Are you one of those people who love ranch? The person who puts ranch on just about anything and I mean anything. I’m talking pizza to fries to even steak. Yes I know crazy right??! I’m not one of those. I lean more towards the balsamic dressing with a bit a zesty zing. We got any balsamic lovers out there?!? However over the course of a year my boyfriend has convinced me and dare I say got me on the ranch train. I guess that will happen when you hear “that’d be good with some ranch” at 80% of our dinner dates. Let me tell you it’s hard not to cave and try some. My boyfriend was most definitely the kid who would not eat a piece of greenery unless that creamy white dressing was at its side and yesss he is the pizza ranch drizzler. Though I’m not sure about the meatloaf lol. To be continued… lol.
The thing with ranch is it contains a lot of unhealthy preservatives and fillers like soybean oil or canola oil with natural and unnatural flavors??? Like what is going on here?!? Here’s what the back of standard ranch serving contains.
I wanted to create a creamy dressing that was free of perseveration and unnecessary oils. I also wanted to make it allergy friendly for those dairy free and nut free people out there. The secret ingredient is CASHEWS!!! Yesss cashew and if you are allergic, swap for sunflower seeds or sunflower butter.
I like to use raw cashews from a bag with my high powered blender because I don’t eat cashew butter often. However if you do not have a high powered blender like Vitamix swap for cashew butter or sunflower butter.
The key spices are standard ones you probably have in your cabinet like parsley, dill ( optional but recommended), onion powder, garlic powder, pepper. You can sub in fresh herbs as well but will require more vs dried variety and turn the dressing a darker green. As for milk, I prefer soy or oat milk unsweetened but you can substitute for regular milk. If you like more fermented tang swap in unsweetened yogurt, kefir, sour cream, or buttermilk for part of the milk. There are so many variations in the spices and liquid base! I like adding a bit of red pepper flakes for some heat just be careful on the amount. A little goes a long way lol. Let me know what you think and leave a comment below.
Easy Simple Creamy Ranch Dressing (Dairy-free, Gluten-free)
A creamy ranch dressing that you can feel good about and whip up in a matter of minutes. The recipe offers a variety of substitutions for all to enjoy gluten, dairy, and nut free options.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Blend in a blender or food processor for 30 seconds and store in fridge for 4-5 days.
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Serve with vegetables, salads, pizza, wings, sandwiches… whatever your ranch cravings take you.
