Ditch the unhealthy store-bought version and learn to make this healthy and delicious homemade buttermilk ranch dressing with just a few whole-food ingredients!
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Why I Love This Recipe
Making homemade dressing is one of the easiest and healthiest swaps we can make. When I started transitioning my kitchen to a “real food” kitchen, with foods made up of whole-food ingredients, salad dressing was a natural first place to start.
This is easy to do when you know how to keep a well-stocked kitchen, and you know about my time-saving tips when cooking from scratch.
If you read the back of most salad dressings, you may be surprised to find unhealthy and inflammatory seed oils, GMO ingredients, and even “natural flavors” (which could be anything!).
With just a few ingredients (that I always have on hand) and a few minutes, I can enjoy fresh, homemade and probiotic buttermilk ranch dressing that my whole family loves.
Read about my other healthy ingredient swaps to make in the kitchen here.
Is Buttermilk Dressing the Same as Ranch Dressing?
Yes and no. Many people refer to buttermilk dressing as ranch dressing (and vice-versa). However, the base of buttermilk dressing can take on many different flavor variations (beyond just ranch), depending on the other ingredients you add.
This recipe is for buttermilk ranch dressing, but if you’re looking for more dressing options, read below on the different flavor variations.
What is Buttermilk Dressing Made Of?
Traditionally, buttermilk dressing is made up of equal parts buttermilk, sour cream and mayonnaise, along with ranch seasonings. However, when using cultured buttermilk, the buttermilk is already so thick that the sour cream can be omitted if desired. For my recipe, I’m just using buttermilk and mayonnaise.
If you’d like an egg-free version, you can omit the mayonnaise completely (or substitute an egg-free mayo) and still end up with a nice thick and creamy dressing.
Why is Buttermilk Ranch Better?
It’s all about probiotics and live cultures! Buttermilk ranch is better, especially when using cultured buttermilk, because you add beneficial probiotics. Cultured buttermilk also has a longer shelf life, so your homemade dressing will last longer than those made with regular non-cultured store-bought buttermilk (or faux buttermilk made with milk and lemon juice).
No, it won’t last as long as that store-bought buttermilk dressing you saw me toss at the beginning of the video. But our bodies will be thankful for that as we do our best to eliminate food stabilizers and preservatives!
Ingredients Needed
- Cultured Buttermilk – Learn to make your own cultured buttermilk here. If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can use faux buttermilk by mixing one tablespoon lemon juice with one cup whole milk (raw milk is best, though it will have a shorter shelf-life than store-bought whole milk).
- Mayonnaise – Homemade mayonnaise will be best (to avoid unwanted ingredients). However, many grocery stores (and even Costco) are offering healthier options like avocado oil mayonnaise.
- Ranch Seasoning Mix – Check out my homemade ranch seasoning mix here.
- Lemon Juice – Lemon juice is optional, but it adds a nice zippy refreshing flavor to ranch dressing. For added probiotics, I like to use the juice from my fermented lemons.
- Garlic (minced) – Adding garlic to this recipe is fantastic if you’re a garlic lover. However, if you don’t like the flavor of fresh, uncooked garlic, you can omit it, or use 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder.
How to Make Buttermilk Dressing
- In a pint-sized Mason jar, combine cultured buttermilk and mayonnaise and mix well until combined and smooth.
- Juice a lemon and mince the optional garlic.
- Add lemon juice, optional garlic and ranch seasoning to the jar and stir well until combined.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed, or thin with additional buttermilk or milk until desired consistency is reached.
- Use immediately or place in the refrigerator for an hour to thicken slightly.
- Enjoy!
Flavor Variations
Buttermilk Blue Cheese
Turn this buttermilk ranch dressing into buttermilk blue cheese dressing by reducing the ranch seasoning to 1/2 Tablespoon and adding 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles!
Use as a dip or dressing for all your favorite ways to use blue cheese dressing.
Greek Buttermilk Dressing
Turn this buttermilk ranch dressing into Greek buttermilk dressing by swapping out the ranch seasoning for one clove of minced garlic, one teaspoon of dried dill and 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles.
This dressing is delicious served on a spinach salad with red onions and kalamata olives!
Mexican Buttermilk Dressing
Mix up taco night and use this Mexican buttermilk dressing on your tacos, burritos or taco salad.
Swap the lemon juice for lime juice, reduce the ranch seasoning to 1/2 Tablespoon and add 1 teaspoon of dried cumin, 1 teaspoon of chili powder (or chipotle chili powder), and freshly chopped cilantro leaves, to taste.
