3 Ingredient Dairy Free & Vegan Ranch Dip

FINALLY! An easy, 3 ingredient dairy free and vegan ranch dip that is thick, and has all those classic flavors. It’s the BEST vegan ranch. You’ll fool everyone as it’s a dead ringer for the real thing. This dairy free and vegan ranch dip is free of: gluten, dairy, egg, peanut and tree nuts, and has a soy free option as well.

None of these products are sponsored, but there are some affiliate links included.

Why I love this vegan and dairy free ranch dip:

Ever since my son’s dairy and egg food allergy diagnosis, I have missed ranch dip like crazy. Any time there’s a party–whether it be New Year Eve’s, Superbowl or any gathering I’m sorely wishing that I could bring a safe ranch dip for him to dunk the vegetable tray into.

I knew there were recipes out there, but they all seemed to include a long list of dried spices and I just was wanting the ease everyone else had of tearing open a package and being done with it, no measuring dried dill and what not.

Then, my life changed INSTANTLY for the better as soon as I found that there was actually a ranch dip packet that was naturally dairy free! I almost cried. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I have fellow dairy-free blogger, Simply Whisked, to thank for telling me. It’s not sponsored, but I don’t mind singing it’s praises because I want the company to keep making this so I can keep having this super easy ranch packet that is dairy free and vegan!

A story to illustrate how good this dip is: I came home late last night and my husband, who RARELY eats raw vegetables, was sitting in bed with a bowl of this ranch dip and a bag of baby carrots just going to town. It’s THAT good.

The mixture of both the dairy free sour cream and vegan mayo give it a pristine texture. It’s so thick and creamy, people are going to think you used Greek yogurt. (I won’t tell if you don’t.)

What is the difference between a dressing and a dip?

Honestly, sometimes, depending on the brand, there isn’t much of a difference. But, typically, I’ve found that a traditional ranch dressing is thinner, because they need to be able to be poured over a salad. Whereas, a veggie dip is going to be thicker, so that the vegetables (or whatever you’re dipping) can really hold onto it.

What goes good with homemade vegan ranch dip?

The short answer? Everything. The longer answer:

• Fresh veggies (celery sticks, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sugar snap peas, baby tomatoes, cucumbers)
• Potato chips
• Pizza
• French fries
• Sweet potato fries
• Great on wraps, burgers or sandwiches
• …basically anything that needs an improvement!

What are the full list of ingredients in this dairy-free ranch recipe?

The best thing? There’s just three basic ingredients. THREE!

1. Ranch dip mix
2. Vegan mayonnaise
3. Vegan sour cream

What is NOT in this creamy vegan ranch?

Having had the other dairy-free ranch dressings analyzed, a lot of other recipes call for ALL SORTS OF STUFF, including, but not limited to:

• canola oil, olive oil, coconut milk, oat milk, sunflower seeds, dried herbs, vegan yogurt, fresh chives, maple syrup, vegan buttermilk, raw cashews (making it NUT FREE TOO!), almond milk, soy milk, onion powder, garlic powder. fresh herbs, or apple cider vinegar. Phew, that’s a long list!

With my own dairy-free ranch, there’s no raiding your spice drawer. As you can see that list is long, and often takes a bunch of measuring or even blending in a high speed blender. Mine literally takes three ingredients–all store bought, no need for fresh ingredients–and you can stir it with a spoon in a small bowl, no fancy equipment needed!

Tips for making this recipe

Sometimes the vegan sour cream can be stiff to stir fresh out of the fridge, so letting it sit at room temperature will help it stir together without clumps. Also, if stirring it by hand isn’t getting it as smooth as you would like, you can always use electric beaters too.

Where do I find this dairy-free ranch packet?

As you can see on the packet, the brand is Kroger. Kroger goes by many names, depending on where you live. For example, I found it at my local Fred Meyer’s (I’m in Idaho.)

I’ve also had readers tell me that they’ve found it at: Smith’s, Food for Less and Fry’s. Let me know if you find it anywhere else! I’ve even had a reader, who lives in a different state as her mom, mail her some packets. When you have dietary restrictions, you get creative!

Make sure you get the one that looks exactly like my picture, as their ranch dressing packet will have milk in it.

Note that this packet doesn’t call out anywhere on it that it’s dairy free, in case you’re looking for that, it’s only until you turn it over and notice the wonderfully simple list of ingredients that it is.

