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Home » Food » Recipes » Dips, Dressings and Sauces » Ranch Dressing Recipe (from scratch, no MSG)

Ranch Dressing Recipe (from scratch, no MSG)

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BEST Ranch dressing recipe made from scratch

This ranch dressing recipe is made from scratch, and it is so good that you will want to put it on everything!

dipping carrot in homemade ranch dressing in a mason jar

I have been a HUGE ranch dressing fan pretty much my whole life. I LOVE the stuff. One of my favorite things to order in a restaurant has always been a salad, which is really just a vehicle for ALL the made-from-scratch ranch dressing. 😋

Whenever I would try to make salad at home, I would pour on the store-bought stuff, and it just wasn’t very good. Boo!

And the reduced fat and fat free versions…don’t even get me started! They were straight up GROSS, in my opinion. I’d rather eat dry lettuce with no dressing than some of that stuff. Bleh!

Then I went through a phase where I would use those store-bought ranch dressing packets, and mix up my own. It tasted okay, but it still was not as good as the ranch I would eat in restaurants. I wasn’t wild about all the sketchy mystery ingredients either.

I really wanted a restaurant worthy ranch dressing recipe. Since I started making more of my food from scratch, I made it my mission to create my perfect ranch dressing from scratch.

The ingredients for this easy ranch dressing recipe are pretty simple, and you probably have most of them on hand already.

mayonnaise sour cream garlic and herbs on marble counter

I made sooooo many versions over the years, and I have tweaked here and there. For my own personal tastes, I do not like it if I try to reduce the fat too much. The most I can do is use some light (not fat free) sour cream.

So this! This is my most favorite yummy, get-in-my-belly ranch dressing.

spoon dipping in jar of homemade ranch dressing from scratch

It is great on salads, and I love it as a veggie dip too. YUM! And it has no MSG, or any other mystery ingredients that I cannot pronounce.

homemade ranch dressing on plate with carrots an celery

Can I make ranch dressing with Greek yogurt?

Yes! I have subbed out the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt many times. I would recommend whole milk, plain Greek yogurt for the very best taste. 2% works okay too, but I would not recommend fat free Greek yogurt for best taste.

Can I make ranch dressing without buttermilk?

Yes! I don’t always have buttermilk on hand. I have learned to use a combination of regular cow’s milk and some extra sour cream.

In this particular recipe, you can remove the 1/3 cup buttermilk and substitute 3 Tablespoons cow’s milk, plus 1 extra tablespoon sour cream.

Tools used to make ranch dressing from scratch

Note: These are Amazon affiliate links.

  • You could use a whisk, but I prefer using my stick blender since it makes a smoother texture (no lumps!). You could also use a regular blender.
  • Storage container – I used a half pint jelly jar. If you make a double batch, use a pint jar instead.
  • Knife and cutting board to mince the garlic. Mincing the garlic helps you to avoid any large chunks of garlic in the dressing.

More ranch recipes you may enjoy

I have made a couple variations of this original ranch dressing recipe that you may also enjoy. Here are the links to those.

  • Creamy jalapeno ranch dressing (Chuy’s copycat)
  • Cilantro lime ranch

Ranch Dressing Recipe

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homemade ranch dressing on plate with carrots an celery
5 from 3 votes
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Ranch Dressing Recipe (from scratch)

This ranch dressing recipe made from scratch is so delicious that you will want to put it on everything! Madge from scratch, no MSG.

Course Dressings, Sauces
Cuisine American
Keyword ranch dressing, ranch dressing recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 92 kcal
Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • 2 cloves small garlic finely minced (or 1 large)
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/2 teaspoon chives
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix well. I used my stick blender to give a smoother consistency, but you could use a whisk if you don't have one.
  2. Refrigerate leftovers.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using a nutrition label generator. Each serving is approximately 3 Tablespoons.

To use garlic powder in place of fresh, use 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic.

You can substitute the 1/3 cup buttermilk for 3 Tablespoons milk + 1 extra Tablespoon sour cream.

Keep the dressing in the refrigerator for up to a week (depending on the freshness of your ingredients).

Nutrition Facts
Ranch Dressing Recipe (from scratch)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 92 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 10mg3%
Sodium 178mg8%
Potassium 31mg1%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Sugar 1g1%
Vitamin A 80IU2%
Vitamin C 0.3mg0%
Calcium 28mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Note: This recipe originally appeared on A Pinch of Healthy on September 10, 2015.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle says

    July 4, 2021 at 4:38 pm

    How do I thicken it up

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      July 4, 2021 at 5:37 pm

      Hi Michelle! You can add less milk (or less buttermilk) for thicker ranch.

      Reply
  2. Juls says

    June 25, 2020 at 10:47 pm

    5 stars
    I am very picky about ranch. I dont find many that I like so I have on the hunt for a good ranch dressing
    The hunt is over this dressing is wonderful!!! Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      June 26, 2020 at 8:32 am

      That is amazing feedback, Juls! I am so happy to hear it.💖

      Reply
  3. Laura Ortiz-Ramirez says

    May 8, 2020 at 1:52 pm

    I’m really wanting to make homemade ranch. Can I use regular whole milk instead of buttermilk? Is it okay if I don’t have chives?

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      May 9, 2020 at 1:20 pm

      Hi Laura! Yes, this works really well with whole milk. It will be a little thinner than using buttermilk, but it still tastes really great.

      Reply
  4. Donna Lee Gehret says

    May 25, 2019 at 7:53 am

    5 stars
    i LOVE rANCH AND THIS IS ADDICTIVE! i’VE MADE MANY RECIPES THAT DON’T COME OUT RIGHT BUT THIS ONE IS DELICIOUS. i’M ON MY THIRD BATCH! i NOW EAT SALAD EVERY DAY BECAUSE OF THIS DRESSING!

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      May 25, 2019 at 8:38 am

      This comment made my day! I am so glad you enjoyed this ranch, and thank you for taking the time to circle back and leave a rating. 💖

      Reply
  5. Christy says

    April 5, 2019 at 1:46 pm

    5 stars
    This is our most favorite ranch dressing! Yum!

    Reply
  6. Sheilda Drapkin says

    March 10, 2019 at 2:09 pm

    I AM INTO MAKING PLAIN YOGURT USING MY INSTANT POT & I wonder if it would taste just as good as the sour cream because many people use it when a recipe calls for sour cream.

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      March 11, 2019 at 11:03 am

      Hi Sheilda! I have made it with Greek yogurt, and it is good. I recommend whole milk Greek yogurt or 2% for best taste.

      Reply
  7. Jennifer says

    September 14, 2015 at 3:41 pm

    Yum! I love ranch dressing too. I can’t wait to make this. 🙂

    Reply
    • Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says

      September 14, 2015 at 3:46 pm

      I hope you enjoy it Jennifer! 🙂

      Reply

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I am a home cook, recipe developer, coffee drinker, wife and mom of two. My recipes are simple and tasty. I enjoy lots of fresh, healthy food, plus full treats without guilt. Thanks so much for stopping by! Read more here.

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