Homemade Ranch Dressing
On August 12, 2024
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When your salads need a splash of rich flavor, or your hot wings need a cooling touch, my Homemade Ranch Dressing is the move. It’s made with fresh ingredients from scratch, and it’s ready in just minutes.
Homemade Ranch Dressing
Creamy, tangy, and bursting with fresh herb flavor, you have to try my Homemade Ranch Dressing. This stuff is about to become your new go-to condiment for pretty much everything. Forget the store-bought bottles and packet mixes. In just a couple minutes, create your own blend of creamy, homestyle ranch to serve with everything from crisp salads to hot wings. Made with simple pantry ingredients, this do-it-all dressing walks the line between rich and refreshing like a champ. Whether you’re a seasoned ranch pro looking for your next favorite, or you just need a trusty condiment, this easy recipe will help you feel like the dressing star you are.
Ranch Mix vs Homemade Dressing
The herbs and spices in this recipe help your dressing stand apart from the ranch pack in more ways than one. By roughly chopping your fresh dill and Italian parsley, you get a thicker consistency, and you also get a whole new layer of herby flavor. This is the kind of dressing people notice. If you want a showstopper in a bottle, this is the dressing for you.
Don’t worry, though, I’ve still got you covered with a homemade alternative to the ranch packet version of the dressing. Just follow this recipe, but use 3-4 Tablespoons of my Fish & Veggie Rub or some Homemade Vegetable Seasoning in place of the fresh herbs. You get all the ease of a packet, plus, the satisfaction of knowing everything you’re eating.
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Ingredients
On top of only taking a few minutes to make, this Homemade Ranch Dressing uses common ingredients. You’ll want to pick up some fresh herbs, but most of the ingredients are things you’ve likely got in your pantry already. Here’s what you need for this one-of-a-kind, homemade dressing:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
- ¼ cup fresh dill
- 2 Tablespoons chives
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
How to Make Ranch Dressing
Look, we all know that people who like ranch love ranch, and people who love ranch really love ranch. So, once your friends and family dip even a single chip into this stuff, you’re on ranch duty going forward. If you’re ready for that kind of responsibility, then follow these simple steps:
- Prepare ingredients. I like to use my fresh dressing right away, so I recommend using cool mayonnaise along with the sour cream and buttermilk. Use a sharp knife to roughly chop your fresh dill and Italian flat leaf parsley, then finely chop your chives. If you’re a dill lover like I am, then you’ll likely find the recipe as written dill-licious. However, if you’re not a big dill fan, this is a totally optional ingredient.
- Combine and mix. Combine all your ingredients into a large bowl, then stir with a rubber spatula until you have a consistency you’re happy with. Remember, this isn’t your seasoning packet or squeeze tube ranch. This dressing is dripping with rich, herby flavor perfect for rustic salads. But hey, if you want it thinner, mix a little longer, and check out the Recipe Variations section for some extra tips.
- Chill, serve, and store. You can serve your homemade ranch rich away as a dressing on salads, a dip for chicken wings, a spread for sandwiches, and a whole lot more. Store any leftover or made-ahead ranch in an airtight container in your fridge, and enjoy it with absolutely everything for up to a week.
Recipe Variations
The best part about making your own dressing at home is you can customize it however you like. If your family has a specific herb they can’t live without, you can work that into your own recipe over time. Here are a couple simple variations you can make to this recipe, to help give you some ideas for the future:
- Dill or no dill. Did I mention I love dill? If dill flavor isn’t your thing, that’s totally fine. You can replace the dill in this recipe with more Italian parsley for a more traditional ranch flavor. It’s really no big dill. Last one.
- Thick and thin. This dressing is going to be thicker and have a more rich texture than your store-bought ranch. If you like your dressing on the thinner side, you can increase the buttermilk until you have a consistency you like. You can also finely chop your herbs, but I love the texture the rough chop provides.
- Forget the packet. Remember, if you just want an upgraded version of the packet-style ranch, you can replace the packet with 3-4 Tablespoons of my Fish & Veggie Rub.
Ways to Use Homemade Dressing
I’m sure if you’re anything like me, then you don’t need any help coming up with excuses to use this unbelievable Homemade Ranch Dressing. However, I’ve got some pretty delicious recipes to pair great with this as a dressing, dip, or whatever:
Storing Leftovers and Making Ahead
Once you experience how easy, rewarding, and delicious it is to make this homemade ranch, it will become a staple for all your family meals. If you end up with any leftovers, or if you want to make ahead of time, you can store this dressing in an airtight container in your refrigerator. I personally love storing my homemade ranch dressing in these lidded mason jars, for the look and the convenience. Your dressing will stay fresh up to a week in the fridge in them or any airtight container.
More Homemade Condiment Recipes
If you’re looking for even more flavor-enhancing condiments, then head to the Sides Category on my site. And of course, you can find the instructions for these (and all my recipes, in the Hey Grill Hey app. For now, here are a few of my favorites to add some style to your next BBQ:
Recipes
Creamy Horseradish Sauce
Recipes
Homemade Au Jus
Condiments
Resting Steak Butter
Condiments
Blue Cheese Crumble Dressing
Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe
Dress up your cookout with this recipe for Homemade Ranch Dressing! Give it a 5-star review, and tell me about your experience in the comments. Check out my Condiments section to see all the awesome saucing options available to up your dip drip. If you really want to master sauces, head over to The Grill Squad and check out my class on Rubs & Sauces. Not only do I give you my innermost BBQ insights, I instill you with a foundation for making all kinds of sauces and rubs to help you become a backyard BBQ hero.
You can also find quick and easy how-to videos for all my most popular recipes on my YouTube channel. Whatever you decide to cook up in the backyard, I want to see it. Make sure to share your drool-worthy BBQ photos with me by tagging @heygrillhey on Instagram and Facebook.
Homemade Ranch Dressing (from Scratch)
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
- ¼ cup fresh dill
- 2 Tablespoons chives
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Combine and mix. Combine all your ingredients into a large bowl, then stir with a rubber spatula until your dressing reaches your desired consistency. For a more textured sauce, roughly chop your fresh herbs.½ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup buttermilk, ½ cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, ¼ cup fresh dill, 2 Tablespoons chives, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- Serve and store. Your dressing is ready to enjoy immediately. You can also store any remaining dressing in an airtight container in your refrigerator, and enjoy for up to a week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
