy. Thanks!!

      Reply
    3. Rehoboth says

      November 07, 2022 at 1:11 am

      5 stars
      Fantastic article

      Reply
    4. Becky says

      September 14, 2022 at 3:27 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! Thank you.

      Reply
    5. Monchello says

      August 30, 2022 at 10:01 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious! I’m not vegan, but transitioning to better choices and ranch is a staple in my house. I could not believe how delicious this turned out! I can’t wait to try it on everything.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        September 02, 2022 at 3:50 pm

        Yay!! So happy you enjoyed it!!

        Reply
    6. Tara says

      August 11, 2022 at 11:25 pm

      Hi, I’m allergic to brewers yeast and can’t use vinegar. I usually substitute fresh squeezed lemon juice, I was wondering if I could add 2 T lemon juice instead of ACV? Should I add more lemon juice? I look forward to trying your recipe with my allergy modifications, any recommendations would be awesome if you have any!

      Reply
    7. Paul says

      March 15, 2022 at 4:50 pm

      5 stars
      This came out so incredibly good. It's like the really good restaurant ranch. Even if I wasn't vegan this is far better than the ranch you can buy in a bottle at the grocery store.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        March 23, 2022 at 12:50 pm

        Yay!!

        Reply
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    Sam Turnbull

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    I'm Sam. Bestselling cookbook author and full-time vegan recipe creator! I LOVE vegan food, but it didn't start that way. As someone who comes from a family of hunters, butchers, and chefs I'm the last person I thought would go vegan. Here's My Story →

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