How to Make Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

I was first motivated to make my own ranch dressing when our youngest daughter went through a phase where she wanted to eat everything dipped in ranch, and then she got to the point where she was only sucking the ranch dressing off from things and not even eating the food! So I made this recipe, and we haven’t bought ranch dressing since. I like making it a little thinner and using it as a dressing and a little thicker to use as a dip. It is a favorite of everyone who tries it.

Ingredients/Materials

• 1-2 c. Fresh Herbs (Cilantro, dill, and curly leaf parsley are my favorites. You could also add sage, thyme, basil, or whatever other fresh herbs you can find.)
• 3 Green Onions
• ½ t. Real Salt (I buy my Real Salt in bulk here. You can buy a shaker here, or a refill pouch here.)
• ¼ t. Pepper
• ½ t. Onion Powder
• 2 Pods of Garlic (If kids will be eating this, I’d leave out the garlic. It makes it “too spicy”!)
• *¼ t. Cayenne Pepper (This gives it a nice kick, but once again, leave it out for the kids.)
• ¼ c. Helman’s Mayonnaise
• 1 c. Buttermilk
• 1 c. Sour Cream
• Container to Hold Dressing (I like reusing glass jars from store bought dressing, but something like this would be really luxurious.)
• Small Food Chopper (Get one here.)

Directions

1. Chop Up Herbs and Garlic: Chop up herbs and garlic into big chunks (on a wooden cutting board) before adding them to the mini food processor.
   

   Green Onions, Parsley, and Garlic

2. Food Chopper: Add the chopped up herbs and garlic to the mini food chopper. Pulse a few times on low until everything if fairly mixed, then mix on high until everything is finely chopped.
   

   Green Onions, Garlic, and Parsley Chopped Up in a Food Processor

3. Add the Mayonnaise, Sour Cream, and Buttermilk: Add more or less buttermilk depending on how thin or thick you like your dressing. If you’re going to be using this as a dip, start with about a ½ c. of buttermilk and add more if needed. Add more sour cream to thicken things up. If you don’t have sour cream, or if you’re looking for a different flavor, add some plain yogurt instead.
4. Add Seasonings and Herbs: Mix together.
   

   Ranch Dressing Ingredients About to be Mixed

   

   Ranch Dressing All Mixed Up

5. Serve: I like using this dressing as both salad dressing and a dip.
   

   Salad with Ranch Dressing

   

   Ranch Dressing Dip

6. Storing: I like to pour this dressing into old glass dressing jars, but you could also use mason jars.
   

   Ranch Dressing Stored in an Old Blue Cheese Container