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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do u have to have dill or chives to make the ranch dressing
Hi Patricia, You don’t have to have them, but the dressing is definitely enhanced by the herbs.
Made this for my mother and husband to go along with your delicious fried chicken recipe (for dipping)-not a drop was left haha. It was proclaimed “the best Ranch Dressing they ever tasted” (which is saying something because my husband hates store bought ranch dressing) & “way better than anything you could buy in the store.” I make it 2-3 times a week now and pack it my husbands lunch to jazz up veggies and plain potato chips. With praise like this I cant wait to try your other dressings as well 🙂 Thanks for making me a “rock star” chef (their words not mine).
I enjoyed this recipe (adding a little white vinegar and a scant spoon of sugar) and used all the mayo I had to make it. Later, I boiled eggs for egg salad and then realized I was out of mayo. I used this ranch dressing and that is probably the best egg salad I ever made.
I will first say how very PICKY I am about recipes and this is truly delicious. I made it to the letter of the recipe the first time and it was excellent. I’ve since made it a few times with slight variations for improvisational sake and loved all versions too. A perfect base to be creative with: add some Cajun seasoning, a dash of celery salt, maybe some chipotle chili powder, add some parsley or fresh dill to the chives, lots of black pepper and some grated parmesan — so many options. Thank you for this great recipe making salads even more delicious!
How long can I keep your “Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing”?
Dries
Hi Dries, I’d say about 4 days.
I added a little white vinegar (any kind will work) to give it that extra sour bite that Ranch needs. Adding more lemon makes it too lemony so I found vinegar does the trick.
I love making this. I use all fresh herbs in mine (lots of parsley!)
I am s glad that you consider Duke’s best quality! 🙂 Raised in the South it was the only one I knew and was so disappointed when I moved to Oregon and it couldn’t be found anywhere. I digress…sorry. I had no idea that there was dill in Ranch Dressing! I’m not a huge fan of it, but if I can make my own Ranch I’ll add it. Love being able to use fresh ingredients to make this. Salads are about all I eat in the warmer months so this is great!
I couldn’t find Dukes in New Jersey until one day I saw it in Dollar General. Check there
This is a very yummy ranch dressing recipe! I made it for my boyfriend and he wont go back to store bought anymore!
Since subscribing to your emails, our salads have been taken to a new level. I made your ranch dressing last night and it was wonderful. The beautiful photos show how to garnish like a pro, and the recipe is clear, accurate, and so delicious. This is true of all your recipes.
Many thanks, Jenn!