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If you haven’t tried making your own ranch dressing yet, you are in for a treat! This easy ranch dressing recipe is simple to make, and it’s so much better than store-bought.
My family eats a lot of ranch! I mean, it’s so useful for so many of our favorite foods.
Fresh veggies, salads, chicken wraps, and of course, homemade chicken wings.
I’ve been making homemade ranch for a while, but I still remember how blown away I was when I first tried it. It is way more flavorful and fresh than the bottles of ranch you can get at the grocery store.
If you haven’t tried homemade ranch yet, be prepared never to go back to store-bought! It’s just that good.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love It
- Homemade ranch tastes so much better than prepared ranch from the store or restaurants! Once you try it, you won’t want to go back to pre-made.
- Making your own sauces and condiments is a great way to know exactly what’s going into your food. If you are careful about ingredients, consider adding homemade ranch to your kitchen repertoire!
- When you make your ranch from scratch, you can customize the recipe to your liking. Swap out seasonings or adjust ratios to make your perfect ranch dressing.
- This recipe is so easy! You can have homemade ranch ready for your meal in just 5-10 minutes.
Ingredients
- Sour cream: Gives the ranch a rich and creamy texture!
- Mayonnaise: You can use whatever mayo you have on hand. I use homemade mayonnaise, and I do think it has the best flavor.
- Milk: I use whole milk. You can add more or less to adjust the dressing thickness.
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice adds some acidity to cut through the richness and give the ranch a more unique flavor.
- Seasoning: A combination of Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper gives this dip the pop of flavor that we love in ranch.
How to Make Easy Ranch Dressing
Step 1. Add all the ingredients to a small bowl.
Step 2. Mix well with a spoon until smooth and combined.
Step 3. Transfer to an airtight container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Step 4. Use as a dip, dressing, or sandwich spread and enjoy!
Tips and Notes
- My mayo looks more yellow than store-bought because I make it myself with free-range eggs, which naturally have darker yolks. If you use store-bought mayo, the color may vary from mine.
- This dip tastes even better if you let it chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving — it gives the flavors time to blend together.
- If you like your dip a little thinner, just stir in an extra splash of milk until it’s the consistency you want.
- Want it with a little extra kick? Add a pinch of cayenne or a few dashes of hot sauce.
- Feel free to experiment with the herbs. Different dried herbs, such as chives or parsley, can be delicious additions. You can also try finely minced fresh herbs.
Uses for Homemade Ranch
Ranch dressing isn’t just for side salads or carrot sticks. It’s so yummy as a dressing, spread, and dip for a variety of meals!
Of course, salads and vegetable platters are a great place to start. The recipe as written makes a thicker dip, so if you want to pour it over a salad, stir in some extra milk to thin it out.
Ranch also makes a tasty sandwich spread! I like it on buffalo chicken sandwiches, barbecue pulled beef sandwiches, or even homemade brisket burgers.
It’s also an essential for chicken wings! We make crispy baked chicken wings regularly, and homemade ranch always makes an appearance. If you serve homemade french fries with your wings, you just might want to dip those in the ranch, too.
Recipe FAQs
This ranch will last in the fridge for 1-2 weeks if stored in an airtight container.
You’ll find that the ranch thickens a lot as it sits in the fridge. I recommend chilling it for at least 30 minutes, then adding more mayo and sour cream if it’s still too thick for you.
Yes! If you have fresh herbs, they’ll make your ranch dressing even tastier. I would use parsley, chives, dill, thyme, oregano, and/or basil.
Find Your Next Appetizer Recipe
- Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Skillet Cajun Chicken Bites
- Beef Enchilada Dip Recipe
- Dutch Oven Fried Chicken
If you tried this Easy Ranch Dressing Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Easy Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a small bowl.
- Mix well with a spoon until smooth and combined.
- Transfer to an airtight container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Video
Notes
- Use your ranch dressing for fresh veggies, salads, sandwiches and wraps, or chicken wings!
- This ranch will last in the fridge for 1-2 weeks if stored in an airtight container.
- My mayo looks more yellow than store-bought because I make it myself with free-range eggs, which naturally have darker yolks. If you use store-bought mayo, the color may vary from mine.
- This dip tastes even better if you let it chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving — it gives the flavors time to blend together.
- If you like your dip a little thinner or want to use it on salads, just stir in an extra splash of milk until it’s the consistency you want.
- Want it with a little extra kick? Add a pinch of cayenne or a few dashes of hot sauce.
- Feel free to experiment with the herbs. Different dried herbs, such as chives or parsley, can be delicious additions. You can also try finely minced fresh herbs.
I just love all of your new recipes! I had all the ingredients on hand so I decided to give it a try last night. It was so good! And we still have some leftover that I think I’ll make some wings for tonight?
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed it! We love it with wings!