Southwest Vegan Ranch Dressing

Name: 📋Southwest Vegan Ranch Dressing Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3/4 cup raw cashews, (soaked for 1 to 2 hours if you don't have a high speed blender); 1/2 cup water; Juice of 1 lemon, (about 2 tablespoons); 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 1 clove garlic; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon dried dill; 1 teaspoon snipped chives; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon salt, (or to taste); 1 teaspoon cumin; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Published: Jun 20, 2015 · Modified: Sep 1, 2020 by Jenn Sebestyen * 78 Comments

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Southwest Vegan Ranch Dressing – A creamy, tangy, herby, dairy free ranch dressing with a hint of southwest flavors. This dressing is super versatile! Try it on salads, burgers, baked potatoes, stirred into soup, as a dip for raw veggies or french fries…the possibilities are endless!

Vegan ranch dressing in a glass jar on a white plate next to chives and a lemon wedge.

If you thought you had to give up ranch dressing because you follow a plant based diet, it’s your lucky day. You don’t have to!

There are plenty of store bought options for dairy-free ranch these days, but personally I haven’t found one that is worth spending the money on.

With just 10 ingredients and a blender, you can whip up this homemade version in less than 5 minutes!

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🌿Ingredients
🔪Instructions
🌶Substitutions/Adaptations
🥗Serving ideas
More Vegan Salad Dressing Recipes
📖 Recipe
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Overhead view of a jar of southwest vegan ranch dressing sprinkled with snipped chives.

🌿Ingredients

Traditional ranch dressing ingredients usually include mayonnaise or oil with buttermilk, garlic, onion, herbs and spices. They are popular because they are creamy and tangy and full of flavor.

This recipe is certainly creamy and tangy and full of flavor and herbs like dill, oregano, and chives, but my homemade version is dairy free, gluten free, and even oil free!

I added some cumin and smoked paprika for a little southwest flare. The cumin and paprika are not at all overpowering and this dairy free dressing would work on pretty much anything you could throw it’s way. But, the added flavors do bring just a little extra something to liven up your food.

🔪Instructions

If you don’t have a high-speed blender, like a Vitamix or Blendtec, you’ll need to soak your raw cashews in hot water water for a couple of hours to ensure they blend up smooth and creamy.

Then, just throw all the ingredients into the blender and purée until perfectly smooth.

If the dressing seems too thick, you can add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

Jar of vegan ranch dressing in front of a bowl of salad.

🌶Substitutions/Adaptations

Following the original recipe ingredients and instructions will give you the best results, but here are some adaptations that will work if need be.

This recipe can easily be made without the cumin and smoked paprika for a more traditional ranch flavor.

If you can’t have nuts, you can sub with sunflower seeds or white beans. If you use white beans, start with ⅓ cup of water, instead of ½ cup, and add more if needed.

If you don’t like dill, oregano, or chives – you can replace with parsley.

Like a kick of heat? Feel free to add a small pinch of cayenne.

Black Bean Taco Salad on a plate with two forks. Jar of dressing and a glass of water behind.

🥗Serving ideas

There is no wrong way to use this easy vegan ranch dressing. It’s great on salads, anything southwest or Mexican flavored, veggie burgers, baked or roasted potatoes, for dipping raw veggies or french fries, or even a little dollop or swirl on soup would be great!Here are a few recipes we love to pair with it:

Here are a few recipes we love to pair it with:

Millet Black Bean Patties (instead of the Chipotle sauce, which is a bit too spicy for the kids)
BBQ Lentils
Buffalo Chickpea Taquitos
Southwest Pasta Salad
Vegetarian Taco Salad (pictured above)

Small wooden spoon dipping into a jar of dairy free ranch dressing.

More Vegan Salad Dressing Recipes

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.

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For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!

📖 Recipe

Yield: 8 servings