The Best Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing tastes better than anything store-bought and only takes a few minutes to make. Ranch dressing is delicious on salads and as a dip for fresh vegetables.
We love dipping pizza in ranch and these spicy chicken bites are awesome with ranch on the side too.
There aren’t all that many recipes here on the blog that I label as “the best.” With nearly 1,500 recipes here, there are less than 20 that have truly earned that label.
I figure that everyone’s tastes are different and who knows if someone else’s opinion on the “best recipe ever” is going to match mine? These recipes though? They really are the best of the best.
And this ranch salad dressing? It is hands down the BEST Ranch Salad Dressing that I have ever tasted.
Without fail, the people who try it, have all agreed. Just scroll through the comments to see how everyone raves over it.
Homemade Ranch Dressing
Plenty of garlic, dill, and other spices make this a memorable ranch dressing. Just thin enough to pour smoothly, without becoming too liquid or watered down: the creaminess of the dressing is well balanced by the tang of the fresh lemon.
This dressing has had a permanent place in my refrigerator for almost five years now.
My kids reach for this Ranch Salad Dressing or our Homemade Ranch Dip at least once, if not twice, a day to eat with fresh vegetables.
Most nights, I set out our produce boxes and a bowl of this ranch dressing each day as I am getting ready to make dinner. The kids happily snack on vegetables for half an hour or more while we chat and cook dinner.
This is easily the most popular salad dressing I make. We have friends that insist I bring this Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing along every time we get together for a meal.
Everyone who has tasted this dressing has been convinced at first bite that they need to make it for themselves. This recipe has become not only the most popular salad dressing on this website but one of the most popular recipes overall.
After all, what’s not to love about the BEST ranch dressing you’ll ever taste?
How To Make Ranch Dressing
- In a small bowl or jar, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream and milk until smooth.
- Add the dill, parsley, chives, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Add the lemon and whisk again. Pour into a jar and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Salad Dressing Recipes
For more great dressing recipes to try, Honey Lime Jalapeno Vinaigrette, Creamy Poppyseed Dressing, and these Balsamic Vinaigrettes are a few more of my go-to homemade dressings.
If you love ranch but want to bump it up, Pepper Dill Ranch is packed full of crushed pepper and loaded with fresh dill, this dressing is a great addition to our usual dressings and dips for our raw vegetables.
I have this Avocado Lime Salad Dressing by Inside BruCrew Life and this Green Goddess Salad Dressing by Kalyn’s Kitchen on my future recipes to try list.
The Best Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup buttermilk or regular milk
- ¾ – 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon finely cracked pepper
- freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste approximately 1-3 teaspoons, adjust to taste
Instructions
- Whisk together the mayo, sour cream and milk until smooth. Add the spices and whisk until combined. Add the lemon and whisk again. Pour into a jar and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This dressing will keep nicely in the refrigerator for up to a week. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
{originally published 9/15/11 – recipe notes and photographs updated 7/15/21}
Sheri Bartlett says
This was yummy! I’m happy with this dressing! Just the right amount of herbs and garlic.
Suzanne says
This is the best ranch recipe EVER! I make it exactly as written, and it’s perfect. Thank you for sharing:)
KIRBY says
I made this last night and it tastes like a dill dip. I don’t want to waste it so what should I do to dillute the dill flavor? Add some more sour cream,mayo, milk and the other spices? Thanks
Mary says
I’d just make another batch and skip the dill. Then stir the two recipes together. We love dill in our dressing.
kirby says
Thanks for the response. We finished the first batch and am making the next batch now with out the dill. I really liked it more as a dip with celery, very, very good. Thank you
Liz says
How long does it last in the fridge?
Barbara says
The last sentence under instructions says “This dressing will keep nicely in the refrigerator for up to a week. Enjoy!
”
Xime says
Here where I live we don’t have sour cream available, or I couldn’t find any, so I just made it without it and it tasted absolutely awesome anyway. The texture was a bit watery, though, do you know what I can do about it that doesn’t include sour cream?
Thanks for the recipe, I really liked it!!
