A family tested, kid-approved homemade ranch dressing made with real food ingredients that you mix up in a jar in just minutes. Who needs bottles and packets with something this simple and delicious?
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After many years of trying all kinds of recipes for homemade ranch dressing – both dry mixes and the complete dressing – and being disappointed, I finally came up with my own recipe for the best ranch dressing that our whole family likes!
I know that next to a basic vinaigrette, ranch salad dressing is probably the other bottle of dressing in most family refrigerators. And since we know how easy it is to make your own vinaigrette salad dressing (i.e., “Italian dressing”), and pretty much any dressing, I know you are going to LOVE this easy and flavorful homemade ranch dressing, too.
When making all those other recipes I tried, there was always something that just wasn’t “right” about them.
There was too much dill.
Or not enough garlic.
Too salty.
Or too bland.
Then I’d find a coupon for a bottle of organic ranch dressing and I’d forget about the homemade for awhile. But even on sale and with a coupon, organic dressings are not cheap. And I knew that ranch dressing is just sour cream (or mayo), buttermilk and some spices. Hardly expensive stuff.
So I went back to my recipes and combined and adapted to come up with something that was simple, tasty, frugal (a batch costs about $1.35), and REAL.
And when it passed the taste test with our family’s ranch-aholic son I knew we had a winner! Whew.
How to Make Homemade Ranch Dressing
You can just use a pint jar to mix everything for this dressing, which is what I like to do–it has a wide enough opening and you can mix it up right in the jar. However, if you’d like to keep it in a smaller-mouth dressing container, feel free to use a whisk and mix it up in a quart measuring cup before pouring into your container.
Start by mixing sour cream, buttermilk, and lemon juice. Don’t be tempted to skip the lemon juice- I really think it makes it so much fresher tasting (the lemon might seem a bit strong at first, but after the dressing has sits overnight the flavors mingle and it’s no longer as dominate).
Used in this best ranch dressing recipe:
- Glass tablespoon measuring cup (SO much easier than spoons for liquids!)
- Pint glass jar with zinc lid
- Dried parsley
- Onion powder
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Dried dill
- Sour cream
- Buttermilk
- Lemon juice
- Fresh garlic
Real Buttermilk and Sour Cream?
A note on buttermilk: few years ago I realized that, for the most part, what they sell in the stores as “buttermilk” is not true buttermilk (the milk extracted during the process of making butter), but a milk with thickeners and often preservatives added to it. Since this is what I’d like to avoid (hello?) and I don’t have access to real buttermilk, I always make a “faux buttermilk” with vinegar and regular milk (for this recipe, a 1/2 c. milk mixed with 1-1/2 tsp. vinegar).
Oh, and another note about the sour cream: check the label!
If you don’t make your own, you’ll want to find a sour cream that contains only cream like the one listed above (which is Daisy Brand, by the way). Compare this with the ingredients on most of the other store brands which list at least 10 ingredients including fillers, preservatives, and thickeners.
Some ranch recipes call for mayonnaise instead of sour cream. We like sour cream for a couple of reasons: it creates a thicker dressing that works for a dip and with just a little thinning with milk can coat lettuce, we like the flavor better, and it seems a bit ‘lighter’ than oil-based mayo. Plus, since I make my own mayonnaise, we pretty much save it for sandwiches!
Once the wet ingredients are mixed, add the garlic and dry spices, and mix well.
Um, yeah, that’s pretty much it. Seems silly that I’d ever take the time to buy this stuff- that was like, what- 5 minutes?
Well, I’ve mended my ways…
Click the arrow for the printable ranch dressing recipe!
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Finally found a ranch recipe that tastes great!!!! Really don’t like the mayonnaise flavor in ranch. So Thank you!!!!!
You’re welcome, Tiffany! Happy to know another no-mayo-ranch person 🙂
★★★★★
Can table salt be used in place of the sea salt.
Yes – it’s always interchangeable. 🙂
How long can the ranch/ketchup sit in the fridge before it “expires”?
Definitely weeks, Elya. It thins a bit, but I’d just add a bit more sour cream and whisk it in. It may last longer, but it’s usually gone by that time at our house!
