Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix from Scratch
As a self diagnosed ranch-aholic, I can give you my personal guarantee that this is the best, most delicious homemade ranch dressing you have. ever. had. Just look at it.
I love ranch. I put ranch on…well…basically everything. It’s meant for so much more than just salads. My pizza? I’m dipping it in ranch. My fries? Going for a ranch dive. My burger? Getting a nice layer of ranch right on the bun. It’s serious.
I was never able to buy bottled ranch that is anything close to that yummy goodness you can get at a restaurant. They shouldn’t even be able to call that stuff ranch. Then I worked at a restaurant. And guess what? They homemade their ranch! Actually, they “homemade” their ranch by using ranch seasoning packets mixed with milk and mayo. Bingo! I could finally make good ranch at home. The Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk mix is very good. Problem? It’s a little pricey. And, it has ingredients that don’t seem like they should be in ranch. Monosodium Glutamate? Maltodextrin? Huh? No thanks.
So I researched, and have come up with the perfect dry seasoning mix. I buy all the dried herbs in bulk on Amazon, and it comes out to only $0.56 per serving of 2 tbs! That is way better than the 2 tbs Hidden Valley packet at $2.99. Here’s what you’ll need: dried buttermilk powder (tricky to find in stores, recommend getting online), dried chives, dried onion flakes, dried parsley flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried dill.
Portion out your dried ingredients (measurements listed at the end of post).
So pretty.
Mix all of your dried ingredients in an air tight container.
I love this one I got because it has a rubber liner that prevents the mix from escaping. And it’s so darn cute! Perfect size for the amount of mix I make, about 1 cup.
This mix will last you for a long time. As long as you keep it sealed tight, it shouldn’t go bad.
The best combination for making the salad dressing is milk (I use 2%) and Best Foods mayonnaise. If you want to go dairy free, leave out the dried buttermilk and use unsweetened almond milk or soy milk instead of cows milk. Add in a little vinegar or lemon juice for some “tang”. I’ve make it with almond milk before and you can barely taste a difference. If you want to lower the amount of calories, use Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise. However, I can taste a pretty significant difference when making it with Greek yogurt. Has more tangy flavor rather than creamy. But it’s still pretty good. But if you want it to taste restaurant style, you’ve got to stick with milk and mayo.
Mix 1 cup of mayonnaise with 2 tbs of the dry seasoning mix. If you mix the seasoning with the mayo first it is easier to incorporate evenly with no lumps. I like to make mine right in my Oxo salad dressing bottle, which I love! It even has the measurements right on the bottle. They think of everything.
Once you’ve mixed it all together, add in 1/2 cup of milk. Screw the cap on, mix it all up, refrigerate for about 20 minutes, and it will be the perfect salad consistency.
To all my fellow ranch-aholics, enjoy!
Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix from Scratch
Ingredients
Ranch Dry Seasoning Mix:
- 3/4 cup dried buttermilk
- 3 tbs dried parsley flakes
- 1 tbs dried chives
- 1 tbs garlic powder
- 1 tbs onion powder
- 1 tbs dried chopped onion
- 2 tsp dried dill weed
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper[br]
Ranch Dressing Recipe:
- 2 tbs dry seasoning mix
- 1 cup of mayo
- 1/2 cup of milk, I use 2%
Instructions
Ranch Seasoning Mix:
- 1. Combine all the dried ingredients in an airtight jar or container, will keep for up to 1 year
Ranch Dressing Recipe:
- 1. Mix ranch dressing mix in to mayonnaise until combined
- 2. Stir in milk, then refrigerate for 20 minutes
- 3. Store in air tight container in the fridge, will keep for 10 days
Notes
61 Comments on “Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix from Scratch”
I live overseas and can’t get ranch dressing here. I have used your recipe for years and it’s great, but we also don’t have buttermilk powder here either so what I do instead is use regular milk powder and add 3/4 teaspoon of critic acid to the mixture to give it a buttermilk like taste. I also have to dehydrate my own green onions as a green onion substitute along with drying the rest of the ingredients.
I’ve heard that ranch is impossible to find overseas! I am so happy to hear that this recipe is working for you and that the tweaks you’ve made turned out so well! This feedback is super helpful to others who can’t find the buttermilk powder. Thank you!
Thanks, I just really thought the sour cream in other recipes was throwing it off. :)
So glad you enjoyed it Stephanie!
Natalie,
You have to try adding a few drops or a good dash ofWorcestershire sauce with maybe some lemon or apple cider vinegar. It elevates the recipe even more which I didn’t think was possible
I’ve been looking to change up my homemade ranch dressing and never use those store bought packets due to all the chemicals namely MSG etc. question is what do you think about using mayo and sour cream? Currently I equal parts mayo, sour cream and buttermilk to my consistency. Thanks
Also I noticed this recipe is very similar to Laura Vitale on YouTube…she’s an awesome Italian cook. So this recipe must be good lol!
Oh I love that! What a compliment! I’ll have to check it out!
Homemade is always SO MUCH BETTER than store bought! And using both mayo and sour cream would be delicious! If you want to use both, I would replace have the mayo amount with sour cream. That’s also better if you’re using it as a dip. Sturdier and packs more of a punch. Hope you love it!
Awesome thank you!
This has been yummy to make. Gets a little runny when only using yogurt so we add less milk. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad to hear you like it! Thanks Sara!