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If you’ve never made homemade ranch dressing, now’s the time to give it a try! You’ll find yourself using this ranch on everything once you make it. This recipe is so simple and it tastes a million times better than the bottled stuff.
There are two things that we blaze through at our house: sriracha, and ranch dressing. If you are a ranch dressing fan like us, you know that store-bought ranch dressing does not taste anywhere near as good as ranch dressings that you get at a restaurant. Most restaurants don’t use bottled stuff. Instead, they make their own homemade ranch dressing. This homemade buttermilk ranch dressing is perfect for salads, tacos or your kids’ favorite chicken nuggets. See for yourself how amazing this dressing is.
Homemade Ranch Dressing Ingredients
Making homemade ranch dressing is simple! All you need are a few simple ingredients that you can leave in your pantry and refrigerator to have on hand. Simply mix the ingredients together for a smooth and creamy sauce everyone will be raving about!
- Mayonnaise – I recommend using the brands Best Foods or Hellmann’s. It is a rich and flavorful mayo that seems to work best with this dressing recipe.
- Buttermilk – Easily make your own homemade buttermilk or purchase it at the store.
- Accent or spike seasoning – Choose the best seasoning that you prefer for the extra flavor boost. This is a seasoning salt. The accent seasoning 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.
- Black Pepper – Balance the flavors with a little hint of spice.
- Parsley – Dry parsley will give the white creamy texture some speckles of beautiful green and extra flavor.
- Dill – Dried dill adds just a little more needed extra flavor and color.
- Garlic Powder – This of course is a garlicky flavor add-in. It is a great seasoning to enhance the flavors together.
- Onion Powder – Oniony flavor is added using a powder mix. This is dehydrated onions that are crushed and turned into a powder form.
- Optional: add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice or some chopped cooked bacon for a delicious bacon ranch dressing.
Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix
We like to make a Ranch Seasoning Mix by combining the dry seasonings ahead of time. I like to double or triple the amount of dry ingredients in this recipe and store it in an airtight container. It will stay good at room temperature for up to 6 months. Combine 3 Tablespoons of ranch seasoning mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup buttermilk.
Make a Lighter Version
Yes, you can make a light homemade ranch dressing! Instead of making this recipe with mayo and buttermilk, use plain Greek yogurt and skim milk. It won’t taste quite as rich as a full buttermilk ranch dressing recipe, but will have less calories and you’ll still have a creamy ranch dressing to enjoy on your salads.
Variations to this Recipe
If you want to make your own accent seasoning from scratch instead of finding it at the store, try this homemade Emeril’s Essence Seasoning recipe. Special thanks to our reader, Vickie, for this flavorful ranch dressing recipe!
- Paprika – one tablespoon
- Sea salt – one tablespoon
- Garlic powder – one tablespoon
- Onion powder – one and a half teaspoons
- Dried oregano – one and a half teaspoons
- Thyme – also dried, use one and a half teaspoons
- Black Pepper – one teaspoon
- Cayenne pepper – one teaspoon or more if you like it extra spicy.
In a small bowl, add all of the above ingredients and mix well to combine. (use the back of a spoon to mash/grind the ingredients together.) Transfer to a 4-ounce mason jar or clean recycled spice jar.
No Salt Seasoning Mix
Vickie also helpfully provided us with a no salt recipe if you want to cut down on sodium and use dried herbs for added flavor. Thanks, Vickie!
- Garlic powder – one tablespoon
- Dried basil – one and a half teaspoons
- Parsley – dried parsley, about one and a half teaspoons
- Dried Savory – one and a quarter teaspoons
- Ground thyme – one and a quarter teaspoons
- Mace – one teaspoon ground mace
- Onion powder – one teaspoon
- Black pepper – one teaspoon
- Dried sage – one teaspoon
- Cayenne pepper – a quarter teaspoon
Mix garlic powder, basil, parsley, savory, thyme, mace, onion powder, black pepper, sage, and cayenne pepper in a bowl; store in a sealed jar.
What to Use Homemade Ranch Dressing For
It might be easier to say what you can’t put 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. Get ready to start adding this homemade salad dressing to everything! It truly is the best ranch dressing.
- Meals – Chicken tenders, sandwiches, pizza, chicken wings, and tacos are all great ways to add an extra condiment to the food.
- Sides – Start dipping your french fries, tortilla chips, and carrots into the ranch salad dressing.
- Veggies – Raw vegetables like broccoli, bell peppers, celery, and cucumbers are a perfect combination!
Frequently Asked Questions
It is best not to freeze ranch dressing. If you freeze it, the texture and flavor may change after it has been frozen. Fresh is best with this homemade ranch dressing to keep it a desired consistency.
Store the homemade ranch dressing in the fridge in an airtight container for two weeks. Stir when ready to serve it up.
We like to use dried herbs because they don’t change the consistency or texture of the dressing, but if you’ve got fresh parsley, fresh dill, fresh chives, etc. on hand, by all means, chop them up and use them! You can also use them as toppers to your salad and not necessarily in the dressing itself.
Ranch dressing was created by a man from Alaska named Steve Henson. He built a ranch in Santa Barbara California where he perfected the dressing and gave it the name of Ranch Dressing.
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How to Make Ranch Dressing
Homemade Ranch Dressing
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups mayonnaise (Best Foods or Hellmann's)
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons "Accent" OR "Spike" seasoning* or to taste (Spike has no added MSG)
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together well using a whisk.
- Chill for at least 2 hours.
Dry Ranch Dressing Mix
- Combine dry ingredients and store in an air-tight container.
- 3 tablespoons of this mix is equal to what comes in your typical-sized ranch dressing packet (3 Tablespoons of Mix with 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1 cup of buttermilk)
- Serve over salads or as a dip with veggies.
Notes
Variations:
Try using these dry ingredients in place of the dry ingredients above. Homemade Emeril’s Essence SeasoningIngredients
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 Tablespoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon 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 a 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 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
1 ½ teaspoon dried parsley
1 ¼ teaspoons dried savory
1 ¼ teaspoons ground thyme
1 teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon 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.
Can you use Miracle Whip? Instead of mayo.
Yes that should work!
I only like to use homemade ranch for salads & dips. It is the easiest to make & so much better than store bought!
Homemade ranch is the way to go!! Quick & easy & tastes great on just about anything!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! It’s really helpful and really flavorful! Will make this again!
Homemade Ranch is the absolute best! It is so simple to make to! We use it on/with everything.
So nice to have a good homemade buttermilk ranch dressing recipe!!
This was so good on our salad last night! Thank you!
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
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I can’t wait to try it!
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.
Thank you for sharing this!
This sounds delicious! How long can you keep this in the fridge?
It can stay up to a week 🙂
Hi can we have another substitute for the accent or spike seasoning as we cannot find it in middle east
Hmm… I am sure any kind of seasoning-type salt would work!
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!
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.
You can substitute the Accent for any kind of seasoning salt. We mostly will use “Spike” to cut out on the MSG
Do you use dry parsley or fresh?
You will want to use dry– I’m sure fresh would be ok though!