The Best Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing

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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 VinaigretteCreamy 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 581 votes
Perfectly tangy, creamy homemade ranch dressing tastes better than anything you could buy in a store.
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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  1. Ronnie Hunt says

    I just made this and it’s fantastic! I usually use Ree Drummond’s recipe but I like yours better! Thank you for sharing. It’s perfection and I need this in my life! Soooo tasty!5 stars

  2. Bernadette says

    I just made this and it’s out of this world…the best ranch dressing. I used a good tablespoon of vinegar instead of lemon juice. Your balsamic garlic has become my favorite as well. From now on I will only go to your site for any dressing needed. Thanks for these fantastic recipes.5 stars

  3. JaylaTheOldSoul says

    Had made the kids dinner and looked in the cupboard and remembered I forgot to buy dressing. Had mayo though, so I got to thinking and just searched up homemade ranch dressing recipes and I just knew this one was the one! It taste just like Hidden goddamn Valley, only better. And on such short notice?!! It was the bees knees, honey!5 stars

  4. Conall Lively says

    Great recipe! Usually I use a different ranch dressing recipe but I like this one more. One thing I would say is make it a few hours in advance – much better when it sits for a while.5 stars

  5. Charlie Groat says

    Marvelous dressing! Super quick to whip up, and delicious from the second you stop whisking (though I did find an hour or two in the fridge helped it out a lot, as it usually does). I split the garlic 50/50 between regular garlic powder and some black garlic powder I had, and also stirred in a healthy dollop of good whole grain mustard for the acidity (no lemons on hand). I’m looking forward to making it again as intended, as well as trying a few shakes of Old Bay in a future batch! I doubt I’m ever going to use grocery store ranch again after this 🙂5 stars

  6. Mare says

    Fantastic! I’ve never liked store bought ranch dressings, so I’ve been making my own for years. Recently I wasn’t really enjoying my old recipe anymore and wanted to find a new one. This one is perfect! I used plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and regular milk instead of buttermilk but it still had a buttermilk taste to it. This stuff is addictive. Thanks!5 stars

  7. Eva White says

    I have been making your Ranch Recipe for about 5 yrs now.I usually double or triple the Recipe. I will never have bottled again.It is so good it makes you want to DRINK IT.5 stars

  8. Lynda says

    I just made a batch and all I could taste was the mayo, so I added more sour cream and buttermilk and added more of the spices and vinegar (used instead of lemon) and it seemed to come into balance. We’ll see how it tastes after it brews in the fridge. 😊4 stars

  9. Sylvia Carlson says

    Mary, I made this today and it is delicious. I didn’t have any dried chives, so I used fresh ones. I might put in a little less milk if I was just using it for a dip, but not if I was using it for a salad dressing. The taste is really good. Thank you for this recipe!5 stars

  10. Susan says

    I think I did something wrong! Uuuggghhh, help. It’s very “liquidity”. Didn’t have buttermilk so I used whole milk.

    Should I add more sour cream and and/or mayo?5 stars

    • Mary Younkin says

      Ria – I would not recommend it in this recipe. The slightly sweeter flavor of it just doesn’t work in the Ranch Dressing combination for me.

  11. Frances says

    My family has said I need to make more of this. Even those that don’t like ranch love it. So easy to make and the rewards are huge (lots of veggies eaten when this is available for a dip)5 stars

    • Mary Younkin says

      Frances – Big rewards right there. Getting all those veggies in is not an easy task with kids sometimes, and adults lets face it.

  12. Lori S says

    Living in the Czech Republic and really wanted my homemade hot wings but couldn’t find Ranch here. Found your recipe and gave it a try. OMG you made my day. It is awesome!! Just what I needed. Thank you5 stars

  13. Andrea Jurzysta says

    The dressing looks delicious! My question is can this be frozen and taken out a day before using5 stars