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Have you ever wondered how to make your own homemade ranch dressing? It’s simple to make, easily customizable and just as good as the stuff that comes in the bottle – only you know exactly what’s going in it. Impress your whole family with this creamy, herbaceous ranch dressing that you can make at home in only 10 minutes!

Homemade ranch dressing in a jar with fresh dill and a golden spoon on the side.

What is Ranch Dressing?

Ranch dressing is an American salad dressing with its main ingredients being buttermilk, garlic, onion, dill and either sour cream or yogurt.

Is it Gluten Free?

The ingredients in this recipe are all gluten free.

Who Invented it?

As for the origins of ranch dressing, it was developed by a Nebraskan cowboy. Him and his wife started a ranch in California. Due to the popularity of his perfected salad dressing recipe for their guests, they began to mail it in packets all over of the country under a name I’m sure you’ve heard of: ‘Hidden Valley Ranch’. The company was bought out eventually and the sauce was then bottled for stores in the 80’s. The rest is history!

Homemade ranch dressing in a jar with fresh dill, carrots, cucumbers and a golden spoon on the side.

Ingredients

  • mayonnaise
  • sour cream or Greek yogurt – whichever you prefer
  • buttermilk
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • fresh chives – finely chopped
  • fresh dill – finely chopped
  • fresh parsley – finely chopped
  • salt and pepper

What gives ranch that unique flavor that we all love? While all of the ingredients add to the signature flavor, to me, the buttermilk and onion powder really stand out as the defining ingredients that make ranch dressing what it is; but of course it wouldn’t be ranch without all of the other ingredients combined.

How to Make Ranch Dressing

It’s easy to make this dressing from scratch. Here is all you need to do:

  1. Mix. Mix all ingredients except for the buttermilk in a bowl.
  2. Add buttermilk. Once combined, add the buttermilk and mix until smooth.
  3. Serve. It can be served immediately or chilled in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Store in an airtight container such as a jar or plastic bottle in the refrigerator.
Homemade ranch dressing in a jar with fresh dill.

What to Put it on

  • You can use it as a salad dressing (the main purpose of it!)
  • use it as a dip for veggies, chips, fries, wings, jalapeño poppers, or any fried food really!
  • Ranch is a popular flavor for tortilla chips and other crunchy snacks.
  • It’s one of my secret ingredients for creamy mashed potatoes (trust me on this…).

How to Thicken Ranch Dressing

To thicken your ranch dressing, you can either use less buttermilk to begin with or sprinkle a small amount of guar gum into the dressing while whisking (start with only 1/4 teaspoon – it will thicken even more when refrigerated).

Nutrition Info

Note: Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only.

One serving of this homemade ranch contains approximately:

Calories: 156kcal Carbohydrates: 2g Protein: 1g Fat: 16g Saturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 14mg Sodium: 178mg Potassium: 36mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 1g Vitamin A: 324IU Vitamin C: 3mg Calcium: 25mg Iron: 1mg

Homemade ranch dressing in a jar with fresh dill and a cucumber stick.

What do you drizzle your ranch on? Did you enjoy this ranch dressing recipe? Let me know in the comments and please share!

Homemade ranch dressing in a jar with fresh dill and a golden spoon on the side.

Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe

Joss Dyckson
Impress your whole family with this creamy, herbaceous ranch dressing that you can make at home in only 10 minutes!
No ratings yet
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Servings 6 ¼ cup servings
Calories 156 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons fresh chives - finely chopped
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fresh dill - finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley - finely chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt - or to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper - or to taste
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk - or to desired consistency

Instructions
 

  • Mix all ingredients except for the buttermilk in a bowl.
  • Once combined, add the buttermilk and mix until smooth.
  • It can be served immediately or chilled in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

  • To thicken the dressing, slowly sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon guar gum into the dressing while whisking.
  • Store for up to two weeks in the fridge.
  • This recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 156kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 1gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 178mgPotassium: 36mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 324IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.

Keyword buttermilk, salad dressing
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