Jami – I’m so excited to find your site. I recently followed a link to this dressing recipe and I’m hooked! I made it with Greek yogurt as I’m trying to eat more raw veggies. The Greek yogurt adds flavor and protein to a whole food that I already love.
I’m sorry….I can’t seem to find the measurements…..
Click the arrow at the bottom of the page “take me to the recipe” for the printable recipe.
This is the best ranch dressing I have ever tried (I have tried and disliked a lot). Even my husband who is a diehard Hidden Valley Fan said this was so good, he would finally quit buying ranch from the store.
We made pasta salad last night and this was the dressing. Amazing.
I LOVE it, Emily!! Comments like yours are the reason I do this. 🙂 Thank you for chiming in!!
Just made this Ranch dressing. It is the best homemade I have ever made! Thanks for sharing!
So glad to hear that, Pam!
Loving the glass measuring cup in tablespoons. Where did you get it?
It’s one of my favorite kitchen items, Barbara! Here’s a link to one on Amazon (my affiliate): http://amzn.to/2904zGi
Absolutely love feta! Going on vaca will make some stuff up to take along!
Wow 1st the ketchup now the ranch dressing! I am Celiac and corn intolerant, I haven’t had ranch dressing in years! Most of the store bought stuff has corn in it! If it doesn’t then it just doesn’t taste very good. I will try this!
Yay! Pretty sure you will like it like we do, Wendy and I’m glad you get to try it again (PS, if you like feta, check out my feta dip that used this as it’s base…).
This looks fantastic! And so much healthier than the shelf-stable with all the preservatives! Thanks for the recipe!
Has anyone tried premixing the dry ingredients? If so how much do you add to a tub of sour cream? I figured one Tablespoon??
I suppose I could just experiment but I figured I’d get some feedback first 🙂 Thanks!!
PS
I’ve made this before with fresh garlic and found it too bitey, so this time I will just use powdered garlic. But it is THE BOMB! So good.
★★★★★
SO glad you like this, Ellie! I did adapt this recipe to be used as a dry mix here for this gift idea:
https://anoregoncottage.com/ranch-salad-dressing-mason-jar-gift/
The dressing mix amounts are included there.:)
Just made this – and it was soooo delicious! And, I’m not even a huge ranch dressing fan, but I’m adding this one to my repertoire!
★★★★★
I’ve made your ranch dressing recipe before but it’s been awhile. I forget how good it was. Just whipped up a batch-I could drink the whole jar!!!
Just made this to go with my husband’s chicken wings. I think it will be perfect.
Greetings!
So glad to have stumbled across your site. I will definitely be trying this recipe!
Do you happen to have a recipe for homemade sour cream?
I live in a country where sour cream is not available.
Thanks in advance! And thanks for all the excellent tips and recipes 🙂
I don’t have a recipe on this site, but I’ve read others – if you google it will probably come up.:)
I was about to try this ranch dressing/dip recipe when I realized that the lemon juice used was not specific…from concentrate or fresh squeezed? ….or will it make a difference?
You can use whatever you have on hand, Dee!
I’m a ranch snob and definitely want to try this, but with any other secrets you may have added/changed since you first posted this. Are there any? Thanks.
I have used half greek yogurt and half sour cream, Tonya, which is good. You could probably replace all the sour cream, but I know I’d taste the yogurt too much for me, so I don’t. But otherwise I make it as written – we love it!! I always like it with a bit more salt, and I know the store-bought varieties are heavy on salt, so maybe that’s what I was used to – the salt is really to taste, though. I hope you like it as much as we do. 🙂
How long does the dressing last in the fridge?
Quite awhile, Cori, though it does get thinner the longer it sits. If I need to thicken it, I add a tablespoon or so of sour cream and a bit more salt and it’s good to go!
OR you could just add in some gelatin, and get your dose of that at the same time! ( I mean real gelatin, NOT JELLO stuff…like Great Lakes or Vital Proteins ( has better organic grass fed proof).
Can I use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic?
I have everything but fresh garlic & dying to make it!!
