Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe

This is the best Ranch Dressing recipe! It comes together with ingredients you can keep on hand and is way better than anything you can buy in the store.

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If my youngest and I were stranded on a desert island and could only have one condiment, she and I would both scream “Ranch Dressing!” before you could even finish asking the question. We love it on just about everything.

This recipe went through several rounds of tweaking and perfecting before I brought out the store-bought ranch. I had my husband taste both side-by-side and he declared that he would never eat the store-bought one, but would totally eat this recipe.

Ranch Dressing Ingredients

With the exception of fresh dill, all of these ingredients are always in my fridge and pantry, making this a recipe I can always make.

Skim Milk: In general, when it comes to milk, you can always go up in fat content, but not down. Since we are using skim here, you can feel free to use whatever milk you have on hand.
Low Fat Mayonnaise: I love using low-fat mayo in my recipes because it cuts calories without sacrificing flavor.
Low Fat Sour Cream: The same goes for low-fat sour cream. It’s just a lower fat content milk being used to make it. They don’t add anything weird to make it low-fat.
Lemon Juice: Normally, ranch starts with buttermilk. We are using milk and lemon juice as a replacement since not everyone keeps buttermilk on hand. But you could certainly replace the milk and lemon juice with one cup of buttermilk.
Fresh Dill: I love the taste of fresh dill in this recipe, and use the leftovers to make my Pickled Eggs. But if you want to make this right now without running to the store, you can replace it with one teaspoon of dried dill.
Dried Parsley: We use dried parsley in so many recipes, so we always have it on hand. If you would like to swap it for fresh parsley, use 1 1/2 tablespoons.
Dried Chives: If you would like to use fresh chives, use two teaspoons.
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper

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How to Make Ranch Dressing

This ranch salad dressing recipe is simple to make, just like most homemade salad dressings. For the full list of measurements, be sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Mix together the lemon and milk. Let it stand for five minutes. This is our buttermilk substitute. We want it to rest so that it will thicken the rest of the dressing. If you want to use buttermilk, skip this step and just start with one cup of buttermilk.
Whisk the remaining ingredients together.
Taste the dressing. Adjust the seasonings if needed. Add more salt and pepper to taste. If the dressing is heavy on the lemon, you can add a pinch of sugar to balance it. Sugar can also balance a dressing that is too salty. Honey will also work well to do this.
Adjust the dressing for consistency if need be. If it is too thick, you can add a dash more milk to make it thinner. If it is too thin, you can whisk in a little more mayonnaise.

While I love this dressing exactly as written , tastes vary. Don’t hesitate to play with this recipe so you love it as much as I do.

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Storing Ranch Dressing

This recipe will keep well in the refrigerator for up to one week. Generally speaking, vinaigrette salad dressings last quite a bit longer, but because of the dairy and fresh herbs in this one, we are going to err on the safe side. Be sure to store in an airtight container or jar.

If this recipe seems like more ranch dressing than you can eat in a week, it can easily be cut in half. I do not recommend freezing leftovers as the texture of the mayonnaise will be unpleasant after thawing.

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Great Ways to Use Ranch

I have so many recipes that have a ranch component to them. This would be great in all of these or just on salad or for dipping fresh vegetables like carrots, celery, or cucumber slices.

This is my go to condiment when I’m making my baked chicken wings .
I’m obsessed with BLT Pizza . I could eat it every single Friday until the end of time.
BLT Ranch Wraps make an easy dinner or school lunch, and they are so tasty.
I can’t stop thinking about my air fryer potato wedges or homemade French fries dipped in Ranch Dressing!

If you make this amazing homemade ranch dressing or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!

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Ingredients

1 cup milk I used skim, see note (227 grams)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise I used reduced fat (226 grams)
1/2 cup sour cream I used reduced fat (113 grams)
2 teaspoons fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried)
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried chives (or 2 teaspoons fresh)
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Mix together the lemon and milk. Let it stand for 5 minutes. 1 cup milk, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Whisk in the remaining ingredients. Taste and add more salt if needed. 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 teaspoons fresh dill, 2 teaspoons dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried chives, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
If you would like a thinner dressing, add a little more milk, about 1 tablespoon at a time.
Enjoy right away on your salads or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Recipe Video

Notes

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