The Best Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Recipe 

If you are looking for a homemade ranch dressing recipe that you will keep for life, look no further! I have tested and tweaked this recipe multiples times over so you don’t have to! What I like about the flavor profile is the versatility that it offers. This is one of my all-time favorite things to make!

Use this homemade ranch dressing as a dip for salads and veggies, or to dip your pizza in (my kids’ favorite). You could also use it as the perfect side to go with your boneless wings or over chicken pieces in a salad (yum). The possibilities are truly endless. 

It was only a few years ago I realized I had been cutting myself short in the ranch department by purchasing the bottled stuff. Once my dad introduced me to the option of making my ranch dressing recipe I was hooked forever. 

The thought of buying the bottled stuff from the store makes me feel a bit queasy. My taste buds can sharply tell the difference between the two now!

The fact that ranch mix is so easy to make was my motivator to simply do it myself. Now I always have a fabulous homemade salad dressing on hand when I need it. Or shall I say versatile dressing because let’s be real we use ranch on everything! 

HOW TO MAKE RANCH DRESSING MIX AT HOME 

I have looked into many different copycat recipes when I was learning how to make ranch, and I formulated the perfect blend of them all into one post. The key is to always have ranch mix on hand so that the dressing is fresh every time. The mix also is amazing to use as a dry rub on meats.

The Hidden Valley ranch mix packets at the store are expensive and they are not as clean as just making the mix yourself. It only takes a couple of minutes to whip up your mix that is the exact copycat of the hidden valley ranch packet mix. 

HOMEMADE RANCH DRESSING MIX INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of dry buttermilk powder
• 1 ½ dried parsley flakes
• 2 ½ teaspoons of granulated garlic flakes
• 2 ½ teaspoons of granulated onion flakes
• 2 teaspoons of dried dill weed
• 1 ½ teaspoon of pink Himalayan sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon of course black pepper

TOOLS YOU MAY NEED 

• Small bowl for the mix
• Medium bowl for making the actual ranch dressing
• Airtight container to store the mix in for later use
• Whisk
• Food processor, Blender, or Immersion blender (whatever you have on hand to blend mix)
• Large jar to store the ranch in the refrigerator ( I also like this salad dressing bottle)
• Measuring cups

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE RANCH DRESSING

If you are looking for chili’s copycat ranch dressing simply add in 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1 tablespoon of pickle juice to this recipe. Then voila you have yourself another great variation to try out!

While this is not a low fast recipe by any means…

For the sake of lowering my calories, sodium, and carbs I am leaving out the sour cream and pickle juice in this particular recipe. This traditional ranch dressing recipe tastes great without the added calories. Making it on your own is the only way to go when it comes to flavor and health! 

 Step 1 | Make The Mix

To make the ranch mix get out a small bowl and combine the herbs + spices with the powdered buttermilk. Combine them with a fork or whisk and then blend them up. You can use an immersion blender or just a regular blender for this.

When you make your dressing add in 3 Tablespoons of the mix to a bowl.

Step 2 | Combine The Wet Ingredients

With your bowl and ranch mix, the next step is to add in your wet ingredients: 

Mayonnaise: I usually add 1.5 cups mayonnaise to my ranch dressing and always use an olive oil-based mayo. I try to stay away from Miracle Whip at all costs. The thicker you want your dressing, the more mayonnaise you add in. 

Buttermilk: Add in 1 cup buttermilk or more depending on how thick you like your dressing to be. Some like it thinner and some like it thick! Feel free to get creative here! If you don’t have buttermilk on hand you could use whole milk as well. You may lose some of that “tangy” flavor ranch is known for.

Sour Cream: This is optional, but always flavorful. Add in ½ cup if you decide to add it! 

Dill Pickle Juice: Optional and 1 Tablespoon if you have some on hand!

Step 3 | Whisk Together

This is the simple last step when it comes to making ranch dressing. Combine mayonnaise, buttermilk, and ranch mix. It will meld all of the flavor profiles together to make one creamy, thick, and flavorful dressing. 

COMMON QUESTIONS

What is the difference between regular ranch and buttermilk ranch? 

With any homemade salad dressings, there is a base that makes the majority of the liquid up. The same goes for ranch salad dressing because it is either made up with milk or buttermilk. The tangy nature of buttermilk draws people to use it over regular milk. We all know it’s not low carb! It tastes so good though.

How long does homemade ranch dressing last?

This is a common question. The bottled stuff just lasts a touch longer due to the preservatives found in it. Also, a reason why I do not like to eat it in the first place. 

Homemade ranch dressing will store for about 1 week in the refrigerator. It is important to always refrigerate this dressing due to the milk and potential use of sour cream! 

Is ranch dressing healthy? 

If you are worried about the calories it may be best to substitute the sour cream if using for greek yogurt. This makes it a little more healthy. Or as I am doing, just omit the greek yogurt or sour cream altogether to make this a good dip all around. 

What can you use ranch dressing for?

Here are a few ranch dip ideas for you:

1. Veggie tray
2. Dip your pizza in ranch
3. As a spread on wraps
4. Chicken wings or chicken tenders (check out my favorite homemade barbecue sauce to go on those wings).
5. As an artichoke dip

Best Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Recipe

Lauren Jones

Free of preservatives and junk. This buttermilk ranch dressing recipe rivals chili's ranch dressing recipe anyday! Learn how to make your own mix and dressing in this post.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 1 min

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 10 people

Equipment

• Small Bowl
• Medium Bowl
• Airtight container to store the mix
• Whisk or Wooden Spoon
• Food processor, Blender or Immersion blender (any work)
• Large jar to store ranch
• Measuring cups

Ingredients

  

To Make Ranch Dressing Herbs & Spices Mix

• 1/3 cup Dry buttermilk powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. Dried parsley flakes
• 2 1/2 tsp. Dried and granulated garlic
• 2 1/2 tsp. Dried and granluated onion
• 2 tsp. Dill weed
• 1 1/2 tsp. Himalayan Sea Salt or Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp. Course pepper

To Make The Ranch Dressing From The Mix

• 1 1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
• 1 Cup Buttermilk
• 3 Tbsp. Buttermilk Ranch mix
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream Optional (sub greek yogurt for healthier option)
• 1 Tbsp. Pickle juice Optional

Instructions

 

• Combine all of the mix ingredients into a small bowl and stir together. Dry buttermilk, parsley, granulated onion and garlic, dill weed, salt, and pepper.
• Get our your blender of choice or food processor and blend into a fine powder.
• Store this mixture in an airtight container for around 6 months!
• Add 3 tablespoons of this mixture to make your ranch dressing.

To Make Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

• Get out a bowl and add in 3 tablespoons of your ranch dressing mix.
• Combine to the bowl 1 cup of mayonnaise, and 1 cup of buttermilk. Sitr well until all of the chunks from the mayo are mixed in well.
• If you are adding in sour cream and pickle juice do so now and enjoy your ranch dressing for up to 1 week in the refrigerator!

Keyword Homemade buttermilk. ranch dressing, ranch dressing mix, ranch dressing recipe