Of course, use what you have, Slind – I’m always for that. I just like it with fresh garlic better – but there’s always next time!
I’ve been making this for a year now. My kids absolutely love it. They dip veggies in it and put it on sandwiches. I leave out the dill, but otherwise I follow the recipe exactly. My 9 year old tells people all the time that I make the best ranch. Even better than the store stuff. Love that!
Love hearing this, Tara – thank you!! 🙂
I make my own butter as well, I’ve researched “buttermilk” and found many definitions. I assumed buttermilk meant the milk left over from making butter, but I’ve determined that it is really a cultured product which can be made from that milk left after making butter, but now-a-days, it can be made from skim milk.
So you just used the milk left from butter making straight from the bowl, right? You didn’t culture it first? I will be so happy if you say yes, because I have been struggling to find a use for it without figuring out the whole culturing bit. It usually ends up on the dog’s food. :/
I didn’t, Andee, I just used the lemon or vinegar with milk technique. 🙁 Don’t despair, though – if I were you I’d try it with the milk left from making butter and see if you like it!! Or add a bit of vinegar to that for tang if it doesn’t have enough. Play with it, but you’re right, I wouldn’t want to throw it away, either. 🙂
I make my own ranch too, and it’s similar to yours. I keep the dry ingredients mixed up so I can whip up a fresh batch quickly. It’s also nice to have ranch seasoning on hand to shake on popcorn, crackers, or chicken!
This recipe for homemade ranch dressing is amazing!!!!! It’s like the ranch of my dreams, fabulous taste, so easy to make, and can make it as low fat/low calorie to fit your diet needs!
Glad you like it, Amy!
just made this and…..WOW! Every pregnant woman’s dream. I only started to think about making my own when i bought a bottle of Hidden Valley and it gave me the WORST heartburn EVER! So I decided to give this recipe a try and all I can say is THANK YOU! It’s delicious and what i’ll be eating forever. My friend who is also pregnant immediately went to the store to get the ingredients and is hooked just like me!
So glad to hear, Jessi! Thanks for taking the time to share.
I made this for the third time today, but I didn’t have any sour cream, so I used Greek Yogurt. The consistency seemed good and it tastes like real ranch- a little tangy 🙂 Thanks again for great salad dressings!
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I especially love that there’s no mayo needed, and you don’t even miss it! My entire family loved this recipe, even my 2 picky eaters who are very particular about their Ranch dressing… in my 4-year-old’s words, “this ranch is AWESOME” with a big thumbs up. Thank you!!
Aww, I love it, Erin! That was when I knew I had a winner, too – when my son gave it the okay. 🙂
can you post this under recipes on your pinterest page. I have tried to pin it and for some reason it won’t work. Looks yummy.
Done, Lindy! I didn’t have a problem pinning it – I pinned to the AOC Favorites – Food board. Hope you like it!
Hi Jami!
I LOVE your approach to instructing. Yours is the only blog (AOC) that I actually take the time to read. Adore the grouping for fresh dressings!! YAY! Very much looking forward to trying and putting less garbage in my/our bodies. Also, a comment about ‘faux’ buttermilk. Because I’ve had recipes for cookies and muffins that call for soured milk and have always used apple cider vinegar with milk, recipes that have called for buttermilk received 1/2 and 1/2 with the cider vinegar. Our housemate just made Irish Soda bread yesterday with that soured cream. Yum! Thank you for sharing your lifestyle this way. Talented, practical, creative and frugal. There’re more adjectives but I’ll quit. 😉 Thanks, Jami. 😀
Oooo, using 1/2&1/2 instead of milk? Brilliant! I bet it makes a richer product. I’m definitely going to try that next time – thanks for all your sweet, encouraging words, Andi. 🙂
I love this! Tried it today for a lunch salad and it is very delicious!
This is good…haven’t made our salads yet, just letting it marry for a bit. I followed directions and ingredients completely, and at this point, it tastes very garlicky, but I suppose *1 garlic clove* is so subjective…mine was too large I guess! It’s still good, too garlicky or not though. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll definitely try it with Greek yogurt for my husband though!
Yes, we love it garlicky, but you can adjust. Also, it will mellow with time.
