Vegan Ranch Dressing

By Kath Dedon

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Vegan Ranch Dressing is easy to make and it’s a real treat for anyone who has an allergy or sensitivity to dairy or eggs.

I searched the Internet for different recipes and decided to use the recipe on allergyfreetestkitchen.com as my template. I liked the fact that she used dried herbs because they’re easy to have on hand. And, what I’m guessing is the world’s favorite ranch dressing, Hidden Valley, uses dried herbs in their mix.

Hidden Valley also uses MSG, an ingredient many people want to avoid. MSG, however, is the ingredient that contributes umami to the dressing. That umami is what makes it so tasty and irresistible. So how could I add umami without using MSG?

Well, while searching the Internet, I also found Karrie’s recipe for Homemade Hidden Valley Ranch Mix on her happymoneysaver.com blog. She had not been able to replicate the flavor that she loved in Hidden Valley’s ranch mix until she figured out a way to add umami without using MSG. The secret turned out to be dried mushrooms. Dried mushrooms have lots of umami. Karrie used dried portabella mushrooms. I used a dried morel mushroom because that’s what I had.

I found that 1 dried morel mushroom produced about 1 teaspoon after I ground it up in my Krups coffee/spice grinder.

I made the dressing without the mushroom powder and tasted it. It was quite good. Then I added in the mushroom powder, and it really did make a difference in the taste! (For those who don’t like mushrooms, the dressing does not taste like mushrooms. The mushroom powder is just a magical secret ingredient that enhances the flavor.)

I will definitely be making Vegan Ranch Dressing again. And I’m sure I’ll also find other ways to use dried mushroom powder when a dish needs a flavor boost!

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Vegan Ranch Dressing

(Adapted from recipes on two blogs: allergyfreetestkitchen.com and happymoneysaver.com)

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If you don’t need the recipe to be vegan, dairy-free, or egg-free, just substitute your favorite mayonnaise for the vegan one and ¼ cup buttermilk for the coconut creamer and vinegar.

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(print the recipe)

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Makes about 1¼ cups

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1 cup vegan mayonnaise (I used Just Mayo brand)

¼ cup coconut milk “buttermilk” (Pour 1 ½ teaspoons of distilled vinegar in a measuring cup, and then add coconut milk or creamer to equal ¼ cup. I used So Delicious Coconut Coffee Creamer.)

½ teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon dried chives

¼ teaspoon dried dill weed

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground dried mushroom powder (Try portabella or morel. The mushroom powder is optional, but so good!)

1. Make the coconut milk “buttermilk” as described in the ingredients.
2. Grind the dried mushroom(s) in a spice grinder until it’s a fine powder. (I found one good size morel was enough.)
3. Put all of the ingredients in a small food processor or blender and blend until it is all mixed together.
4. Keeps for several days in the refrigerator.

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