What else? Do you have your own flavor variation? Leave us a comment so we can all create more delicious homemade dressings for our family!
Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below (this really helps me out!). Then, snap a photo of your buttermilk ranch dressing (or other flavor variations) and tag me on social media @melissaknorris so I can see!
Azure Standard
This video and blog post is sponsored by Azure Standard, which is where I buy all the herbs and spices that I can’t grow myself here on the homestead. Azure offers amazing bulk prices, and their line of organic products is extensive.
Right now, if you’re a new Azure Standard customer, you can use code “Melissa10” for 10% off your first order of $50 or more!
More Posts You May Enjoy
- 37 Ingredient Substitutions Everyone Should Know
- Natural Cheese Making with Robyn Jackson
- Fresh Homemade Salsa
- Fermented Pickles Recipe
- Kahm Yeast (What, Why & Does it Ruin a Ferment)
- Fermentation for Health Benefits
- How to Store Lemons (For a Year!) – Fermented Lemons
- Ultimate Guide to Fermenting Vegetables
- Fermented Dairy – Why You Should Be Doing This Now
- How to Make Yogurt at Home
- 8 Tips for Strengthening Your Immune System Now
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup buttermilk cultured
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon ranch seasoning
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced (optional)
Instructions
- In a pint-sized Mason jar, combine cultured buttermilk and mayonnaise and mix well until combined and smooth.
- Juice a lemon and mince the optional garlic.
- Add lemon juice, optional garlic and ranch seasoning to the jar and stir well until combined.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed, or thin with additional buttermilk or milk until desired consistency is reached.
- Use immediately or place in the refrigerator for an hour to thicken slightly.
Notes
- Make homemade cultured buttermilk with this recipe.
- Use my homemade ranch seasoning recipe.
- Try these other flavor variations:
- Buttermilk Blue Cheese: Reduce the ranch seasoning to 1/2 Tablespoon and add 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles.
- Greek Buttermilk Dressing: Swap out the ranch seasoning for one clove of minced garlic, one teaspoon of dried dill and 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles.
- Mexican Buttermilk Ranch Dressing: Swap the lemon juice for lime juice, reduce the ranch seasoning to 1/2 Tablespoon and add one teaspoon of dried cumin, one teaspoon of chili powder (or chipotle chili powder), and freshly chopped cilantro leaves, to taste.
Thank you, Melissa, for sharing your knowledge so generously and for the amazing resources you provide! I am in 100% agreement with you about commercial salad dressing and have been making my own ranch for years. So yum!
I thought I would share another option for anyone who doesn’t have the dried herbs called for in the ranch seasoning mix. My recipe for ranch also calls for parsley and dill. I discovered that some herbs are as good as fresh when frozen. So I always have the parsley and dill on hand since I pick it up in big bunches when I run low and wash, snip and freeze. It doesn’t even need defrosting–just chop it frozen and throw it into whatever dish you’re making. Garlic cloves and chives also freeze really well. (I haven’t tried freezing many others, but one I found that did not freeze well is cilantro–pretty tasteless.) So, if you realize you have a bunch of herbs or garlic cloves going bad in the veggie drawer, try washing, drying & freezing.
What else could be used besides dill seasoning? I made up 2 batches of your mayonnaise and then the ranch dressing which then I used Greek yogurt instead of buttermilk. But it’s definitely is lacking in flavor due to not adding dill and chives, I don’t have it on hand plus my husband don’t do anything with dill.
Isn’t the ranch seasoning as bad as the ranch dressing itself???
You must not have actually read the article or watched the video, I linked to a homemade seasoning mix and shared a whole food organic source.
Where is the article for homemade seasoning mix?
In the Ingredients Needed section, it says Ranch Seasoning Mix – check out my homemade ranch seasoning mix here and it’s bolded in green so you know it’s a link.
I always have lots of homemade kefir available. Can I use that in place of buttermilk?
Why not? 😉 If you find the flavor is a little flat, try adding something a little acid-y to brighten the flavor. Melissa’s original recipe also calls for a little lemon juice along with the buttermilk. It has the perfect balance of creamy, acid-y, and herb-y. I never have buttermilk on hand, but I make yogurt and always have to strain it, so I use a little of that liquid to brighten the flavor of my homemade ranch, which I make with mayo and yogurt. My advice is experiment, keep tasting, and see what works.