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}
April says
I usually purchase the seasoning packets at the grocery store to make ranch but had to forgot to pick one up. Found this recipe and had everything needed on hand. We were pleasantly surprised at how great it turned out. This will be my new go to for ranch dressing. Thanks!
Mary Younkin says
You are welcome, April.
Lisa gaucker says
Yummy!!!!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you like the dressing, Lisa!
Julian says
What kind of mayo should I use
Mary Younkin says
I typically use Hellmans, Best Foods, or Dukes mayo. However, any mayo that you enjoy eating will work nicely, Julian.
Jen says
Is there a mayo substitute? My hubs is allergic to eggs.
Mary Younkin says
You could probably use vegan mayo, Jen, though I’ve never tried that myself.
Tracey says
Just made it. Awesome taste. I’ll definitely continue to made the homemade Ranch dressing. Thank you for the recipe.
Mary Younkin says
I’m happy to hear that you love the ranch, Tracey!
Meg says
Delicious! I used low fat natural yoghurt instead of the soured cream and milk (my yoghurt is quite strong in taste so the sourness came from there) . Great recipe thanks!
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled that you are enjoying the dressing, Meg.
Viv Anderson says
Best buttermilk ranch dressing ever!!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you love the ranch, Viv.
Erin says
WOAH – I live in Australia and since I tasted delicious ranch sauces and dressings in North America I cannot find anything as close here (They are super watery and taste like a cheap mayo based dressings) This has blown my mind – Thank you, honestly this is the best thing now I can eat my carrots with it for a awesome snack
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy that you love the ranch, Erin!
Cathy Kennedy says
Thanks for sharing. I made your recipe a few nights ago. I didn’t put all the buttermilk in and I doubled the herbs. The outcome was a thicker consistency with a lot of flavor. We really liked it a lot! 🙂
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you like the dressing, Cathy.
Virginia E Metcalf says
Great recipe! Easy and tastes great.
Mary Younkin says
I’m happy to hear that you like the dressing, Virginia!
Alyce says
Can’t wait to try some of these recipes!! What are the “Titles” of your Cookbooks?? Can you get them through Amazon? Thank you!!
Alyce Heidt
Virginia Beach
Mary Younkin says
Hi Alyce! I’m thrilled that you like the recipes. You can find all of my cookbooks on Amazon. Here’s a link to a description of each: https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/cookbooks/
Kim says
Can Greek yogurt be used in place to the sour cream?
Mary Younkin says
It will be a little thinner, but it should work fine, Kim.
Lisa Eades says
We absolutely love this Ranch Dressing recipe!! So delicious! I am curious how long is it good for in the refrigerator?
Mary Younkin says
The ranch will keep nicely for a week or two in the fridge. (Although, ours rarely lasts that long!)
dee says
I made the ranch dressing for the first time and was pleasantly surprised of how good it tastes. Thank you for such a tasteful dressing and I will be making more. I have subscribed and I am excited about what other recipes you may have.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you’re enjoying the dressing and the recipes, Dee!
Jeff says
Bloody incredible. Made it with what I had on hand — light Miracle Whip, light sour cream, and 1% milk — and it still turned out amazing. This is my new go-to for ranch sauce. Thank you.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy that you love it, Jeff!
JENNIFER HUTCHINSON says
I absolutely love this Ranch over any I have sampled to date. How long can it be stored in the refrigerator, before it goes bad?
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you like the ranch, Jennifer. This will keep nicely for at least a week in the fridge.
Torrey Wolf says
Made your Ranch Dressing for our dinner on August/29/2020. My family LOVES HEAT, so I added pureed SERRANO CHILES!
Through the roof, Mary!
Mary Younkin says
Oooh! I bet that was delicious with the peppers, Torrey.
Jason says
This is the only ranch I’ll eat now. I do make a pesto variety with my own home grown basil. Oh my God, so good. With everything.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like it, Jason. I bet it’s awesome with extra basil.
Liz says
Have you ever used fresh parsley, chives and dill?
Mary Younkin says
You bet, Liz. There is also a recipe here for a dressing made with fresh herbs. That said, you’ll just want to triple the amounts when you’re using fresh herbs. Easy peasy and absolutely delicious!
Beverly Waller says
Love the homemade ranch n the stuff bell peppers
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like the recipes, Beverly.
Kristin says
THE BEST ranch dressing would contain buttermilk. FYI, that’s what you are emulating when you include the milk and lemon in your recipe. That’s what you do if you need buttermilk for a recipe and you don’t have it. It’ll do in a fix, but doesn’t replace it, as buttermilk is made from cultured cream and milk isn’t, but if you add a little lemon to your milk you can get away with it. If this is the top 20 out of 1500 of your recipes, I’d hate to see how half assed the rest of your recipes are.
Mary Younkin says
Wow, Kristin, “half-assed” because I mixed lemon juice with milk in a salad dressing recipe? Sheesh. Feel free not to make it. It’s a little silly to take the time to comment and even rate a recipe that you’ve never even tasted. I’ve actually made ranch dressing with buttermilk and I prefer this. That said, you’re correct that ranch dressing typically has both dairy and an acid in it and whether it’s stirred together in the process of making the dressing or if you simply use buttermilk, it is all about making the dressing tangy and delicious. Adjusting things to your own tastes is the beauty of cooking and recipes and being able to make what you like in your own kitchen. MY version of the best ranch dressing recipe that I have shared on my own website is this one. If YOUR best ranch dressing is made with store-bought buttermilk, more power to you.