Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe (The BEST) - Wholesome Yum (2024)

FAQs

What can you add to ranch dressing to make it taste better? ›

One of my favorite ranch boosts is adding something spicy. Squirt in some Sriracha or Mexican-style hot sauce, or add a spoonful of Moroccan harissa paste, wing or Buffalo sauce, or some diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

It's no secret that Hidden Valley Ranch is a staple ingredient in many homemade ranch dressings, but did you know that restaurants also rely on this classic brand? According to several chefs I spoke with, Hidden Valley Ranch provides the perfect balance of tanginess and creaminess that customers love.

Greek yogurt is packed with protein and healthy fats, making it the perfect way to hit your protein goals while still enjoying a delicious ranch dressing with your favorite recipes. If you are plant-based, you can also swap out the greek yogurt for any plain dairy-free yogurt alternative.

If you don't have time or inclination to make your dressing from scratch, but you want that elevated restaurant-style ranch, think about zhuzhing up the bottled version with things like finely chopped shallot or scallion, a clove of minced fresh garlic, a splash of buttermilk or dollop of sour cream if you have them ...

The secret that many restaurants have up their sleeves is seasoning mix. Well-known brands make dry counterparts to their bottled ranch that encapsulate all the flavors, including powdered buttermilk, with none of the additives and oils.

Instead of making a classic blue cheese ranch dressing, add feta cheese instead. You get chunky, salty bites of Feta mixed with the creamy dressing. Ranch already contains garlic but it's time to bring it up a notch. Add even more for a delicious, savory ranch that tastes amazing on any salad.

While many restaurants use mass produced ranch mix, they often add it to a higher-quality base. This might include milk, buttermilk, sour cream, or mayonnaise. So when you notice that the ranch in a restaurant tastes better than the bottled dressing from the store, what you're really tasting is delicious, creamy fat.

The ranch packet has a fresher taste, because you add your own mayo and milk. Even though all the herbs and spices in the mix are dried, they rehydrate quickly and leave you with a product that feels homemade. This version of Hidden Valley Ranch is more flavorful than the bottled version and much, much thicker.

While they both have the delicious ranch flavor the dip is much thicker than the dressing. The use of something thick and creamy like sour cream is used to make the dip. While on the other hand buttermilk s used to make the dressing.

Homemade wins here. The two dressings are roughly equivalent in terms of fat content, but store-bought ranch is the prototypical processed food, with an ingredients list that includes modified corn starch, monosodium glutamate, sodium lactate, polysorbate 60, et cetera.

What is the best salad dressing for people who don t like ranch? ›

Chosen Foods Lemon Garlic salad dressing might just be the best salad dressing if you hate ranch. It has a powerful garlic flavor that's balanced by a tangy, citrusy base. If you don't care what your breath smells like after you eat a salad, this is a great alternative to ranch.

Ranch dressing is a savory, creamy American salad dressing usually made from buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, mustard, herbs (commonly chives, parsley and dill), and spices (commonly pepper, paprika and ground mustard seed) mixed into a sauce based on mayonnaise or another oil emulsion.

A: I found flavor is pretty much the same but the new original container I just got has more salt: homestyle 45 mg vs original 60 mg. I can taste the difference. Great product for either version. Thank you for your feedback!

Stored in a well-sealed container in the fridge (assuming you began with fresh sour cream and buttermilk) your buttermilk ranch dressing should keep for up to two weeks. Help it stay fresh by not dipping anything directly into the container that you're storing it in—for example, a half-bitten carrot.

Adding freshly ground black pepper can often be an easy way to up your dressing game, but also freshening up any ingredient listed on the bottle can be useful. An extra dollop of mustard in your Dijon vinaigrette, or pinch of oregano in your Italian dressing can make a world of difference.

Milk or cream would work. If you don't like how they change the flavor, you can instead blend in a neutral oil (vegetable, soy, canola, avocado) to thin it out to the desired consistency.

The best ranch dressing is creamy, herby, and versatile. It should compliment a killer salad and perfectly contrast a spicy wing. It should be a welcome addition to pizza and a sensational dip for veggies. To put it plainly, the best ranch should be able to do anything and everything.

And that makes perfect sense: Sugar helps temper the tart buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream and also cuts the fat in these ingredients, as well as in the mayo. It doesn't take much to balance the flavors.