Ranch Dressing Take 2.
Last January I shared my first attempt at a dairy-free, corn-free, egg-free and soy-free Ranch dressing and while it’s very good, there are two problems with the recipe.
1). It contains cashews so it’s no good for my friends out there with tree nut allergies.
2). It’s entirely too involved of a process to make very often…unless you don’t mind living in your kitchen.
As I was re-reading the comments to that recipe a month or so ago, I zeroed in on what Breanna said,
“Heidi, this stuff is fantastic. I just wanted to let you know that of course, and also, I omitted the cashew cream cheese, so I’m not totally sure on the consistency or taste with it, but without it was great. My boys (who have never had Ranch before) loved it for their veggies. We all thought the flavor was just like the real deal. So hopefully that helps others looking for a cashew alternative. Thanks again, you rock!”
Thanks for the tip Breanna!
So that’s when it dawned on me, the only flavor attribute the cashew cream cheese lends to the dairy-free Ranch is “tang,” replacing the buttermilk in traditional Ranch dressing. Well duh Heidi, just make a dairy-free ‘buttermilk’ and save yourself a boatload of time!
See how important comments are? I believe it takes a village to live a gluten and allergy free lifestyle to the fullest and we all bring something valuable to the table. Together, we can do anything! 😀
And Breanna is right…this is the real deal. I get so excited each time I have an unsuspecting person taste it. I don’t even tell them it’s Ranch dressing, I just ask ’em to taste it and tell me what they think it is (don’t want to plant the idea in their head). Each and every-time, the response is the same, “Is this supposed to be a trick question? If so, it’s not a very good one, because this is Ranch dressing.” 
Ingredients
- 1 cup Mayo (I use Soy-Free Vegenaise for convenience purposes but you can also make your own dairy-free, egg-free, corn-free and soy-free mayo. If egg is okay, just use real mayo).
- 1/4 cup Dairy-Free "Buttermilk" (see recipe below)
- 1/2 tsp. dried Parsley (or 1 tsp. fresh)
- 1/2 tsp dried Chives (or 1 tsp. fresh)
- 1/2 tsp. dried Dill (or 1 tsp. fresh)
- 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Onion Powder
- 1/8 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1/8 tsp. Black Pepper
Directions
- Combine all ingredients except for the dairy-free buttermilk in a medium bowl.
- Slowly whisk in the "buttermilk."
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Add 1 and 1/2 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice to a liquid measuring cup.
- Add enough Dairy-Free Milk to bring the total amount of liquid to 1/4 cup (I use So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk since I cannot detect any "coconutty" flavor in it and personally, I think this is the most neutral tasting dairy-free milk substitute out there).
- Stir and allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes, until milk curdles then it's ready to use!
And welcome to my blog!
Whether you're here looking for advice on how to go gluten free (with delicious kid-approved recipes of course!), or to read some of the latest medical research on celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity...or even to read about one woman's rise from the depths of gluten-free despair to a place of downright enthusiasm, it makes no matter. The point is, you are here now so let's have some fun!
Heidi this looks great! I can't have citrus so I think I might try using apple cider vinegar to make the "buttermilk"! Yumm 🙂
Oh totally Tai, that will work just fine! Please let me know what you think! 🙂
xo,
Heidi
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! My oldest son absolutely loves ranch dressing but none on the market are made without corn or soy derivatives, neither of which he can have. None of the homemade ranch dressings we made were up to snuff and I had one extremely disappointed little boy. He's ecstatic we finally have a recipe that tastes like the real thing but is safe for him to eat. And just in time for my back to school lunch planning. Again, thank you sooo much. I could kiss you. 😀
You are welcome, welcome, welcome! 😀
Hugs,
Heidi
Your little fishies are too cute. You should have a find the hidden goldfish contest sometime on your website. They bring such a smile to my face.
Can't wait to try the dressing. My boys will be so excited and I am hopeful it might get more veggies into their bellies.
Looks delicious! Ranch dressing is a staple at my house 🙂
Heidi, on behalf of parents of dairy free children from around the world, I want to thank you for figuring out how to make what looks like a most delicious recipe for dairy free ranch. You are a goddess.
OMG Heidi, this is almost exactly the recipe I use! It's in my book. I don't use dill, and I use quite a bit more parley (mainly for the green flecks), but otherwise, it's the same! Great formula indeed. Everyone loves it.
