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The Best Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing

July 15, 20211,707 Comments 4.8

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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.

Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing - get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

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.

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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.

The BEST Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing - get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

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

  1. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream and milk until smooth.
  2. Add the dill, parsley, chives, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine.
  3. Add the lemon and whisk again. Pour into a jar and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing tastes better than anything store-bought and only takes a few minutes to make! - get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

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.

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Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing

The Best Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing

4.76 from 593 votes
Perfectly tangy, creamy homemade ranch dressing tastes better than anything you could buy in a store.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 24 1 tbsp servings (recipe makes about 1 ½ cups)

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

I frequently swap plain white vinegar for the fresh lemon juice in this recipe. Both acids work beautifully to provide the perfect amount of tang in the dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 45kcal · Carbohydrates: 1g · Protein: 1g · Fat: 5g · Saturated Fat: 1g · Cholesterol: 5mg · Sodium: 60mg · Potassium: 19mg · Fiber: 1g · Sugar: 1g · Vitamin A: 116IU · Vitamin C: 1mg · Calcium: 13mg · Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

{originally published 9/15/11 – recipe notes and photographs updated 7/15/21}

The BEST Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing Recipe #ranchdressing #ranch #saladdressing #salad

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Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

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  8. Paula says

    This ranch dressing is my go to every time. I love chives , but wanted this recipe to be how my mother’s always tasted. Simply perfect. and easily adjusted to however we like. Thanks for sharing it Mary!5 stars

    Reply

  9. Kimberly Esquivel says

    I couldn’t find any dill weed and so i used seeds instead. I also didn’t have any chives… that list may be longer.. if i missed an ingredient that i didnt have, I’ll add it in the comments
    if im not able to edit.. and stilll omg this dressing is way better than store bought. I’d definitely compare it to golden corrals ranch……yummmmmmmy…

    Reply

  10. Aryn says

    I keep this in my fridge, use 5% sugar free plain greek yogurt to sub for sour cream & reduce the milk to keep it nice & thick. Love it!5 stars

    Reply

  11. Maria hockersmith says

    Love this recipe, but wondering about using the dry ingredients for another recipe calling for a ranch mix packet….do you think the dries would work?5 stars

    Reply

    • Mary Younkin says

      The difference is that there is dried milk/dairy products and thickeners in many of the packet mixes. So, it will depend on what you’ll be using it for. In general though, the spices will work the same way.

    • Martha ozwald says

      Did it with miracle whip and soy milk. Vanilla Almond milk substituted as well. This recipe is trash and you should be ashamed for misleading in the article claiming the recipe is the best. It is not the best!1 star

    • ST says

      Martha does not follow the recipe.

      Martha does not like her own recipe.

      Martha is grumpy.

      Don’t be a Martha. 😊

    • Jeff says

      What kind of comments are these?? You clearly didn’t follow the recipe. So to make a ridiculous comment about the recipe and not actually make the recipe you’re commenting on shows your ingredients!!

    • Not Sure says

      Martha, are you serious? You used miracle whip (ewww) and mixed it with vanilla almond milk , and thought that would taste like the actual recipe, or even taste edible at all? I hope you are trolling.

    • JVH says

      Martha, You used VANILLA ALMOND MILK and miracle whip and have the audacity to critique a recipe you didn’t even follow.

      When have you ever seen Vanilla flavored ranch dressing?????? Never. Because it’s nonsensical and certainly terrible.

  17. Cindy A. says

    THIS IS THE BEST RANCH DRESSING I HAVE EVER MADE OR TASTED! Wowwww! So good I could just about drink this stuff! No more buying bottled junk…..this is the REAL DEAL! And super easy to make! Recipe is perfect — no adjustments needed. Thanks for sharing your recipe! A keeper for life!5 stars

    Reply

  19. Emily says

    Just whipped some of this up and it’s so tasty yet light! Regular ranch is always so thick and the main ingredient is usually some sort of oil in the store bought varieties. I did use fresh chives because I had them on hand but other than that I didn’t change a thing. I’m making cobb salads for dinner tonight and can’t wait to use this dressing.

    Reply

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