My homemade buttermilk ranch dressing recipe couldn’t be easier to make and with a tangy flavor and creamy texture, you won’t get in store-bought ranch dressing. The fresh herbs and seasonings make this creamy dressing irresistibly delicious.
My homemade buttermilk ranch dressing is about as close to everyones favorite hidden valley ranch, just without all the unnecessary added ingredients.
Ranch salad dressing is my wife’s favorite salad dressing, and since it takes less than ten minutes to make, I always have it on hand.
If you’re looking for a delicious, easy to make homemade dressing, I promise my Buttermilk Ranch dressing will not disappoint. It’s a delicious way to enjoy a green salad and it makes a great dip too!
If you enjoy make homemade salad dressings, make sure to try my homemade bleu cheese dressing and my delicious coleslaw dressing.
Ingredients
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Made with simple ingredients
- buttermilk or whole milk
- mayonnaise
- sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- fresh lemon juice
- dried chives
- dried parsley
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- table salt
- black pepper
I love the flavor boost the tangy buttermilk gives ranch dressing, but you can also make it with whole milk. You can also make your own buttermilk by adding lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to regular milk, but nothing beats the the flavor of real buttermilk!
If you want to make a vegan version of this delicious dressing, you can use cashew milk with vegan mayonnaise and sour cream.
Dried herbs actually work better with this dressing, but you can use fresh chives, fresh parsley, and fresh dill if you prefer fresh over dried, but you will need to use twice as much of the fresh herb to get the right flavor.
You can also substitute Plain Greek yogurt or plain regular yogurt for the sour cream. The yogurt will add a nice tang to the my homemade buttermilk ranch recipe.
How to Make Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Follow along with my easy directions to see how to make buttermilk ranch dressing in your own kitchen!
- Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk to a large bowl.
- Whisk the ingredients until smooth and creamy.
- Add the seasonings to the mixture.
- Whisk to combine the seasonings into the dressing fully.
For a thicker consistency, use a few tablespoons less buttermilk. For a thinner dressing add a few tablespoons more of buttermilk to your homemade salad dressing. The amount of buttermilk is a personal choice when making homemade ranch dressing.
Pour the dressing into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. The dressing should be allowed to set for 4 hours (overnight is best) to let the flavors build; it will taste much better the day after making it.
I use decorative little mason jars to store my homemade salad dressings.
I love, love, love buttermilk ranch. It’s a delicious salad dressing, but can also be used as a dip for raw veggies, french fries, potato chips and even drizzled on pizza crust.
Recipe FAQ’s
Ranch dressing starts with a base of mayonnaise and sour cream, with buttermilk or milk added. This creamy and flavorful dressing is seasoned with dried chives, dried parsley, dried dill weed, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
This delicious dressing is not just for salads, it also makes a delicious dip for vegetables and buffalo chicken. It also makes a great topping for baked potatoes, asparagus, and broccoli.
No, you don’t. You can use whole milk instead of buttermilk and use plain yogurt instead of sour cream or mayonnaise for the tang you get from the buttermilk.
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Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1 teaspoon dried chives
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk to a large bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Add the seasonings to the bowl and whisk to combine.
- Pour the dressing into an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. The dressing should set overnight to let the flavors build. It will taste much better the day after making it.
Suzette says
Chef Dennis always has the best recipes! They are delicous, yet they use common and accessible ingredients and techniques so that every cook becomes a Michelin rated chef for a day. This is seriously good stuff.
This Buttermilk Ranch dressing recipe is no exception. It is the kind of dressing you actually do want to put on everything.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you Suzette! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the dressing, that and my bleu cheese are two of my favorites!
Michelle says
Your recipe looks great and I’m excited to try it. I am confused on some of the ingredients however. At the beginning you mention fennel and later you do not give the amount required for fennel. Can you please advise.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for catching that Michelle, its definitely a mistake in the body of the post, there is no fennel in ranch dressing!
Debbie D says
Tried many ranch recipes. My son is an expert on ranch taste testing & he said this was the best! Hubby & myself agreed! Thank you Chef!