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}
Jarad Anderson says
Easy to make and perfect with buffalo wings
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you like the dressing, Jarad!
Lori says
I just had to comment & let you know I’ve been making this dressing for a few months now & my family like it much better then even the hidden valley stuff. Thanks for a great recipe that I can whip up any time I need it.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you like it, Lori.
Debs says
Fabulous ranch dressing. Used it with air fried chicken wings.
Your print link to this recipe is broken.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like the ranch, Debs! The print button appears to be working now. Thanks for the heads up!
Katie C says
This was SO GOOD. I made it to put into a Buffalo chicken dip I was making. I had extra ranch and it stole the show!!!! It is such a tasty dip for carrots, celery, tortilla chips and potato chips. Yum.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you like the ranch, Katie!
Marie says
Literally just tastes like sour cream with Mayo in it…
Mary Younkin says
It should’ve tasted like all of the herbs and spices, Marie. You can adjust them to taste. Sorry it wasn’t your thing.
Stella says
You should try adjusting the spices. There are 8+ other ingredients in this recipe aside from the sour cream and milk that you have the liberty to adjust to your own taste.
Daphne says
I like to let mine refrigerate for 30 min-1 hour time permitting to let the spices come through more. The longer it sits the more flavorful it becomes in my opinion.
Mary Younkin says
I always think it tastes even better the next day too, Daphne!
Juanita Phoenix says
I have made this so many times because it is great. Easy to adjust by adding fresh herbs in place of dried. I have gotten into the habit of freezing buttermilk in ice cube trays so that I always have buttermilk on hand- buttermilk makes a huge difference in this recipe. Thanks!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you like it!
Victoria Stolinski says
SUCH a great idea!!! I buy buttermilk cause it has to be in my ranch dressing but, yeah…then what? So what a creative idea!!
Mary Younkin says
Enjoy the dressing, Victoria!
Madison says
Will this last longer than a week?
Mary Younkin says
We’ve kept it for a couple weeks in the past, though typically we consume it too quickly for that.
Michelle Mosier says
Will never buy from the store again
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying the ranch, Michelle
Angelina says
Thank you I LOVED it and after looking so long for a good tasting recipe this one is it! Thank you!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear that, Angelina!
Kara Tobin says
Can you substitute plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream? Just a big tub of yogurt from WF. Thanks!
Mary Younkin says
That should work fine, Kara.
Joy says
Delicious and so very easy to make!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you like the dressing, Joy!
Karen benz says
Can you substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream? Want to try it was wondering if dill is important spice for this? Substitute? Thanks
Mary Younkin says
Hi Karen, you can substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream. It will change the result slightly but still work. The dill is a key ingredient for traditional ranch flavor though. You can skip it and increase the other herbs a bit and it will still be a tasty dressing. However, it will not taste the same and definitely won’t have the ranch flavor you may be expecting.
AmeliaBee says
I use kefir instead of sour cream. I think Greek yogurt would work too, but it’s a lot thicker and slightly less tangy, so you may need to tweak the amount of milk in it. Just tinker with it until it’s to your liking, that’s what I love about this, it’s so fun to play around with! I like to add extra onion powder, and a bit more dill than the recipe calls for, while omitting the black pepper. And the kefir, of course. I don’t even measure, I go by my nose, the same way I mix my homemade curry powder. I dunno. I’m weird. But it works.
Casey Thomas says
So good, so easy! I used regular milk because that’s what I had on hand, but added two teaspoons of vinegar to give it a tang! I also used a little more mayonnaise because we like a thicker Ranch. We’ll definitely be making this over and over! Thank you so much!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad it’s a hit, Casey.
AmeliaBee says
I love eating cheese pizza with ranch, but here in the UK, ranch just…isn’t a thing. I don’t know why. The very, VERY few places that offer it for sale, don’t do it right, it’s just just not very good. So one night I finally buckled, and began looking up ranch dressing recipes. This was the third one I found, and it looked the most promising, while still being easy peasy.
You guys.
YOU GUYS.
This ranch. I could write an ode to this ranch. It tastes EXACTLY like Hidden Valley, only better, cuz it’s so, so fresh, and bright. It does taste better after a day or two, when the ingredients can develop a bit, but even fresh from the bowl it’s pure, tangy heaven.
Even when I get back to the US in a few years, I think I’ll still keep making my own ranch, instead of buying it. This stuff is just that good.
P.S. I have found that using plain kefir is a GREAT substitute for sour cream! I don’t use sour cream much so it kinda always went bad before I could use the rest of it up, but I drink kefir almost every day, so I had it handy. I just add less milk so it’s not too runny. Tastes great!
Mary Younkin says
I love all of this, Amelia! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the ranch.
Anne Smith says
Made for the first time, its definitely a wow. Will be my go to from now on. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like it!
Linda Scott says
Hands down the best Ranch Dressing ever. So simple, yet so delicious. Thank you Mary.
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled you like it, Linda!
Emily says
Not rating because I’m sure I did something wrong and it’s not the recipes fault but, mine turned out so terrible. Maybe it was the brand of mayo I used? Sir Kensingtons? Or maybe it was the buttermilk I used (I could only find lowfat!) this ended up the same consistency as water….anyone have any idea what would cause this and how to fix?
Mary Younkin says
Lowfat buttermilk would have thinned it out a bit, Emily. I’m unfamiliar with Sir Kensington’s mayo. It should’ve thickened a bit in the fridge too. However, if you’re looking for a thicker dressing you can try adding a bit less milk next time.
Kay says
Damn, this is good dressing. I used half and half instead of buttermilk.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like it, Kay!
Paul Kenney says
I was literally scanning the comments for this information too. The recipe looks great, but I was wondering about the shelf-life. Thanks!
Margarita Lidgard says
This was really good and easy to make. I added more of the spices. Thank you for the recipe.
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled that you like the ranch, Margarita!