Homemade Ranch Dressing
This homemade ranch dressing is rich, creamy, and full of fresh flavor. It is perfect for tossing with salads or serving as a dip for chicken nuggets and other snacks.
Making your own favorite condiments at home is both simple and budget-friendly. It can also be a healthier choice, giving you more control over the ingredients while helping you save money.
Ranch is one of the best dressings to prepare from scratch because it is fast, flexible, and incredibly useful. You can use it as a salad dressing, a dip, or a topping for burgers, pizza, BBQ chicken, french fries, and much more.
Made with ingredients like mayonnaise, herbs, and white vinegar, this dressing has a creamy texture with a bright, tangy kick. It also works well as a base recipe, so you can easily customize it to match your taste.
You can mix in extras such as:
- Parsley
- Dill
- Garlic
- Additional herbs and spices
These simple additions can create layers of flavor that stand out and pair beautifully with many dishes.
Ranch Dressing History
Where did ranch dressing come from? This popular favorite was first created in the 1950s.
It appeared around the same time as other classic dressings, including:
- Russian dressing
- Thousand Island
- Italian dressing
- Olive oil and vinegar dressing
For whatever reason, ranch quickly rose above the rest and became a favorite far beyond salads.
Today, many people enjoy ranch as a dip for:
- Chicken wings
- Vegetable sticks
- Tater tots
- Mozzarella sticks
- Pizza
The smooth texture and light tang, especially from buttermilk, make this homemade salad dressing every bit as satisfying as store-bought ranch varieties like Hidden Valley.
Dipping pizza in ranch may sound unusual to some, but it is surprisingly delicious. This dressing also pairs wonderfully with french fries, tater tots, and baked potato wedges.
You can even stir a spoonful or two into potato salad for extra flavor. Its versatility is one of the reasons homemade ranch remains so popular.
What Is in This Homemade Ranch Dressing?
The creamy base in this recipe comes from a combination of:
- Sour cream
- Mayonnaise
- Buttermilk
The signature ranch flavor comes from a blend of fresh herbs and seasonings, including:
- Thyme
- Dill
- Parsley
- Chives
- Garlic
- Onion
- Salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can make a quick substitute by mixing regular milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar.
Prep and Cook Time
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Finely mince the garlic and fresh herbs with a knife. Add the salt and mash everything together into a paste.
- In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and buttermilk.
- Stir in the garlic paste, parsley, chives, dill, paprika, cayenne pepper, and optional hot sauce if desired. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Transfer the ranch dressing to a large glass jar with a lid and refrigerate for a couple of hours until chilled.
- If the dressing feels too thick, add a little more buttermilk until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Nutrition Information
- Yield: 16 servings
- Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 110
- Total Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Cholesterol: 10mg
- Sodium: 117mg
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Fiber: 0g
- Sugar: 0g
- Protein: 0g
