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4.86 from 21 votes

Coconut Milk Ranch Dressing

This vegan coconut milk ranch dressing will make you forget all about the "real" thing. Coconut is whisked with shallots, garlic, apple cider vinegar, chives, parsley, basil, dill, sea salt, and black pepper to create a simple, zesty, and ultra creamy ranch dressing. Drizzle this vegan ranch dressing over salads or dip your favorite veggies into it!
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Dressing, Salad
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, plant-based, Vegan

Ingredients

  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream, refrigerated overnight (do not use light coconut milk)*
  • 2 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (omit to make the recipe AIP-friendly)

Instructions

  • Open the can of coconut milk or coconut cream. Scoop the coconut cream off the top of the can and add it to a large bowl, leaving the coconut water within the can.
  • Add 4 tablespoons of the coconut water into the coconut cream and whisk until smooth (reserve the leftover coconut water, as you may need to whisk in an extra tablespoon or two after refrigerating your dressing depending on your desired thickness).
  • Add in the shallots, garlic, apple cider vinegar, chives, parsley, basil, dill, sea salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine and refrigerate dressing for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld together.
  • Enjoy this dressing over your favorite salads or dip your favorite vegetables into it!

Notes

*You'll need approximately 1 ¼ cups to 1 ½ cups coconut cream. Occasionally, cans can yield less than this, so it's always good to have a backup can refrigerated in case you need to add more coconut milk (go according to your taste preference).
Since writing this recipe in 2014, many brands of coconut milk and coconut cream have modified their ingredients to include additives and stabilizers. Unfortunately, in many cases, this can cause the coconut milk to curdle when either over-whipped or in response to an introduced acid. If you read through the comments, you'll find others' recommended brands and tips for problem-solving, but usually you'll be safe if you use canned coconut milk that contains nothing but coconut and filtered water (no added gums or stabilizers). Thai Kitchen was long one of my favorite brands; however, I've had terrible, terrible luck with their coconut milk as of late. It curdles and becomes chunky when anything is added. For a long while, Trader Joe's coconut cream was giving me the same troubles; however, they recently modified their organic canned coconut milk and organic coconut cream to simply contain coconut and filtered water. Fingers crossed, but thus far, I've had great success using their coconut cream. Hope this helps and enjoy!