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GET IT NOWOf all the dressings out there, ranch is my absolute favorite. And to say I’m in love with this homemade ranch dressing recipe is the understatement of the decade. It’s probably the best condiment I’ve ever made from scratch, and I always have a jar in my fridge. It’s the tangy, creamy, dreamy puzzle piece to complete my meals.
But it’s not just me. Ever since I posted my ranch dressing recipe back in 2017 (on the 2nd anniversary of Wholesome Yum!), what I’ve heard from readers has blown me away. Many people have told me that it tastes like Hidden Valley. Others argue that it’s even better. Some just call it the best ranch dressing. My favorite of all is those who say they make it every week. I get it, friends… me, too. If you don’t do that yet, make it with me and you will! 😉
Why You Need My Ranch Dressing Recipe
- Readers say it tastes better than Hidden Valley – And I agree. The flavor and texture will knock your store-bought favorites out of the park. It’s tangy, herby, smooth, rich, and creamy… in all the right ways.
- Make it in 5 minutes – One of the reasons this ranch dressing recipe is a staple in my kitchen is it’s so quick and easy to whip up!
- Clean, simple ingredients – With no sugar, corn, soy, or preservatives, my ranch is your feel-good alternative to store-bought. And for my low carb friends, you’ll be happy to know that this is keto friendly, too. (I even included it in my first keto cookbook.)
- Tastes great on everything – I use it as a dip, dressing, sauce, and even a marinade to enhance meals with its fresh, homemade flavor. It’ll cling perfectly to everything it touches, from crisp veggies to hot wings.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ranch dressing ingredients, what each one does in my recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Mayonnaise – I usually whip up my own homemade mayo using avocado oil, but feel free to grab any store-bought mayo you like. It works just as well!
- Sour Cream & Lemon Juice – Traditional ranch contains buttermilk (or buttermilk powder), but I don’t usually have these on hand, so my homemade ranch dressing recipe uses sour cream and lemon juice to create the same tang. You can also substitute the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt, and the lemon juice for white vinegar.
- Dried Herbs – For that signature ranch flavor, you’ll need dried parsley, dill, and chives. Got only fresh herbs? Simply triply the amount — measure in tablespoons rather than teaspoons to keep things easy. I find it doesn’t last quite as long using fresh herbs, though.
- Spices – A mix of garlic powder, sea salt, onion powder, and black pepper does the trick. Fresh garlic (2 minced cloves) and freshly ground black pepper are amazing if you have them! And you can throw in a pinch of paprika for more flavor if you want.
- Milk Of Your Choice – This thins the dressing to just the right consistency. I usually use store-bought almond milk for here, but it’s amazing with my homemade almond milk, too. If nuts aren’t your thing, any milk will do — regular dairy milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, or even something creamier, like half and half or heavy cream for extra richness.
VARIATION: Want a dry ranch dressing mix?
It’s just as quick and easy to make a dry version with similar ingredients! See my ranch seasoning recipe for instructions.
How To Make Ranch Dressing
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Combine the ingredients. Whisk the ranch dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl. Add the milk last, gradually, until you reach the consistency you like.
- Chill to develop the flavors. This is optional, but enhances the flavor if you have time. Once I’ve made the ranch dressing recipe, I find that refrigerating it for at least an hour makes it taste better. But you can totally enjoy it right away, too!
My Recipe Tips
- Adjust the amount of milk based on how you’ll use it. I like to make my ranch a little thicker for a dip, or thinner for a salad dressing.
- The amount of milk you need can vary depending on your mayo. Some brands are very thick, while others are on the thinner side. So again, just adjust the thickness to your liking.
- Homemade ranch dressing is usually thicker straight from the fridge. This is normal, and not a problem! I don’t usually need to do anything, but if it’s super thick, you can always thin it out with more milk as needed. (Seeing a pattern in my tips yet?)
Storage Instructions
You can store homemade ranch dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
I don’t recommend freezing it, as it will become a separated mess. Just don’t.
