Love ranch dressing but hate all of the additives in the store-bought stuff? This recipe is for you! Fresh herbs and garlic combine with a creamy base in this delicious dressing. It’s perfect over salads or as a dip!
Whenever I eat salads (which is a lot) I try to make the healthier choice and go for the vinaigrette-style dressings. However, ranch has and always will be my favorite salad dressing. For a while there I kind of gave up on it because I try to avoid processed foods as much as possible. Occasionally I would have it at restaurants, but it’s been years since I bought a bottle at the grocery store.
I’ve tried a few recipes for homemade in the past, but they always came up short. So, like many recipes I started playing around with my own version.
Now, ranch dressing is always in my fridge. Lucky for me, a two tablespoon serving only adds around 40 calories to my salads!
The best part of this recipe is that it’s really easy to make and the ingredients are very simple. Nothing fancy here. Sour cream, mayo, dijon mustard, fresh garlic, fresh herbs, and buttermilk make for one great tasting dressing!
This recipe is also super forgiving. Meaning that you can make quite a few substitutions and still end up with a delicious dressing. I’ve used regular milk in place of buttermilk, a splash of vinegar in place of the dijon mustard, and all sour cream when I ran out of mayo. If I’m really being picky, I can pick out the slight differences in flavor. But, in a pinch it works!
The only ingredients that I wouldn’t mess with are the fresh garlic and herbs. They are what make the dressing so good. I love a good garlicky ranch. And, those little flecks of fresh herbs make me happy. Dried herbs would never provide the same flavor or freshness, so don’t skimp there!
I suspect that greek yogurt would work well in place of the sour cream and mayo if you’d like. I personally am not a fan of Greek yogurt. I tried to like it for a long time, but the smell is enough to make me gag. I still use it occasionally, but it’s not my favorite. I tend to watch the carb count on my food over the fat and calories, so for me the sour cream and this homemade mayo work best.
I like my dressings on the thinner side, so I use between ¾ and 1 cup of the buttermilk. If you are using it as a dip and want it thicker in consistency use ½ cup.
Let’s talk about buttermilk for a minute. Buttermilk is not a high-fat food like it sounds. Traditional buttermilk is the liquid leftover after churning butter. Since churning butter isn’t a common practice anymore, the buttermilk you find in the store is a fermented milk product. This means that bacteria (similar to what is used to make yogurt) is added to cow’s milk to produce that acidity that buttermilk has. Most of the cultured buttermilk that you’ll find in your grocery store is low-fat using 1% milk. Occasionally I’ve seen it using 2% milk, which increases the fat content slightly, but nothing drastic.
I felt the need to explain this because I have come across people that think buttermilk is full of butter. I tend to assume everyone knows these little tidbits about food like I do, but in reality not everyone is obsessed with food like me!
Oh and you can make your own buttermilk-like product by adding 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of regular milk. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature before using.
Alright, I think I’ve rambled on enough here. Do yourself a favor and go make this dressing.
- 2 Tablespoons Sour Cream, or Greek yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise, I use this homemade mayo
- ½ Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 Garlic Clove, finely minced (I use a garlic press)
- ½- 1 Cup Buttermilk*
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Chives, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, and garlic. Whisk in the buttermilk, starting with ½ cup for a thicker (good for dips) consistency. If you want a thinner dressing (good for salads) add more buttermilk, ¼ cup at a time until you have your desired consistency.
- Add in the herbs and mix well; season with salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving to allow all of the flavors to meld.
- *Adjust the amount of buttermilk that you use depending on your desired consistency. I use between ¾ and 1 cup for a thinner, easy to drizzle dressing.
Girl, I just love all your homemade salad dressings. It’s totally the way to go. I’m with you on the Greek yogurt too. That stuff is nasty! 🙂
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks recently posted…Baked Brie and Pesto
Thanks Rachelle! Finally! Someone else who shares my disgust in greek yogurt! I’m one that will eat pretty much anything.. I’m not picky at all, but that is one food I cringe at. Yet, I’d still eat it if I had to haha.
Love the homemade version. Store bought always has MSG’s. Thanks for sharing.
Kathy @ Olives & Garlic recently posted…Skinny Summer Pasta
Thanks Kathy. You’re right, it’s hard to get away from MSG with store-bought dressings!
Keri, dressing looks very delicious! Much better than store-bought versions!
Savita @ ChefDeHome recently posted…By ChefDeHome- Creamy Pesto Pasta
Thank you Savita! 🙂
This dressing sounds amazing, Keri! Ranch is my favorite, but I’ve never considered making my own before! I love how easy this is to make and how you can control the ingredients. I think I would drizzle this stuff over anything and everything! Yum!
Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Strawberry Banana Frozen Yogurt
Thanks Gayle! I’m not sure what took me so long to make my own version – now I don’t feel so guilty about eating it! I pretty much do drizzle it on everything 🙂
I am a ranch FREAK! I put it on everything. Not just salads. I dip my pizza in it. Veggies. The weirdest thing is bbq ribs. Love them dipped in ranch, haha! I can’t wait to try your homemade version. It looks perfect. And thanks for linking to my mayo recipe friend!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely recently posted…Lemon Shrimp & Asparagus Stir Fry
Me too Natalie! I used to dip my pizza in it when I was kid – yum! Oh, and my favorite is french fries dipped in it, it’s SO GOOD! And seriously, I make that mayo at least once a week!!
I can’t believe that it is only 40 calories for two tablespoons when you use sour cream and mayo! I’m in love. And I am seriously making this like now. Today. Tomorrow. I need it!!
Annie @ The Garlic Diaries recently posted…Crispy Garlic Smashed Potatoes
I know I was shocked! I actually did the analysis twice because I thought I made a mistake haha! I guess since it’s spread over so many servings it doesn’t add to be much. Which means I can dump it on and not feel guilty! Haha
You know how much I love your basil dressing recipe, so you know I am going to take your word for it and try this one next! You have opened my eyes to making dressings from home. The extra time is worth it! Looks tasty!
Ali recently posted…Tropical Punch
I’m glad you love that one – it’s one of my favorites too! I love making my own dressings – it’s so nice to be in control of what goes in them and you can tweak them to your personal tastes. Thanks, Ali!
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rebejen482 recently posted…My Uap Patient Portal Login
Dressing appears to be extremely tasty.
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