A ranch dressing that I used to try was so calorie dense that I would need to cut back or find another option. And I found another option. That is this ranch dressing recipe. Follow Apronese to see how to make homemade ranch dressing.

Can I Make My Ranch Dressing Full Fat, Low Fat, or No Fat?

There are a lot of options to adjust this recipe to make it as rich or as light as you want.

You can use regular or light mayo. As for the yogurt, you can choose either non-fat, 1%, 2%, or whole milk versions.

Should I Use Fresh or Dried Herbs?

I used fresh parsley and green onion in my dressing. If you don’t want to use fresh herbs, you can substitute 1/4 tsp dried parsley and 1/4 tsp dried chives for the green onion.

Should I Serve It as Ranch Dressing or Ranch Dip?

This recipe works well as either a salad dressing or a vegetable and chip dip. You can make it without milk for a nice thick and rich ranch dip, or add a little milk to thin it out and make a more pourable ranch dressing.

Close up of a broccoli floret dipped in homemade ranch dressing

Can I Leave The Sugar Out?

You don’t have to add the sugar to this recipe, but if you do, it does make the dressing better.

The sugar mellows the acidity from the yogurt and lemon just enough to make the dressing really smooth, and it hints sweetness.

It is better with the sugar, but if you can leave it out and you still have a tasty dressing.

Homemade Ranch Dressing Being Poured onto a salad from a jar, viewed from the side.

How to Make Homemade Ranch Dressing?

Drizzle this dressing on your favorite salad, or use as a dip for vegetables and chips.

Author: Beth

Prep Time: 5 mins / Refrigerate Time: 30 mins / Total Time: 35 mins

Servings: 4 (2 tbsp each)

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise ($0.13)
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt ($0.11)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice ($0.04)
  • 3/16 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
  • 1/8 tsp onion powder ($0.01)
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley, loosely packed ($0.05)
  • 1 green onion, finely chopped ($0.11)
  • Freshly cracked pepper ($0.01)
  • 1/8 tsp sugar (optional) ($0.01)
  • 1 tbsp milk (optional) ($0.02)

Instructions

  • Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
  • Use the dressing immediately, or for the best flavor refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
  • Store the ranch dressing in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 2 tbsp ・ Calories: 114.48 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 2.6 g ・ Protein: 0.78 g ・ Fat: 11.63 g ・ Sodium: 145.2 mg ・ Fiber: 0.15 g

The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.

Other Ranch Dressing Flavors

This homemade ranch dressing recipe can be used as a template for a number of variations.

  • Cilantro lime: sublime juice for the lemon juice, add chopped cilantro and lime zest.
  • Chipotle ranch: add chipotle powder.
  • Avocado ranch: mash one avocado into the dressing, can also add cilantro and lime.
  • Blue cheese: add crumbled blue cheese.

Try my honey mustard sauce, lime crema, teriyaki sauce, or chimichurri if you want to make homemade dressings.

How to Make Homemade Ranch Dressing – Step-by-step Photos

Homemade Ranch Dressing ingredients in a bowl, except the fresh herbs
Step 1: Combine 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1 tsp lemon juice, 3/16 tsp garlic powder (that’s just a little more than 1/8 tsp), 1/8 tsp onion powder, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp sugar, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill).
Chopped parsley and green onion being stirred into ranch dressing

Step 2: Finely chop about 1 tbsp fresh parsley and one green onion. Stir them into the dressing.
Finished Homemade Ranch Dressing in a bowl with a red spatula.
Step 3: You can use the dressing as-is, but the flavor gets better with at least 30 minutes of refrigeration.

In this form it is a really thick ranch dip, but if you prefer a pourable dressing, stir in about 1 tbsp milk.
A bowl of homemade ranch dip in the middle of broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, and potato chips
Step 4: Serve it as a dressing or a dip as you wish. Homemade ranch dressing being poured onto a romaine salad with tomatoes and red onion

Hopefully, this homemade ranch dressing will help you enrich your dressing recipes. Follow Apronese for more updates!