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Skip the store and make your own nut-free Vegan Ranch at home! Made with only 9 healthy ingredients, it’s perfect for salads, dips, and drizzling over pizza
Ahhh, Ranch Dressing. I don’t know about you, but that plastic blue-and-green bottle was pretty much a childhood staple for me, making its way onto salads, veggies, and many a pizza crust.
While I did enjoy Ranch quite often growing up, my love affair with this creamy, garlick-y, and herb-y dressing came to an abrupt halt once I ditched dairy….until recently, that is. Not only have I come up with a plant-based dressing/dip that tastes exactly like the original, but it’s also made with only 9 plant-based ingredients and is totally nut and sugar free!
The secret to my Vegan Ranch success? It’s all in the combination of ingredients, namely:
- Fresh and Dried Herbs: store-bought Ranch is full of spices and herbs, some more prominent than the others. After several rounds of testing I’ve come up with the perfect combination of fresh and dried ingredients to get you that flavor kick you crave, without breaking the bank.
- Hemp Hearts and Coconut Yogurt: cashews are expensive, and I wanted to make a cost-effective and nut-free Vegan Ranch dressing, so everyone can enjoy! Hemp Hearts are a great option (that are also packed with plant protein), but using all hemp made the dressing taste a little too earthy and bitter. Adding in a touch of Coconut Yogurt helped to get the dressing to the right creaminess and mimics that classic buttermilk flavor! Coconuts are technically categorized as a nut by the FDA (even though they are scientifically a fruit), but most people with a nut allergy can still enjoy them. If that’s not the case, you can substitute soy or oat yogurt instead.
How to Make Vegan Ranch Dressing
Quite simply, add everything to a blender….and blend! You don’t even need a fancy blender for this recipe – a bullet blender will work just fine. This Vegan Ranch will be pourable and ready to enjoy straight out of the blender, but will thicken in the fridge. If you’re making it for meal prep, I suggest adding in a little extra water or thinning it out later right before you use it.
Either way, this creamy, dreamy, and well-spiced dressing will be yours in just 60 to 90 seconds…
Vegan Ranch Flavor Variations:
This recipe makes a classic Vegan Ranch flavor, but you can also mix it up with a few flavor variations, such as:
- Jalapeño Ranch: add 1 chopped and de-seeded jalapeño to the blender with the other ingredients
- Chipotle Ranch: add 1/4 tsp chipotle powder or 1/2 of a chipotle pepper in adobo to the blender, plus more to taste
- Garlic Ranch: this basic ranch recipe already has a mild garlic flavor, but feel free to add in a few extra fresh (or roasted!) cloves to really bring the zing
- Sriracha Ranch: add 1 tablespoon of sriracha hot sauce to the blender with the other ingredients
- BBQ Ranch: add 2 to 3 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue sauce to the blender with the other ingredients
As you can see, the list is practically endless!
Serving Suggestions for Vegan Ranch Dressing:
- Tossed with your favorite salad,
- As a dip with crackers or crunchy veggies
- Drizzled over buffalo-flavored tofu or casseroles,
- and as a dunk for vegan pizza crust, of course! 😉
If you’re looking for more vegan dressing recipes, you’ll also love this Sesame Miso Dressing, this Creamy Cilantro Dressing and this Vegan Chipotle Mayo!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
PrintNut-Free Vegan Ranch
Skip the store and make your own nut-free Vegan Ranch at home! Made with only 9 healthy ingredients, it’s perfect for salads, dips, and drizzling over pizza
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 0 Minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: about 1 cup 1x
- Category: Dressing
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup (127 g) shelled hemp hearts
- 1/2 cup (112 g) unsweetened coconut yogurt (I like this one)
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 to 2 small cloves of garlic (or ½ tsp powder)
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon pink himalayan or sea salt
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) filtered water, plus more if necessary
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Add the hemp hearts, yogurt, vinegar, garlic, onion powder, nutritional yeast, paprika, salt, and water to a high-speed or bullet blender. Blend for 60 to 90 seconds, until smooth and creamy. Add additional water, if desired; the dressing will thicken once refrigerated.
- Add the dill and parsley to the dressing and pulse quickly to combine. Let the dressing sit for at least 10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.
- Serve as desired; store leftovers in a sealable glass container and keep in the fridge for up to 10 days
Notes
- Substitutions: coconut yogurt can be replaced with any other variety of unsweetened non-dairy yogurt, and you can also use apple cider vinegar or coconut vinegar in place of white vinegar
- Dried vs. Fresh Ingredients: I would suggest using the fresh/dried ingredients as originally listed in the recipe, but you can replace the fresh garlic and dill for dried spices, if you must
Keywords: vegan ranch, dairy free ranch, nut free ranch, oil free ranch, healthy ranch dressing, paleo ranch dressing, easy ranch dressing
This is absolutely delicious on a salad! Thank you!
