Homemade Ranch Dressing (2024)

FAQs

How is ranch made from scratch? ›

Whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl until well-combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

And of course, you can always make a flavored ranch by adding in mashed roasted garlic, sriracha (or your favorite hot pepper sauce), barbecue spices, cilantro and lime, and more. And it goes without saying, that while the ranch experience at restaurants can be superior, even a mediocre ranch is still pretty fantastic.

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.

It's perfect for salads, dipping vegetables, and things like chicken tenders. Ranch dressing is a comfort food that speaks directly to my Midwestern soul. This recipe is made with fresh herbs, real buttermilk, tangy sour cream, and a little lemon juice. It's delicious and as good as your favorite restaurant.

Who Invented Ranch? Around 1950, Steve Henson unknowingly made history when he whipped up a unique mixture of dry herbs and buttermilk. Originally a plumber, Steve came up with the concoction while working briefly in Anchorage as a construction worker and part-time cook for his crew.

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.

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.

Most of the dry ranch seasoning mix ingredients are simple and likely already found in your pantry. Onion powder, onion flakes, dill, parsley, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and dried chives give this delicious seasoning mix its flavor!

What makes ranch ranch? It's a combination of creaminess (from buttermilk, sour cream, sometimes mayonnaise) and herbaceousness (often parsley, thyme, dill), plus a long pull of allium (onion and garlic) and a shot of black pepper.

Most likely they make their own. Ranch powder mix. Because while some restaurants do use a bottled shelf stable dressing, what you are referring to is a powdered ranch mix (typically the Hidden Valley brand) that the restaurant cooks add milk/ buttermilk and sour cream to make their dressing.

Who makes the original ranch dressing? ›

In 1954 ranch dressing was invented at Hidden Valley Ranch, a dude ranch near Santa Barbara, California. Ranch dressing has been the best-selling salad dressing in the United States since 1992, overtaking Italian dressing. Since 1972 Hidden Valley Ranch has been owned by Clorox.

Ranch originally hails from the Midwest, and it never went out of fashion there. In its purest form, it's made of buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, herbs and spices, although the stuff sold in stores and served in chain restaurants has ingredients like sugar, vegetable oil and unpronounceable chemicals.

Ranch normally has a pleasant smell, so if it develops any kind of foul odor, it's likely past its prime. If you can't determine its quality from its texture or smell, you can also taste the dressing to see if it still tastes high quality.

Make your own homemade ranch dressing mix, using just a few basic ingredients, for much cheaper than the store-bought packets! Plus, there's no artificial fillers, chemicals, preservatives or extra sugars!

As a general rule I like to use mine within 5-7 days of making. However, check the date on all of your dairy products, and so long as you use the ranch before the soonest expiration date, you should be fine. Always store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (this recipe fits neatly in a mason jar!).

Ranch dressing is essentially a buttermilk mayonnaise dressing spiffed up with herbs. It was popularized by Clorox, when they figured out a way to make their Hidden Valley brand shelf stable. (According to Slate, bottled ranch dressing is shelf stable to 150 days or about 5 months.

"Titanium dioxide, an ingredient often used in body care items, especially sunscreen and face lotions, helps provide the white color in ranch dressing," says Jones.

This is a very common question, since ranch dressing has become such a staple in the United States. The confusion seems to come from the belief that one of the ingredients is raw eggs. It isn't. Therefore, yes, you can eat ranch dressing while pregnant.

Ranch dressing is usually made from buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, mustard, herbs, and spices mixed into mayonnaise or another oil emulsion. Caesar dressing is usually made from olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, dijon mustard, black pepper, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, and eggs.