This vegan ranch dressing will amaze you - both in taste and how easy it is to make! No need to ever buy store-bought ranch again once you taste this delicious, rich, and creamy ranch! It tastes like the Hidden Valley Ranch that you remember from your childhood, yet made vegan. Perfect for salad dressing or dipping veggies. I promise that your kids will love it and you can whip it up in less than 5 minutes! You'll love that it's dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and can easily be made soy-free too.
Why should I make a vegan ranch?
My kids have been vegan their whole lives, so naturally, there are just some foods that they have never had. However, I try my best to create vegan alternatives for all the foods that I loved as a child.
For some reason, ranch dressing got overlooked, that is until I was volunteering in my oldest son’s Kindergarten class during a day when they were served carrot sticks and celery for a snack. Every kid there would only eat the veggies if they were dipped in ranch.
I forgot how much kids love ranch dressing, so I was determined to figure out a vegan version that my kids would love. After some trial and error with proportions, I came up with a ranch dressing that is surprisingly similar to what I remember as a child.
What you will need to make homemade vegan ranch and why:
- Oil - any type of neutral-flavored oil will work. Don't use extra virgin olive oil or other strongly flavored oils. You need the oil to emulsify the dressing and make it creamy. Don't try to reduce the oil in this. It needs the correct ratio between oil, soy milk, and vinegar to emulsify correctly.
- Soy Milk - to make it creamy and
- Vinegar - to give it a tangy taste and to interact with the oil and protein in the plant-milk to make it creamy. White vinegar works best, but you can use any type that you want.
- Herbs - for flavor. I usually use parsley and dill, but you can use what you like. Fresh herbs have a great flavor, but the flavor can be too strong for young kids.
- Garlic - for flavor. You can use fresh or garlic powder. Fresh garlic is delicious but may be too strong for kids. When I make it for kids, I use garlic powder.
- Salt - for flavor
- Pepper - for flavor. Fresh ground pepper tastes best.
Should I use dry or fresh herbs?
If you use dry ingredients, the dressing will have a mild flavor. If you use fresh garlic and herbs, it is absolutely delicious, but the flavors may be intense for kids.
How do I make vegan ranch dressing?
- Put all of the ingredients except for the water into a blender or immersion blender container.
- Blend for about 30 seconds until thick and creamy.
- Slowly add an additional 2-3 tsp of water while blending until you reach the desired consistency. (You may not need any water depending on how thick that you want it.)
Serve it as you would ranch dressing on salads or use it as a dip. It's also delicious on my vegan buffalo "chicken" sandwiches or as a dip with my vegan buffalo cauliflower.
How do I make vegan ranch soy-free?
If you want to avoid soy, Ripple brand pea milk also works great in this recipe. I have tested this recipe with just about every plant-based milk that they make and soy or Ripple simply work the best.
Will this recipe work with other types of plant-based milk?
Yes, it will work with some modifications to the recipe. If you must use almond, oat, coconut, or some other milk that contains little protein and add a teaspoon of pea protein powder or a tablespoon of aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas) to the mix. There has to be enough protein in it to make the chemical reaction between the acid in the vinegar and the base in the oil and milk to make the dressing thicken.
You can also add 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum to the mixture to help it emulsify and thicken if you are not using soy or Ripple milk.
Pro tips for a perfect vegan ranch:
- Different types of plant-based milk work differently in this recipe, even different brands of soy milk will change the thickness, so you may want to add the water slowly to adjust the dressing to the thickness that you desire.
- If you plan on using it as a dip, don't add any additional water.
- Add the water slowly at the end to achieve the desired thickness.
- Make sure to use plain plant-based milk, not vanilla flavored.
- Use an immersion blender to make it super easy and whip up a batch in minutes!
How long will this dressing keep?
Store your ranch in the fridge for up to 5 days in a sealed container. You can put it in a freezer-safe mason jar and keep it up to 3 months.
Need some more delicious vegan dressing recipes?
If you are interested in learning how to make more homemade vegan staples, like vegan butter, cheese, mayo, other creamy salad dressings, and plant-based milk check out my cookbook, “The Ultimate Guide to Homemade Vegan Staples.”
Be sure to follow me on Instagram or on Pinterest for daily vegan inspiration and recipe ideas! Tag me at #thehiddenveggies! I love to see what you made too!
Easy homemade vegan ranch dressing or dip that you can make in minutes.
- 2/3 cup oil any neutral-flavored oil like canola - not extra virgin olive oil or other strong flavors.
- 1/3 cup PLAIN soy milk or Ripple milk
- 3 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp dry parsley or herb of choice or 2 tbsp fresh herbs
- 1/4 tsp dill or 1 tsp fresh dill
- ¾ tsp garlic powder or 1 clove of fresh garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- 2-3 tsp water until desired thickness is reached or no extra water for dip
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
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Put all the ingredients except for the water into a blender (or immersion blender).
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Blend for about 30 seconds.
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Add water a teaspoon at a time, blending between each one until the desired thickness has been reached.
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Store in an airtight container or bottle in the fridge.
Recipe Video
- Soy milk or Ripple milk works best for this recipe since it has protein that will react with the vinegar and cause it to thicken.
- The thickness of this dressing will depend on your choice of plant milk.
- You may not need additional water. Add the water slowly until you reached the desired thickness.
- Omit the water for vegan ranch dip.
How to make it soy-free:
- Use Ripple Brand milk!
- If you must use almond, oat, coconut, or some other milk that contains little protein and add a teaspoon of pea protein powder or a tablespoon of aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas) to the mix. There has to be enough protein in it to make the chemical reaction between the acid in the vinegar and the base in the oil and milk to make the dressing thicken.
- You can also add 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum to the mixture to help it emulsify and thicken if you are not using soy or Ripple milk.
*This recipe was originally published on March 21, 2017. It was updated on May 27, 2020, to include new images, a recipe video, and more detailed recipe instructions.
