This creamy vegan ranch dressing is made by blending silken tofu with lemon, herbs and spices.
A friend of mine went to a yoga retreat a while back. I'm sorry to admit that, despite being a yoga lover, I was secretly afraid to do such a thing myself. I've always thought of it as one of those things that I might sign up for but then end up being all "What did I get myself into?!" upon arrival. I imagined the worst. Will I be subjected to grueling 105 degree yoga practice for fifteen hours a day? Will I have to take a vow of silence for the duration of my stay? Perhaps most importantly, what will they feed me? I've heard rave reviews of the "healthy food" served at many a yoga retreat, and somehow I took that to mean that they essentially don't feed you, which would be extra awful, given the fifteen hours of hot, hot yoga I'd be doing every day.
Monday after my friend's arrival home from her yoga retreat she arrived at work all glowy and relaxed. Hmmm...maybe starving and yogaing all day really is good for you? Maybe I just had this whole yoga retreat thing figured wrong.
I was wrong. So wrong. About everything. Apparently, at this retreat at least, the classes are easy and relaxing. You're allowed to talk as much as you want. And then there's the food...
She raved about the food. Healthy food, but not of the healthy food=no food variety. More like healthy food=lots of the stuff I like...all vegetarian...the kind of stuff I blog about. I vowed to get my butt to a yoga retreat some time soon.
The food item that I heard the most about was the vegan ranch, which was apparently made from tofu. This called for some kitchen tinkering.
What I ended up with was most definitely ranch, but way healthier and better than any ranch I'd ever tasted. If you've ever had a low-fat variety of ranch before, you know that it's lighter in consistency, but what's removed is replaced with something...eh...artificial tasting. Think light ranch without that artificial taste and that's what you've got here. Clean ranch, but still delightfully flavorful and creamy. The best part, I soon discovered after making this, is that you don't really feel guilty about dousing your salad with it. It's like "Oooohhh, I drenched my salad in tofu." Big whoop. Enjoy.
Oh, and if tofu isn't a part of your diet, don't worry! Check out this cashew-based vegan ranch dressing.
Silken Tofu Vegan Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 lb. silken tofu
- 2 tbsp. fresh chives chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ tsp. onion powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- ¼ cup unsweetened unflavored non-dairy milk
- juice of 1 lemon about 3 tbsp.
- 1 tbsp. vinegar
Instructions
-
Place tofu in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
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Add remaining ingredients and blend until completely mixed.
I love making homemade dressings!! I've never used silken tofu before - always greek yogurt - but I think this would be a lot less tangy and probably taste more like legit Ranch. How long would this keep in the fridge?
I've never tried ranch with yogurt before, but I think you're right. The tofu is pretty flavor neutral, so the chives and garlic really shine through. I actually added the lemon and vinegar for the purpose of making it more tangy. I haven't kept this around for more than a week (tending to drench my salads in it). I don't think it would keep much longer than that, as tofu usually gets funky after a week. I hope you enjoy this if you try it out!
would this freeze well?
Unfortunately, probably not. The texture of tofu changes when it's frozen, so this probably wouldn't retain it's smooth consistency. If you're concerned about how long it will keep, my suggestion is to cut the recipe in half. Thanks for your question!
I just made this! I am on the ideal protein diet and tofu is an allowed food for the phase I am in. One thing we can have on this diet is unlimited lettuce. Because I am not a rabbit I need dressing on my lettuce and I could not find any dressings that were allowed AND taste good. It was either cheat(not an option) or eat my dressing with my nose plugged. Anyway, this is a perfect dressing!! It taste a little like guacamole to me which is fine because I like guacamole. I like the tang and can't wait for lunch tomorrow to eat a REAL salad! I think because I could not find fresh chives (I went to the grocery store when most normal people are asleep so I probably missed it) I bought some dried in a jar. I may need to add more next time. Thank you for sharing the recipe, you are a salad saver!
Yay! When I made this I was excited just about the fact that it's vegan, but I figured it would be great for people on special diets...I'm so glad to hear that it was!! I was wondering if dried chives would work - I've been making this quite a bit and it's hard to keep fresh chives on hand all the time without them going bad. Thanks so much for sharing and enjoy your salad lunch today :)
Great post! I can't wait to try this :)
Thank you! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!!
Is there anything that can be used to substitute the unflavored milk? I usually have almond milk in the house, but I am guessing that would add additional flavor that might not work well with the ingredients.
You could leave the milk out completely. I've done this when I don't have any unflavored milks on hand. The dressing will be a little thicker, but still delicious. Your other option would be to just use a splash of water. I'd suggest going with the first option and then adding the water a bit at a time if it seems too thick - probably just don't go with the whole 1/4 cup because it might end up being runny. Good luck!
I used apple cider vinegar and it tasted very good!
Nice! I get a lot of questions on substitutions for this recipe, so I appreciate the feedback. Thank you so much for sharing :)
really good! I added some ground chipotle to make it chipotle ranch!
Oh yum! That sounds delicious! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome post! Thank you so much for sharing. I can't wait to try this!!!
I used cashew milk, apple cider vinegar, and skipped the onion powder since I ran out. I have to admit I didn't measure anything except the milk. The way I made it didn't quite remind me of ranch but I still love it! Nice and refreshing, ate it with some buffalo cauliflower and it was the perfect addition. I will definitely make this again :)
Sounds delicious! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I just added 1 very ripe avocado (mashed) and used cilantro in place of the parsley and a few drops of sriracha sauce for a south west kick. Great on taco salad! or a baked potato.
That sounds delicious! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Joanna!
I have not made this yet but I have made Whipped Tofu Cream and frozen that. It was just as delicious as the fresh and I personally didn't notice any difference in texture. My guests loved it.
I tried this but was disappointed mine was bitter??? Should i add maple syrup???
Oh no! Did you check the date on your tofu? That's the only thing I can think of that would make it bitter.
I like this. It’s nice and light! I added a little bit of Siracha. I usually make ranch with vegan mayo, which results in a very ranch like dressing. This is healthier. I will make this again. But, if I’m going for real ranch taste, I will use the vegan mayo recipe. Thank you!
just made it, just love it!
No non dairy milk, so just skipped.
Makes a great veggie dip, too
Thanks for doing the creative heavy lifting!
Am I draining the tofu?
With silken tofu there shouldn't really be anything to drain. If there's a little bit of excess water in the package you can throw it into the recipe.
Nowadays there's a variety of silken tofu. Extra firm, firm, soft... Which is the best to use? Thank you!
If you have the option I'd go with the firmest available, then just add extra non-dairy milk if it comes out too thick. Enjoy!
OMG!!!!!! This tastes even BETTER than regular ranch... I was so scared I was gonna mess it up because I used apple cider vinegar instead of regular since I didn’t have any on me, but it was still great! Used chives from my garden.Totally yummy and much healthier than vegan ranch products I’ve come across. Ate with celery and thinly sliced carrots!
Just made this and it’s very good! I added fresh dill along with the fresh chives and parsley. These came from my garden and I suppose the freshness had contributed to the outstanding flavor. It was delicious made as written but I’m a salt freak so I actually bumped up the salt to a teaspoon. I added the salt in quarter teaspoons then tasted until I was satisfied. It’s in the fridge now and I’m sure it will be even better once all the flavors have time to play with one another! Great alternative if you’re looking to cut the fat and keep the flavor. Thanks!
It curdled and separated into liquid and curds. It didn't taste good either on my salad or on my potato.