Is Ranch Dressing Plant Based?

One of the most versatile and popular salad dressing in America, Ranch goes with a lot of dishes, making any meal or snack interesting. However, when you switch to a plant-based diet, you start looking for dressings that align with your diet restrictions. A lot of us are not sure whether Ranch dressing is plant-based or not. 

So, is Ranch dressing plant based? No, ranch dressing is not plant based. Ranch is a mayonnaise-based dressing that contains dairy products. Ranch Dressing is generally made using dairy cream obtained from animals which is why it is not plant-based.

Let us try to find out whether there is any alternative for ranch dressing that suits a plant-based diet. 

Top Ranch Dressing Substitutes For A Plant Based Diet

While ranch dressing generally contains mayonnaise as the primary ingredient making it inappropriate for a plant-based diet, there are several products and recipes that use dairy-free ingredients to offer alternatives to this popular dressing. The best way to add ranch dressing to a plant-based diet is to make your own dressing at home using the right ingredients. 

Homemade Plant-Based Ranch Dressing 

You can easily make a ranch dressing by replacing mayonnaise and other dairy ingredients with a substitute such as cashew cream. It adds richness to the dressing and helps it stick to vegetables in salads and other recipes. Once you make cream out of soaked cashews, add garlic powder, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, salt and black pepper to make your dressing ready. It can be enjoyed right away or can be refrigerated for a few hours for better texture and taste. 

If you don’t prefer to use cashews, you can make the dressing with almond milk and chia seeds. As chia seeds contain high amounts of omega fatty acids, they are beneficial for muscles, nails, skin and hair. Simply blend the ingredients to get your favourite dressing ready for any plant-based dish. This ranch dressing is vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free and can be used like regular dressing in your favourite recipes.

Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing Recipe 

Another way to make a plant-based ranch dressing is to use dairy-free mayonnaise and cream. You can find these ingredients easily or make your own at home. Simply mix dairy-free sour cream and mayonnaise with garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, parsley, salt and pepper and blend the mixture until it turns smooth and creamy. 

This recipe gives a fresh, cool, tangy ranch dressing that you can use in multiple ways, either as a dip, on salads or on sandwiches. It is an excellent ingredient to make plant-based cooking interesting.