Ranch dressing is delicious and so easy to make from scratch. With just a little sour cream, plain greek yogurt, buttermilk and/or mayonnaise and some basic pantry ingredients, you can create a wonderful salad dressing and dip to use on virtually anything.
Let’s get it started…
The base ingredients of this recipe are super flexible. You should have 1 cup total, but this can be 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1/2 cup of mayonnaise or it could be 1/2 cup of greek yogurt and 1/2 cup of buttermilk or any combination of sour cream, buttermilk, plain greek yogurt or mayonnaise. Using low fat sour cream and greek yogurt will give you the healthiest version, but adding mayonnaise will offer a more rich flavor profile. Buttermilk adds tanginess and will result in a looser consistency.
The bottom line is to use what you love or what you have on hand and begin with a total of about a cup in a small bowl. Add 1 small crushed clove of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon of celery salt, 1/4 teaspoon of dried cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon of dried parsley, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, a pinch of black pepper and about a tablespoon of finely chopped fresh dill. If you don’t have fresh dill or can’t find it, you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of dried dill instead. You can also substitute any of the dried herbs with fresh if you happen to have them on hand.
Whisk everything together and do a quick taste test to see if any adjustments are necessary. Depending on the flavors that you prefer, you may feel like adding another pinch of salt or thinning the consistency with more buttermilk or even a splash of regular milk. If you are not using buttermilk, but want to add a little tanginess to this dressing, you can add a squeeze of lemon juice!
This dressing a super easy to make and so flexible! I have whipped it up with what I have on hand and added a pinch of this or a splash of that to it and have anyways loved the end result.
If you are looking for some additional dressing recipes, check out my creamy caesar dressing, herby poblano ranch dressing or this lemon poppyseed dressing. Making dressings at home is surprisingly simple and a great way to control your ingredients and customize your flavors!
Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of mayonnaise or plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup of sour cream or buttermilk
- 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of celery salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of dried cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon of dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- a pinch of black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of fresh dill, finely chopped
- lemon juice (optional)
- milk (optional)
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in one bowl and whisk well
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice for added tanginess or a splash of milk to thin the consistency, if necessary
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator
