Homemade Ranch Dressing is so easy to throw together and tastes amazing! It is perfect for dipping, cooking, salad and more.
A Recipe for Ranch Dressing You’ll Make Over and Over
Homemade ranch dressing always tastes fresh, creamy, and easy to customize with your favorite herbs. Everyone who makes this recipe loves it! Here’s what one Pinner said:
“First time making homemade ranch, and I needed a recipe on the fly – this absolutely delivered! This recipe is really a great base, and then you can add more seasonings as you want, and that’s awesome. Highly recommend it!”
Homemade Ranch Ingredients
Just a few simple ingredients!! It really is so super easy to put together.
- Mayonaise
- Sour Cream
- Salt and pepper
- Seasonings
- Enough milk to make it the consistency you like.
How to make Homemade Ranch Dressing
The easiest way to make this ranch dressing (and any salad dressing) is in a jar. I add all the ingredients to a jar and just shake them all up. It’s fast and easy and if you have a mason jar pouring spout (affiliate), you can serve it or use it right out of the jar. Genius and so easy!
What?! I know, so easy. Why haven’t you been making creamy homemade ranch dip more often?! PS: Want that awesome Mason Jar Pouring Spout?? Click here!!
How to Make Homemade Ranch Thicker
The base for homemade ranch is made from sour cream and mayonnaise, which is then thinned out by milk. Add the milk slowly so that the ranch stays as thick as you’d like. If you do thin it out too much, add a bit more sour cream and mayonnaise.
Best Homemade Ranch uses
The options are endless!! I love to put this on salad, of course, but it’s also fantastic for dipping fresh vegetables, chicken tenders, and even pizza.
I also love to serve it with my oven BBQ chicken, use it when making bacon ranch pizzas, and substitute it for the gorgonzola dressing on my steak salad with it if I have people who aren’t fans of stinky cheese.
How long does Ranch Dressing last?
This is a super common question! Since ranch dressing is made of dairy products, you’ll want to use it before the earliest “best by” date found on them.
Usually, this is the milk, but always double check and write the date on the container the homemade ranch dressing is kept in.
Ranch Recipe FAQ
Ranch dressing got its name from Hidden Valley Ranch, a steakhouse in California where it was believed to be invented.
The first ranch dressing that was sold was packets of dry ingredients to mix into sour cream and buttermilk.
Yes, this ranch dressing is gluten-free but I can’t speak for all ranch dressing recipes.
I might be biased but I do think that homemade ranch tastes better. A few commentators on Pinterest agree as well! “I will never buy bottle dressing again.”
It probably depends on which ranch you buy. You can find the estimated nutrition facts below the recipe card.
Looking for more delicious salad dressing recipes??
- Lemon Vinaigrette with Easy Green Salad
- Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
- Balsamic Salad Dressing
- Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Creamy Farmhouse Ranch Dressing
- Creamy Peach Poppy Seed Dressing
- Winter Spinach Salad
PS: Want that awesome Mason Jar Pouring Spout?? Click here!
More favorites from Longbourn Farm
Best Homemade Ranch Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon onion powder NOT onion salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder NOT garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon parsley dried
- 1/2 teaspoon basil dried
- 1/2 teaspoon dill dried
- 3/4 teaspoon salt see note
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup milk amount will vary depending on desired consistency
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together, except the milk.
- Pour in enough milk to make the dressing the consistency you like.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your preference.
Kp says
I’m never buying ranch again. This ranch recipe is the best I’ve ever had. My wife is not big on ranch but she loves this recipe.
Alli says
So glad you loved it!
Virginia says
This ranch dressing is wonderful. It passed with flying colors with my kids & grandkids who are ranch people!
G B says
Perfect Homemade Ranch dressing!
Anonymous says
Very rarely comment. I’m converted to being a ranch dressing fan. Have made several times. Even better after sitting overnight!
Alli says
So glad you like it! Thank you!
Barbara Ernestus says
WOWSERS
This is delish and tastes just like Buttermilk Ranch. Both my husband and I love it. I made it with items already in the pantry.
This is one recipe that I will be making often.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Alli says
Thank you so much, Barbara! So happy you love the recipe.
Sue says
Way too much salt
Alli says
Hi Sue, did you read the note in the recipe? If so, then it should be too salty. I recommend there adjusting the salt to your preference before adding it all. Also, it’s very important to use garlic powder and onion powder, NOT onion and garlic salt. That will definitely make the dressing too salty.
Ivy says
Could I use dried, minced, onion in place of the onion powder?
Alli says
Yep! That will work great.
Jennifer says
Amazing! By far my fave. I have made a many ranch dressing recipes over the years but they always seem to be not quite right, this one checks all the boxes and is going in my recipe book! Thank you so much for posting this.
Alli says
I’m so happy to hear that, Jennifer!! Thank you!
JBW says
Excellent; no comparison to the store bought!
Alli says
So glad you liked it!
Jenny says
How long is it good for?
Alli says
Hi Jenny, it should last as long as the dairy products you made it with are good for.
Sandy says
Hi I don’t have dill in my pantry. Will it make a big difference in flavor to make it without?
Alli says
You can make it without it! We don’t love dill over here so we do that all the time.
Flora says
It says dried next to parsley, is the basil and dill dried or fresh? Just want to follow the recipe exactly, thanks!
Alli says
I use all dried herbs, I’ll specify that in the recipe. Thanks, Flora!
Pam says
I wonder…could you mix it all up without the milk and only mix in a bit of milk to the amount of dressing you’ll use that day? That way, it would probably keep longer since, as you pointed out, the milk usually has the shortest shelf life. Think I’ll give that a shot, since there are only two of us in the house right now.
Alli says
Great idea, Pam! I think it would work great. Let me know how this works if you give it a try.
Kimberly says
I just made this for the first time, and it’s a winner! My daughter, the ranch connoisseur 🥰, loves it. She even picks restaurants based on how good their ranch tastes. She’s lactose intolerant so I used her lactose free milk, now if I could just find lactose free sour cream. We were wondering about mixing all the spices up in a jar, and adding it to the wet ingredients as needed. We’re going to give it a try.😋
Laurali Bates says
So easy to make and and I loved it!😊
Alli says
So glad to hear that, Laurali!
Patricia says
March 30 2020
Just made thus ranch dressing . Couldn’t get to the store during the cOVID-19. Thanks so much and stay safe, Pat
Alli says
So glad you liked it Pat! Thank you!
Sam says
Very tasty and so easy! Definitely wait to add salt. Mine was far too salty with the listed amount.
Alli says
Thanks for the input, Sam!!
Haleigh says
I agree that this was entirely too salty. Used up the last of my mayo and sour cream so I could not remake or adjust.
Alli says
Hi Haleigh and Sam, are you using onion and garlic POWDER and not onion and garlic SALT? That will make a huge difference. The salt content in this recipe is not high enough to make it overly salty. I also state in step three to taste the recipe and adjust the salt and pepper to your preference.
Debbee says
SO easy to make and SO tasty! This will be in my fridge everyday!
Alli says
So happy to hear this, Debbee!
Debbie Isham says
This is the best homemade ranch recipe I’ve found! Thanks!
Alli says
So glad you liked it, Debbie!
Alli says
Homemade ranch is the best!