Homemade Ranch Dressing

My husband reached into the fridge door last Tuesday and came back with a bottle of ranch dressing that had been there since March. I made him put it back and handed him a jar of the real thing instead.

Homemade ranch dressing takes five minutes, and the difference in flavor is not subtle.

The store bottle tastes like salt and a memory of herbs. This one tastes like actual chives and dill, because it has actual chives and dill in it.

That’s the whole secret.

I’ve been making it this way for years, and I still don’t measure the lemon juice. I just squeeze and taste.

Everything else I measure, because the ratio matters.

Prep: 10 minutes · Cook: 0 minutes · Total: about 40 minutes (with chilling) · Serves: 12 (2 tbsp each)

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What makes homemade ranch dressing taste better than store-bought?

Homemade ranch dressing uses fresh herbs and real buttermilk, so the flavor is brighter and cleaner. The base ratio of equal parts mayonnaise and sour cream gives it body and tang that bottled versions approximate with stabilizers. Chill it at least 30 minutes and the flavors pull together into something the bottle can’t match.

What Makes It Work

• Whisking the mayonnaise and sour cream together first, before any liquid goes in, creates one smooth base with no lumps. Adding buttermilk to a lumpy base just spreads the lumps around.
• The creamy base to buttermilk ratio is 2 to 1 (1 cup combined mayo and sour cream to 1/2 cup buttermilk), which both classic sources cross-checked for this recipe confirm gives a pourable dressing that thickens further overnight in the fridge.
• Stirring the herbs in last keeps them as visible green flecks. If you whisk them in hard, they bruise and turn the dressing a faint gray-green.

The first time I made this, I added all the buttermilk at once and ended up with something closer to a drink than a dressing. Going in a splash at a time and watching how it ribbons off the whisk changed everything.

Why You’ll Love This Ranch Dressing

• Ready in ten minutes with ingredients from any grocery store
• Doubles as a dip for vegetables just by cutting the buttermilk back
• No preservatives, no ingredients you can’t pronounce
• Keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks if you use dried herbs

Grab These Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped (or 2 tsp dried)
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Picking the Right Ingredients

Mayonnaise is the fat that makes ranch dressing cling to lettuce. Full-fat mayo gives you the richest result.

Light mayo works in a pinch, but the dressing will be a little thinner and less rich on the tongue.

Sour cream is where the tang comes from. Both classic sources behind this recipe call for it alongside mayo, and using both gives you the version most American home cooks recognize.

Plain whole-milk Greek yogurt can stand in for the sour cream if that’s what you have, though the flavor will be slightly sharper.

Fresh herbs are worth it if you’re eating the dressing within three or four days. Dried herbs are the right call for a batch meant to last the week.

Don’t use both at the same time, the proportions are different and the flavor gets muddy.

Step-by-Step Directions

1. Combine the base. Add the mayonnaise and sour cream to a medium bowl or a wide-mouth jar. Whisk them together until the mixture looks like one smooth, uniform cream with no white streaks from either ingredient, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the buttermilk. Pour in the buttermilk a splash at a time, whisking after each addition. Stop when the dressing ribbons off the whisk and the ribbon sinks back into the bowl in about two seconds. That’s your pourable dressing consistency. If you want a thicker dip, stop a little earlier.
3. Add the herbs and seasonings. Stir in the chives, dill, grated garlic, lemon juice, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Use a spoon or spatula here, not a whisk, so the herbs stay in visible green flecks rather than getting beaten into the base. Stir until everything is evenly distributed and you can see the herbs throughout.
4. Taste and adjust. Dip a clean spoon and taste. The dressing should be tangy, herby, and just barely garlicky at this point. Add a pinch more salt or a few extra drops of lemon juice if it needs a lift. The garlic will get stronger overnight, so don’t overdo it now.
5. Chill before serving. Cover the bowl or seal the jar and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Both classic sources behind this recipe note that the flavor is noticeably better after a full night in the fridge, and I’d agree. Serve cold.

Tips

• Fresh herbs versus dried is a shelf life trade-off, and it’s worth knowing upfront. Fresh chives and dill taste brighter, but the dressing keeps only 3 to 4 days. All dried herbs and it keeps up to 2 weeks.
• Grated fresh garlic gets stronger every day it sits in the dressing. For a batch meant to last the week, swap the fresh clove for 1/2 tsp garlic powder so the flavor stays where you left it.
• No buttermilk in the fridge? Stir 1 tbsp lemon juice into 1 cup of whole milk and let it sit 10 minutes. It won’t be as thick as real buttermilk, so start with a little less than the recipe calls for and add more to taste.
• Straight from the fridge, this dressing will be too thick to pour. Let it sit on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes and give it a stir, or a good shake if it’s in a jar.
• Because this dressing contains mayonnaise and sour cream, don’t leave it out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, the standard food safety guideline for dairy-based condiments.

