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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I think this dressing is just about perfect. I love how fresh it tastes, and it keeps really well if you just can’t finish it all in a week. Its great for salads or as a dip or sauce. A keeper.
How long does homemade buttermilk dressing last in the refrigerator?
Hi Barbara, it should keep in the fridge for about 4 days.
This recipe was shared with me and I loved it so much, I’ve shared it with at least 20 other people. I can’t make this without having at least 1/2 the guests ask for the recipe. It’s that good.
This is an excellent recipe. We use it for a dressing or dip. Easy to make and very tasty.
All the recipes I did were a huge hit with the family. Even my husband who is a chef was very impressed with all these recipes.
Thank you for sharing.
I discovered this recipe about a year ago when I needed ranch dressing but was out. I didn’t feel like going to the store for one little bottle of ranch dressing, so I whipped up a batch of this. Man oh man, this is EXCELLENT! I haven’t bought ranch since then–I just keep making this up when I need some. It’s so easy and blows the store bought stuff out of the water! Thank you for an incredible recipe. ?
Is dried dill seed the same as dried dill? My market only had dill seed.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Wendy, they are two different things- sorry!
Would you be able to freeze this?? You mentioned it should last about 4 days in the fridge…Can’t wait to try it!
No, due to all the dairy, I don’t think it would freeze well- sorry!
Very good but the chives are a little overwhelming. I love chives but a little less would help balance the flavors. Definitely will make it again.
Made this & tasted it immediately after combining the ingredients and it was awesome! Used fresh dill, about 2 tsp and also a bit of fresh parsley. So flavorful and tangy. I’m betting it will taste even yummier later. I used only 1 garlic clove and the garlic flavor was still strong. Delicious but next time I may omit the garlic until right before serving, I don’t mind it but other folks might.
This dressing makes me love raw veggies! Super easy and delicious. I will never buy store bought again! I cut back on the garlic as recommended as I made a double batch for Mother’s Day and wanted to have leftovers. Today is day 3 of the dressing and still as great as the day I made it.