Homemade Ranch Dressing

Name: Homemade Ranch Dressing
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1/2 cup sour cream; 1/2 cup buttermilk; 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon of any other salt); 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon dried chives; 1 teaspoon dried dill; 1 teaspoon dried parsley

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Creamy and incredibly flavorful, this homemade ranch dressing is perfect with raw or steamed veggies and salads.

It's truly easy to make this classic dressing at home. It's ready in about 15 minutes (including measuring out the ingredients) and the result is vastly superior to store-bought options.

Ranch dressing served with raw vegetables.

I love thick and creamy dressings. They make fresh-cut veggies extra palatable! I enjoy blue cheese dressing and tahini sauce - both are wonderfully rich and flavorful.

I especially enjoy ranch dressing. It's by far my favorite salad dressing. There's something about its flavor combination and its wonderful creaminess that make it extra pleasurable.

But why bother with making it at home? Because commercial varieties are inferior, not just in terms of their flavor, but also because of their oft-questionable list of ingredients.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Expert tip
Frequently asked questions
Variations
Serving suggestions
Storing leftovers
Related recipes
Recipe Card

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty dressing. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Mayonnaise: I use avocado oil mayonnaise. Chosen Foods is a good brand.

Sour cream: I highly recommend using full-fat sour cream in this recipe.

Buttermilk: I make this dressing with low-fat buttermilk because it's widely available in grocery stores. But if you can find full-fat buttermilk, that's even better.

To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried chives, dried dill, and dried parsley.

The ingredients needed to make homemade ranch dressing.

Instructions

Making ranch dressing at home is so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:

Simply add all the ingredients to a medium bowl. Whisk until very smooth. I start mixing them with a rubber spatula, then switch to a hand whisk.

A photo collage showing steps 1-6 for making homemade ranch dressing.

You can use the dressing immediately, or let it rest covered in the fridge for an hour or so to allow the flavors to meld.

Serve as a dip with fresh-cut veggies or as a rich and creamy salad dressing.

A photo collage showing steps 7-10 for making ranch dressing.

Expert tip

This dressing is excellent right after you've mixed it, so you can definitely serve it right away. But if you let it rest in the fridge, covered, for an hour or so, allowing the flavors to meld, it gets even better. Just remember to give it another whisk before using it.

Frequently asked questions

Why is it called "Ranch dressing?"

Its name comes from the location where it was developed. This dressing was invented in a real Hidden Valley ranch back in the fifties. Its inventor, Mr. Steve Gayle, named it after his ranch.

Can I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?

Yes, although sour cream tastes better. If you opt for yogurt, do make sure it's thick strained Greek yogurt (or skyr), and use a full-fat version.

I don't have buttermilk on hand. What can I use?

You can use ½ cup of whole milk and add a teaspoon of vinegar or fresh lemon juice.

Variations

I love this recipe as is and almost always make it as written. But in case you'd like to vary the basic recipe, here are a couple of ideas for you:

You can make this dressing with fresh herbs instead of dried, although the classic recipe is actually made with dried herbs. You can use fresh parsley, fresh chives, fresh dill, and fresh minced garlic.
The dressing as made here is quite thick, so if you'd like it to be thinner for use in a salad, you could add a bit more buttermilk - try adding 2 extra tablespoons.

Serving suggestions

There are several ways you can use this tasty dressing:

As a dip for fresh-cut veggies.
As a dip for lightly steamed veggies, including steamed broccoli, steamed carrots, and steamed asparagus.
As a salad dressing. It pairs particularly well with Cobb salad. Even though the dressing is quite thick, I find that it works well as a salad dressing. But you can always add 1-2 tablespoons of buttermilk if you want to thin it out.
It makes a great dip for buffalo wings or buffalo cauliflower - just as good as the traditional blue cheese dressing.
Use it as a dip for chips and fries, including jicama fries, avocado fries, zucchini fries, and eggplant chips.
It's great with chicken nuggets and chicken tenders!
Add it to a lettuce sandwich.

Storing leftovers

You can store this dressing in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to a week. I like to make a batch for my family about once a week, although we often finish a batch in just a few days.

Stir it each time you use it, and add a little more buttermilk if it becomes too thick.

I don't recommend freezing this dressing.