I’ve noticed that salad dressings have kind of fallen into disgrace – at least the kind I like. I’ve heard that we should start topping our lettuce with oil and vinegar (bleh!) because ranch dressing just ain’t healthy. Well, I’m here to tell you that it can be.
This is my family’s absolute favorite salad dressing recipe. We eat it on everything.
Since we make our own mayonnaise with healthy oil and our own yogurt and buttermilk, which is full of healthy probiotics, I think it’d be hard to find anything wrong with it.
I’m not saying its low calorie though
I use yogurt in this recipe. See, we found this recipe when I was a kid, and my mom asked me to make it. The recipe said buttermilk or yogurt, and I thought buttermilk was just regular milk that you put lemon juice in. Well, that sounded nasty, so I opted for yogurt, and that was all she wrote – we loved it!
These days, I sub yogurt for buttermilk in most recipes because I don’t have the time, inclination, or counter/refrigerator space to brew yet another item (buttermilk), and I find that yogurt is easier to keep.
I find that yogurt works just as well, but that’s just my personal opinion. You purists, I’m sure, will want your buttermilk ranch dressing to be just that.
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup of buttermilk or yogurt
- 1 small clove crushed garlic (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped chives (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground peppercorns (optional)
Mix well, and store an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
Get Your Garden Cheat Sheets!
Want to know exactly when, where, and how to plant your vegetables? Sign up to get our FREE companion planting guide, and garden planting cheat sheet printable.
Glynis says
I make ranch almost exactly like this with the only difference being that I add a little dill. I’ve been making it so long now that I can’t stand the bottled stuff! Thanks for a great recipe.
Julie says
Can you use powdered buttermilk? If so would you still use a half cup?
Elise says
My powdered buttermilk container says to mix 2 Tablespoons of powder with 1/2 cup of water for recipes calling for buttermilk. 🙂
Femke says
Because I live in the Netherlands and Farmers and Ranch dressing are not available here, I make my own dressings. I only put a little more garlic in it and half a teespoon French mustard. Because I love the taste a little stronger. So it now is a fusion recipe : )
Elise says
Adding mustard sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Becky says
I have loved your recipe for years and serve it all the time to friends. Everybody keeps calling it “Becky’s ranch.” I always respond with, “Nope, can’t take credit for it, here’s the source.” And then I text them your recipe.
Thanks for making me 2nd-hand famous though. ❤️