Name: Homemade Ranch Dressing
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup buttermilk; 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 1/2 cup sour cream; 2 garlic cloves, finely minced; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1/2 tsp dried dill; 1/4 cup fresh chives, finely diced; 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely diced; 1/2 fresh lemon juice (about 2 tsp); 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

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Homemade ranch dressing is made with simple ingredients and tastes delicious. If you are a person who grew up in the ’90s then you have probably had your fair share of ranch salad dressing. Hidden Valley Ranch was the only kind to buy. It came in these little seasoning packets and you had to mix it with milk. When I was young I liked it with pizza and french fries. It was always at the center of any vegetable platter and oh yeah I also wanted it on my salads.

Homemade salad dressings can feel intimidating, but you’re reading this post so you must be a little interested in making your own ranch dressing. It’s really not complicated and the result is totally worth it. The store-bought ranch will always be there for you, but sometimes it’s worth skipping the bottled stuff and opting for homemade.

Here are the ingredients needed for homemade ranch dressing:

Buttermilk, Mayonnaise, Sour Cream– You will need 1/2 cup of each. Please use full fat mayo and sour cream. If you are trying to be healthier, you could substitute plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

Garlic– You will need 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced. Do not use the precut kind found in a jar. Try using a garlic press for this step.

Fresh Parsley and Fresh Chives– You will need 1/4 cup each of these fresh herbs. If you do not have fresh, dried herbs can be substituted. You would use 4 teaspoons of dried herbs. You could also substitute green onions for the chives.

Dried Dill, Salt, and Pepper– You will need 1/2 teaspoon of dried dill. Dill is a very strong herb. A little goes a long way. If you want the dressing to have a strong dill flavor, feel free to add more, but do it cautiously. You could also use fresh dill if you prefer. If using fresh you will need 1/2 tablespoon of fresh dill. You also need a teaspoon of kosher salt and a half teaspoon of black pepper.

Fresh Lemon Juice– You will need half of a lemon for about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Again, I recommend using fresh here, not bottled lemon juice.

Apple Cider Vinegar– You will need 1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. You could also substitute white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar.

How to make my homemade ranch dressing:

First, grab a medium bowl and add the buttermilk, mayonnaise, and sour cream to the bowl.

Prep

Now prep all the ingredients. Start with mincing the garlic, chives, and parsley. Try and get a pretty small mince as this is going in a dressing and you don’t want it to be chunky. Add them to the bowl.

Ranch ingredients before mixing together

Combine

Next, add the dried dill, salt, and pepper. Add the fresh lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Whisk everything together until combined and smooth. Cover and set aside for about 30 minutes for the best flavor to develop. You could eat it right away, but I prefer to give the dressing a little time to sit. If you are not serving it for a couple of hours, put it in the refrigerator until it is ready to serve.

Serve

This easy homemade ranch dressing recipe will wow your friends and family. It’s perfect poured over a simple green salad or leafy greens. I love to dip fresh vegetables and potato chips in it. My kids love to dip chicken nuggets and cucumbers into it. It is the perfect dip for my baked chicken wings. Double the recipe and keep it in an airtight container or glass jar for about a week in the fridge.

I can’t wait for you to try this ranch salad dressing. It’s an easy homemade dressing and it’s a great dip as well! Let me know in the comments how you liked it!