This Homemade Ranch Dressing is so fresh tasting and easy to make. It literally takes less than 10 minutes, and that includes measuring out the ingredients.
I'll let you in on a little secret, I don't even like Ranch dressing that much! At least not the bottled kind or even the kind made from a packet.
I can always taste the additives and preservatives in the prepared ranch dressings, but you have none of that when you make your own homemade dressings!
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What I love about making my own condiments, sauces, and spice blends is I get to control what goes into it!
For example, in this recipe, you can use fresh herbs or dried herbs, sugar or no sugar, adjust the salt, add more dill or garlic. You get to customize it exactly how you like it!
They are also so much better than store-bought dressings and condiments and usually less expensive to make! One thing is for sure, the fresh flavor cannot be beat!
Suggested Kitchen Tools Homemade Ranch Dressing
- Blender with a smoothie cup attachment (or a hand mixer will work)
Ingredients & Substitutions
The best thing about making your own salad dressings is you can 100% control the ingredients.
I will give you suggestions for substitutions based on my recipe testing, but feel free to experiment and try different combinations!
Buttermilk
After testing the recipe with plain Greek yogurt, I liked the flavor better with real buttermilk.
I also tried making a buttermilk substitute with regular milk and vinegar, but it didn't have the same flavor or consistency. Feel free to try making your own buttermilk substitute if you don't have or can't find store-bought buttermilk.
Here is how you would make a buttermilk substitute for this recipe:
- ¾ cup plain milk, lower fat is actually better in this instance
- 2½ teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice
Mix ingredients together and let sit about 10 minutes to thicken.
Heavy Cream
I used heavy cream in this recipe because it helps thicken the dressing without the use of any alternative thickeners such as xanthan gum or guar gum. It does add calories to the dressing, so if you want to use whole milk instead, you can. The dressing will be a little thinner.
You can also thicken the dressing with just a touch of xanthan gum or guar gum.
I would mix ¼ teaspoon of the gum into the spice mixture and add it just before blending. Xanthan and guar gums tend to clump very quickly when they hit liquid, so mixing with the dry spices will help to distribute the gum and reduce clumping.
Sour Cream
When testing this recipe I tried several combinations using just buttermilk and heavy cream, but something was always missing and that something turned out to be sour cream.
Once I added that into the recipe, it was perfectly balanced and delicious. You can substitute the sour cream with plain yogurt or even cream cheese if you prefer.
Or, you can use more buttermilk and see if you like it that way.
Seasonings
I used dried herbs in this recipe to keep things simple, but fresh herbs work too!
The general rule when substituting dry herbs with fresh herbs is usually 1 to 3, meaning for 1 teaspoon of dried dill weed you would use 1 Tablespoon of fresh dill.
If you want to skip the onion powder, I recommend using green onion or fresh chives as they will have the mildest flavor.
The garlic gets a little tricky because raw fresh garlic is very strong especially when it's minced and can be bitter when not cooked. If you don't want to use garlic powder, you may want to try using fresh roasted garlic or add in just a small amount (½ teaspoon) of minced garlic to start with and add more to taste.
If you decide to use fresh parsley instead of dried parsley, chop it fine and add it after blending the buttermilk ranch dressing or your dressing will be light green in color.
I do add a touch of white sugar to balance everything, but if you don't want any added sugar, skip it! You can also use your favorite sugar substitute instead.
I also add a touch of fresh lemon juice to give it just a little more of a tangy taste. You can substitute fresh lemon juice with bottled lemon juice or use apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or white wine vinegar instead.
How to Make Homemade Ranch Dressing
Blender
I use a blender with a blender cup attachment to make the dressing. If you don't have one, then you can use a regular blender but you may want to double the ingredients so they mix properly.
Kitchen Aid or Electric Mixer
A kitchen aid mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand held electric mixer will also work, but make sure you don't whisk too long or the cream will thicken too much.
Hand Held Whisk & Bowl
Using a bowl and a whisk is another option and the only thing I would change is to whisk the heavy cream by hand just until it starts to thicken and then add in the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine.
Making the Ranch Dressing
Place all of the ingredients into the blender cup. The order you add them does not matter unless you are doing this by hand, and then see note above.
Blend on high speed for 45-60 seconds. Be careful you don't run on high speed too long or your heavy cream may become too thick.
Quick Tip
Don't panic if your dressing is thinner than you want, it thickens more as it refrigerates.
The dressing will be a little thin right after blending, but once you refrigerate it for 1-2 hours it thickens up.
Use on your favorite salad, chicken wings, or dip fresh vegetables in it!
Storage Instructions
How to Store Homemade Ranch Dressing
Homemade Ranch dressing is perishable and needs to be stored in the refrigerator when not using.
You can leave it out at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
Refrigeration
Store any leftover dressing in an airtight container in the fridge. Mason jars are great storage containers for dressings.
The homemade ranch dressing will last up to 2 weeks when stored properly in the refrigerator. This time is based on the freshness of the ingredients you started with.
For example if your cream and buttermilk are unopened and not nearing their expiration date when you make the ranch dressing, your dressing will stay fresh longer.
Freezer
I do not recommend freezing the ranch dressing.
More Homemade Condiment Recipes!
Homemade is simply better and these recipes are some of my favorites that I make all the time!
So, skip the bottled stuff and make your own.
Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice fresh or bottled
- ½ Tablespoon white granulated sugar optional
Seasonings
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
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Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a blender cup and blend on high speed for 60 seconds. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.¾ cup buttermilk, ½ cup heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, ½ Tablespoon white granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- Refrigerate for 1-2 hours before use to thicken the dressing.
Notes
Nutrition
About the Recipe Author, Louise Long
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
She published her first cookbook in the Fall of 2018 and is very interested in writing several more.
Louise is also the creator of an online Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooking Course with over 100 instructional step-by-step videos. People absolutely rave about the course and all the value they have received from it.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and learning more about the appliances they love.
Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper 101
Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can. Get more Information about Louise & contact information
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Can't wait to make this...love Ranch Dressing...