This cashew tahini ranch has amazing taste! Use this dairy free dressing in salads or as a dip for your raw vegetables.
Ingredients in Cashew Tahini Ranch Dressing
This cashew tahini ranch dressing was born from a happy accident! I went to make a homemade cashew ranch dressing but too much water when blending and need a thickener! Since I need to soak my cashews to get them to a creamy consistency, I knew I would need to use something that was already thick and creamy. Tahini is all those things.
This cashew tahini ranch has unique taste from the tahini! I love the nutty taste it adds to this oil free salad dressing. The cashews give it a nice creamy look, the tahini adds nutty flavor and the dried herbs and spices give it that ranch familiarity. I love how this vegan ranch dressing turned out! Here are the ingredients you will need:
- Raw Cashews
- Tahini
- Lemon Juice
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Dried Parsley
- Dried Chives
- Dried Dill
I know this looks like a lot of dried spices, but you may already have all in your pantry! Ranch gets its unique taste from all of these dried herbs, so I would not leave any out. I truly believe spices are essential to sticking with a plant based diet, because they make food taste amazing! Maybe it’s time to stock up on your spices.
How to Make Oil Free Cashew Tahini Ranch
This cashew ranch dressing comes together in only a few minutes in your blender. If you do not have a high powered blender (I don’t!) you will need to soak your cashews.
FAQ: Why do I need to soak my cashews?
If you have a high powered blender, skip this note! If you have a regular old blender (like moi!) then you will need to soak your nuts overnight (or at least 12+ hours). Soaking your nuts softens them making them blend-able. If you do not soak them long enough, your nuts will not turn into a creamy consistency. This is fine if you like little chunks in your dressing, but I don’t and you might not either!
After soaking your cashews, drain and rinse them. Place all ingredients in your blender and blend until creamy! You might need to stop the blender and scrape the sides a few times to get the cashew dressing mixed properly.
How to Serve this Oil Free Vegan Dressing
I love to serve this dressing with fresh salad greens! It has become my favorite easy vegan salad dressing to make.
When this ranch vegan salad dressing is fresh out of the blender, it is the perfect consistency for a salad dressing! As this dressing sits, it gets less runny. That is natural! You can thin it out with your favorite plant based milk or instead of a salad dressing, use it as a raw vegetable dip or with roasted vegetables.
This dress will stay good in your refrigerator up to 7 days. It also freezes well! I like to freeze it in small containers and then it is ready to just thaw and serve.
Additional FAQ’s
- Can I leave out the tahini?
This dressing will not taste the same if you leave out tahini. You may be able to double the amount of cashews but I have not tested it that way. - Can I only use raw cashews?
Raw cashews are the best for this dressing. Roasted or salted will give it an entirely different flavor. - I made this, but I needed additional salt in it.
That is totally fine! I made this using less salt so everyone could salt to their tastebuds. - I do not have dried chives, what can I use?
I have used finely chopped green onions and that works great as a substitute! - I do not have a high powered blender and my dressing turned out chunky!
See notes above why I recommend soaking your cashews overnight to prevent this.
If you make this easy vegan ranch dressing, I would love to know! Tag @badtothebowl on social media.
Cashew Tahini Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw unsalted cashews
- ¼ cup tahini
- ½ cup water
- 1 Tblsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried chives
- ¼ tsp dried dill
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch of pepper
Instructions
- If you do not have a high powered blender, soak your cashews overnight, drain and then rinse them before adding to blender.
- Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of your bowl a few times to ensure all ingredients are mixed throughly.
- Taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Store in refrigerator for up to 7 days. This can be frozen in small batches for up to 3 months.
