This Homemade Ranch Dressing is creamy, tangy, flavorful and so much better than the store-bought version. Loaded with buttermilk, mayonnaise and a simple spice mix, this simple recipe works great as a salad dressing, veggie dip or even drizzled over pizza or chicken.
Jump to:
Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing
If you love Ranch Dressing as much as your children, you aren’t alone. But perhaps you've been staring at that bottle of Hidden Valley in your fridge and wondering, Can't I just make my own? If that sounds familiar, then this Homemade Ranch Dressing recipe is for you.
We start with a simple Ranch Dressing Mix full of dried herbs, garlic salt, onion powder and pepper. It’s so simple, in fact, that you might as well make a huge batch to keep on your spice shelf. That way, the only thing standing between you and creamy ranch dressing are two ingredients: mayonnaise and buttermilk.
As with anything, you can adjust the seasoning to your liking. Some people like to swap out mayo for sour cream, or add a touch of Worcestershire sauce. No matter what, in less than 10 minutes you'll have yourself a delicious Homemade Ranch Dressing to eat on salad, as a dip or even drizzled over pizza or chicken.
And, if you’re looking for more homemade dressing recipes try our Salsa Ranch, Honey Mustard Dressing and our Italian dressing recipe.
Ingredients in Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix
- Dried Herbs - this recipe calls for dried dill and dried chives as they will store for far longer than fresh herbs. If you only plan to make enough spice mix to use right away, you can definitely substitute fresh dill, fresh chives or even fresh parsley.
- Garlic Salt - if you don’t have garlic salt, you can substitute a combination of 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Onion Powder - this adds a sweet onion flavor without any moisture.
- Black Pepper - if possible, grind your own as the flavor is much stronger.
Ranch Dressing
- Ranch Dressing Mix - you can store the mixture above in a spice jar or any other airtight container for up to one year so go ahead and make a huge batch!
- Mayonnaise - we like the flavor and texture of mayo, but if you like your ranch extra tangy you can substitute half mayo and half sour cream. Also, if you want to cut back on the calories a touch, you could use a low fat mayonnaise. If you really want to go healthy you could also substitute plain Greek yogurt.
- Buttermilk - this rounds out the classic tangy flavor in ranch dressing. If can also be used to thin down the dressing a touch if needed. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can actually make your own out of regular milk and lemon juice. Just combine 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and let it sit out at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Then, voila!
How to Make Ranch Dressing Recipe
- Make the Ranch Dressing Mix. In a small bowl, combine the dill, chives, garlic salt, onion powder and black pepper. Mix well then transfer to a spice jar or another airtight container.
- Combine all ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk 1 ½ tablespoon of the Ranch Dressing Mix with the mayonnaise and buttermilk until completely combined.
- Use or store. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
As long as it is stored properly, your Ranch Dressing Mix should stay fresh for up to 1 year. That means that depending on how much your family likes ranch, you might want to make a huge batch of this.
That sort of depends on your definition of healthy, as well as what ingredients you choose to use. This recipe is loaded with mayonnaise which isn’t exactly the healthiest choice out there. However, you could easily substitute a low fat mayo, a vegan mayo or even Greek Yogurt.
No matter what, this Homemade Ranch Dressing is healthier than anything you can buy in a bottle.
No, it's not recommended to freeze ranch dressing since none of the ingredients freeze well on their own. Since it is so simple to make, it’s our opinion that you may as well just make it fresh as needed.
Homemade ranch can last 7-10 days in the fridge when prepared. Be mindful of the expiration date of the buttermilk you use and that will give you a good indication of how long your ranch dressing will last.
Storing Homemade Dressing
- Refrigerator: store your dressing in an airtight container and it will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: we don’t recommend freezing this dressing.
Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix
- 2 teaspoons Dried Dill
- 1 teaspoon Dried Chives
- 2 Tablespoons Garlic Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Homemade Ranch Dressing
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Ranch Dressing Mix above
- ½ Cup Mayonnaise
- ½ Cup Buttermilk
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the dill, chives, garlic salt, onion powder and black pepper. Mix well then transfer to a spice jar or another airtight container.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk 1 ½ tablespoons of the Ranch Dressing Mix with the mayonnaise and buttermilk until completely combined.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Homemade Salad Dressings Recipes to Try
- Southwest Ranch Dressing
- Garlic Basil Hemp Aioli
- Easy Homemade Fresh Salsa Recipe
- Pesto Ranch Dressing
- Honey Mustard Dressing
- More Salad Recipes
- More Sauces and Condiments
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you and it helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest, feel free to leave a comment and photo there too. Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!
This quick and easy Homemade Ranch Dressing is a great recipe to have in your back pocket. It uses just a few ingredients and tastes so much better than the store-bought version.
Natalie
Beautiful ranch dressing. The texture is so light and delicious. I will give your recipe a try.
Jill Baird
I hope you love it as much as we do!
Katherine
I love that this ranch dressing is totally from scratch with no preservatives or nasties! Yum!
Jill Baird
Yes, this homemade version is delicious and so easy too.