allergens: dependent upon the “mayonnaise,” “milk” and Worcestershire brands
A simple vegan version of everyone’s go-to salad dressing and dipping sauce!
As I continue to add things to my Staples and How-Tos page, it’s becoming more and more clear just how many plant-based “dairy” items rely on nuts like cashews and almonds when made from scratch. There are, of course, quite a few products in stores that you can buy which are allergy friendly. But those are often very processed and filled with additional ingredients like preservatives and various other things that don’t necessarily need to be there. That’s why I started this helpful section of The Nut-Free Vegan: to provide alternatives to those allergy-inducing recipes, while also leaving out most of the unhealthy excess.
This recipe is for a simple Nut-Free, Vegan Ranch dressing. It’s not all that different from the many other recipes out there—the exception, of course, is that it doesn’t include cashews—but I have a few ingredients to the base that I think add to its overall taste quite a bit.
Mixing Things Up
One of the great things about Ranch is that it makes a fine launching pad for so many different flavors. In addition to making it the way I’ve written it out here, there are a number of things you could add to give it different tastes. Just put a little bit of whatever you’re craving into a blender with this recipe and voila! It’s instantly a whole new ballgame. Here are a few ideas:
- Half an avocado
- One chopped chipotle pepper with half a teaspoon of adobo sauce
- A teaspoon of sriracha, hot sauce or barbecue sauce
- A small bunch of cilantro and the juice from half a lime
- Half a can of Hatch green chiles
And the list goes on and on. Basically, anything you like will work well with Ranch dressing. Of this I’m sure!
This recipe is so easy to make. It just entails mixing all the ingredients together in a big bowl (and adding the final product to a blender with any of the solid ingredients in the list above; if you want to add the liquid things like sriracha, hot sauce or barbecue sauce, just stir those into the bowl) and enjoying. If you store this in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it’ll last up to two weeks, too. So convenient!
Also, quite a few recipes on this site would pair nicely with this ranch. Like:
BBQ Seitan Wings
Buffalo Chickpea Lettuce Cups
BBQ Seitan Salad
Twice-Fried French Fries
Meat-Free Chef Salad
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Tell Me What You Think
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this Nut-Free Vegan Ranch Dressing if you make it. So drop me a comment below, and be sure to tag @nutfreevegan on social media if you’re posting photos. It’s always super fun to see these dishes out in the wild!
Nut-Free Vegan Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan mayonnaise I used Follow Your Heart's Vegenaise
- ½ cup non-dairy milk I used Silk's Organic Unsweet Soymilk
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ tsp. white vinegar
- 1 tsp. finely chopped dill
- 1 tsp. finely chopped parsley
- ¼ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- Dash of Worcestershire Sauce optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
- Allow to set in refrigerator for a half hour if you have the time.
Notes
Nutrition
[…] blend cashews up into everything, so it’s nice to have a nut-free vegan ranch dressing […]