This cashew tahini ranch dressing is creamy and flavorful with great taste! It’s easy to make with simple ingredients then use this dairy free ranch dressing in salads or as a dip for your raw vegetables.
This cashew tahini ranch dressing was born from a happy accident! I went to make a homemade cashew ranch dressing but added too much water when blending and it needed a thickener!
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I knew I would need to use something that was already thick and creamy to thicken the dressing. Tahini is all those things and I love to use it in oil free hummus.
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.
Ingredients in Cashew Tahini Ranch Dressing
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.
- Raw Cashews: Raw, unsalted and not roasted cashew are best to use.
- Tahini: A drippy tahini is best. Stir before using.
- Lemon Juice: Adds a bit of acidic taste. Freshly squeezed lemon will taste best.
- Spices: Garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, dried chives and dried dill are classic conventional ranch dressing seasonings.
- Salt and pepper: To taste.
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 you will need to soak your cashews.
All you need to do is add all your ingredients to a blender and blend until creamy.
Soaking Your 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! I use it on warm winter salad or even vegan taco salad.
When this cashew tahini ranch 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 beets and butternut squash with Savory Herbs.
Storage
This tahini dressing 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.
FAQs
This dressing will not taste the same if you leave out tahini. You may be able to double the amount of cashews for just a cashew ranch dressing but I have not tested it that way.
Raw cashews are the best for this dressing. Roasted or salted will give it an entirely different flavor.
That is totally fine! I made this using less salt so everyone could salt to their tastebuds.
I have used finely chopped green onions and that works great as a substitute!
See notes above why I recommend soaking your cashews overnight to prevent this from happening in this cashew tahini ranch dressing.
More Salad Recipes to Try
- Kale Apple Salad
- Romaine Pear Salad
- Oil Free Kale Salad with Almond Butter Lime Dressing
- Chinese Tofu Salad
Cashew Tahini Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon 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.
Nutrition
