Our Favorite Ranch Dressing Recipe!
This ranch dressing recipe is our absolute favorite! You can use a base of greek yogurt or sour cream, dried herbs or fresh herbs and it has a touch of smoky flavor. It’s incredible!
Say hello to my all-time favorite ranch recipe. EVER! Yes, this is the only ranch dressing you need.
This ranch made its first appearance in my cookbook Everyday Dinners. I’ve shared it in a few different recipes, but it’s buried inside those recipes and since I use it so often, I wanted a landing page for just.the.ranch.
It deserves it!
In Everyday Dinners, I have a Sauces & Dressings chapter and it is my lifeline. It’s basically my fridge essentials chapter. The chapter consists of tons of different vinaigrettes (chili lime! balsamic!), creamy dressings (green goddess! strawberry black pepper!), sauces (tahini! avocado!) and things I keep in the fridge like garlic confit, tomato confit, pickled onions and more.
I LOVE this chapter because prepping one or two of these recipes for the week and storing them in the fridge totally changes the game for all meals. The options add so much versatility to regular weeknight meals. They elevate leftovers and make lunches feel “special.” You know?
Anyway!
My ranch recipe also lives in that chapter and boy oh boy is a popular one around here.
This is so much more than a dressing! It’s a dip. A spread. Even a drizzle. It makes everything taste incredible, but doesn’t overwhelm foods with ranch flavor.
Okay want to hear something crazy? I never cared for ranch dressing growing up. Honestly – I would still probably not buy a bottle of it. I never dipped (or dip?) pizza crust in ranch. I never dipped veggies in ranch or drizzled it on anything.
Pretty sure that stems from my parents who never had ranch in the house. My mom would make salads with dinner but they are very big balsamic/oil and vinegar/house italian dressing people. And very much into blue cheese crumbles instead of ranch.
Not that it has to be one or the other, but it often is.
I wasn’t super into ranch until I started making this ranch. OH MY WORD.
Here’s what I love about this ranch dressing recipe:
- You can use dried herbs or fresh herbs. Totally depends on the season and what you have. The general rule is that one tablespoon of fresh herbs equals one teaspoon of dried herbs. So they definitely have different measurements and I have that listed for you below! I’ve made this a million times with both fresh and dried, so I’m including my favorite way. If you want more herbs, feel free to add them. Fresh herbs may make the dressing a bit more green in color!
- Plain greek yogurt or sour cream work. Either is fine – it is your preference! Base it on what you have in the fridge.
- I use a pinch of smoked paprika in this recipe, regardless of whether I’m using dried or fresh herbs. It adds the best hint of smokiness. If you don’t have this, I would just omit paprika completely. No need to use traditional paprika.
- The mayo in this recipe is necessary. It helps cut the tang from the yogurt or sour cream and makes a huge difference. I don’t suggest skipping it! If you leave it out, this will be overly tangy and not taste like traditional ranch.
And let’s talk about my favorite way to make this!
I use my nutribullet. It’s amazing. I use the nutribullet nearly everyday to make vinaigrettes or my favorite mini sauces for recipes. I occasionally use it for smoothies, but I always use it for dressings like this. It is easy and foolproof!
It’s the best on my ranch chicken meatballs, potato chip crusted chicken fingers and broccoli and my grilled sweet potatoes.
So that is how I make our favorite ranch… and now please have it in your fridge at all times!
Ranch Dressing Recipe
Ranch Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup milk
- 3 tablespoons fresh chives or 1 tablespoon dried chives
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until pureed and combined. Store in the fridge in a sealed container. This lasts for about a week!
Did you make this recipe?
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Just grab a spoon!
12 Comments on “Our Favorite Ranch Dressing Recipe!”
Yay!! My favorite ranch has a post of its own! That page in my copy of Everyday Dinners is well loved! I have always used dried herbs and Greek yogurt and it is PERFECT every single time, thank you!
It seems super delicious , need to try it!
Miki x
https://www.littletasteofbeauty.com/
I’ve been thinking about finally making this and now this post is the final push for me to do it! also loooove that Sauces and Dressings chapter of Everyday Dinners. thanks for sharing!
Dearest Jessica, Happy Easter! Thank you for the wonderful inspirations and I wonder if you could give us some recipes to use the Airfryer? Thanks!
It is sooooo good!
This recipe is great!
Thanks for sharing ❤
This really is the very very best Ranch Dressing Recipe. We prefer it without the smoked paprika, but can see how others might like to add it. Either way, it‘s totally slurpalicious.
Hi! This recipe looks amazing but I absolutely hate mayonnaise. Is there a substitution that you think may work well? Thank you!
The mayo in this recipe is necessary. It helps cut the tang from the yogurt. Flappy Bird
My family loves this recipe for Ranch Dressing. It’s so simple, with fresh ingredients and no preservatives. I’ve been making homemade yogurt and using that greek yogurt I make in place of the store bought sour cream making it even better and giving us those great probiotics that are so good for health. Thank you so much!!
This is my new go-to salad dressing and sauce! I was skeptical because I have tried others that either have no taste at all or do not have enough creaminess to even coat a piece of lettuce. This is a great recipe and super easy to make. Thanks!
I’m not a fan of bottled Ranch Dressing at all!! I saw this recipe, made it and nearly had a heart attack because “IT’S ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!!” Seriously, you have to make this. This recipe deserves more than five stars!!