Mary says
I’d double the mayo to compensate for the missing sour cream. Otherwise, the milk will make it too liquid.
Marilyn says
You could use plain Greek yogurt i have seen that on recipes as a substitute for sour cream.
A says
Plain yogurt
Kelley Hudson says
Is this best with real mayo or miracle whip?
Mary says
I use mayo.
Hayley says
Can you make this without the mayo or would it affect the flavor? Say if I were to double the sour cream, would the flavor be similar?
Mary says
Yes, that will work. It will have a more pronounced sour cream taste, but I’ve made it that way when we’re out of mayo. I slightly reduce the milk in the recipe if I’m using only sour cream, as there is more liquid in sour cream than in mayo.
Ann says
I’m not a ranch fan but my friends are.
So why not give this recipe a try, I thought?
I’m so glad I did!!
I loved it and needless to say, I will make it again.
Mary says
I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipe, Ann!
Billy says
Thanks for this recipe! I love pickles so much so I’m definitely gonna make this for the fam next time I hit the grocery store!
Mary says
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes, Billy!
Puckles says
Meh. Very little flavor. Definitely not the best ranch I’ve ever had. My search continues.
Mary says
Sorry to hear it wasn’t to your liking. We LOVE this recipe. Best of luck in your search!
Gina Q Seaholtz says
this is the best ranch recipe I have came across to date! I have tried many! I found it to be way too thin so I added 3 or 4 Tablespoons of cornstarch along with two regular spoonfuls of sour cream. I just could tell by looking at it on what I wanted. I was afraid this would make it bland but it did not. It was still had its amazing flavor. Thanks!!!
Mary says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Gina! (The dressing typically thickens nicely in the refrigerator too.) If you’re looking for a thicker more dippable dressing, you’ll find several ranch dip recipes on the site as well.
Sabrina says
I am so excited to try this recipe, as I LOVE ranch but have an extreme sensitivity to Onion and Garlic. With this I can omit them, possibly replace them with extra chives, maybe celery powder and finally enjoy ranch again!
I do have two questions about the recipe. Firstly, I am not a fan of Mayo. Would you recommend replacing it with anything? Greek Yogurt perhaps? Or is the mayo flavor not strong in this recipe?
Secondly, would canning this in small portions extend its shelf (fridge) life? I would love to make up a batch that would last longer than a week.
Thanks so much!
Mary says
You can absolutely omit whichever ingredients you aren’t able to enjoy, Sabrin. While “I” don’t taste the mayo, you might. It’s worth trying with greek yogurt. I’d reduce the milk in that case though, as yogurt is much thinner than mayo. Lastly, you definitely can NOT can this recipe. The dairy will spoil. Luckily, it only takes about 3 minutes to stir the recipe together, so you can enjoy it whenever you like.
Christina says
This is delicious. Thank you for this recipe. I reduced the dill and had to leave out the parsley (because we didn’t have any). It is still delicious. Thank you for the tip about the vinegar because we didn’t have lemon juice. This is a keeper. 🙂
Mary says
I’m thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, Christina!
Richard says
I found I can split the buttermilk and sour cream two equal out to half a cup of mayo and it taste the same there’s no need for the mayo
Mary says
That’s a great tip, Richard.
pam's henhouse says
I loved this recipe. It was quick to throw together and tastes better than store bought!
Mary says
I am thrilled that you’re enjoying the ranch dressing, Pam.
Val says
Did it taste better with buttermilk or regular milk?
Mary says
Honestly, I think it’s about the same. The vinegar adds the tang to regular milk.
Al says
Do you think it will turn our the same using vegan products (Almond milk, vegan mayo, sour cream)?
Mary says
Without having tested it myself, I can’t say for certain. However, many people have made dairy free versions and left comments here that it turned out great.
Alexia says
This looks like a good recipe. I like restaurant style ranch dressings; not so much any of the store bought ranch dressings.
Mary says
I hope you love it as much as we do, Alexia.
Ellen says
Greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
Mary says
Many people have commented that substituting yogurt worked well for them.
Beth Harris says
Is there a way to make it a little more thinner?
Mary says
Sure, just add more milk. Enjoy!