Creamy vegan ranch dressing gets a serious upgrade from a dose of heat. Ready for this?
This dressing is simple to make, requiring 1 blender, simple ingredients, and just over 30 minutes to prepare (which mostly accounts for soaking cashews).
It starts with soaked, drained cashews blended with vegan “buttermilk,” fresh garlic, salt, pepper, chipotle in adobo*, onion powder, vinegar, maple syrup, and fresh dill. The result is a creamy, tangy, herby, spicy dressing that’s perfect for salads, cruditès, and so much more.
We hope you LOVE this dressing! It’s:
Creamy
Savory
Tangy
Herby
Subtly spiced
Versatile
& So delicious
This would make the perfect dressing for just about any Mexican-inspired salad, especially this Grilled Corn Summer Salad, Mexican Quinoa Black Bean Salad or these Mexican Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad Cups! We could also see it being a nice addition to these Mexican Green Chili Burgers (serious yum) or dip for these Cajun Baked Sweet Potato Fries!
If you’re into dressings, be sure to check out our Oil-Free Vegan Ranch, No-Honey Mustard Dressing, 5-Minute Vegan Caesar Dressing, and Best Ever Microwave Hummus.
If you try this recipe, let us know by leaving a comment, rating, and tagging a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram! Cheers, friends.
Vegan Chipotle Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews (soaked in hot water 30 minutes, or overnight in cool water)
- 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce*
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2-1 tsp maple syrup (optional // or other sweetener of choice to taste)
- 1/4 tsp ground chipotle chile (plus more to taste // or sub chili powder, NOT cayenne)
- 2 Tbsp fresh minced dill (or 2 tsp dried)
Instructions
- Soak cashews in very hot water for 30 minutes. While cashews are soaking, measure out almond milk and add lemon juice and set aside to curdle (this makes your vegan “buttermilk”).
- Drain and rinse cashews, then transfer to a small blender (a blender is preferred over a food processor for achieving a smooth texture) and add almond “buttermilk,” garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder, vinegar, maple syrup (optional), ground chipotle chile, and dill. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until very creamy and smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.
- Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt to taste, ground chipotle or adobo sauce for heat, maple syrup for sweetness, lemon juice or vinegar for acidity, garlic for garlic flavor, or herbs for a more herbal flavor.
- Use immediately at room temperature or refrigerate for 3-4 hours to chill. It will thicken in the refrigerator, so you can add more almond milk or water later on to thin if needed.
- Enjoy on our Grilled Corn Salad or with vegetables, wraps, salads, cauliflower wings, or pizza! Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 5-7 days, or in the freezer up to 1 month (though best when fresh).
Video
Notes
*Learn more about the history of chipotles in adobo sauce here!
*Recipe adapted from our Oil-Free Ranch Dressing.
Janet says
I have on hand roasted cashews; can I use those instead of raw cashews? If so, do I still soak them?
Thank uou!
Hi Janet, raw cashews are best in this recipe, but roasted could work in a pinch. We’d still recommend soaking!
Teresa says
What chipotle powder do you use? Thanks!!
Hi Teresa, we’ve used Natural Grocers brand and Simply Organic. Any brand will do!
Whytney Parker says
Fresh outta the blender, onto a spatula and straight into my gob, and I cannot express in words the deliciousness of this dressing…like OMGWOW! Going into raptures over here. Like seriously. I can’t wait to make the grilled corn salad tomorrow for lunch to slather this on – I mean, drizzle on…
Ha, this is the BEST review! We’re so glad you enjoy the dressing. Thank you for sharing, Whytney! xo
Vanessa says
I make this dressing pretty regularly. I now use silken tofu for cashews so I can eat as much of this dressing as I want! I also double the chipotle because I like the extra heat. It’s good on everything. I was too lazy to make anything for lunch the other day but I had this dressing made so I just dipped sliced cucumbers and bell peppers in it. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Amazing! Love your creative modifications, Vanessa. Thank you for sharing! xo
B says
FANTASTIC!
xoxo!
Irene says
This didn’t turn out for me. It was more like a sauce and not a dressing. It was way too thick to be a dressing, and I even added another 1/3 cup of almond milk with lemon juice and blended it for like 5 minutes. It kinda ruined my salad. 😕
We’re so sorry that happened, Irene! Did it look similar to the photos/video? It should be thick, but pourable.
