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
Saw this on Instagram and had to make. I did do half sour cream and half mayo (I know, I know). But it was so yummy. My teenage son is obsessed with ranch so I will be making this often!
I make ALL my own salad dressings. I made this and it is OUTSTANDING! Full of flavor. I did substitute plain yogurt for half of the mayo so I’ll never know if you lost any richness but I will definitely make this again!
Listen up because this is the moment your life will change forEVER. Ready?
… We put ranch on our spaghetti. Or any pasta with red sauce, actually. Yeah. Seriously (don’t knock it til you try it.) You’ll never go back. I will NOT eat spaghetti without it ever again. This I vow. 🙂
Guess what. I’ve totally done that, haha! Kind of like mixing red sauce with alfredo, which I also love!
I’m definitely going to try making this! I have a major migraine reaction to MSH also, so this will be great! Seasoned salts vary a lot; what kind do you use?
I use Lowry’s!
How have I not made this yet?! I’m a ranch fanatic and have been on a search for GOOD ranch for quite some time. This would be a great little gift for family and friends. Give little packets out with directions… I can’t wait to try it. And those little cartons of buttermilk are so cute. I’ve never seen them available in that small of a container before. I always hesitate to buy buttermilk because the containers are so big and I only need less than a cup.
I didn’t have any dill, so I used vinegar from the pickle jar. Worked just fine. My husband told me, “so basically we’ll never have to buy the packets again right?” He liked it better than the original.
I LOVE using pickle juice in recipes, good call! Glad you liked it 🙂
I made this today. I measured everything very carefully after reading the comments and must say, my dressing was also much too thick. It was more like a dip. I ended up using 1 cup of mayo (Hellmann’s) and about a cup of the buttermilk, too. Perhaps the consistency of the mayo and/or buttermilk is making the difference, but I measured properly and still had to make adjustments. Just thought I’d mention it so people that run into this problem know they haven’t necessarily made a mistake. 🙂
Was looking for homemade potato chip recipes and came across this website. Looking forward to making this!! Just like most of the parents on here..my 3 y.o daughter LOVES ranch on everything too. Now this will sound weird but I grilled steak the other day…AFTER grilling them I realized I didn’t have any A1 sauce (had a temporary melt down..lol). My daughter was eating her hot dog w/ranch so I thought I would try it on my steak. Needless to say I am never buying A1 sauce ever again!!! Steak and ranch dressing are a great combination together. I recommend everyone try it just one time!! 😉