Homemade Ranch Dressing

A simple recipe to make your own homemade ranch dressing! So easy and made with just a few basic ingredients that you probably already have on hand!

Quick & Easy Homemade Dressing

Ever since Luke decided that he will no longer eat anything without “dip” (AKA ranch dressing) I’ve been on the hunt for an alternative to the Hidden Valley we’d been keeping in our fridge. I wanted something that was a bit more wholesome and where I recognized the ingredients on the label, and so began the hunt for my own ranch dressing recipe.

Today I’m finally sharing this quick and easy (and toddler-approved!) 5 minute recipe. It can be used either as a dip for your veggies or as a dressing for your salad and can be substituted in any recipe that calls for ranch dressing.

It’s incredibly simple, so let’s get right to it!

• Buttermilk. Full-fat buttermilk adds flavor, richness, tang, and body to the ranch dressing (and also technically makes it a buttermilk ranch dressing, I suppose!). If you can’t get your hands on buttermilk, you can use my buttermilk substitute using whole milk and lemon juice or vinegar, but keep in mind the dressing will be thinner.
• Mayo. Use a mayonnaise that you know you enjoy the taste of, as this is an important starting point for the dressing. For my toddler, I like to use Primal Kitchen brand mayo made with avocado oil, but I’m not nearly as picky if I’m making this for myself and will use Hellmann’s or Duke’s.
• Sour cream. Sour cream is another ingredient that adds that tangy, zesty flavor you love to homemade ranch dressing. If you’re looking to lighten up your ranch, you can substitute this ingredient with plain Greek yogurt instead.
• Vinegar or lemon juice. Either can be used to add to the tanginess of the ranch! I usually use white vinegar because I always have it on hand, but the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon is also great!
• Olive oil. I like the added body that a splash of oil adds to the dressing.
• Sugar. Likely an unexpected ingredient in homemade ranch dressing, the small pinch of sugar that I add does not make the dressing sweet but does add to the overall flavor. You can reduce or eliminate this if you’d like, but after numerous taste-testing sessions I preferred versions made with the sugar. Which should surprise exactly no one.
• Spices. While I dabbled with a number of different spices, for the most classic ranch dressing taste I ultimately opted for just garlic, onion, parsley, and good old fashioned salt and pepper. I do have some additional add-in spices listed in the FAQ below for anyone who would like to be a bit more adventurous.

Frequently Asked Questions

Enjoy!

Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

Homemade Ranch Dressing

5 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dip

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 16 servings (2 Tablespoons per serving, recipe makes 2 cups of dressing)

Calories: 118kcal

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup (236 g) mayo
• ▢ ⅓ cup (80 g) sour cream
• ▢ ½ cup (118 ml) buttermilk
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated sugar optional
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon table salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon onion powder

Recommended Equipment

• ▢
  Mixing bowls
• ▢
  Whisk

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Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined
  1 cup (236 g) mayo, ⅓ cup (80 g) sour cream, ½ cup (118 ml) buttermilk, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon table salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours (to give the flavors time to develop) before serving.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (2 Tablespoons) | Calories: 118kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 137mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 52IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!