Irene says
It was thick and totally un-pourable.
Sorry to hear that. Were you using the US customary or metric measurements?
Amy says
I love this recipe! I made it to go along with the grilled corn salad. I did make a few changes. I used white beans instead of cashews, only half of an Adobe pepper (might add more the next time) and used oregano and cumin instead of dill (not a fan of dill). I think I ate this salad and dressing everyday last week! So yummy.
Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing, Amy! xo
Elisa says
How can one make this recipe nut free? Can we swap out the cashews for sunflower seeds or use mayo?
Hi Elisa, we haven’t tried with those modifications, but we think they could work. Sunflower seeds would be easier to sub 1-1, while mayo would require more experimenting to get the proportions right. Let us know how it goes!
Makay says
This dressing is awesome! I did add a little extra chipotle and salt but it turned out SO GOOD! I used it on a veggie burger with tomato and avacado. I highly recommend this dressing.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Makay. Love that serving idea!
Amy Bykowski says
I love this dressing. It’s fine made as is, but also great to adjust to personal preference. I skip the maple syrup, usually add a bit extra Adobe pepper for kick, and often add water or more “milk” to thin it out a bit. Also use it in the thicker version to put on my veggie burger or egg sandwich in the a.m. Perfect spicy ranch style for anything! Thank you so much!!
Lovely! We’re so glad you enjoy it. Thanks so much for sharing, Amy!
Hope says
Freaking DELICIOUS. I used dried dill and subbed oat milk. I halved the recipe and used a food processor (I don’t have a blender) so it didn’t get all the way smooth, but that’s totally my fault. I didn’t mind the little cashew chunks though because like I said; DELICIOUS.
Joana says
I dont have onion powder, can I replace with something else or just not add it?
You could omit, or maybe replace with ~1 Tbsp chopped onion? Let us know if you try it!
Hangry MC says
Delicious with grilled corn black bean salad.
Sounds like an amazing combo! Thanks for sharing!
Adrianna says
SO GOOD, I could drink this stuff. I made the dressing for the grilled corn salad for lunch today, but now I’m making a totally different dinner than planned (crispy potato tacos) because the sauce is so delicious! I only swapped the dill for parsley because of palette preferences.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Adrianna! Thanks so much for sharing!
Linsey says
I’ve made this twice in the last week – its SO good. It is very spicy, so I tried to add a small chipotle pepper the second time and left out the additional chipotle powder since I’m taking this to a BBQ.
I’m using this to dress your Grilled Corn Salad, but am eating it with chips as I’m preparing the salad as ITS. SO. GOOD.
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Linsey! Thanks so much for sharing!
Linsey says
just want to add that I made this again tonight and left out the almond milk. I added the lemon juice with everything else and added water instead, blended it all up in the immersion blender and it came out GREAT. The flavor is a little less POW but it’s still so so good.
I transferred it to a jar to chill in the fridge and scooped out the rest and ate it off the spoon :D
Thanks for sharing, Linsey!
Jon says
I had a dumb question, for the chipotle peppers in adobo. I you referring to the whole can or just one whole pepper from the can? Thanks!
Just 1 pepper!
Amanda says
Could you sub oat milk for this?
Thanks
Hmm, not sure but I think so? Let us know how it goes!
Ashley says
Question. It’s really hard to find chipotle peppers at either of the grocery stores in my town. Could I omit, try jalepeno, or any other sub? Thanks!
I would probably suggest subbing chipotle powder in that instance! Should be easy to find at most stores.
Tahlia shafar says
So easy and yet so complex and rich in flavour. Loved this, thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Tahlia! xo
Sarita Kini-Pai says
This is a fantastic recipe! Definitely do not miss the dairy! I made it my own by adding a fresh jalapeno and swapped out the dill for fresh cilantro to meet my palate preferences. It was amazing! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Sarita. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Ashley says
Awesome, I have that on hand! How much would ya suggest?
Hannah says
This recipe is amazing!!! I’m a die-hard chipotle ranch fan…I could drink it. I try to avoid dairy though and was nervous about this but IT IS SO GOOD. I’m making vegan tacos tonight and I’m going to pour this over everything.
haha thanks, Hannah! So glad you enjoyed it.