I like to store this dressing in a mason jar for easy mixing and just spoon it out, but you could also use a glass salad dressing bottle or a plastic squeeze bottle.
Ways To Use It
I put this stuff on everything! Whether you’re using it as a dip, condiment, casserole enhancer, or you know, an actual salad dressing… I’m willing to bet that my recipe for ranch dressing will quickly become your go-to. Here are some ways I use it:
- Salad – The obvious! It’ll jazz up any salad like no other. It’s amazing on my BLT salad, adds oomph to my hearty chef salad, and is pretty much the champion dressing for a classic Cobb salad.
- Veggie Dip – When I want to use this ranch dressing recipe as a dip, I just make it a little thicker. It’s perfect for dunking fresh vegetables, like carrots, celery, and broccoli. I’ve also enjoyed it with fried zucchini, zucchini chips, and kale chips, and it makes up the base for my crack dip recipe.
- Wings – You’ll spot this dip in dozens of my pictures for wing recipes, because it’s the perfect sidekick for so many of them! Keep it simple with my air fried chicken wings or oven baked wings, or amp them up with different sauces. Try my garlic parmesan wings, lemon pepper wings, or the classic, buffalo wings. I even serve this sauce with my buffalo cauliflower and air fryer chicken tenders!
- Casseroles – My all-time fave is my chicken bacon ranch casserole, but homemade ranch dressing also works well with the buffalo flavors in spaghetti squash casserole.
- Soups – You might not think of ranch for soups, but it adds an extra layer of flavor to my taco soup, or drizzle it on top of buffalo chicken soup.
- Chicken – It’s for more than just wings! I use it to top my buffalo chicken salad or dunk bacon wrapped chicken tenders. And you can’t make my cheesy bacon ranch chicken without it.
- Pizza – Drizzle it on chicken crust pizza, or make a BBQ chicken pizza using your favorite BBQ sauce and ranch on top. Remember those rectangle school pizzas we all used to douse in ranch? This is like the grown-up, way tastier version of that!
Ranch Dressing Recipe (5 Minutes)
Make this creamy, dreamy, tangy homemade ranch dressing recipe in 5 minutes, with common ingredients. It's the best for salads or as a dip!
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, dried herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
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Add the milk last, gradually, until you reach your desired consistency. (Use a bit less for a thick dip or more for a thinner dressing).
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If you have time, refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors develop.
LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 2 tablespoons
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the best consistency in your homemade ranch dressing.
- Storage: See my storage section above for my recommended storage options.
- Ways to use it: I have so many ways to use this dressing above!
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Easy Keto Cookbook here.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe
More Easy Homemade Dressings
Tired of store-bought dressings with fake ingredients? Same. If you like my easy ranch dressing recipe, you’ll love some of my others that are just as quick:
488 Comments
Iymaani
0Wow! Absolutely Delicious and easy!
Bob
0Made this a few times, usually just using Mayo in the fridge and adding seasonings & almond milk. Today? Fresh out of mayonnaise, so built from scratch.
1- really easy! NOTE- didn’t have avocado oil, tried olive. Not a fan (overpowers the other flavors). Switched to canola, tasted great.
2- today was using it as a dip. Just skipped the almond milk. Having made it with store mayo as the base, that’s too thick, needs a splash. This was just right.
Tamara
0Amazing! Love your recipes.
Cam
0Great recipe. Only thing I’d change is salt to taste. I’d was a little too salty for me.
Julie
0Fantastic recipe. Easy to make and so tasty – my family loved it more than Ranch!
Sharon A Dumas
0I don’t buy store bought ranch anymore. I love love love this recipe. I made it for my family and they loved it as well.
Christine V
0Great recipe. Super easy and fast. Also going to be a huge money saver as well as healthier for me. Thanks!
Linda
0I just made this tonight – – the first day of my keto diet. Other than using fresh dill and green onions instead of the chives I made it exactly like the recipe. It was awesome! It’s so much better than store-bought. I’ll never buy ranch in the bottle again! Something this delicious will make dieting a lot easier—THANK YOU!
