Homemade Barbecue Ranch Dressing (Dairy-Free)

Name: Homemade Barbecue Ranch Dressing (Dairy-Free)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 cup vegan mayonnaise; 1/4 cup BBQ sauce; 1 tablespoon dried parsley; 1 tablespoon dried chives; 1 teaspoon dried dill; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice (from a jar); 1/4 cup almond milk

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This Homemade Barbecue Ranch Dressing is delicious and easy! The perfect clean dressing, you won't ever go back to the bottled kind!

Have you ever made your own ranch dressing before? If you haven't, you are missing out! This easy homemade barbecue ranch dressing is easy and delicious, like eating with a spoon delicious. Is that weird? I'm sure it is but I don't care! This dressing is perfect for salads and as a dip for vegetables. It is so versatile, you won't be wanting to buy the bottles ever again!

Check out this ranch dressing in action in this Barbecue Ranch Taco Salad or serve it alongside these Frozen Sweet Potato Fries in the Air Fryer!

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What Makes This Homemade Barbecue Ranch Dressing So Great
Ingredient Notes
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Recipe Serving Suggestions
Storage
Top Tips
Recipe FAQ's
Other Great Sauce Recipes!
Homemade Barbecue Ranch Dressing (Dairy-Free)
Food safety

What Makes This Homemade Barbecue Ranch Dressing So Great

Under 10 Minutes- This recipe comes together in under 10 minutes. It is literally just mixing things together in a bowl. It doesn't get any easier than this!
Household Ingredients- Chances are, you have most, if not all these ingredients at home. I whip this dressing up all the time without having to go to the store. It uses household staples like BBQ sauce, vegan mayonnaise and dried herbs.
Tastes just like bottled ranch!- In a blind taste test, I don't think you differentiate between this and the bottled stuff. It is just so good! It might be better because it isn't loaded with filler ingredients which makes it a lot cleaner as well!

Ingredient Notes

Vegan Mayonnaise- The base of this recipe is vegan mayonnaise. Feel free to use the regular stuff if you aren't egg-free. The vegan mayonnaise gives the ranch the creamy texture that we love. My favorite brand is Primal Kitchen, it is vegan, paleo, GF, and Whole30.
BBQ Sauce-The BBQ sauce gives this dressing a savory, smoky flavor. I also use Primal Kitchen for this as I love how clean their sauces are. It keeps this recipe paleo and vegan. Feel free however to use whatever BBQ sauce is your favorite! I would avoid the sugary kind though.
Dried Herbs- The dried herbs in this recipe are chives, dill weed, and parsley. These make up the traditional "ranch" seasoning along with garlic and onion powder. I love using dried herbs because that is what I normally have on hand, however you can use fresh herbs as well!
Dill Pickle Juice- The secret ingredient in this ranch dressing is dill pickle juice. You know, the stuff that comes out of the pickle jar? It adds the perfect tanginess to the recipe. When looking at pickles, always make sure to buy organic. I am not an organic preacher but if you have read some of the stuff that they put in nonorganic pickles, like Polysorbate 80, you will be running in the opposite direction. Good dill pickle juice will only have clean ingredients such as Water, Organic Vinegar, Sea Salt, and herbs.

A complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.

Instructions

Step 1: Add the vegan mayonnaise, dried herbs, almond milk, vinegar and dill pickle juice to a bowl and stir to combine.

Step 2: Stir in the BBQ sauce and store in an airtight jar until ready to use.

Hint: This makes a lot of dressing so I keep my ranch dressing in a quart sized mason jar in the fridge and eat it throughout the week with salads and vegetables.

Substitutions

Mayonnaise - If you prefer to make your mayonnaise, you can do that easily enough by adding oil, plant milk, lemon juice, vinegar, and mustard to a food processor and process for about 1 minute until thick and creamy.
Apple Cider Vinegar - If you prefer not to use vinegar, you can swap it for lemon juice of the same amount. The purpose is to lend acidity to the dressing.
Fresh Herbs - The general rule for substituting fresh herbs for dried herbs is to use three times the amount of chopped fresh herbs for the dried herbs called for in a recipe. Always taste test as you go. I have not tested this with fresh herbs so taste and season according to your palate.

Variations

Spicy Ranch - Switch it up and instead of Barbecue sauce, use sriracha to make a spicy dressing!
Avocado Ranch - In a food processor, skip the BBQ sauce and add one avocado to your ranch dressing, pulse until combined. Drizzle over some tacos for an avocado ranch crema!
Chipotle Ranch - In a food processor, skip the BBQ sauce and add two chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to your ranch dressing, pulse until combined. Drizzle over some tacos for a chipotle ranch sauce!

Check out these Taco Bell Spicy Potato Soft Tacos that uses a version of Chipotle Sauce! Or check out this Thai Basil Pesto for another fun sauce recipe!

Recipe Serving Suggestions

This ranch dressing does great with so many things! Some of my favorites are:

Storage

Your homemade barbecue ranch dressing will last for at least 2 weeks refrigerated after making it. Just check for spoilage.

The ingredients in this recipe don't stand up well to freezing.

Top Tips

This recipe makes a lot of ranch. I like to make a giant salad like this Barbecue Ranch Taco Salad and meal prep it for lunches for the week. I also like to dip vegetables into it for a nice snack!
I frequently swap plain white vinegar for the apple cider vinegar in this recipe. Both acids work beautifully to provide the perfect amount of tang in the dressing.
Don't use a BBQ sauce that has too much sugar. You want this to be tangy and smoky, if it is too sweet it might be off-putting.

Recipe FAQ's

What makes ranch dressing taste like ranch?

The creaminess from the mayonnaise and the herb mixture in this recipe makes this dressing taste exactly like ranch dressing. The almond milk thins the dressing out a bit to make it the perfect consistency.

Why is homemade ranch better?

Homemade ranch is better than store-bought because it is fresher and cleaner. It doesn't have preservatives in it that the bottled stuff does and you know the exact ingredients that you are putting in your body.

Is homemade ranch cheaper to make than buying a bottle?

That depends. For me, I find it substantially cheaper because I almost always have these ingredients on hand so it is just using what I have in the house. Most American households will have these ingredients or have some of the substitutions.

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