If you’ve never thought of making homemade ranch dressing, now’s the time to give it a try! You’ll find yourself using this ranch on absolutely everything once you make it. This recipe is so simple and it tastes a million times better than the bottled stuff.
Homemade Ranch Dressing
There are two things that we BLAZE through at our house: sriracha and ranch dressing. To be honest, we go through more ranch dressing than I care to admit.
If you are a ranch dressing fan like us, you know that the ranch dressing from the bottle at the store does not taste anywhere NEAR as good as ranch dressings that you get at a restaurant. that is because most restaurants don’t use the bottled stuff. Instead, they make their own homemade ranch dressing.
If you are still buying ranch dressing from a bottle at the store, you have GOT to give this homemade ranch dressing recipe a try. See for yourself and compare. You will see what I am talking about!
What to Use Homemade Ranch Dressing For
It might be easier to say what you can’t put it on, because we use it for pretty much everything at our house. Here’s a quick list of what we use homemade ranch dressing with:
- chicken tenders
- fries
- sandwiches
- pizza
- tortilla chips (so good!)
- raw veggies
- salads
The list goes on and on. Try it and see. 🙂
Ranch Dressing Ingredients
Making homemade ranch dressing is simple! All you need are a few simple ingredients:
- Mayonaise – I recommend using the brands Best Foods or Hellmann’s
- Buttermilk – don’t have any on hand? No problem – find our easy buttermilk substitution here
- Pepper
- Parsley – dry
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
The final ingredient you’ll need for homemade ranch dressing is a particular type of seasoning salt. “Accent” is one brand and “Spike” is another. Be forewarned that Accent seasoning contains MSG, which many people are sensitive to. For that reason, we recommend using Spike seasoning.
Another option is to make your own seasoned salt. A reader was kind enough to share these two recipes with us that she has used for homemade ranch dressing before. She also recommended using it as an accent for meats, poultry, and seafood, as well as grilled or roasted veggies.
Homemade Emeril’s Essence Seasoning
Ingredients
1 Tbsp paprika 1 Tbsp sea salt
1 Tbsp garlic powder 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp cayenne pepper (like it spicy, use more)
Instructions
In a small bowl, add all of the above ingredients and mix well to combine. (use the back of spoon to mash/grind the ingredients together.) Transfer to a 4-ounce mason jar or clean recycled spice jar.
No-Salt Seasoning Mix
Ingredients
1 Tbsp garlic powder 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley 1 1/4 tsp dried savory
1 1/4 tsp ground thyme 1 tsp ground mace
1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried sage 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Directions
Mix garlic powder, basil, parsley, savory, thyme, mace, onion powder, black pepper, sage, and cayenne pepper in a bowl; store in a sealed jar.
Recipe for Light Ranch Dressing
Yes, you can make a light homemade ranch dressing! Instead of making this recipe with mayo and buttermilk, use greek yogurt and 1 1/2 cups of skim milk respectively. It won’t taste QUITE as good– but you won’t feel as guilty 🙂
More Dip Recipes:
- Chili Cheese Dip
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Easy Spinach Dip
- 5-Minute Dill Pickle Dip
- Homemade Salad Dressing with Fresh Lemon and Basil
- Jalapeno Greek Yogurt Dip
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
How to Make Homemade Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 c. mayonnaise (Best Foods or Hellmann's)
- 2 c. buttermilk
- 1/2 tsp. pepper or to taste
- 1 Tbsp. parsley
- 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp. onion powder
- 2 Tbsp. "Accent" OR "Spike" seasoning or to taste (Spike has no added MSG, so we prefer that.. but either works great!)
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together well using a whisk. Chill for at least 2 hours.
- If you want to make up some dry mix to save for later or for a recipe that calls for "dry ranch dressing packet", just combine dry ingredients and store in an air-tight container. 3 Tbsp of this mix is equal to what comes in your typical-sized ranch dressing packet.
Andrea (Quest for Delish) says
Do you use dry parsley or fresh?
Erica says
You will want to use dry– I’m sure fresh would be ok though!
Saleha says
Hi can we have another substitute for the accent or spike seasoning as we cannot find it in middle east
Erica says
Hmm… I am sure any kind of seasoning-type salt would work!
Kathy says
I have the hardest time finding Accent at my local Walmart or grocery store. What section do you find it at? I always look by the spices and seasonings. Thanks!
Stacey Hunt says
Hi, just a warning. Are you aware that Accent is just pure MSG? Have you ever had a bad reaction to it? It is terrible…the worse for me is the horrible migraine that comes withing 20 minutes of just starting my meal. Vomiting, throbbing pain, swirling eye blinding light, just shaking for at least 24 hrs. So, use wisely, and always ask before you order Chinese food as they use it freely! Unless it states on the menu that don’t.
Erica says
You can substitute the Accent for any kind of seasoning salt. We mostly will use “Spike” to cut out on the MSG
Melissa says
This sounds delicious! How long can you keep this in the fridge?
Erica says
It can stay up to a week 🙂
Vickie says
This is close to accent seasoning.
Homemade Emeril’s Essence Seasoning
Ingredients
1 Tbsp paprika 1 Tbsp sea salt
1 Tbsp garlic powder 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp cayenne pepper (like it spicy, use more)
Instructions
In a small bowl, add all of the above ingredients and mix well to combine. (use the back of spoon to mash/grind the ingredients together.) Transfer to a 4-ounce mason jar or clean recycled spice jar.
This seasoning mix is not only a great accent for meats, poultry and seafood, but is also delicious on grilled or roasted veggies
I use this in a lot of dishes
No-Salt Seasoning Mix
Ingredients
1 Tbsp garlic powder 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley 1 1/4 tsp dried savory
1 1/4 tsp ground thyme 1 tsp ground mace
1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried sage 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Directions
Mix garlic powder, basil, parsley, savory, thyme, mace, onion powder, black pepper, sage, and cayenne pepper in a bowl; store in a sealed jar.
Echo says
Thank you for sharing this!
Vickie says
This Ranch Dressing Mix is good
Dry Ranch Mix
Ingredients
1 cup dried parsley 2/3 cup garlic salt
1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers 1/2 cup dried minced onion
1/2 cup onion salt 1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup garlic powder 2 Tbsp dried dill weed
2 Tbsp ground black pepper (optional)
Directions
Combine the parsley, garlic salt, crushed saltines, minced onion, onion salt, onion powder, garlic powder, dill weed, and black pepper in a sealable container; shake
Echo says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I can’t wait to try it!
Sandi says
This was so good on our salad last night! Thank you!
Katherine says
So nice to have a good homemade buttermilk ranch dressing recipe!!