Alexis Somerville
0This is the absolute best ranch dressing I have EVER had!!!!! I love it and thank you for the recipe!!!!!
Brenda
0All I can say is OMG! This recipe is awesome! I don’t think I will ever buy ranch dressing again.
Claudiad
0I didn’t have sour cream and it still tasted amazing! Thank you
Stacey
0Love this, would this be ok to freeze? I’m tempted to make a couple of batches to freeze but I don’t want the consistency to change
Thank you.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Stacey, This recipe will not freeze well. I don’t recommend doing this. It’s best to make up a batch when you need it.
Tracy A. Eltringham
0This recipe was delicious!
The bottled dressings always leave a funny after taste.
This was so fresh and creamy. Thank you for the recipe. Tracy
Becky
0OooMmmGeee! Delicious! I ended up using fresh chives and whole Greek yogurt but this stuff is AMAZING!
Elizabeth Manuntag
0Wow this was the easiest way to make mayo!!! I’ve done the oil drizzling method many times – sometimes it’s works, sometimes it doesn’t – but this was quick and easy. Thanks so much for sharing.
Krista
0Hello – Is is possible to substitute 11% full fat plain greek yogurt (no added sugars) for the sour cream? Thank you!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Krista, Yes, you can do that! It will change the nutrition info, but the recipe will work great!
Sandy Nelson
0Love this recipe! Easy, very tasty. Thank you so much! Big fan of alot of your recipes.
Joanne
0I am loving your website, can spend hours looking through the site
Chris
0Wonderful recipe. I recommend using the freshest ingredients, especially with the dill. It tastes so much better this way.
Marie
0Thank you so very much for all the info, recipes etc. I am looking forward in trying your recipes as well as your products.
Marcella Cooper
0This is one of my staples. It’s the best dressing, even compared to store bought!
Cheri
0This is, without a doubt, the best Ranch dressing I’ve ever had. And it is so easy and quick to make.
joanna
0Lovely! I didn’t have sour cream so used a little double cream and one extra teaspoon of lemon, then didn’t have chives so just left them out.
Needed it immediately and it was delicious, so expect it’ll be even nicer after being left in the fridge a while. Thank you
Brenda
0This is absolutely delicious. Even my picky husband loves it! He doesn’t know it’s Ranch Dressing. I call it a Herb Dressing so he will eat it. You say Ranch and he will not eat it. This is my go to Ranch Dressing. Thank you so much for a great recipe.
Stephanie
0I really love this recipe! I used to love ranch, then they started dumping sugar into it. This is so good now I remember why I loved it so much!
Laura
0Simply the best ranch dressing I’ve ever had!!
Kayla Strandness
0Hi Maya! I am still learning, but could I use dill weed instead of dried dill? Or is it the same thing?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Kayla, They are the same thing. Enjoy!
JOANN LABRADA
0I AM FINDING A LOT OF KETO RECEIPTS ON FACEBOOK
Traci
0I make this ranch all the time. My very picky son loves it. I even got him to eat carrots using it. I do add about a tbsp of white wine vinegar to it.
Linda
0Have tried this recipe and I love it. I have a question,
In this recipe it says you can use watered down heavy cream and was wondering what the ratio is, how much water and how much cream?
Thank you for your time,
Linda
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Linda, You can do up to a 50:50 ratio of water and cream.
Heidi
0I don’t usually write reviews but this is the BEST Ranch Dressing I have ever had! I will never buy store bought again!!! It is hard to believe something so easy to make tastes so good. No sugar, no ingredients I don’t want. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Mel
0Excellent! Love this ranch..so healthy and tasty!
Liz K
0Make extra! Goes great as dip. We used it for our chicken crust pizza. My husband thinks it’s not ok for me to eat as soup but idk .. really THE best ranch dressing!
