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
April- milk + vinegar would work fine, but I think you get a better flavor with the buttermilk. If you're going to substitute sour milk, use a little less milk since it's thinner than buttermilk and also omit the additional vinegar in the recipe (since you'll get the vinegar from your sour milk)
Jen- thank you! I'm glad you found us and that you've already made this dressing and love it!
Christina- yup, just plain white vinegar. I've never left it in the fridge for long since we eat it so fast! But it will last at least a week I'm sure and probably more.
Thanks to the rest of you for the nice comments as well!
Wow! I had no idea that making your own ranch dressing was this easy. This is why I love your blog 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
This makes me want ranch dressing!
I like ranch on just about everything. My kids like it too so it helps me get in their veggies. I'm excited to try it.
Is it plain white vinegar? How long will it keep in the fridge, theoretically, if you had some leftovers? thanks
I stumbled upon your blog when searching for a recipe for sweet potato fries (which were awesome by the way) and happened to find this recipe too! I just made it and cannot stop eating it even though it hasn't chilled yet. It is absolutely perfect! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the recipe! I love to dip pizza and taquito's in ranch. Not a huge fan of it on salad though.
I second (or third…) the pizza dipping, so YEA!! I love ranch!
But… I don't often have buttermilk on hand; would the sour milk method (vinegar + milk) work?
I dip everything in ranch…from pizza to french fries, breadsticks, veggies, fried mozzarella, you name it, it's probably been in the ranch. Disgusting, I know!
I admit I dip pizza. It's very tasty.
I'm not really a ranch fan! So the only thing I dip in it is the occasional fresh veggie.