This is the ULTIMATE restaurant-style Buttermilk Ranch Dressing recipe that my family and friends go absolutely nuts over! We love this easy homemade ranch!
In all my years of blogging (like 11+ eek!) I’ve been testing and retesting in hopes of finding “the one” – the ranch dressing recipe that is every bit as good as my favorite restaurants and can be whisked together effortlessly at home.
Well folks, it only took a bajillion years but I DID IT!!!
My friends and family went positively bonkers over it and honestly it’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to make anything but ranch for my salads and veggie trays now.
Restaurant-Style Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Recipe
Some of the ingredients can be played around with to suit your tastes but there are a few that are absolutely essential for the most glorious homemade ranch dressing.
Buttermilk – Sour Cream – Mayo <— these ingredients in the measurements below are *KEY* for the base of this dressing. Use full-fat for best results, trust me.
The dressing is so flavorful you will actually use less, so don’t skimp on using the good stuff when it comes to the above ingredients. Pinky promise?
What you CAN play with are the herbs. Depending on what I have handy I’ll either use fresh chives, dried chives, fresh scallions, or a combination of dried/fresh.
When it comes to the dill, season to taste. You can make the dressing super dilly or with just a kiss of dill. I typically grab dried dill bc I always have that handy but fresh is great too!
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-2 cloves garlic (garlic flavor will amp up next day)
- 2/3-3/4 cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup quality mayonnaise
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp dried dill
- ¼ cup fresh chopped chives or scallions
- 1/8-1/4 tsp hot sauce (like Frank's Red Hot or Crystal)
- Extras – dried parsley or even dried chives in place is fresh… it’s great both ways!
Instructions
- Chop herbs and peel, smash, and mince garlic (or use a garlic press).
- Combine in a medium bowl and whisk well. Taste and adjust spices to taste if needed.
- The dressing will thicken the next day. May be thinned the following day if desired/needed.
- The flavor of the garlic and herbs is even more prounounced the following day (I love it both freshly made and pulled from the fridge – so good!) and dressing will thicken in consistency after chilling.
- If it’s too too garlicky the next day you can dilute it with more buttermilk/sour cream as desired. (I honeslty love when the garlic flavors is stronger so I don't) Dressing may be thinned the following day if desired/needed with a little extra buttermilk. Adjust spices/herbs to taste and enjoy! Dressing will keep approx. 4 days in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this homemade buttermilk ranch dressing, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Need a larger jar of Ranch Dressing?
I’ve got you! Here are the doubled measurements. I always make this much in a 32 oz mason jar when family are in town since we go through it crazy fast as a dressing and a dip!
- 1.5 cups sour cream
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 tsp dried dill, plus extra to taste
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives or scallion greens (or 1/4 cup dried chives)
- A few dashes of hot sauce (doooo it!)
Combine in a large bowl and whisk well. Adjust herbs and seasoning to taste. Pour into a large mason jar and secure with a lid. Enjoy right away or store in refrigerator for 3-4 days.
More Tasty Salad Dressing Recipes
- Lemon Dressing
- Homemade Greek Dressing – READER FAVORITE!
- Easy mason jar Italian Dressing
- Classic Caesar Dressing
- Honey Sriracha Lime Salad Dressing
- Blue Cheese Dressing via My Baking Addiction
- Dairy-Free Paleo Ranch Dressing
My family loved this. Great on pizza the next day!
This was so easy and delicious. I love making homemade dressings so they don’t stay in my fridge forever. I only had plain greek yogurt so I used that instead of the sour cream. I added a TBS of white wine vinegar to sharpen the flavor. It was delicious! Thanks Jenn. All your recipes have been great.
Ahhh yay! I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes — thank you!
Gross. Made it per specs. Not very flavorful. Quite disappointed. The dill ruins it.
So sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the dill. My family and I truly think this is “the one” but totally get that everyone has different tastes.
Michael, how classless in how you worded your post. Why I bet you loved it and just jealous that Jenn is a successful popular blogger!!! with tons of followers..She also took the time to test out other recipes to find the right combo !!. Dill is what makes it.. its in every ranch recipe, so much for knowing about ranch dressing huh.. Jenn you keep doing you sweet uplifting and a wonderful chef that you are woman! You even answered this jerk with grace too! I couldnt help myself.. sorry.. I figured if it had enough nerve to post what he did and how he did it.. I would reply back my way too 😛
Fabulous recipe! I made it twice – once with the accidental omission of hot sauce and once with the hot sauce. Both versions were fantastic! The dressing is incredibly versatile – we used it on both veggies and chips. <3!
So happy to hear you loved it both ways! Thanks Jen! OMG and now I want to try it on chips!
So, so good! By far, the best ranch dressing.
Thanks Kelly!
Sooo much better than any store bought ranch that I have ever tried! You’ll want to pour it on everything.
It’s super hard not to literally put it on everything haha! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!