This is the best Homemade Ranch Dressing recipe to serve with your favorite salad ingredients.  It also makes a great dip to serve with a platter of veggies! This buttermilk ranch dressing is better than any store-bought dressing, rivals any restaurant Ranch dressing, and it comes together in a pinch. Your whole family will love it!

A clear glass mason jar filled with homemade ranch dressing. A clear glass bowl filled with salad sits next to the jar.

You’ll probably have all of the spice ingredients on hand so you can make this Homemade Ranch Dressing in a pinch any night of the week!

A tan colored plat has small scoops of spices sits next to a mixing bowl filled with while liquid. Radishes and lettuce sit next to the bowl.

Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe

This buttermilk ranch dressing comes together in about 5 minutes start-to-finish. But you’ll want to refrigerate it for up to an hour (longer even better) to allow the flavors to really blend together.

  • Mayonnaise. Use a good real mayonnaise like Best Foods (Hellman’s).
  • Buttermilk. This adds a richness to the flavor of the dressig.
  • Seasoning.  We use a combination of dried dill weed, parsley, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and freshly cracked black pepper. This seasoning combination gives this homemade ranch dressing its classic flavor.

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

Variations

There’s so many variations of buttermilk ranch dressing out there. Here are a few suggestions. I personally love to add fresh garlic and green onions to the mix. They really bring out a lively flavor that makes the dressing a crowd-pleaser!

  • Add 1 clove fresh garlic (grated or finely minced) instead of using garlic powder.
  • Add 1 green onion, finely minced instead of onion powder.
  • Substitute the mayonnaise with yogurt, or mix the seasoning with half yogurt and half mayonnaise, or use half sour cream and half mayonnaise. 
  • Instead of adding buttermilk, you can mix the seasoning with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 water for a dairy-free ranch dressig.
  • Use vegan mayonnaise (1 cup vegan mayonnaise + 1/4 cup water- or more for a thinner consistency) if you want to make an amazing tasting vegan ranch dressing without using cashews or nutritional yeast.

A white mixing bowl filled with mayonnaise and dried seasoning.

Tips For Making Great Ranch Dressing

  1. Whisk together the mayonnaise and seasoning well before adding any liquids. Then gradually whisk in the buttermilk until the ingredients are blended well.
  2. Transfer dressing to a mason jar or an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 1 hour before serving. This gives the dressing some time for the flavors to meld together.
  3. If using fresh garlic and green onion, add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend well.

A clear glass mixing bowl with mayonnaise and herbs whisked together with a wire whisk.

How to Make Ranch Dressing

This Ranch Dressing comes together in a pinch. If you add fresh garlic and green onion, its best to blend the ingredients in a food processor or blender so the flavors really meld together well.

  1. Whisk Mayo with Seasoning. Mix the mayonnaise and the seasoning together with a whisk or fork until well incorporated. 
  2. Add buttermilk. Whisk in the buttermilk to the mayo and seasoning mixture. 
  3. Refrigerate. Pour into a mason jar with a lid  and store in the refrigerator for up to an hour before serving. The flavors will blend together better the longer the dressing chills in the refrigerator.

Two white bowls filled with salad tossed with homemade buttermilk ranch dressing.

Serving Suggestions

I have been asked countless times over the years for this buttermilk ranch dressing recipe and I’ve been told countless times that this is the best ranch dressing they’ve ever had!  Besides being used as a salad dressing, this ranch dressing makes a delicious Ranch dip to serve with vegetables.  We may have been known to also dip our pizza, French fries, crackers, chicken tenders and wraps in it! 

A close up of salad tossed with homemade ranch dressing.

Looking for More Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes to Make?

This recipe was originally published on July 4, 2018

A mason jar filled with ranch dressing. A clear glass bowl filled with salad sits next to the jar.
Yield: 8 servings

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Prep Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

This is the best Homemade Ranch Dressing recipe to serve with your favorite salad ingredients.  It also makes a great dip to serve with a platter of veggies! This buttermilk ranch dressing is better than any store-bought dressing, rivals any restaurant Ranch dressing, and it comes together in a pinch. Your whole family will love it!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup good mayonnaise (Like Best Foods or Hellmans)
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk (add more for desired consistency)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, herbs and spices.
  2. Whisk in the buttermilk and mix well.
  3. Refrigerate for up to 1 hour before serving.

Notes

Variations

There's so many variations of buttermilk ranch dressing out there. Here are a few suggestions. I personally love to add fresh garlic and green onions to the mix. They really bring out a lively flavor that makes the dressing a crowd-pleaser!

  • Add 1-2 cloves fresh garlic (grated or finely minced) instead of powder.
  • Add 2 green onions, finely minced.
  • Use half yogurt and half mayonnaise or half sour cream and half mayonnaise instead of all mayonnaise.
  • Use 1 cup mayonnaise and 1/4 cup water if you want a low-cal and lower fat version.
  • Use vegan mayonnaise and 1/4 cup water if you want to make it vegan.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 197Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 250mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.