If you love dips and sauces, then you will love this Easy Homemade Ranch Dip. Creamy and sporting that classic ranch flavor, it’s a fantastic accompaniment to pizza, veggies, or chicken tenders.
Mix up a batch during your Lunchtime Meal Prep to go on Chicken Bacon Ranch Salads or in Snack Boxes. It’s super easy and tasty!
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Homemade Ranch Dip is a mainstay at our house. We love this stuff, and it’s so easy to make and so much healthier than the store-bought variety — or even the powdered mix. This ranch dressing is great on salads or for dipping veggies, pizza, or chicken strips.
The most popular dressing in the US, Ranch Dip is here to stay — and definitely one you can learn to make from scratch.
Why Make This
It’s all real food. You can avoid processed, bottled dressings and Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning packets with this Buttermilk Ranch Dip Recipe. It’s delicious and made with all real food ingredients.
It’s easy! With only six ingredients, you can mix up this ranch dip recipe in a flash.
It’s delicious. Homemade ranch dressing tastes so much better than what you buy at the store. It tastes fresh and brings great flavor.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make Homemade Ranch Dip:
mayonnaise – I love using mayo for its creaminess and flavor, but you can use sour cream or Greek yogurt if you prefer.
buttermilk – Adding buttermilk adds amazing flavor, a great tang. You can make Remember
parsley – I used dried but you can always use fresh parsley if you have it. You can also add fresh or dried dill.
onion powder and garlic powder – they blend nicely here and don’t overpower the dressing, giving just the right flavor. You can also use a teaspoon of fresh garlic if you prefer.
cayenne pepper (optional) – If you like a little heat then go ahead and sprinkle in a little cayenne pepper.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This homemade ranch dressing recipe couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl until smooth.
You can season this to taste with a pinch of cayenne pepper. And you can serve this immediately or refrigerate the dressing until ready to use.
FAQs
Ranch dip typically has parsley, garlic, and onion flavoring a creamy dip base, such as mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream, and/or yogurt.
I use dried parsley and spices because they’re pantry staples I always have on hand. If you have fresh parsley, garlic, and chopped chives, then use that instead.
I often make a batch of Ranch Dip on pizza night. It’s good for 4 days refrigerated. It mixes up so quickly; it’s a great recipe to have a child prepare.
Serving Suggestions
Ranch Dip is great with these recipes!
Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dip
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon dry parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch ground cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl until smooth.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for several hours to allow flavors to blend.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on July 2, 2008. One of my first ever recipes! It has been updated for content and clarity.
Dvinediane
How would you thicken this up to make more of a dip? Also if needs to be DF? Thanks.
Jessica Fisher
To make a thicker dip, use less buttermilk. To make it dairy-free, use a nut or coconut milk.
kay
In the powdered packet only days of long ago my mother used to add a packet and buttermilk to the “only the dregs left on the sides” mayo jar. Screw the top back on, shake and you had not only a thrifty use of the very last of the mayo, but also a handy container for the dressing.
Jessica Fisher
Yes! I do that with jams and mustards. Never did that with mayo. Thanks for the suggestion, Kay!
Amy
I make this dairy free by using just a splash of water to breakup the mayo. I eyeball all my seasonings and I can whip up some ranch dressing in 3 minutes or less. So yummy and totally worth making homemade without the packet 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Great. Thanks for the tip!
Theresa
Blessed to have such an awesome grandma. She mixed half sour dream, half plain yogurt with a spoonful of mayo, some dill, onion powder, maybe some garlic, pepper, pinch a sugar. I forgot exactly. Every day she had a tray of veggies on the table. We feasted all day on that, cheese n crackers, her version of cowboy cookies , etc. I could go on and on about her but I won’t right now 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Sounds like some great memories!