You don’t have to settle for the gloopy bottled stuff. Homemade buttermilk ranch dressing is fresher and lighter, and it’s the perfect condiment for just about anything.
A lot of my from-scratch recipes come about because, whenever possible, I prefer to know what goes into the food I feed my family.
This is not one of those recipes. I set out to make homemade ranch dressing because I was tired of how gross the bottled version is. I love the ranch dressing available at restaurants, but the store-bought kind just doesn’t measure up. I wanted access to restaurant style ranch at home.
I eat this ranch on everything. Clearly, it’s awesome on salads. It’s also amazing on chicken tacos, as a dip for veggies and chips, and served with chicken nuggets or French fries.
homemade buttermilk ranch dressing
adapted from She Wears Many Hats
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. buttermilk (add more if you prefer your ranch to be runnier)
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
2 tsp. dried chives
1 1/2 tsp. dried dill
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Whisk together all ingredients. For best results, allow ranch to chill for a couple hours before serving. Use within a week.
Note: the spices used to make this recipe were more expensive than I expected. Parsley flakes are only about $2, but the chives and dill range from $3-$6 a bottle. I thought that was too pricey, until I did the math and realized I can make dozens of batches of this dressing using just one bottle of each the seasonings. I think the price is well worth it.
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I make all of our salad dressings and have for a few years. I’m with you on the bottled dressing taste, even the expensive brands just taste weird.
I have a homemade Ranch mix recipe that isn’t cheap when you buy all the ingredients at once but it makes a ton. I just pick up a bottle of one of the herbs or spices once in awhile so I have it on hand.
Every time I make homemade salad dressing I think: 1. This is so much better than store bought and 2. Why don’t I make all our dressings? I need to make them more often!
WOW! I am pinning this recipe – my older son eats everything with Ranch!
I hope he loves it! Bonus: it’s super easy to double the recipe 🙂
I will definitely have to try this out! I am trying to make more of my own salad dressings to I can control what goes in it, but Ranch is always so intimidating!
I was scared of ranch for some reason, too. But it’s so easy and SO good!
This looks great! I’m looking forward to trying it. I noticed that the recipe calls for it to be eaten within a week. As long as the ingredients are fresh and it’s always refrigerated, have you ever let it go longer? I was just thinking I could make a big batch of it to last longer than a week, to save time. Do you think it would still taste OK if it went longer?
I’ve eaten it up to two weeks after making it. With fresh mayo, sour cream, and buttermilk, and with dried herbs, I don’t know why you couldn’t use it after a week. That’s just my general rule. I think it tastes great quite a while!
Is this a thick dressing? I prefer them on the thicker side, and not thin/runny. Thank you.
It’s pretty thick for a salad dressing. Definitely thicker than the runny restaurant version, but noticeably thinner than a dip. You could reduce the buttermilk and add more until it reaches your desired consistency.
Ooo, this looks super good! 😀 I don’t make my own dressings all that much (sigh), but I really need to start!
Me either, but this is making a convert out of me!
I made this tonight! I’m with you on the taste of bottled ranch too. I’ve even tried the hidden valley powder and made mine, but this is way better! My husband (who really isn’t even a fan of ranch) kept sneaking tastes off my plate! 🙂 thanks for sharing!
Yay! I’m so glad it was such a hit!
I refill my spice bottles with spices from the bulk food store. It costs just a fraction of what the glass bottles cost! I can’t wait to try this, my kids love ranch 🙂
That would save so much money! I have to admit, I’m a little jealous of people who have access to bulk food sections like that.
Abby, I’m hoping my search for a soy protein or lecithin-free ranch that my husband will eat stops here! I’ll be trying this recipe this weekend! 🙂
I hope it does, too! This stuff is so good. Do you know how picky Jonathan is? Wayyy picky, but he LOVES it. Let me know!