Homemade Ranch Dressing (2024)

This creamy homemade ranch dressing is better than the bottled ranch dressing you find in the grocery store. This is made with fresh ingredients and vibrant herbs and is so easy to make. This is the best ranch dressing recipe!

There’s nothing like homemade ranch dressing made from scratch with fresh herbs. The shelf-stable bottled ranch dressing has nothing on homemade ranch made with the freshest ingredients.

We are self-proclaimed ranch dressing aficiondos in our home and put ranch dressing on everything. My kids think they can’t eat pizza without a big bowl of ranch dressing next to them for dipping. We devour ranch dressing in our home!

I have been on a quest to create the perfect ranch dressing. In my quest…there was a lot of taste testing to ensure that the ratios were just right. After much research, I discovered that in my humble opinion, the perfect balance is a combination of mayonnaise, buttermilk, and sour cream.

A crucial part of ranch dressing is the seasonings. It’s the fresh, vibrant, earthy flavors that set it apart from the rest. If you add too many herbs, you may feel as if you are eating out of your Grandma’s garden…but if you add too little herbs, you forget it’s ranch dressing.

It is all about trying to figure out the balance. I discovered that fresh dill (or dried dill if you can’t find fresh), garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, chives, a touch of sugar, salt, and pepper round it out so nicely.

Ranch Dressing Ingredients:

It is so easy to make homemade buttermilk ranch dressing and takes less than 10 minutes to make.

• Mayonnaise — this is the base of this buttermilk ranch dressing and I love to use Duke’s mayonnaise for its quality and flavor.
• Sour Cream — this adds the perfect amount of creaminess and tang. I use full-fat sour cream but you can use reduced fat sour cream.
• Buttermilk — this adds a thick, creamy richness while still bringing a signature tang to the ranch dressing.
• Fresh Dill — this herb is a staple in ranch dressing. I love to use fresh dill but you can use dried dill instead.
• Garlic Powder — I love the taste of garlic in ranch dressing. You can also add fresh garlic instead of garlic powder.
• Chives — this adds the herby, savory punch to ranch dressing. If you are in a pinch, you can use the green part of green onions.
• Fresh Parsley — this peppery herb adds freshness and a peppery bite.
• Onion Powder — adds a big amount of savory flavor notes to the ranch dressing.
• Salt and Pepper — add more salt and pepper to taste and as needed.
• Sugar (optional) — this adds a touch of sweetness to balance out the herbs.

How to make Buttermilk Ranch Dressing:

1. Use a combination of mayonnaise, buttermilk, and sour cream. Each of them plays an important role. The mayonnaise is the creamy base of the dressing. The buttermilk adds a nice creamy acidity to the dressing without adding much fat. The sour cream makes it thick and creamy. It is the winning trifecta!
2. Add herbs and seasonings. Fresh dillplays a major role in homemade ranch. You want that fine balance of earthy flavor without it being overkill. If you can’t find fresh dill, you may substitute with dried dill. It isn’t an even swap as you will use less dried dill than fresh. Garlic and onion powder give it a depth of flavor while parsley brings the freshness.
3. Whisk the ingredients together to avoid lumps. This helps to make the creamiest ranch dressing.
4. Chill the dressing. Chilling is a magical trick as it gives the ingredients time to get to know each other. It also softens the herbs. Chilling also helps to thicken the dressing. Chill for at least 30 minutes but 2 hours is ideal.

This is perfectly paired with my Wedge Salad Recipe with crispy bacon.

I hope you love this homemade ranch dressing recipe! Have a great day, my friends!