This is the BEST ranch dressing! Use fresh dill!
Thanks! I haven’t ever given my kids ranch-don’t like the ingredients- but I bet they would love this dip.
Thank you for this! I haven’t had processed foods in forever and I do not want to start n
Oh wow, this is AMAZINGly delicious! thank you so much!
So glad you liked it!
can you use kefir?
Great recipe, you may have stumbled upon another fun thing for kids to do. If you shake the daylights out of a cup of heavy whipping cream you get a very nice butter and I guess you also get butter milk. The cream turns to whipped cream for a minute and as you keep shaking it eventually “breaks” and the two separate. One is a butter – the more you shake the heavier your butter gets and also the butter milk is there as well.
This sounds fantastic – your little bit about the butter milk being the milk left over from making butter – have you ever made your own butter? Take whipping cream and shake the living daylights out it for about 15 min – voila – your own homemade butter. You can add salt if you want but it is very creamy and I guess then you also have some butter milk as a side
Just made this! LOVE IT!
This tastes great! Thanks for sharing, even my 4 year old loves it – minus the pepper of course :0)
We just added the vinegar to almond milk, and it worked great, we do that for baking recipes that call for buttermilk, too. We’ve also tried this recipe with yoghurt instead of sour cream and like it.
Is there any substitution for buttermilk for people allergic to milk? I have found substitute for everything else except buttermilk, any help is greatly apppreciated.
I did a quick Google search and found this:
http://www.ehow.com/list_6874198_non_dairy-substitutes-buttermilk.html
Hope that helps!
I’m wondering if I can use my homemade kefir instead of the buttermilk. I always have plenty on hand, but seldom buy buttermilk. After reading your info regarding buttermilk, I don’t think I ever want to buy it again!
I can’t wait to try this – thanks for taking time to post this.
My grandson loves Ranch – – so this will be something I make this weekend, also shared it on my blog, and a link to your page.
Thanks for sharing!
I was so thrilled to see your recipe on Pinterest! My son has an egg allergy and we need to steer clear from most dressings, as so many are mayonaise based. I’ve always felt sorry that he can’t experience the joy of ranch dressing, and now he can! God bless you and God bless Pinterest! I’ll be making this today!
Great tip- I SO want to make my own butter one day. 🙂
Ah! You are my hero! We’re trying to switch over to a more natural and whole foods kind of diet after my research into some of prepared food’s ingredients scared the bejeeves out of me! I’m so glad I found your site — looks like it will become a new favorite stopping spot!
SO excited to try out this recipe!
Honored to be called your hero, Katrina! Thanks so much. 🙂
Wos, thank you for sharing. I have made many other dressings, French, Bleu Cheese, Honey Mustard, Italian, Thousand Island, but could never make a satisfactory Ranch~ will make it and then make it dairy free for myself. Thanks again
How long does it last in the fridge?
We’ve had it for up to a month and it’s fine- it does separate, so it needs to be mixed. It may even last longer, but I wouldn’t know. 🙂
I have noticed it gets thinner as it ages, so if I want to use it as a dip I’ll add another tablespoon of sour cream and then taste for salt.
Hope you like it!
Just made this and even without letting it marry, it tastes pretty good! thanks for the recipe!
Jami, to get your yogurt thicker, put 2 layers of paper towel in a sieve over a bowl, and dump your yogurt into it, then fold the corners and edges of the towels over to cover the yogurt. I usually put a stack of 3 or 4 bowls on top for weight, which speeds up the process of draining out excess whey; I usually get the thickness I desire after 45 minutes to an hour this way. Or, pop the whole set-up into the fridge for several hours or overnight. You may have to experiment to get the exact consistency you’re after. And, don’t throw out the whey; it’s loaded with protein, and you can use it as the liquid in cake or muffin batters, breadmaking, cooking water for potatoes, and many other applications. Or use it to water acid-loving plants!
Thanks for the tip, Kandis!
