Homemade buttermilk ranch dressing is made with quality ingredients and is healthier than its store-bought counterparts. This cool and creamy dressing is delicious not just over green salad, but great to drizzle over pizza, and quesadilla; it can serve as a dip for chicken wings and vegetables.
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Made from scratch buttermilk ranch dressing recipe
Honestly, if you like salad dressings, YOU MUST make it yourself. Because the homemade dressing is super simple and easy to make than you would anticipate. Making salad dressing at home not only saves money but gives you full control over the quantity you make depending on your needs.
Simple ingredients are mixed in a bowl and ready to enjoy.
The homemade buttermilk ranch dressing recipe is versatile, and gives you full control. It’s easy to enhance a specific flavor but add more of a particular spice. Use dried herbs or fresh herbs based on availability.
You know what goes into the dressing recipe when made at home. With fewer calories, it can be enjoyed in many ways. Can be served as a dressing for salad or as a dip.
Difference between ranch and buttermilk ranch
The base for any ranch dressing starts with mayonnaise and sour cream. Regular ranch dressing has milk added to get desired consistency depending on how you want to serve it. In buttermilk ranch dressing instead of milk, buttermilk is used. When regular ranch dressing or dips are thicker buttermilk ranch dressing or dip has a thin consistency and the flavor profile for sour taste is more. Both regular and buttermilk ranch use almost the same herbs and seasoning for flavor.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need-
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried parsley (1 tablespoon if using fresh)
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon chives
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
Ranch base –mayonnaise and sour cream are the base for buttermilk ranch like any other ranch. This is the creamy component along with buttermilk. You can use homemade buttermilk or store-bought.
Flavor base – seasoning spices and herbs add flavor.
Flavors of onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika (sometimes) are what define a ranch.
Along with seasoning, fresh or dried herbs make a ranch dressing. You can use either fresh herbs or dried herbs or a mix of both. Dill, parsley, and chives are the main herbs you would add to the ranch.
Dried herbs have a strong flavor, use ⅓ of the measurement compared to fresh herbs.
Buttermilk ranch dressing recipe
In 5 minutes you can make your ranch dressing, it’s that quick and easy to make.
To make it, simply combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to blend.
If you like to serve it as a dip, make it thick by reducing the buttermilk quantity. I would add ½ cup buttermilk.
Ranch dressing is best when served cold. Refrigerate it for minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. While the ranch sits in the fridge it develops the flavor over time.
How to use
It can be served as dressing drizzled over salads, pizza, or even quesadillas. Make it slightly thick you can serve this ranch as a dip for chicken wings or chicken meatballs or steamed/roasted vegetables.
This is my go-to dressing for a green salad. Simply drizzle a generous amount of it over salad and enjoy.
How to store buttermilk ranch dressing
You can make it ahead and store it for a few days in the fridge. Homemade ranch dressing can be stored in an airtight container and stored in a fridge for a week. Consume the dressing within a week. If buttermilk used in the recipe is near the expiration date, you must consume this ranch more quickly than before 7 days.
Helpful tips
- Use quality ingredients like good quality mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk. The taste of ranch dressing depends on the quality of ingredients used.
- Use fresh homemade buttermilk or store-bought buttermilk. Check the expiration date of buttermilk before using it in the recipe. Avoid using near to expiration date buttermilk, so you can store ranch for a week.
- Although you can store buttermilk ranch dressing for a week in the refrigerator, if buttermilk used in the recipe is near the expiration date, you must consume this ranch quickly than before 7 days.
- Always serve chilled ranch. It’s best when served cold. Refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. While the ranch sits in the fridge it develops the flavor over time.
- If you like to serve it as a dip, make it thick by reducing the buttermilk quantity. I would add ½ cup buttermilk.
FAQS
I wouldn’t recommend it. The base for any ranch dressing starts with mayonnaise and sour cream. Sour cream gives the ranch its signature sour/tang taste which you won’t get in cream cheese.
Yes, you can use low-fat mayonnaise.
Yes, I don’t see why you can’t add fresh garlic to the recipe. Alternatively, feel free to increase the quantity of garlic powder if you don’t want to use raw garlic.
Yes, you can. Dried herbs have a strong flavor, use ⅓ of the measurement compared to fresh herbs.
Yes. If you like to serve it as a dip, make it thick by reducing the buttermilk quantity. I would add ½ cup buttermilk.
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📋Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried parsley 1 tablespoon if using fresh
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon chives
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- To make it, simply combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk to blend.
- If you like to serve it as a dip, make it thick by reducing the buttermilk quantity. I would add ½ cup buttermilk.
- Ranch dressing is best when served cold. Refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. While the ranch sits in the fridge it develops the flavor over time.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- Use quality ingredients like good quality mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk. The taste of ranch dressing depends on the quality of ingredients used.
- Use fresh homemade buttermilk or store-bought buttermilk. Check the expiration date of buttermilk before using it in the recipe. Avoid using near to expiration date buttermilk, so you can store ranch for a week.
- Although you can store buttermilk ranch dressing for a week in the refrigerator, if the buttermilk used in the recipe is near the expiration date, you must consume this ranch more quickly than before 7 days.
- Always serve chilled ranch. It’s best when served cold. Refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. While the ranch sits in the fridge it develops the flavor over time.
- If you like to serve it as a dip, make it thick by reducing the buttermilk quantity. I would add ½ cup buttermilk.
Created by Jyothi Rajesh
Jyothi Rajesh is the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail. She lives in Bangalore, India and is the mom of two beautiful kids. Her passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. She’s been blogging since 2007 and many of her recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
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