I recently posted this recipe on mindbodygreen, and wanted to share it here with you, too.

I never really liked ranch dressing until I had the homemade version—now I’m in love. This tangy dressing is full of flavor and goes with just about anything.

Store-bought ranch dressing is full of processed ingredients and chemical preservatives, so dipping your fresh, antioxidant-rich veggies in it doesn’t really make sense. And dipping your pizza in it makes it even worse!

Making this homemade vegan / dairy-free ranch dressing is better for your taste buds and better for your health. Plus, it’s really easy to make. Store it in a Mason jar in your refrigerator or take it to a summer BBQ to impress your friends.

I use a mix of dried and fresh herbs in this dressing, but you can mix it up depending on what you have on-hand. Keeping dried herbs around is a great, cost-effective way to add fantastic flavor to your food. Shop in the bulk aisle for herbs if you don’t think you’ll use the entire bottle within about six months, as they’ll start to lose their flavor and potency.

Fresh chives are super easy to grow and come back every year, so I almost always have fresh available. And nothing beats the taste of fresh dill. If you want to switch up the herbs, remember that dried herbs are more potent than fresh; I like to use a 2:1 ratio of fresh to dry. For instance, you can substitute 1 teaspoon dried dill for 2 teaspoons fresh.

Raw garlic is a wonderful healing superfood, and it’s also very strong. If you think raw garlic is too strong of a flavor for your family or party guests, just use granulated garlic powder; I give you both options below. I usually use fresh for the health benefits when making this myself, but I also like to be mindful of people leaving a party at my house and tasting garlic when they wake up in the morning.

Delicious Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 Minutes
Yields about 1½ cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened plain nut milk or water
• 1 small garlic clove finely minced or pressed, OR ¾ teaspoon granulated garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons fresh chopped dill
• 2 teaspoons fresh chopped chives
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• dash fresh ground black pepper, or to taste

Recipe

Whisk all ingredients together then transfer to an airtight glass container to store in the refrigerator—a Mason jar works perfectly.

Add more or less unsweetened plain nut milk or water to your desired consistency. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to develop—it’s even better the next day. It will keep for about a week, so halve or double the recipe if needed.

Add it to your favorite salad, an avocado wrap or use it as a dip for fresh summer veggies.