I have moved to the UK from Canada and- shock, horror!- they do not have ranch dressing here! Thanks for the recipe! Incidentally, they do not have graham crackers(no s’mores!) or dill pickles either…I will try to reform this backwards country :o)
What, no dills? Glad to have you there to help them out. 🙂
I haven’t been able to make a Ranch recpie that I’m satisfied with either ..I will be giving this a try. I think I’ll also try using Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. Thanks for the inspiration ! Also…we have to read ALL the labels on everything these days !
This was awesome! My search is over. I did make two little Changes due to mine being a little to sour(probably from the lemon and the vinegar
to make the buttermilk). I added two tsp. Sugar and one T mayo. It was heaven!
So glad you liked it!
I use lemon juice and milk to make buttermilk, so I wonder how it would turn out if the vinegar was left out?
Try it! I think it would work well.
Oh, thanks so much for your recipe! Bottled ranch never tastes “right” to me, or it’s way too thick and globby. Globby… is that a word? Anyway, thank you!
Your welcome- hope you like it as much as we do!
Mmmm…. I can’t wait to make this! Thank you!
Smash- So glad you like this! I’m sorry though, that you’re having a hard time with Pinterest- I resisted for awhile (just one more thing to do!), but now it’s one of my favorite things to do and a useful tool. It’s key to have a “pin it” in your bookmarks bar, so whenever you see something you can hit that button and it will pin to one of your boards you pick. I’d be curious to know what part you’re having trouble with- I’d love to help, if I could!
-Jami
I found this on Pinterest and LOVED it. Thanks for sharing. I want to repin on Pinterest for all my friends to make but I can’t get the hang of Pinterest(:
Shila- Oh, sure- I often replace sour cream with yogurt. They flavor changes a bit, but probably not as much with Greek yogurt (it’s usually more mild to my taste).
How do you get your homemade Greek yogurt as stiff as store-bought? My yogurt is usually runnier than my family likes. 🙁
Strain in a colondar with a cheese cloth overnight in the fridge.
A mixture of ranch blue cheese ….Home made yogurt drained, white balsamic vinegar or lemon juice I prefer the vinegar , a little bit of olive oil and seasonings to get taste you are desiring , garlic and BLUE Cheese shake well and taste GREAT!
My new go to for pasta salad, green toss salad with hard cooked eggs tomatoes mush,beets onions black beans a GREAT MEAL!
Can I replace greek yogurt for sour cream? I make whole milk greek yogurt from scratch 🙂
Shila – Would you be so kind as to share your whole milk greek yogurt from scratch recipe with us? Also, any hints or tips you may have to offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!
Thank you so much for sharing! I have gone without ranch for a couple of years now, because of all the crazy ingredients. Like the Hidden Valley ranch packet (which I used to consider “homemade’ lol, was my favorite, mmm…) but it contains MSG, yuck! So thanks again, I can’t wait to try this out!
Extraordinary- I’m not a dill fan myself and usually leave it out of dishes. But when I was researching this, dill seemed to be “the herb” for ranch and since I was trying to get the ranch flavor my son likes, I went with the dill.
As in everything in cooking, it’s up to you- that’s one of the reasons we make things ourselves: to make them just what WE like. 🙂
Would it be bad if I left out the dill?
I can’t wait to try this – just need some sour cream. My family loves ranch dressing and I hate buying it!
Thanks so much! I have not been totally pleased with any of the Ranch recipes I’ve tried. So I’m trying yours next!
Gina
YUMMY! Thanks for sharing… and doing all the experimenting!!
~Prairie Story
Yum! Looks delicious. 🙂
Coley- Hope this is “the one” for you, too! We’ve had it for up to a month and it’s fine- it separates, so needs to be mixed, but that’s all. May even last longer. 🙂
i’m w/ you all the way w/ store dips/dressings – so full of foreign ingredients. i’m adding this to my favorites!
I make my own ranch dressing too. So much better and less expensive. I agree the lemon juice makes all the difference!
Can’t wait to try this, we’ve been on the hunt for “the” recipe too. How long do you think it keeps after mixed?
I’ve always wondered how to replace the buttermilk in recipes (you cannot get in Argentina). Thanks for your “faux buttermilk” recipe. It will surely come in handy not only for this dressing but for a myriad of other recipes in my cooking book.