Is it really Alisa? (I swear, I just tweaked my older recipe, LOL!). How did I miss that recipe in your book? I think I got hung up on your very detailed section on casein and forgot to check out the recipes…gonna go do that right now!
xo,
Heidi
You are too much, girlie!! Love this recipe! And I love the conversation between Cucumber Goldie and Pepper Goldie! You are helping allergy moms everywhere!! I heart you!
xo
k
wow, so trying this soon. I had found another recipe for this at Cybele Pascal's site, but it is more involved than this. This looks sooo easy. Going to have to make this asap so my son can dip his veggies in "sauce" as he likes to call it. LOL! Thank you so much for posting all these recipes. You are making my allergy free living sooo much easier. 😉
thank you!!!! this recipe is amazing!!! even hubby LOVES it!! it has been such a long time..about 14 years…since i have enjoyed ranch. thank you!!
not sure what I did wrong….I made this this afternoon, but it's definitely not as thick as yours looks (not 'dippable' at all)…I used almond breeze unsweetened almond milk w/vinegar….maybe I didn't let the milk sit long enough??
disregard that last comment…realized my mistake! should work next time! 🙂
Heidi, I made this dressing two days ago and I am blown away by how good it is and how quick and easy it was to make! I used almond milk and soy-free Vegenaise and it came out fantastic. It tasted a little "off" at first because of the almond milk but by the next day the flavors had melded and that taste was gone. This is better than any bottled ranch dressing I've ever had and as good or better than most made-from-scratch restaurant versions. I would never know it was dairy-free if I hadn't made it myself.
mmm…mmm…good
I just made this with homemade mayo, homemade yogurt (rather than buttermilk) and all the fresh herbs
mmm..mmm…good
Yeah! Thanks, Heidi.
Heidi,
I have lurked in the background forever, where did u find the goldfish mold our cutters? My goyta Would live these.
Renee~
Awesome! Love it! It is so good, even better than the bottled stuff. Just when I thought gone were my ranch dressing days, I found this. Thank you!
Oh you dear!! My grandson wants to eat anything I eat, and I can't have dairy, or gluten or grain or soy. I am so excited to have a healthy ranch. what a blessing! thank you.
This recipe saved my life! I have gone without salads forever due to my gluten, dairy and soy intolerances, but this recipe did the trick! THANK YOU!
Just came across this recipe and am so happy to have found it. I've been trying to figure out how to make dairy-free creamy dressings like this one – brilliant making your own dairy-free "buttermilk" instead of using cashews!
I'm so glad I found this recipe! I was looking for a recipe for a client (I'm a nutritionist specializing in autism) and I needed a dairy-free and egg-free ranch dressing. I'll point her to this website today! I've known of you for a while but wanted to say "Hello" and "Thanks!"
Thanks, Heidi. This recipe saved my life! I have gone without salads forever due to my gluten, dairy and soy intolerances, but this recipe did the trick! I’m so glad I found this recipe!
I'm really excited to try this! Wondering…will lime work in the Dairy free buttermilk?
Hi Lauren! Lime juice will certainly work (lemon juice does, it's the acid you're after) but it *might* give the dressing a distinct flavor – I would say it's certainly worth a try! 😀
HOLY COW! I'd given up (sometimes you just do that), but today at the grocery store I googled 'gluten free dairy free ranch recipe' so I could get the stuff while I was there.
1) Thanks for such a FANTASTIC recipe.
2) Thanks for pictures that were great, but not overwhelming to my 'smartphone' that is stupid.
It's awesome and apparently now, I'm back on ranch! Thanks thanks thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! The dressing is awesome!!!
I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am that I found your website. I have many many food allergies (gluten, dairy, soy, and corn to name a few). This recipe is EXACTLY what I've been looking for. I miss salad!
My son loved the ranch dressing!!! We are new to the gluten free lifestyle. My little guy is allergic to gluten, eggs, milk and peanuts and he is a very picky eater. I love your site and will continue to use the recipes you put on here! Thanks so much for helping this clueless Mom that loves her gluten free boy!! 🙂
my GF/soy-free preschooler (at a nut-free school) just encountered ranch for the first time last week as yet another school snack she couldn't have. now, i've got a superyummy fix for that! thanks!!
as an adult who grew up on ranch, a recent dairy allergy development prevents me from eating it. Thank you SO much for this recipe. I'm making it right now, and I'm sure it'll be delicious!
Do you think this would be good with unflavored soy milk? We are GF/DF and its all I have on hand??
