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Fat-Free Onion Ranch Dressing

April 5, 2016 By Susan Voisin 39 Comments
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Fat-Free Onion Ranch Dressing

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been having fun playing with “cream” made from roasted onions. I promised you recipes, and since a truly fat-free but delicious ranch dressing can be so hard to find, I thought I’d start with my new onion-based version of that classic (but usually decadent) dressing and dip. It doesn’t have the over-the-top richness of dairy ranch, but I think you’ll find that it’s tangy and flavorful and just creamy enough.

Fat-Free Onion Ranch Dressing

I love this fat-free ranch dressing on salads, of course, but it also makes a great dipping sauce. My current favorite vegetable to dip is simple roasted asparagus, which is finally in season and doesn’t require a second mortgage to buy.

How to Make Onion Cream:

If you missed it, be sure to check out Fat-Free Onion Cream and watch my first full recipe video. More recipes using it are in the works!

Fat-Free Onion Ranch Dressing
4.43 from 7 votes
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Fat-Free Onion Ranch Dressing

Most ranch dressings get their addictive properties by using a combination of buttermilk, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Some even contain cream cheese! Because this version doesn't contain any of those high-fat ingredients, it will taste less rich to those who are used to fatty dressings. If you want to increase the richness component, you can add a handful of raw cashews to the blender and increase the seasonings to compensate.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 8
Author Susan Voisin

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Fat-Free Onion Cream
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened soy milk or other non-dairy milk (Soymilk works best)
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar see note below
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon chia seeds optional (used only if extra thickness is needed)
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh parsley minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh chives snipped
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • salt
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Instructions

  • Make a batch of Onion Cream following the instructions here. Measure out 1/2 cup and return it to the blender. Reserve the rest in the refrigerator or freezer.
  • Add the non-dairy milk, vinegar, and garlic to the blender and blend until smooth. Check the thickness. The vinegar should have thickened the milk, but if you're not using soy, it may be a little thin so add 1/4 teaspoon of chia seeds and blend until smooth.
  • Pour into a bowl and whisk in the remaining ingredients. Add salt to taste.
  • Refrigerate for at least one hour. The flavor will intensify over time, so only add additional herbs and seasonings after it's had a chance to "rest." Serve as a salad dressing or a dipping sauce for vegetables.

Notes

I like dressings to be tangy, so I use 2 tablespoons of vinegar in this recipe. Feel free to start with 1 tablespoon and add more to taste.
This dressing uses a half cup of Fat-Free Onion Cream, which is about half of that recipe. So if you like, you can just make a half-recipe (two onions) of Onion Cream.
Nutrition Facts
Fat-Free Onion Ranch Dressing
Amount Per Serving (2 Tablespoons)
Calories 15
% Daily Value*
Sodium 41mg2%
Carbohydrates 3g1%
Fiber 0.6g3%
Sugar 1.2g1%
Protein 0.6g1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional info is approximate.

Course Salad Dressing
Cuisine Vegan
Keyword vegan ranch dressing
Have you made this recipe?Mention @SusanFFVK and tag #fatfreevegankitchen in your photos on Instagram.
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This vegan, onion-based fat-free ranch dressing doesn't have the over-the-top richness of dairy ranch, but it's tangy and flavorful and just creamy enough.

Enjoy!

Susan

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy something through them, I receive a commission that helps support this site. Thanks for your purchase!

Filed Under: Appetizers and Dips, Condiments, Recipes, Recipes with Video, Salad Dressings, Sauces and Seasonings, Vegan Weight Watchers Recipes with Zero Points Tagged With: Gluten-free, Soy-free, Vita-Mix

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Comments

  1. Maria

    April 5, 2016 at 2:21 pm

    Looks wonderful Susan! Very creamy looking, and I bet it’s delicious! Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Deb

    April 5, 2016 at 2:43 pm

    Thanks Susan — this sounds wonderful!

    Reply
  3. Emily

    April 5, 2016 at 3:05 pm

    Made a creamy Italian today with the onion cream but only had dried herbs.(my DD is borrowing my car…) It is good though- the cream lends wonderful depth!
    This looks great and will try it next time.

    Reply
  4. jem

    April 5, 2016 at 7:55 pm

    I’m certainly going to make the onion cream and the ranch dressing but I wonder why some.of.the herbs are fresh, but the dill.is dried. I always find it frustrating to have to spend $2-3 for a tsp or tbln of herbs, and often the remainder goes bad. I often freeze some but wonder if those are as good as fresh when the next recipe calls for fresh. Some are good for my homemade broth and like parsley are good tossed in a salad, but not always. I hate to waste! Any hints?

