I have been eating a lot of salads lately (thank you, Whole 30). A lot. They are easy to pack for lunch are just about the only thing I can order when I am out at a restaurant. Now I don’t mind a good salad, but they get old without a good salad dressing. Since just about all the good salad dressings are not on the Whole 30 approved list, and the ones that are are about $10 a jar, I decided I should just try making my own. 

Now I have made my own salad dressings – typically just oil and vinegar. But ranch dressing is in a whole other league. It’s a creamy dressing, which for some reason has intimidated me so much I have never tried to make my own before. But now trying to make ranch dressing on a paleo diet is even more intimidating.

It was the thought of a dry, bland salad gave me the motivation I needed to get over it and give it a shot. 

A majority of the flavor in ranch dressing comes from the herbs: chives, parsley, and dill. Sometimes you will see tarragon or other herbs in there too, but I stuck with these three.

I chopped up all the herbs as finely as possible and then tossed them into the bottom of a glass jar. Then, on top of the herbs I spooned in some Paleo mayonnaise, coconut milk, lemon juice, garlic powder, mustard, and paprika. I played with the proportions of the mayo, coconut milk, and the lemon juice until I got just the right amount acidity and texture. 

All that’s left to do from there is shake that jar up until everything is combined! After that, it’s ready to be poured onto a salad or to have a carrot dipped into it. 

It’s not just good for salads and veggies, I also used this to dip my (Paleo) Buffalo wings into and it was delish! 

If you are on a Paleo diet, or just avoiding dairy for any old reason, I encourage you to try this dressing. I know you are missing ranch dressing as much as I was. This will change your life!

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