I’m sorry, I’d love to link to it but I cannot find it on Amazon, and the link that should link to it on Kroger’s site is currently broken. Hopefully it will be fixed soon. If you find a link, let me know!

What type of ranch is vegan?

There are not many ranchs that are vegan. Buttermilk, eggs and milk are common ingredients found in store bought ranch. And if they are vegan, they are ranch dressing and not dip. Dressing is thinner to spread on a salad easier, and a dip, like mine, is ultra creamy and thick so it sticks to the vegetables and other crudite that you dip into it. Here are the vegan ranch dressings I’ve found:

• Hidden Valley’s dairy free ranch
• Daiya’s ranch
• Primal Kitchen
• Follow Your Heart

What are the ingredients in the vegan ranch packet?

Here are the ingredients listed on the label of a Kroger Ranch Dip Mix:

• Maltodextrin, salt, onion*, Monosodium glutamate, Garlic*, Parsley*, Contains less than 2% of Calcium Stearate (anticaking agent), Dextrose, Spices, Carrageenan
• *Dehydrated

If you’re worried about “calcium stearate” being a dairy or animal ingredient, I called the phone number on the back of the label and the representative that I talked to said on Dec 30, 2020 said their calcium stearate source is “vegetable based”. If you need stricter vegan requirements than listed above, you’ll need to contact the manufacturer.

What are the ingredients in the dairy free sour cream:

I have only ever been able to find two kinds of dairy free sour cream, Good Karma and Tofutti. I use Tofutti. Tofutti is made from soy. If you have a soy allergy, you could try just using all mayo, instead of half mayo and half sour cream. Or, you could try using half safe cream cheese and mayo, and thinning it a bit with a safe milk. Daiya makes a cream cheese made out of coconut.

The ingredients on the Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream are:

• Water, expeller processed natural oil blend (soybean, palm fruit and olive), maltodextrin, soy protein, tofu, non dairy lactic acid, organic sugar, blend of natural gums (locust bean, guar, cellulose, xanthan and carrageenan), veg, mono and diglycerides, salt.

I have found Tofutti on Amazon, at health food stores like: Sprouts and Natural Grocer. I have found Daiya at the same locations, and even sometimes Walmart.

What are the ingredients in the vegan mayonnaise:

I used to love “Just Mayo” but I haven’t been able to find it in years. Thankfully, I found another favorite vegan mayo. I love, love, love this vegan mayo. I used to buy regular mayo for myself, and a vegan mayo for my son. Now, I just buy this for our entire family and happily use it. 

Here is the full ingredient list for Best Food’s (also known as Hellmann’s east of the Rockies) Vegan Dressing and Spread:

• Sunflower oil, water, modified food starch (potato, corn), distilled vinegar, less than 2% of: sugar, salt, lemon juice concentrate, sorbic acid (used to protect quality) natural flavor, calcium disodium EDTA (used to protect quality), paprika extract

I find Best Food’s Vegan Mayo at Walmart or Amazon.

Can I use different ingredients to fit my individual needs?

Sure! While this is the only way I recipe tested this, I would think this would be a fairly forgiving recipe if you need to try different ways. These are just the brands that are safe for my family and that we already enjoy. If you try it with something else, be sure to comment below to help future readers.

Can I use this dairy-free ranch dip as a dressing?

To make this into a dairy-free ranch dressing (aka thinner, to use on a salad) simply thin it with a little plant milk (whatever one you prefer. We prefer rice milk because it has the most subtle flavor) until it’s as thin as you like. And voila! A delicious vegan salad dressing that you made all on your own! (Take that Hidden Valley!)

How do I store this delicious vegan ranch dressing?

When you’re not inhaling it, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It should last 5-7 days. 

Do I have other dairy free appetizers?

Yes I do, including several dipping sauces! Have a great party, with dairy free party food. I think you’d also enjoy my:

• the best vegan queso (nut free too!)
• dairy free French onion dip
• Asian quinoa meatballs
• Italian pulled pork sliders
• 4 Ingredient BBQ chicken sliders
• cranberry salsa
• dairy free sausage queso dip

Do You Have a Video Showing How to Make Dairy Free Vegan Ranch Dip?

Yes I do! I made a Tiktok video, which is a short and sweet video giving you a general overview of how to make this recipe. Enjoy!

 

@allergyawesomeness##veganranchdip ##dairyfreeranchdip Perfect ##veganappetizers for New Year’s Eve…or anytime really! ##allergyfriendly ##veganrecipes ##dairyfreerecipes♬ original sound – Megan Lavin

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