The Best Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe (5 Minutes, No Mayo)
A family tested, kid-approved ranch dressing recipe made with real food ingredients that you mix up in just minutes, without mayonnaise and your choice of sour cream or yogurt. It’s a creamy, flavorful alternative to store bought versions that you can use for all your favorite pairings: veggies, salads, or as a dip. With lots of 5-star ratings, you can confidently forget about bottles and packets for this simple and delicious recipe.
✩ What readers are saying…
“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….Amazing.” -Emily
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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 ranch dressing recipe, too.
The Testing
When making all those other recipes I tried out, 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 some to come up with something that was simple, tasty, frugal (a batch costs around $1.50), and REAL.
But it wasn’t until it passed the taste test with our ranch-aholic son that I knew we had a winner. And since then it has passed the test with more family and friends as well as the many 5-star ratings in the comments!
Recipe Video
Ranch Dressing Ingredients & Notes
Items and ingredients needed:
- Sour cream: Our family preferred the taste of a sour cream based dressing vs. mayonnaise (see more on this below). I often make this with half sour cream and half plain yogurt (regular or Greek) which adds more protein but doesn’t have a full-on yogurt flavor. Some reviewers have made it with all yogurt and like the added tang, so feel free to experiment with the sour cream-yogurt ratios.
- Buttermilk: This is the classic ranch dressing ingredient (the dry mix packets have buttermilk powder), so if you can find a buttermilk without additives (usually a cultured type) that’s great. I find it hard to find so usually use the “faux buttermilk” mixture of regular milk with vinegar (for this recipe, a 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1-1/2 teaspoon vinegar).
- Lemon juice: Either fresh or bottled is fine for this classic salad dressing ingredient that really brightens the flavor. Some people have suggested just using this with regular milk to recreate the buttermilk and not add the vinegar at all – it could work, though I haven’t tried it.
- Fresh garlic: While I prefer the flavor of fresh garlic in the dressing, you can use 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder if you’d like.
- Dried parsley: This is the main herb in ranch dressing.
- Onion powder: I always use granulated onion instead of powder as I feel it measures better and has more flavor.
- Sea salt: You can use any salt you have. Start with the measurements, but taste after it’s mixed and see if you’d like more.
- Black pepper: I usually use coarse ground pepper – if you use fine ground, start with less than the 1/2 teaspoon and taste to adjust.
- Dried dill or fresh: The second herb in ranch dressing, a little goes a long way with dill. Adjust the amount if you’d like more or less.
Buttermilk Note
A note on buttermilk: A few years ago I realized that, for the most part, what they sell in the stores as “buttermilk” is not true buttermilk (which is the milk extracted during the process of making butter), but a milk with thickeners and often preservatives added to it. It’s sometimes cultured, but traditional buttermilk wasn’t always cultured. Since I’d like to avoid additives and I don’t have access to real buttermilk, I always make the “faux buttermilk” I mentioned above.
Sour Cream Note
Check the label of your sour cream!
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). Compare this with the ingredients on most of the other store brands which list at least 10 ingredients including fillers, preservatives, and thickeners.
Why no mayonnaise?
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
- Or with just a little thinning with milk it can coat lettuce for a dressing
- Our family likes the flavor better.
- And it seems a bit ‘lighter’ than oil-heavy mayo.
- Bonus: it makes the dressing egg-free for those avoiding eggs.
Plus, since I make my own mayonnaise, we pretty much save it for sandwiches and caesar salad dressing since mayo is a must for that dressing.
A few tools that are great for homemade salad dressings
- Glass tablespoon measuring cup (SO much easier than spoons for liquids!)
- Pint glass jar with zinc lid
- Salad dressing style bottle with flip-top lid
How to Make Ranch Dressing
Step 1: Start by mixing sour cream, buttermilk, and lemon juice. Once the wet ingredients are mixed, add the garlic and dry spices.
Step 2: Mix ingredients well. You can simply shake everything together in a pint jar (shown) use a whisk it up in a 2-cup container before pouring into a bottle.
TIP: 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.
And that’s it! Seems silly that I’d ever take the time to buy this when it takes like, 5 minutes, right?
Storage
How long does the ranch dressing keep?
We’ve never had it go bad, but I’ll stay on the safe side and say 3 weeks to a month in the fridge. Since it’s homemade with no stabilizers, it will thin a bit as it sits, but you can add a bit more sour cream or yogurt and maybe a bit more salt, whisk it in and it’s good to go.
Interested in storing a dry ranch dressing mix?
I put all the seasonings together in a recipe here (as a cute jar gift) with instructions on how to mix it up. I often make a batch to keep on hand when I want to whip up a fresh batch of dressing quickly or to use to shake on popcorn, crackers, or chicken.
Reader Raves
“This is the most enjoyable ranch recipe that I have tried. The consistency is great. I love that it doesn’t call for mayonnaise. Thank you for sharing it.” -Heather
“Finally found a ranch recipe that tastes great!!!! Really don’t like the mayonnaise flavor in ranch. So Thank you!!!!!” -Tiffany
“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!” -Tara
“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!” -Amy B.
I hope you give this ranch dressing recipe a try, too, and let me know what you think by leaving a rating and review!
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Best Homemade Ranch Dressing (5 Minutes, No Mayo)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream*
- 1/2 cup buttermilk add 1-1/2 teaspoons vinegar to milk to equal 1/2 cup if you can’t find real buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 large garlic clove, minced (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley or 3 tablespoons chopped fresh
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt or regular salt, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon dried dill or 1 teaspoon fresh, to taste
Instructions
- Combine sour cream, buttermilk, and lemon juice in a pint jar or quart mixing bowl. Shake or whisk to mix well.
- Add the remaining ingredients and shake (or whisk) again until well combined. If using a bowl, transfer to a dressing container with lid.NOTE: If you like your dressing thicker, mix the sour cream and seasonings first, then add the buttermilk slowly until you reach your desired consistency.
- Refrigerate one or more hours before using to let the flavors mingle and then taste to adjust seasonings.
- Shake well before each use (see storage tip if dressing thins some in the fridge).
Notes
Nutrition
More Favorite Homemade Dressings
- Homemade Honey Mustard Dressing
- Basic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing 4 Ways
- Mason Jar Ranch Salad Dressing Dry Mix (my recipe made into a mix with directions!)
This recipe has been updated in 2018 and 2025 – it was originally published in 2011.
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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. 🙂