How to Store It

Made with fresh herbs, this ranch dressing keeps in a sealed jar or container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. The flavor actually improves on day two, once the garlic and herbs have had time to settle into the base.

Made with dried herbs, it keeps up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Keep it in the jar you mixed it in and shake before each use, since the buttermilk can settle to the bottom.

This dressing doesn’t freeze well. The mayo and sour cream break when frozen and thawed, leaving a grainy, separated mess that won’t whisk back together.

Make it fresh and keep it cold.

What Goes With Ranch Dressing

• A simple green salad, because this is where ranch dressing does its best work and the fresh herb flavor really shows against plain romaine or butter lettuce.
• Raw vegetables for dipping, like carrots, celery, and bell pepper strips. Cut the buttermilk back by a few tablespoons and you’ve got a thick dip that holds on the vegetable instead of dripping off.
• Chicken wings or tenders, where the cool, tangy dressing cuts through the heat and fat of a crispy coating.
• Pizza, the way half the Midwest grew up eating it. A small bowl on the side for dipping the crust is completely acceptable.
• Baked potatoes, where a spoonful of this does everything sour cream and chives would do, only with more flavor.

What I Use to Make This

• A medium bowl, wide enough to whisk comfortably without splashing buttermilk across the counter.
• A balloon whisk, the kind with a wide head, which incorporates the sour cream and mayo faster than a narrow one.
• A fine grater or microplane-style grater for the garlic, since finely grated garlic blends into the dressing invisibly while minced garlic leaves chunks.
• A wide-mouth jar with a tight lid for storing, so you can shake it before each use and pour straight from the jar.

Your Questions, Answered

Can I make ranch dressing without buttermilk? Yes. Stir 1 tbsp of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup of whole milk and let it sit for 10 minutes until it curdles slightly. It won’t be quite as thick as real buttermilk, so add it gradually and stop when the dressing reaches the consistency you want.

Why does my homemade ranch dressing taste too garlicky the next day? Fresh garlic keeps releasing its flavor as it sits in the dressing, so what tasted mild on day one can be sharp by day two. For a batch you’re making ahead, use 1/2 tsp garlic powder instead of a fresh clove for a flavor that stays consistent.

Can I use all mayonnaise and skip the sour cream? You can, but the dressing will taste richer and less tangy. The sour cream is what gives ranch its characteristic bite. If you’re out of sour cream, plain whole-milk Greek yogurt is a closer substitute than extra mayo.

How do I thin out ranch dressing that’s too thick? Whisk in more buttermilk, a teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the consistency you want. If you don’t have buttermilk, a small splash of whole milk works too. Both classic sources behind this recipe note that the dressing thickens overnight in the fridge, so thinning it slightly before serving is normal.

How long does homemade ranch dressing last? With fresh herbs, 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. With dried herbs, up to 2 weeks. Always keep it sealed and cold, and don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours at a stretch.

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Homemade Ranch Dressing

Recipe by Daisy MerrittCourse: CondimentsCuisine: American

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped (or 2 tsp dried)

• 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)

• 1 clove garlic, finely grated

• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp fine salt

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions

• Combine the base. Add the mayonnaise and sour cream to a medium bowl or a wide-mouth jar. Whisk them together until the mixture looks like one smooth, uniform cream with no white streaks from either ingredient, about 30 seconds.
• Add the buttermilk. Pour in the buttermilk a splash at a time, whisking after each addition. Stop when the dressing ribbons off the whisk and the ribbon sinks back into the bowl in about two seconds. That’s your pourable dressing consistency. If you want a thicker dip, stop a little earlier.
• Add the herbs and seasonings. Stir in the chives, dill, grated garlic, lemon juice, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Use a spoon or spatula here, not a whisk, so the herbs stay in visible green flecks rather than getting beaten into the base. Stir until everything is evenly distributed and you can see the herbs throughout.
• Taste and adjust. Dip a clean spoon and taste. The dressing should be tangy, herby, and just barely garlicky at this point. Add a pinch more salt or a few extra drops of lemon juice if it needs a lift. The garlic will get stronger overnight, so don’t overdo it now.
• Chill before serving. Cover the bowl or seal the jar and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Both classic sources behind this recipe note that the flavor is noticeably better after a full night in the fridge, and I’d agree. Serve cold.