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      April 5, 2016 at 10:25 pm

      I used dried dill because that’s all I had. (I grow parsley and have chives growing as a weed in my yard, so I usually have those fresh.) Whenever a recipe calls for dried herbs, you can use fresh just by doubling the amount. If you freeze dried herbs, they will last longer, but they won’t be the same as fresh.

      Reply
  5. Susan Walter

    April 6, 2016 at 1:55 am

    An intriguing recipe which I will definitely try. A small point — buttermilk, at least in France where I live, is not a high-fat product. It is made from skim milk and is called lait ribot or lait fermenté. Of course, it’s not really buttermilk either, it’s a substitute product developed by the dairy industry, using skim milk and a lacto-bacillic culture. It’s basically drinking yoghurt.

    Reply
    • D

      May 12, 2017 at 11:40 am

      Then it wouldn’t be vegan…

      Reply
      • Cea Cea

        January 12, 2018 at 8:06 am

        U can EASILY make butter milk by curdling vegan milk. So usually that means 1c of say, soy or almond milk with 1t of applecider vinegar or lemon. Et voila…. best vegan pancakes made with that………..

        Reply
  6. N

    April 6, 2016 at 7:15 am

    Any idea how long this would keep in the fridge? It looks incredible.

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      April 6, 2016 at 8:24 am

      I’d guess it’ll last about a week, maybe a little longer.

      Reply
  7. Isabel Carson

    April 6, 2016 at 12:08 pm

    Thanks for your generous web site. It has helped me with my fat free vegan diet after reading the China Study and Dr. Esselstyne. I am healthier as a result and also allergy free – celiac runs in my family family but I think my great grandchildren will be free of it as they only have one parent with it.
    This recipe will stand by my Cauliflower Puree from Chef Del’s Better Than Vegan which also adds creaminess and also tastes good.Thank you, once again.

    Reply
  8. Maya

    April 6, 2016 at 9:29 pm

    This sounds incredible! I’d never even heard of onion cream! My husband always gets Lays and ranch dip, and I sadly have to forgo it to keep with with my healthy eating regimen. I will have to make this next time! This and some pita chips would make the perfect healthy alternative 🙂

    I have a lot go vegan friends and am transitioning there myself. I designed this fun teeshirt in celebration of the new life step!

    Thanks again for the great recipe! xox, Maya

    Reply
  9. Sarah | Well and Full

    April 7, 2016 at 7:20 pm

    Such a creative idea, using onion cream to make ranch dressing! 😀

    Reply
  10. Nancy

    April 9, 2016 at 6:51 am

    I used the cream as a base for broccoli slaw. I added 2 T apple cider vinegar, a dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce, 2 t siracha, and some fresh ground pepper. Tossed the package of broccoli slaw(broccoli stem shreds, carrots and red cabbage) with dried cranberries and 1/2 of the recipe of onion cream.
    My hubby loves it! So do I!

    Reply
  11. Jill

    April 9, 2016 at 4:36 pm

    Just made it and cooked my last white onion. I used it to make a tomato-onion dressing for two and added a spoonful to the 911 gravy recipe to use on potatoes tonight. 🙂

    Reply
  12. Sadhbh

    April 11, 2016 at 7:50 am

    I made this last night. It was fantastic. I have always wanted to learn how to make my own dressings. This is a very simple almost no fail recipe. Thank you and please keep up the great work. I love your blog and look forward to reading it daily.

    Reply
  13. Betty

    April 13, 2016 at 7:07 pm

    I just discovered your website today. I am 76 years old and have been a vegan for three years. Your recipes sound so WONDERFUL! I look forward to making my vegan lifestyle even tastier!! My cardiologist is thrilled with my new eating habits. I have had 2 heart attacks and a stroke between the age of 40 and 55. Finally came to my senses. I have lost almost 30 pounds and just recently had the best ever results of blood tests. Cholesterol down 80 points, blood pressure down 30 points and full of energy. Thank you for doing so much for so many.

    Reply
  14. lea

    April 14, 2016 at 1:56 pm

    Thanks so much for the recipe. Interested to see what else you have up your sleeve! — Lea

    Reply
  15. Brooke

    April 17, 2016 at 10:40 am

    This just looks delicious. I bet it would taste good on an oven-baked potatoes with crispy skin. I like the addition of cashews as a means to make it creamier.

    Reply
  16. Colehilldreamer

    April 23, 2016 at 9:45 am

    I just discovered your site and am beyond excited to start trying your recipes! I’m not 100% vegan but am on an extremely low fat diet due to gallstones. With this recipe could I use skim dairy milk in place of the soy milk?

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      April 23, 2016 at 10:53 am

      You can, but like the soy milk, it would probably work better if you add something to thicken it. If flax is out because of the fat, you could try whisking a little flour into the milk.

      Reply
      • D

        May 12, 2017 at 11:45 am

        Eating raw flour isn’t that great, I would recommend an arrowroot or agar agar powder for thickening.