Can you freeze it?
My daughter passed this recipe on to me but she said hers went rancid after 2 days ~ I was really hoping to use this all week.
Yes, you can freeze your nut-free vegan ranch dressing for up to 3 months. However, it is important to note that the dressing may separate slightly when thawed. To prevent this, you can add a small amount of oil to the dressing before freezing.
Here are some tips for freezing:
Use a freezer-safe container. This will help to prevent the dressing from leaking or getting freezer burn.
Leave some headspace in the container. This will allow the dressing to expand as it freezes.
Label the container with the date and contents. This will help you to keep track of how long the dressing has been frozen.
Thaw the dressing overnight in the refrigerator. This will help to prevent the dressing from becoming watery.
Give the dressing a good stir before using. This will help to combine the ingredients and ensure that the dressing is smooth.
I hope this helps!
It’s impossible to find plain vegan yogurt where I live. Have checked several stores (they’re always flavored). Is there any possible sub for the yogurt?
Thanks!
Yes, there are several alternatives to coconut yogurt that you can use to make nut-free vegan ranch dressing. Here are a few options:
Soy yogurt: This is a great substitute for coconut yogurt, and it’s widely available in most grocery stores. Look for a plain, unsweetened variety.
Almond milk yogurt: If you’re not allergic to almonds, this can be a good alternative to coconut yogurt. Again, make sure you get a plain, unsweetened variety.
Cashew cream: This is a popular dairy-free alternative that’s made by blending raw cashews with water. It has a similar texture to yogurt and can be used as a base for dressings and sauces.
Silken tofu: If you’re looking for a lower-fat option, silken tofu can work as a base for dressings. It has a creamy texture and mild flavor that can be easily flavored with herbs and spices.
Experiment with these options to find the one that works best for you and your taste preferences. Good luck!
Thanks so much for the response! The cashew cream sounds like a good alternative for me as ALL plain/non-flavored vegan yogurts are hard to find where I live.
★★★★★
Could silken tofu be used in place of the yogurt?
Yes, silken tofu can be used as a substitute for yogurt in many recipes, including dressings like ranch dressing. It has a creamy texture and mild flavor that can be easily flavored with herbs and spices, making it a great dairy-free alternative.
To use silken tofu in place of yogurt in your nut-free vegan ranch dressing recipe, simply blend the tofu with the other ingredients until smooth and creamy. You may need to adjust the seasoning and liquid to get the desired consistency and flavor.
Thank you for reposting this on your Instagram! I’m not even a ranch girl but I do crave the creaminess at times. I added extra dill so it’s more of a dill dip. Didn’t have regular paprika so omitted that. Also (to my surprise) only had white wine vinegar which seems to be fine and used the plain silk yogurt.
So good! Yummy perfect for added protein to veggie snacking!
★★★★★
You’re always welcome, Natalie!
Best vegan ranch I’ve ever tasted! Even my non-vegan partner loves it!
★★★★★
I love to hear that! Thanks for leaving a review 🙂
I’m very new to being vegan and ranch dressing has been a hard one to give up! This just made it much easier! Thank you, this recipe is delicious. Even my husband, who does not like ranch, really likes it! Amazing!
★★★★★
Glad you both liked it! I feel like a lot of vegans who didn’t like ranch do enjoy the vegan ranch.
I’ve made every vegan ranch out there and this by far THE BEST! I’ll never make another one! Love all your recipes, thank you so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Ah that’s so kind! Thank you!
I can’t buy hemp hearts where I live. Can you recommend a substitution?
The hemp hearts are the base to this recipe so we didn’t have a substitute prepared BUT one option could be to use cashews which would make it creamier. It would no longer be a nut free recipe, but if you’re not necessarily trying to avoid nuts, it would be a good potential option.
Happy that I get to use homemade yogurt for something savory! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Yay! Bonus side is that ranch has a ton of uses!
I’ve been following you on Facebook and YouTube and finally was looking through your recipe because I always try to make a couple things a week from your healthier delish things you make. I’m very over weight because of some depression and some health problems. And I love my salad but I really needed a healthier ranch then Hidden Valley and I really am going to try this because I’m really needing to eat healthier. And everything I’ve made has been extremely delicious and I feel this will be one that I will make for more yeara to come and never look back to the store for ranch. Thank you so much.
★★★★★
That’s so kind of you! Wishing you well on your journey and hope you keep up the progress!
Thanks for this! I was looking for a nut free recipe for Ranch! Can’t wait to try!
Hope you like it!