Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
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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.
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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.
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OMG! I have been trying for almost a year to make a decent ranch. They NEVER come out anywhere near what I want or anything near ranch for that matter! Usually they just taste like garlic runny buttermilk.
BUT THIS RECIPE!!!! THIS RECIPE! I finally found a delicious and PERFECT recipe!!! Thank you so much!
LOVED IT!!!
Jenn, this recipe is brilliant! I’ve been making it for quite awhile now. I use freeze dried chives and bottled lemon juice if I don’t have fresh on hand. Everyone raves about it and I’ve texted the link to many of my friends and family. I always double it. It keeps fine for several days. We are ruined for ranch now and have no desire to use even the best store bought version. Thank you!
This is really fresh. I divided it and added crumbled blue cheese to half to make a blue cheese dressing. Very tasty.
GREAT Recipe!!!
Better Than Store Bought.
First time making homemade and will continue to use instead of pre made.
Great! A little bland for me so I had to up the salt a bit but the flavor is so good! Didn’t have Tabasco so I don’t know how it’s different from if I had added it, but next time I might try adding Worcestershire sauce like another reviewer mentioned cuz that sounds like it would add a nice flavor boost.
BEST. DRESSING. EVER. Made it with your chicken wings. So yummy. There’s one thing I’m disappointed about though. There’s no more!
I had the hardest time finding a homemade ranch recipe that was really as good as those found in restaurants, and this one was a pleasant surprise. Rather than adding tabasco, I use a small amount of worcestershire for an umami boost.
I love this dressing and use it often. Sometimes I add a green goddess blend of spices that I get at a spice store.
I just made this recipe for dinner. I’m excited for my husband to try his wedge salad. The instructions were clear and the process was quick an easy. Thank you for my new go-to ranch recipe.
I can’t stand the taste of most bottled ranch sold in grocery stores, so I decided to search for a recipe to make at home. This is definitely the best ranch I’ve tried, thus far. Thanks for the recipe!
I just made your Ranch Dressing. It is wonderfully tasty. I plan to use it as a dip with some carrots I purchased at the Farmer’s Market this morning. Can’t wait to try another of your recipes. So glad I chose your recipe.
This dressing is awesome! I’m more a Vinaigrette person, but my husband likes Ranch… and the commercial Ranch dressings have sugar in them along with a lot of other “unusual” ingredients. The taste of this is wonderful. My son ate a few large bowls of lettuce with this dressing. A real winner to my repertoire of homemade dressings. Thank you!!