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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.
Homemade Ranch Dressing
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.
Ranch Dressing Recipe
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 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.
Ranch Dressing
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
Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, and milk in a small bowl or jar, and whisk until smooth. Add the dill, parsley, chives, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and fresh lemon juice. Whisk again to combine.
Taste the ranch, I recommend dipping fresh vegetables into it for the perfect taste test. Adjust the spices or add more lemon juice for extra tang. Pour into a jar and refrigerate until ready to serve. This will keep well in the fridge for as long as the dairy ingredients are good, usually at least a week.
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
- 3/4 – 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
{originally published 9/15/11 – recipe notes and photographs updated 7/15/21}
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I swapped out the sour cream for fat free Greek yoghurt and used a few tablespoons of skim milk instead of the whole milk to lighten up the fat and calories. I agree with the comments below regarding upping the amount of herbs. Also the dressing is so much better the next day so the flavors have time to meld together.
I’m glad it’s a keeper for you!
I make this all the time (subbing sour cream with Greek yogurt), and it’s SO DELICIOUS.
I’m glad it’s a favorite!
Put it together exactly as written….10 stars if I could ! Thanks Mary! 😋
I’m so glad you like it!
Taste like restaurant ranch. Love it…I used 2x dill cause I love dill and 1.5 t lemon. Perfect.
I’m a big fan of extra dill and lemon too! I’m glad you are enjoying the ranch.
10/5/2021 THIS! is THE best ranch dressing recipe I have tried!!!!!!!!! HANDS DOWN! DELICIOSO 😋
Hey, like we say in the South when the food is good “you put yo’ foot in this right here”. A million THANKS because I was just getting ready to give up on finding any great homemade version. Winner!!!!!
YAY!!! I’m thrilled that you like it so much, CC.
Loved how quick and easy this was. The only change I made was to add a little white sugar to balance the tang of the lemon juice and saltiness of the mayo etc. Was great as written, and lends itself to tailoring to individual tastes.
I’m glad you are enjoying the dressing, Gary.
The taste of dill is too strong.
Feel free to reduce it to your preference, Rita. Me? I typically add a little extra. That’s the fun of making your own dips and dressings, tweak it to make it perfect for you!
Incredible!!! Elevated my salads times a million.
YAY! I’m so glad you like the dressing!
Sorry but this was the worst homemade ranch dressing I have ever tasted. It tastes just like the store bought hidden valley ranch in a bottle. I’m disappointed, especially that It has 5 stars. I was really excited about making it and using it on my salad but no way!
I’m not even sure how to reply here… I can’t imagine what went wrong or what exactly you might have been expecting. Did you substitute anything? It should have tasted fresh and bright, not much in common with a store-bought dressing to be honest. Sorry to hear it wasn’t to your tastes. Better luck with something else.
Good recipe though one time I didn’t have lemon and subbed rice vineagar and I liked the vinegar version even more(3 tsp). This recipe is a keeper.
I’m thrilled that you like it, Kate.
Yummy! How long will it stay fresh in the fridge? Thanks!
It will keep for at least a week – though I often keep it longer myself.
This ranch🤤🤤🤤 is soooo good. I ABSOLUTELY HATE bottled store bought dressing. It tastes so sour and rancid. I cant even smell it. I only will eat house made ranch at a restaurant. This ranch is EXACTLY like that and even better. Thank you so much for posting. It will be perfect for homemade chicken fingers and fries 💜💜💜💜💜
YAY! I’m so happy that you’re enjoying the ranch, Alyssa.
Not a huge fan of this recipe. It’s a decent foundation, but is not “The Best” as stated. I followed to the T – at first. Came out too runny and I needed to add more seasoning than what it was calling for to make it bold enough to dip flavorless vegetables into. “The Best” ranch should include fresh herbs to have a bolder flavor. Either that, or a method of reconstituting the moisture in the dry. Not a bad start.
Feel free to tweak it however you like. I’ve provided directions for fresh as well in numerous places. (You’ll need three times the amounts for fresh herbs vs dried.) It will thicken in the refrigerator as well, Rachel. I’m glad you were able to make it work for you.
This recipe is great! 🤤 I only like house made ranch dressing. Store bought is so sour I cant not even stand it. I have been looking for so long for a ranch recipe and this one is PERFECT. Thanks so much for posting. I will be adding this one to my recipe book for sure!💜💜👍👍👍
I’m so glad that you like the dressing, Alyssa!
How long will this keep in the fridge?
This will keep nicely for at least a week, Louise.
I just made a batch of this for the second time. The first batch was a little heavy on the dill so only used 1/2 tsp. this time. Absolutely PERFECT. This really is the BEST ranch dressing anywhere. So much better than any brand name bottled dressing or “home made” out of a packet dressing. And WAAYY cheaper with NO sugar.
I’m thrilled that you love it!
Thank you for this! As a person allergic to MSG there are literally no Ranch Dressing options for me at our grocery store it is in EVERY single one. Thanks for making my tastebuds happy again!
I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying the ranch, KerryAnna.
Can this recipe be jarred and stored for an extended period of time? If so, should it be kept in the fridge?
This recipe can not be preserved like shelf-stable ranch dressing from the store. However, it will keep nicely in the fridge for a week or two.
Mary, your recipe is outstanding! I make this once a week. I don’t remember the last time that it wasn’t in our fridge. I find that fresh dill gives it a much better taste than dried.
I’m so happy to hear that, Tim!
This is the best ranch recipe I have ever made! Exactly like restaurant ranch! Just the thing I need on Buffalo cauliflower wings💖 thanks for the great recipe!! (p.s. I also added extra dill because I love it so much!😂)
Yay! I’m thrilled to hear that you love it, Kay.