Home Made Ranch Dressing Mix

My Home-made Ranch Mix & Ranch Dressing

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Easy Home-made Ranch Mix & Ranch Dressing

Surprise. I’m making a recipe for Bacon Ranch Potato Salad (coming up next.) A surprise because those that know me know I don’t like Ranch. Uh, hunh, no, no, nope.

Home Made Ranch Dressing Mix

Except my Home-made Greek Yogurt Ranch and that’s new. But my evil sis talked me into coming up with a Bacon Buttermilk Ranch Potato Salad and what’s a girl to do?

Research Ranch. Heavily. And come up with my own Ranch mix and dressing. One that I like. One that isn’t slimy & has some zip that doesn’t come from a chemical Sh**Storm. Excuse me, but it has to be said. And here’s mine. It’s quite lovely. (Um, am I 80? Quite lovely, indeedy!)

I stuck with the basics for the first go around (very good) and then went a little sideways with some adaptations. What sets my recipe apart is dry mustard powder – an original Ranch ingredient. See my Top Secret Super Stealth Arsenal of Ingredients for mustard powder and a few other fave flavor boosters.

Home Made Ranch Dressing Mix

And then I took some departures for the second batch and included smoked paprika, a little dried cilantro (which isn’t very strong, being dried, but just adds a little something to the mix) and a touch of Coleman’s mustard. Love that stuff, and a little goes a long way. Those are optional in the recipe.

As long as you work with about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the original three herbs in the Ranch Mix (parsley, dill and chives) feel free to mix and match them how you like. I am not a dill fan, but even I can admit how good it is in Ranch. And now I can admit how good Ranch can be! And I hope you can, too!

And of course you can add a little less or more of the garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. If you’re watching your sodium, making home-made is the way to go.

Home Made Ranch Dressing Mix

Home-Made Ranch Mix

  • Servings: abt cup
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • 1/2 cup dried buttermilk powder (measure first, then sift if clumpy)
  • 1 tablespoon each of dried chives, parsley and dill, or three tablespoons total if adding more or less of any of these herbs)
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried mustard powder or Coleman’s mustard powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika (optional) or smoked paprika (optional)
  • 3/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro (optional)

Mix together. Store in an airtight container, preferably in the fridge. 3 tablespoons equals 1 packet of store bought.

Home-made Ranch Dressing

  • Servings: abt 2 1/2 cups
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

To make dressing:

  • 3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of Ranch Mix
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or use all mayo if you prefer)
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • about 2/3 cup of milk; hold back a little, then mix, then decide if you’d like to thin it more
  • a little more salt and pepper, if desired

Whisk together, adding additional milk to get to desired consistency. Make thicker for a dip but for a dressing, whisk in milk until it’s creamy but still substantial and the whisk still leaves trails.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Best if made about an hour ahead so flavors develop.

Note: when making this for my Bacon Ranch Potato Salad, I use the four tablespoons of the mix.

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I’m taking this recipe over to Fiesta Friday 173, put on this week by the intrepid beach comber, Angie and her two co-hosts: Lindy @ Love In The Kitchen and Paula @ Her Life Is Love. I’m sensing love in the air, this week. It just takes a second to click over and visit and see all the great link-ups.

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21 thoughts on “My Home-made Ranch Mix & Ranch Dressing”

  1. Deborah K Kania

    Many years ago, in the 70’s, my mom and I were going to WW. WW had a recipe to make this dressing but it wasn’t called Ranch yet. It tasted EXACTLY like homemade Ranch. I can’t eat boughten Hidden Valley Ranch in the bottles. Doesn’t taste like ‘real’ Ranch to me. I’ve look through every cookbook I own but haven’t ever found the recipe until now!! Thank you thank you thank you

    Reply
    • FrugalHausfrau

      Hi Deborah, my pleasure and thanks for the nice comment. Yes, “Ranch” took the world by storm, it seems and I fully agree with you. I don’t really care for any of the bottled kind, too slimy. I remember when the packets came out, though!! We would make it with buttermilk.
      Mollie

      Reply
    • FrugalHausfrau

      Haha! I think I was just too old when it came out! What I do like (and hate to admit) every now and then is Western dressing on ice-berg lettuce! Just like I had when I was a kid!

      Reply
  3. Nancy Janssen

    Thanks to you, I now have a dedicated shelf in my pantry with Ball jars filled with dry mixes. I’ll add this to my “collection”. Loving making my own (or should I say, yours?) and always having it fresh. Such a taste difference!

    Reply
    • FrugalHausfrau

      Thanks!! I love my Ball jars and do the same! I still have to make up that Cream soup mix! I made a casserole last week (I think – when I blog weeks dissapear and I tell time from post to post, lol!) and used canned and was thinking about it again.

      Reply
  4. Carlee

    I should try this! I almost never have jars of dressing around, but occasionally do have some packets of seasonings. I know I could do it cheaper (and probably better!) myself. I’ll be coming back to this for sure!

    Reply
    • FrugalHausfrau

      Hi Carlee, I think better, for sure! I think maybe a great couponer working with sales could get the packets cheaper, but I like not having all the additives, too. 🙂

      Reply
  5. Jhuls

    I have been searching for dried buttermilk powder, but I haven’t find any. I will keep searching. 😀 Thanks for sharing, Mollie.

    Reply
    • FrugalHausfrau

      My son used to love it, but I never made it for him because I was always stuck on the idea of using fresh herbs…I’m sure that would be even better but so hard to keep up with. I really like making my own dressings, too. 🙂

      Reply
  7. Kimberly

    This looks good. I sort of like ranch, but my kid wants it with everything. I once kept a container of dried buttermilk in my fridge for a year or so and it kept nicely. Will track some down to try out this recipe. Thanks!

    Reply
    • FrugalHausfrau

      My son went through a Ranch kick, too. I actually used to be shocked at how he liked to dump it on stuff. Especially dipping pizza into it, then he moved on to hot sauce, then Sriracha…*sighs*

      Reply

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