Stuff to Try, Stuff to Buy: A Fab New Ranch Dressing

On nights when I'm so wiped that I don't even feel like making dinner (my husband will laugh at the word "even"; let's just say those nights are pretty frequent), I'll still make the salad at least. And exhausted or not, I can usually muster a tasty salad dressing, even if it's just a simple one of lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Now and then I'll make a more involved vinaigrette, but rarely will I go for a creamy dressing.

Still, ranch dressing haunts my dreams. I could drink it right out of the bottle. But I've never made ranch at home, and we don't even keep a bottle around since we virtually never buy pre-made dressing. When I spy it on someone's table though, I'm helpless to resist. Ranch is so effing good. 

So this post is all about ranch. I'm thrilled to have found a fiercely delicious and surprisingly healthy spin on ranch (yes, the bottled kind). It's started pinch-hitting in our home on those nights when I'm too rushed to make dressing, or one of us is craving the creamy-tangy stuff. It's called Hilary's Ranch Chia dressing, and it happens to be dairy-free, i.e. no buttermilk. 

The ingredient list is refreshingly short and all-natural, and not what you'd expect from a ranch dressing: coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, tapioca syrup, and chia seeds, along with a few of the usual suspects like mustard, garlic, parsley, and paprika.

When I first tasted the dressing, the sharpness startled me for a second, and then I was instantly hooked by that assertive tanginess, mellowed by the rich coconut milk. I've also been spreading this stuff on sandwiches (see pic above), and drizzling it on roasted vegetables. (One small downside is that the dressing turns almost solid in the fridge, so you have to take the bottle out a little while before you use it; or else you can run the bottle under warm tap water for a minute.) I have a feeling it's going to start finding its way into dinner now and then—roast chicken, fish—but don't tell anyone. How to find it? Here's where to buy this stuff near you.

Please note: All opinions on this site are strictly our own. None of the content is paid for, unless otherwise noted. We're always happy to receive samples to try, but we only recommend a product on Crunch Time Parents if we truly, sincerely love it.