Homemade Ranch Dressing

There’s nothing better than Homemade Ranch Dressing for your salad, dipping fresh veggies, or to serve with wings, fries, onion rings, and more. It’s so simple to make this creamy buttermilk ranch dressing, you’ll never buy the bottled version again!

Easy Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Ranch dressing is a staple in so many homes – including ours. I think of all the dressing salad dressings out there, a good ranch is the most versatile. It makes an easy dip for everything from fresh veggies to wings and mozzarella sticks and, of course, it can be drizzled on salads of all kinds. That’s not even mentioning the people who swear ranch dressing is a dip for pizza!

You’ll love how easy it is to make the best Homemade Ranch Dressing for your family. Making it yourself allows you to customize the ingredients to suit your taste and you can choose to make this a creamy buttermilk ranch dressing or replace the buttermilk if that’s not your thing.

Once you make this, you’re going to want it in the fridge ALL of the time, so be warned!

One important thing to note is that while it takes just a few seconds to prepare, you do want to allow it to chill for at least 2 hours before serving. This gives all the flavors time to meld together so you get the absolute best taste. If you can, prepare it a day in advance for the best flavor!

The Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make Homemade Ranch Dressing (the exact measurements and full recipe instructions are below in the easy to print recipe card):

• Mayonnaise – You can use any mayonnaise you like. We used regular Hellmann’s real mayonnaise.
• Sour cream – Full-fat sour cream is best for flavor, but reduced-fat will also work.
• Seasonings – The ranch flavor comes from a combination of dried chives, dill, garlic powder, parsley, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
• Buttermilk – See below for substitutions.

Can I Make This Dressing Without Buttermilk?

While buttermilk certainly gives homemade ranch dressing a nice tang, you don’t have to use it. If you don’t have buttermilk or prefer to use regular milk, whole milk or 2% milk will do just fine. I would avoid using skim milk as it can give a watery consistency.

One thing to note is that if you are using buttermilk, is to use real buttermilk. While you can make a quick buttermilk substitute for baked goods, I don’t recommend it for this ranch when we’re really after the real buttermilk flavor.

Can I Use Greek Yogurt?

Wondering how to make ranch dressing with Greek yogurt? Simply swap out either the sour cream or the mayonnaise (or both!) with Greek yogurt. The yogurt does change the flavor of the dressing, so test this method once before making a big batch or serving the ranch dressing made with yogurt.

How to Make Homemade Ranch Dressing

This homemade salad dressing (or dip or whatever you want to call it!) could not be easier to make! 2 minutes of prep and then just wait for it to chill!

• Whisk together the ingredients. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, and seasonings. Once combined, whisk in the buttermilk until smooth.
• Chill. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. (Overnight is even better!)

Want to Make it Spicy?

If you want to kick things up a notch, add in a slice or two of finely chopped and seeded jalapeno. You can also add a drop or two of sriracha hot sauce instead.

Serving Suggestions

If you ask my family, ranch dressing has endless uses, from a dip to a salad dressing. Here are a few of our favorite ways to use it:

• Fresh cut veggies like cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, etc.
• Fries of all kinds – regular potato fries, zucchini fries, avocado fries, etc
• Onion rings
• Mozzarella cheese sticks
• Chicken wings (like these baked ranch wings or air fryer wings), nuggets, or strips.
• Fresh salad.
• Potato chips
• Dip pizza in it!
• Use the dressing in recipes that call for prepared ranch dressing.

How to Store

Homemade buttermilk ranch dressing will last for up to a week in the fridge. Keep in an airtight container or a jar with a lid. Be sure to shake or stir well before serving, as some ingredients may separate.

Due to the buttermilk, you won’t want to keep this in the fridge for much longer than a week. It should also definitely stay refrigerated at all times.

More Sauce Recipes to Try

• Alabama White Sauce
• Fry Sauce 4 Ways
• Yum Yum Sauce Recipe
• Homemade BBQ Sauce
• Copycat Chick-fil-A Sauce