This homemade buttermilk ranch dressing is everything a good ranch should be. It is creamy, tangy, and packed with real flavor. Made with DIY ranch seasoning and just a few minutes of prep, you can create a smooth dressing that clings beautifully to crisp salads and raw veggies, roasted veggies, or as a dip for these buttermilk-fried chicken strips.
Once you make it from scratch, it is hard to go back to the bottled version.
Quick Look at This Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- 🕒 Ready In: 10 minutes
- 🍞 Method: No-cook, mix and chill
- 👪 Yield: About 1½ cups
- 🍽 Calories: Approximately 120 per 2 tablespoons
- 🥄 Tools: Mixing bowl, whisk, measuring cups and spoons, jar with lid
- 📖 Dietary Info: Gluten-free, can be made low-carb and keto-friendly
- ⭐ Why You’ll Love It: Fresh, creamy, and made with pantry staples
- 👩🍳 Tip: Let it chill for at least 30 minutes before serving for the best flavor
✅ Summarize this recipe, or ask for recipe substitutions and dietary information with AI.
Watch Me Make This Recipe
What Makes This Recipe Unique?
You are going to love this homemade buttermilk ranch dressing because it is simple, wholesome, and far superior to anything store-bought.
- Wholesome – Made with real, whole-food ingredients, and free from preservatives and artificial flavors.
- Quick – Ready in minutes with no complicated steps or specialized tools.
- Versatile – Customizable to your taste preferences and perfect for salads, dips, and marinades.
Key Ingredients:
A full ingredients list, including measurements, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Buttermilk – I use this homemade buttermilk recipe for that classic tang and pourable consistency.
- Sour Cream – Deepens the flavor and adds body.
- Mayonnaise – This easy mayo recipe adds richness and creaminess.
- Ranch Seasoning – This recipe includes individual measurements for the seasonings used, or use DIY ranch seasoning instead.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
One of the best things about cooking from scratch is the flexibility it offers. Check out my full list of ingredient substitutions for all your baking and cooking needs.
- Fresh Herbs: Swap dried herbs for fresh if available, just increase the quantity.
- Flavor Varieties: Customize the flavor according to your taste preference.
- 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 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of dried dill, and 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles. This dressing is delicious served over a spinach salad with red onions and kalamata olives, or over a roasted beet salad with goat cheese.
- Mexican Buttermilk Dressing – 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 2 teaspoons of DIY taco seasoning mix), and freshly chopped cilantro leaves, to taste. Mix up taco night and use this Mexican buttermilk dressing on your tacos, burritos or taco salad.
Recipe Instructions
Step 1: In a pint-sized Mason jar, combine cultured buttermilk and mayonnaise, then mix until smooth.
Step 2: Add the lemon juice, minced garlic, and ranch seasoning to the jar.
Step 3: Stir until well combined.
Step 4: Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, or thin with additional buttermilk or milk until the desired consistency is reached. Use immediately, or refrigerate for 1 hour to thicken slightly.
Recipe Tips
• Use high-quality mayonnaise, such as this easy mayo recipe, for the best flavor.
• Do not skip the resting time; it makes a noticeable difference.
• Start with less liquid and thin to your preferred consistency.
• Fresh herbs elevate the flavor if you have them on hand.
• Double the batch because it disappears quickly.
Serving Suggestions
This homemade buttermilk ranch dressing is incredibly versatile.
- Toss with fresh garden salads
- Use as the dressing for this red potato salad recipe
- Serve as a dip for carrots, celery, and cucumbers
- Drizzle over roasted potatoes or grilled vegetables
- Use as a spread for sandwiches and wraps
- Pair with homemade buttermilk-fried chicken strips or wings
Storage Instructions
Store your homemade buttermilk ranch dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (The jar you mixed it in works great.)
- Keeps fresh for up to 1 week
- Stir before each use, as separation may occur
- Do not freeze, as the texture will change
FAQ’s
The secret is using a balanced combination of mayonnaise, sour cream, and real buttermilk, then letting it rest so the flavors fully meld together.
Buttermilk ranch has a tangier, more complex flavor thanks to the cultured buttermilk, which gives it that classic homemade taste you just cannot get otherwise.
The best ranch dressing is homemade buttermilk ranch made with simple, real ingredients and adjusted to your family’s taste.
Restaurant ranch tastes better because it is usually made fresh with higher-quality ingredients and allowed time to develop flavor, unlike shelf-stable bottled versions.
From-Scratch Kitchen Mastery
Making this homemade buttermilk ranch is a simple way to build confidence in your kitchen. If you want to build your skills to cook from scratch without second-guessing every step, my From-Scratch Kitchen Mastery Class was created just for you.
I’ll walk you through the foundational techniques, time-saving rhythms, and traditional skills that make from-scratch cooking simple and sustainable, even on busy days. This is about more than recipes; it is about equipping you to feed your family well with confidence, so be sure to join us and start building a kitchen you truly love.
Are you ready to feel more in control at dinnertime?
Did you make this homemade buttermilk ranch recipe? If so, please leave a star ⭐ rating in the recipe card below (this really helps me out)… then, snap a photo and tag me on social media @melissaknorris so I can see! I love getting a glimpse of what you all make in your kitchens.
Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (Easy & Creamy)
Equipment
- Mason jar
- Spoon
- Measuring Utensils
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup buttermilk I use cultured buttermilk.
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise Try this easy mayo recipe.
- 1 tablespoon parsley dried, or use 2 tablespoons fresh
- 1 teaspoon dill dried, or use 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh
- 3/4 teaspoon chives dried, or use 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh
- 3/4 teaspoons garlic granlulated
- 3/4 teaspoons onion powder dried
- 1/8 teaspoon salt I love Redmond Real Salt. Use code “Pioneering” for 15% off.
- pepper to taste
- 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
- 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 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 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, or on roasted beet salad with goat cheese.
- Mexican Buttermilk Dressing – 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 2 teaspoons of DIY taco seasoning mix), and freshly chopped cilantro leaves, to taste. Mix up taco night and use this Mexican buttermilk dressing on your tacos, burritos or taco salad.
- Use 2 tablespoons of DIY ranch seasoning in place of the dry seasonings in this recipe.
- Use high-quality mayonnaise, such as this easy mayo recipe, for the best flavor.
- Do not skip the resting time; it makes a noticeable difference.
- Start with less liquid and thin to your preferred consistency.
- Fresh herbs elevate the flavor if you have them on hand.
- Double the batch because it disappears quickly.
- Toss with fresh garden salads
- Use as the dressing for this red potato salad recipe
- Serve as a dip for carrots, celery, and cucumbers
- Drizzle over roasted potatoes or grilled vegetables
- Use as a spread for sandwiches and wraps
- Pair with homemade buttermilk-fried chicken strips or wings
- Keeps fresh for up to 1 week
- Stir before each use, as separation may occur
- Do not freeze, as the texture will change
I grew up a die-hard Hidden Valley Ranch packet lover. This recipe is just as good (if not better) and I love that it encourages me to eat veggies without feeling guilty about junky ingredients like MSG!
we have an egg allergy. What can I use instead of mayo?
What about milled flaxseed. It’s an egg replacement.
Fantastic ranch dressing recipe, made as listed except doubled the seasoning. Plan in trying the greek and blue cheese crumble versions.
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.