Vanessa says
This a fantastic recipe…So delicious. It was really easy to make.
I only had crushed chipotle in adobo sauce so used a good heaped tablespoon.
I will definitely be making this recipe again!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
Samantha says
I love this dressing!!!! Its so simple and tastes like a delicious creamy smokey ranch. I added about 4x’s the amount of apple cider vinegar and dill, and added extra adobo sauce until I was happy with the heat level. I also saved the water that the cashews soaked in and had to add that until the consistency was smooth enough to be dressing.
Ah, thanks Samantha! So glad you liked it.
Sherryn Adair says
Good tip – I too added extra vinegar & lemon juice but I’m still questing after the “tangy” taste – it is still delicious (and oh so hot! On this wintry night!). I love that it’s so healthy ❤️
Nona says
Absolutely delicious! Didnt need to make any modifications!
Lovely – thanks for sharing, Nona!
Laurie says
Have I already told you how much we LOVE this dressing? It’s good on everything!!! Thank you Dana!
So glad you enjoy it, Laurie! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Shannon says
Made this last night with the grilled corn salad (added black beans to the salad to make it heartier) and loved it! I used a Vitamix blender and the dressing wasn’t super creamy. Do you recommend a smaller blender or a particular setting on the Vitamix? I’ve had this issue with cashew based sauces before. I’m sure it’s user error :)
A smaller blender can help it get creamier because it’s a small amount. BUT, you can also multiply the recipe by 1.5 or 2 and it will blend well in a vitamix. Sometimes the smaller quantities are just harder to blend well in a large, high-speed blenders. Hope that helps!
elizabeth joseph says
I did make it but it wasn’t my liking. a little sweet, even though I cut it down to 1/4 tsp. maybe for a sauce for wraps and dips, but not for salad. this is just my comment.
Thanks for sharing! Next time simply omit the maple and add more salt :D
Alyssa says
SO easy and delicious! I had all the ingredients already in my pantry. I added it on top of BBQ jackfruit nachos and it really made the dish! This will definitely be a much every time I need a nacho kind of cheese.
Is it’s possible to add it to the machine before they go in the oven so the sauce gets warm and binds with the chips? I wasn’t sure how well Cashew cheese deals with heat?
Thanks for sharing, Alyssa!! I’m not sure about adding it to the chips before, but if you try it let us know!
Megan says
Very yummy, I like this spicy version of ranch and the quick and easy recipe.
Great! Thanks for sharing, Megan!
Melodie says
I made this last night!! SOOOO YUMMMM!!! I spread this inside of a crisp tortilla and had spicy potato tacos.
I did add an extra pepper and did add some ranch seasoning I had on hand to give it a little more kick and additional ranch flavor. I also added a little more almond milk to this to make it thinner.
Great recipe!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Melodie!
Sita says
My husband and I really enjoyed this. It helped spice up plain old rice and veggies. Thank you!
Lovely! Thanks for sharing, Sita!
Rachel says
I made this yesterday with the grilled corn salad and it was so delicious! Thanks for such a great recipe! I had to sub chipotle pepper paste for the peppers in adobo sauce because I couldn’t find them, but it worked really well
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Rachel!
Colleen says
Phenomenal!.
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Colleen!
Joey says
I buy organic dried chipotle peppers and rehydrate- I’ve found then at natural grocers and well as chucks in Washington and Oregon. All chipotle in Adobe sauce has canola oil so I opt for this instead….hope that helps :)
Vanessa Aurel says
Hi! Good to know you. Thank you for sharing with us!
I am a vegan and so glad you make this recipe for us!
Thank you.
I already followed you at twitter!
Thanks for your support, Vanessa! Enjoy!
Tracy says
This is heavenly! I just made this and it’s delicious! It’s so creamy and flavorful but not too spicy. I’m making your grillable burgers and portobello burgers tonight and plan on using it on both. Then I’ll use it on our buffalo cauliflower falafel sandwiches . And if there’s any left after that, I’m making fries. Thank you for another great recipe.
Thanks for sharing!!
