Homemade Ranch Dressing

Skip the store-bought stuff and make your own ranch at home! Our best ranch dressing recipe is incredibly easy to make with ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. 

How to Make Ranch Dressing

You'll find a detailed ingredient list and step-by-step instructions in the recipe below, but let's go over the basics:

What Is Ranch Dressing?

Ranch is an American salad dressing. It traditionally features a buttermilk base, but some recipes (like this one) call for a combination of sour cream and mayonnaise instead. Ranch is usually seasoned with a savory blend of herbs and spices, such as garlic powder and dill. 

Ranch Dressing Ingredients

These are the simple ingredients you’ll need to make the best homemade ranch dressing recipe ever: 

• Sour cream and mayonnaise: The base for this creamy ranch recipe is a mixture of sour cream and mayonnaise. 
• Seasonings: This flavorful ranch dressing is seasoned with dried chives, dried parsley, dried dill weed, dried garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and ground black pepper. 

How to Make Homemade Ranch 

“If you love restaurant ranch, this is the recipe for you,” according to culinary producer Nicole McLaughlin (a.k.a. NicoleMcMom). “And the best part is, I bet you already have everything on hand to make it yourself.”

• Nicole likes to “zhuzh it up” with the fresh versions of the dried herbs called for in the recipe, such as fresh dill in addition to (or in place of) dried. 
• For an easy and refreshing snack, serve the homemade ranch dressing with freshly sliced veggies like bell peppers, celery, and carrots. 

Can You Make Ranch Dressing Ahead of Time? 

Yes! In fact, since the flavors need time to meld, it might actually make more sense to make the ranch dressing a day or two in advance. 

How to Store Homemade Ranch Dressing

Store the homemade ranch dressing in an airtight container, such as a mason jar, in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

“I've been making this recipe for years and it's our favorite,” says Catherine Lohr. “I'll sometimes switch out the sour cream for Greek yogurt. This is definitely a family favorite.”

“This is my family’s favorite salad dressing,” according to Dustin. “We make it exactly as is except we thin it down with some milk (maybe a few tablespoons). We normally multiply this recipe by 4 in order to make 2 quart jars of dressing.”

"This was an amazing find,” raves 1southerngirl. “It really tastes much better than one from the store. I doubled spices, added buttermilk, grated fresh garlic and onion to taste. I loved it so much I just made another double batch! Also fantastic with gorgonzola.”

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams