Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
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This buttermilk ranch dressing is cool, creamy, and garlicky. Serve it over a green salad or use it as a dip for crudités or chips.
Gourmet is probably not the word that comes to mind when you think of buttermilk ranch dressing, but homemade is nothing like the mass-produced bottled stuff on the grocery store shelves. This buttermilk variation of my standard ranch dressing recipe is one of my go-to salad dressings. It’s cool, creamy, tangy, garlicky, and, honestly, good enough to eat straight with a spoon. Try the dressing over a crisp green salad or as a dip for crudités, potato chips, or baked chicken wings.
“Delicious. This takes just a few minutes to make with outstanding results. A+”
What You’ll Need To Make Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- Sour Cream: Provides creaminess and tanginess to the dressing.
- Buttermilk: Adds a subtle tang and helps thin out the dressing to a pourable consistency.
- Mayonnaise: Contributes richness and helps bind the ingredients together.
- Garlic: Infuses the dressing with a bold, savory flavor.
- Salt and Pepper: Enhance the overall taste of the dressing.
- Dill: Adds a hint of herbal flavor and freshness.
- Fresh Chives: Offer a mild onion flavor and a pop of color.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Provides brightness and balances the richness of the other ingredients.
- Tabasco Sauce: Adds an optional touch of heat and extra flavor for those who enjoy a bit of spice.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
To make it, simply combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.
And whisk to blend.
That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! It will keep well in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Keep in mind that the garlic flavor gets stronger the longer it sits, so you may want to cut back if you’re planning on making it in advance. Also, the dressing will thicken up to more of a dip consistency as it chills. If you’d like it to be pourable, let it sit on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes before using.
Sure, you can omit the mayo and increase the sour cream to 3/4 cup. Because the additional sour cream will add more tangy flavor, reduce the lemon juice to 1 teaspoon.
While I’m a big fan of making your own buttermilk for baked goods, when something relies more heavily on the buttermilk flavor and consistency, I suggest using store-bought.
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Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
This buttermilk ranch dressing is cool, creamy, and garlicky. Serve it over a green salad or use it as a dip for crudités or chips.
Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (see note)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1½ teaspoons dried dill
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Few dashes Tabasco sauce, optional
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Chill until ready to serve.
- Note: The dressing will keep well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The garlic flavor gets stronger the longer it sits, so you might want to cut back if you're planning on making it in advance. The dressing will thicken up to more of a dip consistency as it chills.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 69
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 1g
- Sugar: 1g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Sodium: 113mg
- Cholesterol: 9mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Absolutely outstanding! I don’t understand why I ever buy salad dressing!
Perhaps that can be one of my resolutions for 2015!
I was a bit skeptical, because I’ve never made a creamy salad dressing from scratch, the ingredient list seemed straightforward and simple enough. And it came together quickly and was delicious. My husband, who does not like ranch dressing and usually skips dressing altogether, was all over this. I ended up making a second bacth two nights later. Yum!
This ranch dressing is easy to make and delicious. Once you try it you will never use bottled ranch dressing again. By “tweaking” the proportions of mayo, buttermilk and sour cream you can make it thinner for dressing and thicker to use as a dip. Very versatile.
Outstanding! The second time I made this I used 1/2c of Alton Brown homemade mayo and 1/4c of Fage 0% yogurt. It was even better. I make ABs mayo with light olive oil and a free range yolk. If you like ranch but want to eat clean make these simple changes.
Best Ranch I have ever tasted!
Just made this dressing and it taste excellent.Thank you again for a great recipe.
I’ve been trying forever to find a really good homemade Ranch dressing recipe, and bingo! Thank you so much…it is just delicious!
Hi, this was delish. Fresh and the dill was perfect. How long can I keep it? Thanks.
So glad you enjoyed it, Kim! It keeps well for 3-4 days.
I just want to tell you how much I LOVE your recipes, and your elegant but casual style! You present yourself in such a warm and welcoming way! Your recipes are original, user-friendly, and easy to follow. The best part is making them always means an outstanding outcome! Thank you for being so reachable, elegant, and kind. I truly believe you should have your OWN show on the Food Network! I intuitively know that you would garner so many followers because you are incredibly down to earth, gracious, and caring. Many thanks again for inspiring me to new culinary heights! Sincerely, Nancy Kliger
Nancy, Thank you so much for your kind words! It is so nice to get this kind of feedback and it makes me so happy to know that I’ve inspired you — it’s the whole reason I do this. As for Food Network, they haven’t called yet but who knows… 🙂
Two questions! 1. how long will this keep in the fridge? and 2. if you want to thin it out after it’s been in the fridge, would you just use a little more buttermilk?
Can’t wait to try. Thanks!
Hi Stacy! I’d say it keeps well for 3-4 days. To thin it out, you can just let it sit out at room temperature for a bit. It’s fine to add more buttermilk if you’re in a hurry, but keep in mind that it will dilute the flavor.
Came out great tasting. The only thing weird is it tasted more like a dip you’d buy at the store and not that delicious ranch dressing you find at certain restaurants. I did notice with even 1 garlic clove it’s very, very garlicky for some reason, but it’s still delicious.
Which restaurants?