Hi Shannon,
I don\’t drink soy milk so I can\’t tell you if I think it will taste good or not (but taste is subjective anyway, if you\’re used to soy milk then I\’m sure it will taste good to you and that\’s all that matters…so give it a try!)
even hubby LOVES it!! Oh totally Tai, that will work just fine! This recipe is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for.
Hi Heidi! I’m going to try this recipe tonight. I did have a question and I hope you didn’t say somewhere and I missed it. How long do you think this will keep in the fridge?
I only make enough for about 4 days at a time, I prefer it when it’s freshly made.
Great! Thanks!
Thanks Heidi. My daughter was just placed on a gluten free, dairy free and soy free diet. We are really trying to help her diet stay as “normal” as we can. Thanks so much for a ranch dressing recipe, it will be a lifesaver 🙂
Bless you for giving my dairy, egg, nut allergic child a love for eating foods with this ranch dressing recipe…..she dips everything in it…we even take a container of it wherever we travel so she can eat in pleasure!!!!! Thank you!!!!
Oh. My. Gosh.
I’m having a birthday party tomorrow for my nut- and soy- allergic child; our gluten-free, casein-free friends and a friend with a dairy-allergic child are coming, so I made this as a dip for veggies and chips (man- or woman or child- cannot live by Trader Joe’s hummus alone, not at a birthday party.)
I consider myself a ranch snob, but I have to say- this beats Hidden Valley all to pieces. I’ve tried making my own before with other recipes and it was meh; the balance in the flavors here is SUPERB. I don’t think I’m going back (though for my own family alone I’ll just use regular milk- no need for a dairy sub here.)
I followed the recipe exactly except for using Best Foods Canola since we have no need of egg-free. (Oh- and quadrupling it. Which was a very wise choice…)
Thanks for the feedback Anne, I am over the moon to hear the recipe was so well received!
And I totally agree, one cannot live by hummus alone. 🙂
I just found out my 14 month old daughter is allergic to eggs, soy, and dairy. This recipe looks fantastic and I’m excited to try it! Just out of curiousity, what is the shelf life of this?
HI Melissa,
I only make up what I can realistically use within a week (it seems to break down/separate if stored much longer than that).
This stuff is incredible!!! I was skeptical because I am super picky… yet recently have had to cut dairy, egg and gluten out of my diet. I was amazed by how much this tastes like true ranch dressing! My only problem was that it was very runny compared to your picture. Maybe I should put less “buttermilk” in?
Thank you so much for making me feel more normal!
Hi Kirsten,
Yes, just add less of the DF “Buttermilk” to make your dressing thicker.
Thank you soooo much! It’s tastes so good my kids (gluten free) also want to use it! I have had to go corn free the past month and have been dying for salad dressing for my veggies/salads, etc. Thanks for the tip about the Vegenaise! Have been dying for mayonnaise too!
Wow–this is way better than the “real” thing. It was a little runny when I first made it (I used unflavored rice milk), but thickened up once refrigerated. I don’t think I’ll ever buy ranch dressing in a bottle again. As a mom with a son who can’t eat wheat, dairy, egg, soy, corn & nuts, I am so appreciative of wonderful recipes like this!
OMG!!!!! You all so rock! I just made this this morning and it tastes so good! I am so excited! I have been using coconut milk for the last couple of years due to finding out I am lactose intolerant. I am also allergic to MSG in all of its forms. Finding a good tasting ranch dressing is becoming increasing difficult. I am anxious for my partner to try it as he is allergic to all dairy. Thank you so much! I am so making this a staple in our household.
Do you think this would freeze at all? I’d love to keep stock in the freezer and make it once a month…..
I have been lactose intolerant for 7 years. I figured I would never find a ranch recipe that tasted good. This one is THE BEST EVER!! My daughters loved it so much that they helped me make a second batch. Beyond delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing dressing! Now I can have my ranch on my favorite foods! I am over the moon!!
interesting, but why use products with nasty additives, like flavoured powders? Isn’t it better to rather be healthy and not have allergies, not to have to put up with gluten or lactose intolerance or nut allergies? If you have these issues it means you are not getting the right nutrition and/or eating the right food and there are too many toxins around you. Life is so much better when you are healthy and can enjoy what you want to eat. Perhaps I can help you….schooldaysmagazine.com
This is fantastic! We used rice milk, since I think it’s the most neutral and it turned out great. I’ve had people ask for it and my kids devour it. Thank you!
I made this with the dairy free, egg free, corn free, and soy free mayo link. The flavor is really good, but the texture didn’t turn out like yours, mine is really thick and kind of slimy. Do you have any suggestions what I might have did wrong?