Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is ranch dressing made of? ›

Ranch dressing is a savory, creamy American salad dressing usually made from buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, mustard, herbs (commonly chives, parsley and dill), and spices (commonly pepper, paprika and ground mustard seed) mixed into a sauce based on mayonnaise or another oil emulsion.

And of course, you can always make a flavored ranch by adding in mashed roasted garlic, sriracha (or your favorite hot pepper sauce), barbecue spices, cilantro and lime, and more. And it goes without saying, that while the ranch experience at restaurants can be superior, even a mediocre ranch is still pretty fantastic.

Mix 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup mayo, and 1 Hidden Valley Ranch Packet in a mixing bowl. Serve with anything! Or: Mix 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup mayo, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tbsp of pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, dried parsley and dried dill in a mixing bowl. Serve with anything!

Add more mayonnaise. Ranch dressing = mayonnaise + buttermilk + garlic + herbs (usually dill). Adding more mayo will thicken it without introducing flavors that aren't already there.

What makes ranch ranch? It's a combination of creaminess (from buttermilk, sour cream, sometimes mayonnaise) and herbaceousness (often parsley, thyme, dill), plus a long pull of allium (onion and garlic) and a shot of black pepper.

Since 1972 Hidden Valley Ranch has been owned by Clorox. Ranch dressing was created in 1949 by a plumber-turned-cowboy. While working as a contract plumber in Alaska, Steve Henson started cooking for his coworkers and perfecting his buttermilk dressing recipe.

Originally Answered: Why does ranch dressing taste so much better in a restaurant than at home? Freshness. They mix it up every day or two, from the seasoning mix, buttermilk, and mayonnaise, and go through it very fast.

While many restaurants use mass produced ranch mix, they often add it to a higher-quality base. This might include milk, buttermilk, sour cream, or mayonnaise. So when you notice that the ranch in a restaurant tastes better than the bottled dressing from the store, what you're really tasting is delicious, creamy fat.

Most restaurants don't buy pre packaged ranch. They buy hidden valley seasoning and mix it themselves with ingredients they already have.

How do you own a ranch? ›

So, to thin it out, you can simply add a little bit of water, whole milk, or canola oil to the mixture. Keep in mind though that anything you add to the dressing will alter the flavor a bit. Add sparingly, and if necessary, keep a few extra spices on hand to adjust the flavor if you need to.

Stored in a well-sealed container in the fridge (assuming you began with fresh sour cream and buttermilk) your buttermilk ranch dressing should keep for up to two weeks. Help it stay fresh by not dipping anything directly into the container that you're storing it in—for example, a half-bitten carrot.

So what exactly is it? Simply, ranch is a mix of all things milky. Its ingredients include buttermilk, sour cream and mayonnaise. Along with the dairy, some garlic and a mix of herbs and spices -- predominantly dill and chives -- is added to the mix.

Ranch dressing is essentially a buttermilk mayonnaise dressing spiffed up with herbs. It was popularized by Clorox, when they figured out a way to make their Hidden Valley brand shelf stable. (According to Slate, bottled ranch dressing is shelf stable to 150 days or about 5 months.

Ranch mayonnaise has mayonnaise as the only base ingredient, whereas ranch dressing has mayonnaise and another ingredient, in this case buttermilk.

Ranch is undoubtedly a very famous salad dressing. The tangy taste of buttermilk with onions and garlic is adored by so many. However, the ranch dressing you love so much is loaded with saturated fats and sodium. Saturated fats are difficult for your body to metabolize, which leads to weight gain.