Quick & Easy Avocado Ranch Dressing

Avocado ranch dressing is unbelievably creamy and loaded with fresh herbs and whole-food ingredients. In five minutes, you can make this recipe for vegan avocado ranch dressing that the entire family will love.

I love this new avocado ranch dressing. It's so creamy and delicious that after eating every bite, I wanted to dip my fingers in the bottom of my salad bowl to get one more taste. This avocado ranch dressing recipe is so easy to make that you will never consider buying vegan ranch dressing again.

Jump to:

• How to Select a Ripe Avocado
• Tips for Ripening an Avocado
• Avocado Ranch Dressing Ingredients
• Avocado Ranch Dressing Ingredient Substitutions
• How to Make the Easy Avocado Ranch Dressing
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• More Yummy Vegan Salad Dressing Recipes to Try!
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

My family loves ranch dressing! So, when we went plant-based, my first mission was to make a great vegan ranch dressing the whole family would enjoy. However, I realized a lot of people who follow my blog have nut allergies. With that in mind, I created an avocado ranch dressing for everyone to enjoy!

How to Select a Ripe Avocado

Do you ever get frustrated at the grocery store to find a ripe avocado?

I feel your pain! Here are some tips on how to pick the perfect avocados – ones that won't take a whole week to ripen or go bad within one day. Keep this list handy the next time you go to the grocery store!

• Color—Look for avocados that are rich, dark green—or even almost black. Avocados that are a lighter shade of green are likely unripe. Please note, though, that this advice applies to Hass avocados. Hass avocados make up the majority of avocados sold in Canada, so you're almost 100% safe with this tip—but if you happen to come across another variety, the color may not tell the whole story.
• Firmness—The firmness of the avocado will tell you about its state of ripeness. Don't poke it with your fingers; instead, hold it in the palm of your hand and squeeze it gently. If it yields, it's ripe. It may need a few more days to ripen if it does not.
• Stem—Examining the stem of an avocado can reveal a lot about its state. First, instead of pressing on the side of the avocado and risking bruising it, press down on the area near the stem. If you leave a dent, the avocado is likely overripe. But if it caves in slightly but retains its shape, the avocado is just ripe enough.
• Another way to determine ripeness is to try to flick off the stem. If it does not come off easily, the avocado is unripe; if it comes off too easily and the flesh underneath is brown, the avocado is overripe; but if it comes off easily and the flesh is green, you've found a good avocado.
• Bruising—If the avocado has large bruises, breaks in the skin, or overly soft areas, avoid buying it! It is likely overripe, and you might have to toss it as soon as you slice it open.
• Timing—When buying avocados, a good rule of thumb is to think of when you plan to use them. If you plan to use them within the next 1-2 days, follow all the tips outlined above. But if you're planning to wait a little longer, say 3-5 days, select still green and firm ones.

Tips for Ripening an Avocado

• If you have accidentally bought unripe avocados, worry not! There are things you can do that will speed up the ripening process. If you have a banana at home, place it with the avocado in a brown paper bag. Bananas produce ethylene gas, which helps fruits ripen. The paper bag traps the gas and makes it more effective in ripening.
• Another ethylene-producing food is uncooked rice. Rice is good not just for drying phones that got wet but also for ripening avocados! Leave an avocado in a bowl filled with uncooked rice and ensure it's covered on all sides. A few days later, the avocado should be good to eat.
• One last trick is the most obvious one. Place the avocado in the sun, and let sunlight work its magic. The warmth will help the avocado ripen quicker.

Now that your avocados are ripe, you can make avocado ranch dressing.

Avocado Ranch Dressing Ingredients

• Avocado: I love avocados for their rich creaminess when added to any sauce or dressing.
• Unsweetened Unflavored Plant Milk: I used oat milk; I love the creaminess and the way it blends with other ingredients.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: The apple cider vinegar is added to the plant milk to form vegan buttermilk.
• Lemon Juice: The acid in the lemon juice as well as the fresh citrus flavor works well to create a tangy avocado dressing recipe.
• Garlic Powder: Garlic powder is the dried and finely ground form of garlic.
• Onion Powder: Onion powder is basically dried onion that's been ground. Although dried onion is just the onion flesh, onion powder can also include dehydrated onion skins and roots. Onion powder is three times more potent than dried onion
• Salt/Pepper: Salt and pepper enhance the ingredients in the avocado dressing.
• Fresh Dill: This fresh herb has an herbaceous, grassy, and slightly tangy flavor with notes of anise. The distinct taste of dill stands out in most recipes, therefore, is a highlight of and ranch dressing recipe.
• Fresh Parsley: Similar to dill, fresh parsley helps to create the fresh herb flavor inherent in vegan ranch dressing.

Avocado Ranch Dressing Ingredient Substitutions

• Nuts and nut butters are often substituted for avocado in recipes. If you are allergic to avocado, dislike it, and prefer nuts, try my vegan ranch dressing recipe.
• Any plant milk works. Just remember to use unsweetened, unflavored plant milk.
• White wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar have a similar level of acidity, making for an easy swap.
• If you don't have fresh lemons, use bottled lemon juice instead.
• 1 fresh garlic clove can be added instead of the garlic powder.
• 1 teaspoon of minced shallot replaces the onion powder.
• If you don't have fresh dill or fresh parsley, a general rule of thumb for the dried-to-fresh herb ratio is to use one-third the amount of dried herb for the fresh herb called for in the recipe.

How to Make the Easy Avocado Ranch Dressing

• Begin by combining the apple cider vinegar and plant milk, and set aside for a few minutes.
• In the meantime, combine the rest of the ingredients in a large blender cup, except for the fresh dill and parsley.
• Add the vegan buttermilk (a combination of milk and apple cider vinegar). Then, blend until smooth.
• If you prefer your dressing thinner, add a little more plant milk until you get the desired texture and thickness.

• Now, you can add the fresh herbs, but DO NOT blend them into the ingredients.
• Instead, stir the herbs into the avocado ranch dressing with a spoon.

• Next, transfer to a ball jar or container with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use the avocado ranch dressing.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Choose a large ripe avocado. If the avocado isn't ripe, it doesn't have the right texture or flavor to blend into a dressing. Instead, it will lack flavor and creaminess.
• Refer to the tips on how to ripen an avocado above in the blog post.
• When using dry herbs remember the ratio is one-third the amount of dried herb for the fresh herb called for in the recipe.
• Refrigerate avocado dressing in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

You will love this avocado ranch dressing! Use it as a salad dressing, or a vegetable dip, or pour it over your favorite cooked vegetables. In 5 minutes, you can make homemade, healthy dressing.

More Yummy Vegan Salad Dressing Recipes to Try!

If you love this vegan avocado ranch dressing recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!

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