        Reply
  17. Roz

    July 2, 2016 at 2:03 pm

    Thank you for the recipe! I roasted some onions and made your ‘Ranch’ style dressing and it is wonderful! I added fresh dill from the garden and a bit more fresh garlic. We’ve eaten it on two salads and it’s a keeper. I also thought is could make a great base for Greek skordalia sauce…..used as a dip. I’m going to try that next! Thanks again for your efforts.

    Reply
  18. brittany

    November 11, 2016 at 2:21 am

    I made this and it didnt taste good at all. It was really really sweet and tangy and sour. I used yellow onions for the cream and subbed 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar for the white wine. I also used almond milk for the milk and fresh dill instead of dried, so the color of mine if green instead of your white. The onion cream was very sweet, even though I cut it with a generous amount of lemon. Any suggestions what I did wrong.? Thanks so much! You’re a lifesaver.

    Reply
    • calgal

      November 11, 2016 at 2:48 pm

      Apple cider vinegar is more acidic than white wine vinegar, so that could have made it too tangy and sour. Almond milk also has a stronger flavor than soy milk, in my opinion, and I never use it in recipes because I can always taste it. Also, when using fresh herbs you need to use more than dried, about 3 times more. Whenever you make a lot of substitutions to the author’s original recipe, you have to realize it may not come out as good because they’ve used those specific ingredients for a reason. Best way to test it out is retry it using the exact ingredients listed. Good luck!

      Reply
      • brittany

        November 12, 2016 at 1:20 pm

        Ok, I’ll give it another shot! What about the onion cream? Is it supposed to be tangy sweet? That recipe I followed to a T

        Reply
        • Susan Voisin

          November 12, 2016 at 2:31 pm

          It really depends on how sweet your onions are. White onions may be less sweet than yellow.

          Reply
  19. Sara Greene

    February 10, 2017 at 12:04 pm

    Absolutely delicious dressing, changed my salad’s taste completely. So great, thank you, Susan.

    Reply
  20. PattK

    April 5, 2017 at 10:46 am

    This is fabulous! I roasted some garlic cloves and added a couple of those instead of using raw garlic.

    Reply
  21. Agness of Run Agness Run

    April 15, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    Appetising dressing, Susan! My salads will be more delicious with this dressing.

    Reply
  22. Ila

    April 21, 2017 at 3:49 am

    I tried this. Used thick almond and walnut paste for thickening as i did not have chia seeds and I hate vinegar. Results were…interesting. The almonds masked the tangy taste of onions a bit. Gave a boost to my salad

    Reply
  23. Dan

    July 11, 2017 at 7:45 am

    Susan – all the soy milk I find does contain fat. Why do you say this is fat free? I think it’s a great recipe, and the onion cream is brilliant, but it’s just confusing to me.

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      July 11, 2017 at 9:07 am

      Dan, on this site, fat-free means free of added oil, not free of the fat that is naturally in foods. All foods have some fat, so there’s no real fat-free food (except water), and though we try to limit higher-fat foods such as nuts and avocados and soy, they’re still allowed in limited quantities.

      Reply
  24. Sha

    May 16, 2018 at 7:43 pm

    Hi Susan,

    How many tbsp is a serving? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      May 16, 2018 at 9:12 pm

      About 2 tablespoons per serving.

      Reply
  25. Linda

    April 5, 2019 at 2:31 pm

    Thank you, Susan, for all your creative work and willingness to share. You work hard so we can be healthier. I am 71 and have been inching up on being a full on ‘Whole Fodd, Plant Based, Low SOS type vegan ever since I watched Forks Over Knives 4 years ago and began following Esselstyn, Campbell, McDougall, Goldhamer and nutritionfacts.org by Gregor. I’m impressed with your out-reach to help the world understand and implement these healthy ideas.

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      April 5, 2019 at 4:03 pm

      Thanks so much for the kind words, and good for you for going plant-based!

      Reply
  26. Stephanie

    November 19, 2019 at 6:38 pm

    I just made this with a couple of changes–made the cream with 2 tbsp of lemon juice instead of 3, added 3 roasted cloves of garlic, used 1 tbsp white rice vinegar instead of 2 tbsp wine vinegar, added 1/4 c sunflower seeds (I know it is no longer fat free). The taste is really wonderful, and it is rich enough (it is really, really good) but it just isn’t creamy. It kind of reminds me of an applesauce (but without all the lumps) Any suggestions to make it creamier? Thanks 🙂

    Reply
  27. Mim

    June 29, 2020 at 1:35 pm

    Just made it. I love the consistency. It has a mildly sweet flavor to it, and tangy. Must be the onions. Very nice dressing. Thank you!

    Reply

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