Buttermilk Ranch Dressing is a magical thing. It’s served in the fanciest of restaurants and also along side dino nuggets at lunch hour. My kids will literally eat anything if they have ranch to dip it in. And I’ll be honest; I will too. I grew up in a house where there was a pitcher that was constantly filled. It sat on pretty much every table of every meal we ate. It was always the Hidden Valley seasoning packs that I still love today. But there’s no bottled Ranch dressing that competes with this recipe – it’s the BEST! It’s also so, so easy. Like, really easy. I keep most of this stuff on hand so it’s quick to whip up.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Mayonnaise and buttermilk – I use a classic base of tangy buttermilk and mayo. While I use reduced-calorie mayo in a lot of my cooking, I don’t recommend it here. It definitely changes the flavor and it’s simply not as good. You can adjust the amount of buttermilk you use to get the consistency just how you like it (thinner, thicker, etc.). Feedback from readers suggests that its’s worth it to use a good name-brand mayonnaise here like Best Foods/ Hellman’s.
- White vinegar
- Dried parsley
- Dried dill
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dried chives
- Black pepper
- Seasoned salt – like Lowrey’s. If you don’t have this, just sub another salt.
- Dry mustard
How to Make Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- You can make this in a blender, or a bowl. I usually toss it in the blender, but either way works!
- Literally just put all ingredients together and either blend or whisk!
- For best flavor, allow the dressing to chill for a couple of hours before using. It will also thicken after being stored in the fridge.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 1-2 weeks for best results.
- The only thing that would make a salad with homemade ranch even better is homemade croutons, so you may want to whip up a batch of those while you’re at it. Dipping homemade croutons into homemade ranch is probably one of my most favorite things ever.
- This Basil Buttermilk Ranch Dressing is also a super-amazing variation of this dressing.
- If you’re out of buttermilk, a mixture of milk and lemon juice or vinegar can be used in a pinch at a ratio of 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to one cup of milk. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to thicken before using.
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
A quick and easy homemade Ranch dressing recipe that everyone loves!
Servings 2 tablespoon servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/8 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt like Lowreys
- 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or a bowl and blend or whisk until smooth
- For best results, let chill for 2 hours or more for flavors to intensify. Dressing will also thicken after being stored in the fridge.
Notes
- Different mayonnaise brands produce different consistencies in this recipe. I almost always use Best Foods, so for me, about the ratio listed seems to be perfect, but that same amount is sometimes incredibly thick or incredibly thin for others. So just keep that in mind. Mix everything together and then add more buttermilk until it’s perfect for you.
- All spices and herbs listed below are dried. If substituting fresh, use the ratio 1 part dry = 3 parts fresh. If using fresh herbs, blend everything except herbs first and then lightly pulse in the herbs.
- Store finished dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 1 week for best results.
Nutrition
Serving: 2tablespoons, Calories: 136kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 178mg, Potassium: 38mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 450IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 0.2mg
Calories: 136kcal
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Questions & Reviews
Mmmmmm, ranch dressing! Ranch dressing has been a huge craving of mine (pregnant lady here). I do have to admit I've dipped MANY thing in it.
In fact, I really like enchiladas with it…
That will probably change after the babies here!
-chelsey
I make my own fried zucchini sometimes, and ranch is of course perfect with it. I'll have to try the taquitos in it!
Try mixing some ranch with a little salsa for the Taquitos! It’s amazing!
Pizza, pizza bites, chicken nuggets, veggies and on salad mixed with blue cheese dressing!
I'm sooooo like your toddler. I will dip anything in ranch and I've just been waiting for the perfect recipe. I'm so happy you posted this!!
I have the hardest time finding the perfect ranch mix so I'll definately have to try this! If I can find it I really like the Uncle Dan's brand. I love to dip my pizza in ranch. At the pizza place in the town I grew up in, ranch was an automatic side!
Yep, definitely in one of those 'I need a big salad' moods 🙂 Besides everything you already mentioned to dip in ranch, I also like to dip pizza in ranch. I thought I'd be the only one! 🙂
When reading this it reminds me of my son. Now this is a confession about him not me 😀 He is 2 years old and will eat ANYTHING as long as there is ranch involved. And many times we have to turn away because he loves to dip his grapes, peaches, watermelon etc in ranch. If he doesn't want to eat the food i put in front of him i dip it in ranch and he says "ok!" and will eat it…it is hilarious!! There are even times i will look at him and he will be spooning the ranch in his mouth. Needless to say we go through ALOT of ranch in our house….Luckily we all love it!
My favorite thing to dip in ranch dressing is buffalo wings. Sometimes I'll add a few dashes of hot sauce to the ranch dressing and then dip plain baked or fried chicken in it. MMmmmmmm!!! I've never made homemade ranch though. I'll definitely try it!!
Mmmmm so true, I don't remember a single meal growing up without the big container of ranch dressing, and it is so good on pretty much anything! I have a pitcher (literally… and the 2009 version haha) of cilantro lime ranch in my fridge right now 😀
In our house we put Ranch dressing on steamed green beans, it's delicious and brings me great memories of my Grandmother! Can't wait to try out your recipe!