Avoid processed, bottled dressings with this easy homemade buttermilk Ranch Dressing recipe. It’s delicious and made with all real food ingredients.
Do you remember mixing up ranch dressing with a dry, powdered mix when you were a kid? I was born before anyone put it in a bottle — or added like 52 million different flavors to the line, so the mix was how we rolled. I loved it for its creamy, buttermilk flavor.
My sister went through a ranch phase where she practically drank the stuff. My mom joked that she needed to invest in plastic dippers since at least one of her progeny focused on just licking the ranch dressing off the regular dippers.
Over the years I’ve developed some standard dressings that serve as my go-to dressings: Cilantro Lime dressing, Basic Vinaigrette, Dijon Vinaigrette, and Blue Cheese. And now that I think of it, this Tarragon Balsamic Salad Dressing Recipe is pretty awesome as well. So many salad dressings, so little time.
Homemade Ranch Dressing 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 dressing is great on salads or for dipping veggies, pizza, or chicken strips.
Ingredients to make this homemade buttermilk ranch dressing recipe
- Mayonnaise – You can use your favorite mayonnaise. It’s add a great creaminess and flavor.
- Buttermilk – Adding buttermilk adds amazing flavor, a great tang. If you don’t have any you can always make your own by using milk and ½ tablespoon lemon juice.
- Parsley – I used dried but you can always use fresh parsley if you have it.
- Onion powder and Garlic powder – We powders so they blend nicely here and don’t overpower the dressing.
- Cayenne pepper (optional) – If you like a little heat then go ahead and sprinkle in a little cayenne pepper.
How do you make buttermilk ranch dressing from scratch?
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.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Salad
Can I use fresh herbs in ranch dressing?
You absolutely can. I used dried parsley because that’s what I had on hand, but if you have fresh then use that instead. For a slightly different flavor, feel free to add chopped fresh dill and chives.
How long does homemade ranch dressing last?
I often make a batch of Ranch Dressing 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.
What do I serve this buttermilk ranch dressing recipe with?
This dressing goes great with these recipes:
Watch how easy it is to make this ranch dressing recipe!
Delicious Ranch Dressing
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!
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!