Lusa says
I made this and I am not sure why the cashews didn’t go smooth….it tastes kinda like a chipotle romesco….I’m using it on my roasted veg rice bowls. It delicious so I’ll def try again for a better texture…
Did you use a food processor? We think a high speed blender is the best way to get creamy sauces and dressings!
Laurie says
I made this for last night’s tacos and I’m making it again for tonight’s veggie burger bar. It is SO GOOD! I added a second chipotle pepper and a small handful of cilantro because I don’t like dill. We all loved it!
Yay! So great. Thanks for sharing, Laurie!
Eric says
This is a fantastic recipe — its easy to make, and it’s really, really delicious. One of my favorites — thank you so very much for sharing your discoveries.
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Eric!
Dana Chalamet says
I never heard back regarding my inquiry on your favorite chipotle peppers in adobo sauce … and it wasn’t posted (not that I care if it’s posted. I simply wanted to know if you knew of a good/healthy brand as there seems to not be any organic). You must not be used to true conscious/ mindful eaters who are aware of the dangers of the main food source. This is unfortunate. Well, never mind. I’ll figure it out on my own.
Dana Chalamet says
I apologize. My iPad totally glitched out and after I sent my last message, ALL the other posts loaded and I noticed you actually DID respond. When I refreshed the page (multiple times) earlier, only one post showed so I assumed that was all that was there. Lesson learned for me as I have a tendency to jump to the wrong conclusions. Eesh! Again, I apologize. (and hopefully you can delete my last comment). ?
Dana – sorry for the confusion. We are not aware of an organic brand!
Elena says
Where do I get chipotle pepper in adobo sauce?
It’s a very common ingredient found in the Mexican cooking section!
Dana Chalamet says
This recipe sounds (and looks) extremely yummy and I can’t wait to make it.
Just curious if you have a favorite brand chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. I’m not familiar with this as I’ve never made anything that uses it.
We eat approx. 98% organic and in my search, it seems it’s not a common product to find an organic version of this (my main concern it staying away from products that contain any pesticides/herbicides/fungicides and, of course, Monsanto’s highly toxic/carcinogenic glyphosate, the main ingredient in RoundUp. It’s so out of control as it’s being sprayed on just about EVERYTHING that it’s now being found on some organics … from overspray. Obviously from farms not isolated far enough from conventional. It’s also being found in approx. 85% of pregnant women’s milk. This is how out of control it is. So we do our best at steering clear and being extremely mindful of what we ingest).
Any recommendation for a great brand for the chipotle peppers in adobe sauce would help. With gratitude for all you share! Dana :)
Hi there! I don’t know about organic chipotle peppers, but that’s a great question. If you find any, let us know. Otherwise, you can try subbing an organic ground chipotle powder in place for the canned peppers.
Dana Chalamet says
Many thanks! ?
Lisa says
I have a cookbook called Nopalito and there is a recipe for homemade chipotle in adobo sauce. Making it yourself may help in your quest to keep most ingredients clean.
Sandra says
Okay, I just made this for my lunch salad and it is delicious! I followed the recipe to the T and it is perfect. I probably could eat the whole jar in spoonfuls (or with chips?). Oh my, try it; you’ll love it.
haha, YES! So good with everything! xoxo
kungaa joseph says
can I use unsweetened soy milk instead of almond milk?
You can, although it will affect the flavor. In opinion the best alternative would be rice or cashew milk.
Kungaa Joseph says
I tried to make the almond milk but it was a bad batch-old almonds; the store bought is high in sodium; found that Silk soy unsweetened was half the amount of sodium–have to be extra cautious with some vegan products- have high blood pressure and was great controlling it with meds and diet; but now I have to be even more careful of sodium
elizabeth joseph says
as you mentioned in your reply to skip the sweetener and add salt. I am on low sodium diet and can’t have much salt. it was tasty. I love your recipes. but I look for the sodium content at the end to see if I can have it or not. Most of your recipes I can have.
Megan says
Ive been searching for an oil free chipotle ranch! perfect for the jackfruit tacos im making tomorrow night!! yay, can’t wait to try!
Whoop! Let us know how it goes!
Paige Cassandra Flamm says
This sounds like something that I need to be slathering on everything I eat! I’m a sucker for spicy sauces and dressings!
Paige