I present to you the best homemade ranch dressing ever. Not only does it taste great, but it is incredibly easy to make with common ingredients. No need for buttermilk, which is expensive and usually goes to waste. I've been making this recipe for years, and I love it with chicken and salads the most.
Try this ranch dressing with my Baked Buffalo Wings recipe!
About This Recipe
I've been making ranch dressing since I was a kid. My parents never bought the stuff in bottles because we could never finish it. But that meant when I actually wanted ranch, there was never any at home. So I would often end up experimenting and trying to make my own with whatever we had in the kitchen.
Sometimes that meant making ranch sauce with only a few ingredients... which did not always taste good. But the benefit of all my trial and error is that I found what ingredients truly mattered. And to my surprise, buttermilk has never felt like an essential ingredient for ranch. Some people may disagree, but give this recipe a try and it will change your mind.
For me, a classic ranch dressing only needs a few ingredients. Everything else is filler. You need mayonnaise, sour cream, some form of dill (dried or fresh), garlic, and an acid like vinegar or lemon juice. I typically go with lemon juice because it is less harsh than vinegar, and I like the flavor more.
This ranch dressing is extremely versatile. You can use it with chicken strips, chicken wings, salads, pizza, sandwiches, wraps....everything.
Key Ingredients
Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise forms the base of the sauce. I love Hellman's mayonnaise the best.
Sour cream: The type of sour cream is very important, depending on what you want to use the ranch for. If you want to use it as a dip, I recommend going with regular fat (14%) sour cream because it will result in a thicker texture. If you want a runnier texture for something like a salad, you can use lower-fat sour cream.
Garlic: Garlic is essential for the flavor of ranch dressing. I grate my garlic on a microplane to extract as much flavor as possible.
Lemon juice: Brightens up the entire sauce and also helps loosen it up a bit.
Dried dill: For me, dill is the most important ingredient in a ranch dressing. I find dried dill is not only more convenient, but it tastes very close to the fresh version.
Seasonings: You'll need onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
Optional: For added freshness, you can add fresh dill and chopped parsley!
Instructions
STEP 1: In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients.
STEP 2: Mix well, then taste and adjust the salt. If you like it runnier, you can add more lemon juice or some milk. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
๐ Recipe
Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- ยพ cup mayonnaise
- ยฝ cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt mixed with a spoon of olive oil)
- 1-2 cloves garlic (grated)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- ยฝ teaspoon onion powder
- ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- ยผ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley (optional)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients. Taste and adjust the salt and black pepper to your own taste. If you like it thicker, add more mayonnaise or sour cream. If you like it thinner, add some plain milk or buttermilk.
- Use as a salad dressing or dip. I love it with chicken wings! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Robin
Easy to follow instructions. BEST ranch dressing or dip Iโve ever made!