The only thing better than restaurant style ranch dressing is Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing! It is so dreamy creamy and the recipe is ridiculously easy. I will show you just how to make it! Get ready for the best salad of your life! Originally posted June 3, 2020.
The other day at dinner, Truman was slurping up his noodles rather loudly. I asked him to pipe down a bit, and he immediately pointed his finger at me, eyes wide, and yelled, “STUPEFY!!!” I laughed so hard I didn’t even have the energy to send him to a time out. Also maybe I was just a little bit too proud to care. Harry Potter references are a get-out-of-jail-free card in my house, apparently.
It is actually so fun to see my kids get into Harry Potter. I was 11 when I read the first book, and 19 when the last one was published. But my kids are reading them way younger (Truman is 7) and reading a fantasy book at this age is way different than reading it as a teen. My sister told me that her daughters all play “Whomping Willow” together, and my kids routinely incorporate Dementors into their make believe playing. How fun is that? One of the best things about being a parent is seeing your kids grow to love the same things you love.
How is everyone’s summer starting out?? We are STILL doing school at home. Our district has the weirdest schedule. We have a week to go before summer officially starts. Wish us luck!! I was not born to homeschool!
The Best Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
We have been having a next-level heat wave here in Sacramento this week, and all I want to eat is salad and ice cream. Mostly ice cream, but I’m going for balance, you know, ha.
I have been making this buttermilk ranch dressing on repeat lately, so I thought I would share the recipe with you! Ranch is everybody’s favorite salad dressing, right? At least it is here in my house. It’s just so creamy and delicious, on basically any salad ever!
And no, I’m not even exaggerating when I say that this is the best buttermilk ranch dressing. I mean, for one, it’s homemade. Anything homemade is just better. It’s also made with the perfect blend of mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk for the ideal balance of rich and tangy. Then it’s infused with tons of flavor thanks to fresh herbs and delicious seasonings.
Ranch dressing is already the prom queen of dressings. I don’t know what it is when it’s homemade…Miss America?? Miss UNIVERSE???
Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Ingredients
See the recipe card below for complete instructions.
- Mayonnaise
- Sour Cream
- Buttermilk
- Minced Garlic
- Lemon Juice
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dry mustard powder
- Cayenne pepper
- Fresh parsley, dill, and chives
Buttermilk Ranch recipe substitutions
I like the recipe just as it is written, but there are a few easy changes you can make if you don’t have everything.
First up: buttermilk. I know it’s not a common household ingredient (I only buy it when I need it for something specific) and in this recipe you can replace it with whole milk, or even regular 1 or 2% milk (although it won’t be as creamy). If you use milk, increase the amount of lemon juice you add to the recipe to get some of that tang in there that you lost from not using buttermilk.
Garlic. If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can omit it and increase the garlic powder to 3/4 or 1 teaspoon.
Fresh herbs. I wrote the recipe to include fresh herbs because they really do make for the BEST ranch dressing. But I get it: they are expensive. You could buy a few bottles of store bought ranch dressing for what it would take you to buy the herbs for one batch of this ranch. (Because of course you can’t buy 1 teaspoon of chives, you have to buy the whole bunch!)
How to make Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
This ranch dressing is super easy to make. It will take you 5 minutes to throw it together.
You have the choice to use fresh herbs if you want a REALLY delicious ranch dressing, or you can go the all-dried-herbs route which is still super good. After all, that’s what the store-bought ranch that you are used to is made of! I totally prefer using fresh herbs, because, hello flavor! (Fresh dill is one of God’s greatest gifts.) But really dried herbs are still going to get you a great salad dressing.
Once you put together all the ingredients and get it nice and whisked, let it marinate in the fridge for about an hour. This will give all the flavors time to marry and get really cozy together! But honestly if you don’t have the time to wait, it’s okay. It’s still going to taste amazing!
Then get out all the veggies and feast! You will not believe how many vegetables your kids will eat if you give them this ranch dressing!
Homemade Buttermilk Ranch FAQs
Why is buttermilk ranch better than other ranch dressings?
Traditional Ranch dressing is made using a mixture of sour cream and mayonnaise. Buttermilk Ranch dressing uses a mixture of sour cream, mayonnaise, AND buttermilk.
The addition of the buttermilk adds a whole ‘nother level level of tangy goodness to the classic Ranch dressing flavors. It also thins it out ever so slightly for an ultra drizzle-able texture.
How long does Homemade Buttermilk Ranch last?
Homemade buttermilk Ranch dressing will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
How do you store buttermilk ranch dressing?
Buttermilk Ranch needs to be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, just like the kind you get from the store. I like to keep it in a mason jar in the fridge so I can easily pour it over whatever I’m serving it with, but any old Tupperware will do.
What kind of salad goes best with this Buttermilk Ranch recipe?
Ranch dressing is so versatile, you can serve it on pretty much any salad you like! Try it on a Loaded Cobb Salad with Chicken and Bacon, a Crispy Chicken Salad, a Green Salad with Feta and Beets, or use it on Broccoli and Bacon Salad.You really can’t go wrong!
What do you love to dip in ranch? I did a post of 10 Easy Holiday Appetizers a while back, all of which are so good dipped in ranch. Veggies, salads, quesadillas, fried chicken, pizza (you know it), these Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers. It’s all so good!
I made this ranch specifically to go on top of a this Crispy Chicken Salad. So Good!
More salad dressing recipes you will love!
- Raspberry Avocado Salad with Poppyseed Dressing << I love this simple salad!
- Spinach Bleu Cheese Salad with Poppyseed Dressing << a classic crowd pleaser.
