Ranch Dressing Recipe

I love ranch dressing. There, I said it. As a kid, I adored Hidden Valley, but as an adult, I only get excited about made-from-scratch, real-deal ranch dressing. This recipe is exactly that.

Earlier this year, as I navigated my first trimester, I found myself craving my favorite comfort foods. Naturally, I made my own ranch dressing and happily drizzled it over my salads, and my pizzas, and even my quesadillas (why not?).

This ranch dressing recipe is the end result of my experimentation. It features fresh herbs, real buttermilk, and a creamy sour cream base. It tastes gourmet, and it’s certainly not too heavy. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Buttermilk offers some additional tang and thins out the sour cream and mayonnaise to yield a drizzly texture. You’ll see that the recipe offers a range for the buttermilk, so you can make this dressing thicker or thinner as desired.

For the best flavor in dressings, I recommend using real buttermilk rather than DIY buttermilk substitute, which is better suited for baked goods. In a pinch, though, you can get by with milk instead. You’ll likely want to use the full amount of lemon juice to make up for the buttermilk’s sour flavor.

This ranch dressing needs just a little bit of mayonnaise to achieve the perfect rich and creamy texture.

Fresh herbs make this classic dressing taste gourmet! Dried spices just don’t compare. Use a combination of fresh parsley, cilantro or dill (ideally, use a combination of the two) and chives.

One clove of garlic sends this dressing over the top. It’s just right. Add a teaspoon or two of lemon juice to ramp up the tang.

Salt enhances the other flavors. Please be generous with the freshly ground black pepper. It’s another key element in classic ranch dressing flavor.

Please let me know how you like this ranch dressing in the comments! I love hearing from you.

Make ranch dressing from scratch with this simple recipe! This creamy ranch dressing recipe calls for fresh herbs and tastes amazing. Recipe yields about 1 cup dressing.

Change it up: Like spicy ranch? Add sriracha, to taste, or a finely chopped seeded jalapeño.

The Best Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing

Perfectly tangy, creamy homemade ranch dressing tastes better than anything you could buy in a store.

Prep: 5min

Total: 5min

Yield: 24

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 45 kcal, Fat 5 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Sodium 60 mg, Carbohydrate 1 g, Protein 1 g, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 1 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk or regular milk
• 3/4 – 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon finely cracked pepper
• freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste (approximately 1-3 teaspoons, adjust to taste)

Instruction:

1. Whisk together the mayo, sour cream and milk until smooth. Add the spices and whisk until combined. Add the lemon and whisk again. Pour into a jar and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This dressing will keep nicely in the refrigerator for up to a week. Enjoy!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Make ranch dressing from scratch with this simple recipe! This creamy ranch dressing recipe calls for fresh herbs and tastes amazing. Recipe yields about 1 cup dressing.

Prep: 10min

Total: 10min

Yield: 1

Serving Size: 2 tablespoons

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 2 tablespoons, calories 56 calories, Sugar 0.9 g, Sodium 186.7 mg, Fat 5.4 g, Saturated Fat 1.9 g, Trans Fat 0.1 g, Carbohydrate 1.3 g, Fiber 0 g, Protein 0.7 g, Cholesterol 10.2 mg

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• ¼ to 1/2 cup buttermilk, depending on your desired consistency
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro or dill, or a combination of the two
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
• 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
• 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instruction:

1. In a bowl, combine the sour cream, ¼ cup buttermilk, mayonnaise, fresh herbs, garlic, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, salt, and about 5 twists of black pepper. Whisk to combine.
2. Taste, and add up to ¼ cup more buttermilk if you desire a thinner, more drizzly consistency. Add up to 1 teaspoon more lemon juice if you would like more zing, and/or more pepper to kick it up a notch.
3. This dressing tastes great immediately and even better after a 10-minute rest. Use as desired, and store leftovers in the refrigerator, covered, for 5 to 7 days.

Ranch Dressing Recipe — Chef John’s Ultimate Ranch Dressing

FAQ

What is ranch dressing made of?

How is ranch made from scratch?

1. ½ cup sour cream.
2. ¼ to ½ cup buttermilk, depending on your desired consistency.
3. 2 tablespoons mayonnaise.
4. 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley.
5. 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro or dill, or a combination of the two.
6. 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives.
7. 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced.

Why is restaurant ranch dressing so good?

How do you make bottled ranch taste like restaurant?