Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
This homemade buttermilk ranch dressing is cool, creamy, and tangy, with plenty of fresh herb and garlic flavor—and it takes just minutes to make.
Gourmet is probably not the word that comes to mind when you think of ranch dressing, but homemade is nothing like the mass-produced bottled stuff on grocery store shelves. This buttermilk ranch recipe is a variation of my classic ranch dressing and one of my go-to salad dressings, with sour cream and mayo for richness, buttermilk and lemon for tang, and plenty of garlic, dill, and fresh chives. Honestly, it’s good enough to eat straight with a spoon! Try it 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, Mayonnaise & Buttermilk: These make up the creamy base of the dressing. The sour cream and mayo give it richness and body, while the buttermilk adds tang and thins it to a pourable consistency. Use good quality mayo, such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s, and store-bought buttermilk rather than a homemade substitute—the flavor and consistency matter more in a dressing than they do in most baked goods.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic gives the dressing its characteristic bite, and its flavor gets stronger as the dressing sits. If you’re sensitive to raw garlic or making the dressing well ahead, you can use a little less.
- Dill & Fresh Chives: Dried dill gives the dressing classic ranch flavor, while fresh chives add freshness and a mild oniony bite.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: Adds acidity and brightness, balancing the richness of the creamy base.
- Tabasco: Optional, but a few dashes sharpen the flavors without making the ranch noticeably spicy.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Mix the dressing: Whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth and evenly blended. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Keep in mind that the dressing will thicken as it chills and the garlic flavor will become more pronounced as it sits. The dressing keeps well in the refrigerator, so it’s a great one to make ahead; see the recipe card below for storage instructions.
You May Also Like
Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s
- 2 cloves garlic minced (see note)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons dried dill
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, from one lemon
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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.
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This ranch dressing is amazing. Just enjoyed it on butter lettuce, shredded carrots, and bacon. Yummy! It will become a staple in my house,
Hi Jenn, I have been meaning to review this recipe for a while. I believe this was the first recipe from your site I ever tried (or at least one of them!). Myself and my family (along with anyone who has ever tried it) love this recipe. It is so versatile. It’s delicious as a dressing, a dip, a marinade or just by the spoonful! The recipe is great for adapting – increase the garlic for garlic ranch, the fresh pepper for peppercorn ranch, etc. If you don’t have buttermilk, its easy to make some with regular milk and some lemon juice or vinegar.
I just want to take this chance to make a general comment on all of your dressings. Thanks to your varied and tasty dressings we have not bought bottled salad dressings from the store in years. Between your ranch, Caesar, balsamic, raspberry vin, ginger peanut, and all the rest, we always have amazing and tasty dressings on hand. We never get tired since you have so many options we can just keep rotating recipes to keep it interesting.
Thank you for all of your hard work to bring us tasty and healthy recipes!
This recipe has become a staple in my household. I had no idea you could make restaurant quality dressing in just minutes. It even tastes great on taco salad. I just used lime juice in place of the lemon & added a dash of chipotle powder & smoked paprika.
Never, ever buy bottled or dehydrated ranch dressing again! This is easy and utterly delicious; everyone in my family loves it.
This is the most delicious ranch dressing EVER! It’s creamy with just the right kick of everything. And you can make it more “garlicky” by adding more or less according to your taste. As it sits the dressing does become more intense with the garlic as the recipe states so start out with just a small clove and work your way up if you like the more intense flavor. Give it a good stir before each use and you’ll never use another ranch recipe. This is simply the best!
This recipe has become a staple at our house. I do tend to use fresh dill instead of dried. I also really mash the garlic with the flat side of my knife until it becomes a paste. Good stuff.
So happy!
Can this be used for broccoli salad ? Sounds lovely and want to try.
Sure!
Perfect – just the right amounts of everything, so none of the flavors overwhelm your salad. And of course none of the fake citric-acid astringency you get in store-bought dressings.
Thank you for sharing this amazing ranch recipe! The beautiful pictures help as well!! My mom loves this recipe now… and will never buy store-bought again!