- Grilled Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Salad << just made this again the other night! So good.
- How to Make a Balsamic Reduction << this makes a great easy salad dressing!
- Apple Gorgonzola Salad << this is just like the one from Buca di Beppo!
- Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats << so good drizzled with ranch!
- Homemade Italian Dressing Recipe from Show Me the Yummy
- Olive Garden Salad Dressing from Copycat Recipes
- Healthy Salad Dressing Recipes from Wholefully
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Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced*
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced*
- 1 teaspoon fresh chives, minced*
Instructions
- Add all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until combined! Taste it and see if you want to add any more salt. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving, to give the flavors a chance to marry. Or don’t. It will still taste great!
- See notes about substitutions.
Curse this ranch dressing recipe 😉. It has made my husband and me ranch snobs to the point where we refuse to even eat a salad if it’s not readily available! This is my first time making a homemade ranch and I looked no further for any other recipes after making this one. Excellent, creamy, well flavored ranch that has turned my household upside down, in a good way! I’ve even added sriracha to it and used it as a dip. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe, which stays in my fridge now!
What, sriracha!! Genius idea Rachael! Sorry not sorry for turning your house upside down ;) Thanks so much for reviewing!
This is easily the best ranch I’ve ever had. I won’t go back to buying bottled ranch at the grocery store!
How long is this good for, sealed in the refrigerator?
Hi Julia! It lasts about 2-3 weeks if well sealed in the fridge!
I love the recipe for the salad
dressing , thanks for the recipe
This is a great recipe! I tweaked a bit the 2nd time…less dill and parsley, more buttermilk to thin it a bit. Great recipe!
Great tweaks Rachel! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe. Thanks for reviewing!
Really yummy! Love the dill flavor. This is now my go to ranch dressing. Thanks so much!
This was amazing. I will not try another ranch recipe ever! I did thicken a bit to make it a dip but I’m also excited to use it as a dressing. 5 out of 5 for sure
Ooh love the idea of serving it thicker as a dip! You really can’t go wrong. Thanks for reviewing Amber!!
Love this recipe! I love the in house made from scratch ranch in restaurants, so much that I can no longer stand ranch dressing from the grocery store! This recipe is amazing, I tweaked a bit using less mayo and more sour cream, in addition to adding a little vinegar.
WOW! This recipe is a five star winner. Talk about creamy goodness! Great blend of herbs and spices. My husband and I both loved it. Shh! Don’t tell him but I sneaked 1/16 of a teaspoon of cayenne in and he didn’t notice. Also added an extra 1/2 cup of sour cream to thicken it a bit as we didn’t have time to let it rest in the fridge before using. Enjoyed it tonight as a dip for grilled potato wedges and burgers. Yum!
Hooray, so glad it was a hit for you Kelly! Love that you didn’t tell your husband about the cayenne, haha! It’s my secret weapon in a lot of ingredients, and nothing to be scared of (in small amounts!) Thanks so much for taking the time to review!
Well, this has ruined me on store bought Ranch dressing … best EVER! I actually need a little more salt for my taste but thank you SO much for this amazing recipe!
This was WAY too salty. Wish I had reduced the salt.
Hi Susan! I’m so sorry it was too salty for you! I’m honestly surprised. I used kosher salt (and I’m sorry it wasn’t in the recipe, I changed it just now to say kosher salt, which is a little less intense than table salt) But for 2 cups of dairy/mayo, 1 teaspoon of even table salt doesn’t sound like too much to me. I’m so sorry it didn’t hit the spot for you!
Made some today and it is so good I almost ate just out of the bowl.
Thank you!
Right??? I so feel you SanDee! You could literally dip anything in this stuff, including fingers or a spoon! So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting!
Karen, this dressing is the BOMB, I love it!, I had to go with dry herbs but it still came out perfectly.
My mom used to cook with dried herbs all the time and one trick I learned from her was to put the dried herb in the palm of your hand and rub briskly for a few seconds. What happened is it releases any essential oils that is within the herbs. You’ll notice right away that when you rub them the scent will become powerful and the flavor really proves itself in your recipe.
Thanks for the Ranch Dressing recipe!
That is such a great idea Thomas! I never would have thought to do that! Your mom is a smart lady :) I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, and thanks for commenting with your tip!
OH. MY. GOSH. This looks amazing! It’s on the menu for the weekend now. I even have buttermilk on hand and fresh chives in my herb garden. So excited! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Ooh fresh chives in the garden, look at you! Now you just need to plant some dill and parsley too ;) I hope you love the recipe Shannon!
We made this dressing for a party. Two friends (one a registered dietician, the other a nutritionist) were put off by the amount of fat herein. We were somewhat non-plussed at not having the “nutrition label” information. My husband had it, but most of the others had no qualms about not humoring me that way.
Please consider including nutrition information in the future—
Thank you
Hi RJ! I don’t provide official nutrition facts for my recipes at this time. But I happen to be calorie counting these days, so you are in luck :) according to the My Fitness Pal app, 1 tablespoon of this ranch dressing is about 57 calories. I just looked up the most popular store bought ranch in the US. It’s 70 calories per tablespoon! It’s because they use soybean oil instead of straight up buttermilk and mayo like we can at home. I’m sure that helps make it last a very long time. Anyway, hope this helps!
How long will the dressing keep in the refrigerator?
I’ve made several of your recipes & they are fabulous! Thank you😊
I’m so happy to hear that Lisa! The dressing will last 3-4 weeks if tightly sealed in the fridge. Great question, thanks for chiming in! Enjoy!!