Megan
0Delicious! Thanks for this great recipe
Delia
0This is the best, the very best Ranch Dressing I’ve ever tasted! It’s flipping awesomeness on almost everything! Xxxx
Richard Coben
0I just made this ranch dressing and I’d have to say that this was the best ranch dressing I’ve ever had! I had all of the ingredients on hand and it was so easy and fast to make. My wife and I loved it. Thanks so much! I’m so happy to find this recipe and will be making it again soon.
Heather Kuhn
0To Shana, Duke’s has already been mentioned, but Primal Kitchen also has an unsweetened mayo. Three different types, in fact, plain, chipotle-lime, and garlic aioli. Duke’s is way cheaper, but if you’re picky about the oil used, Duke’s is made with soybean oil while Primal Kitchen is made with avocado oil.
Jacqueline K
0Creamy, smooth and only get better each day! I use this as a dip as well. Hubby loves it too! I am doing the Dr. Davis program and this is a good substitute for the nasty commercial brands in the store. I will continue to use this site, Wholesome Yum, to find recipes I can use!
Shana
0What kind of mayo do you use? Are you using mayo w/ avocado oil or Hellman’s mayo? I’m looking for something low carb/lazy keto
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Shana, I make my own avocado oil mayo recipe, but if you prefer you can use a store bought. Just make sure you are getting a clean brand without canola oil.
Betty
0Hello just wondering how long is the dressing good for if kept in the fridge? Best dressing ever
Karen
0This is the best ranch dressing I have ever made! It is full of flavor . Thank you for sharing this. I will never buy bottled ranch dressing again
Jennifer Garcia
0Delicious! I didn’t have chives and it was still great : )
Peyton Williams
0Its even healthier if you replace the sourcream with plain greek yogurt instead. and it doesnt really change the taste at all either.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Peyton, It just depends on your preference and lifestyle. Greek yogurt would result in slightly higher carb count, but it does have other benefits.
Linda
0If I have buttermilk in the fridge, could I use it in this recipe for ranch dressing?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Linda, You can use it in place of the almond milk in the recipe.
Tia
0This is the best Ranch dressing ever! I have been Keto for 2yrs now have lost a total of 50lbs. I make a batch of this every week it is a great dip for veggies too! Thank you so much for the recipes!
Vance Phillips
0Hi to all and thank you for taking my question. Want to make this recipe today, but want to know … Can I use vanilla almond milk, instead of unsweetened almond milk? Would it throw off the flavor consistency by a lot? Thank you in advance.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Vance, I don’t recommend using vanilla almond milk, it would interfere with the rest of the flavors of the dressing.
Jacquette
0If I don’t like to use mayonnaise is there a substitute?
Aimee
0When watering down the heavy cream with water what do you recommend the water to heavy cream ratio be?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Aimee, 50% water 50% heavy cream is best here.
Nancy
0Really great dressing, indulgent yet refreshing! Perks up our salads and makes a great dip too. Brings on a salad craving even on a cold day Thank you for a delicious recipe!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jacquette, It’s a little runnier in texture, but sour cream works great too!
Marcella
0I’m not a fan of mayo. Can I use all sour cream?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Marcella, Yes, that would be fine, but the flavor and texture will be less similar to ranch. You can’t actually taste mayo in this, so I’d suggest making it as written first to see what you think and then making adjustments next time.
Debi
0This dip was awesome. Haven’t tried it as a dressing but I’m sure it would be great too. This is now our favorite go to.
Sue
0Hi Maya; if you could please let me know as well of the ad free version of everything would be great i find it hard where to go with it all. Many Thanks, I have not tried the meal plans yet, cleaning out cupboards, pantry, getting the tools I’m going to need to start my new way of life……thanks again Sue D
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Sue, Thanks for your feedback. Ads keep the Wholesome Yum website running and allow me to develop recipes that readers like you can access absolutely free. However, you may be interested in Wholesome Yum Plus, which includes an ad-free version of the website, along with other perks.
Gwen McBride
0love this dressing ….. this is a keeper