Herby Ranch Dressing

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This homemade ranch dressing, packed with fresh herbs and pantry spices, is the perfect beginner-friendly recipe for anyone learning to cook from scratch. Fresh herbs and dried spices layer flavor that truly makes the recipe pop. Whether it’s for a ranch dip or dressing, this ranch is sure to become a household favorite.

Mason jar of herby ranch dressing being poured onto a salad.

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

Foray into cooking from scratch. Confidence in the kitchen is the first big hurdle to cooking from scratch. This recipe is easy and straightforward, giving you a quick, and delicious, win.

What You’ll Walk Away Knowing

How to bloom herbs
How to adjust flavors

Ingredient shot of mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, lemon, dill, parsley, garlic and onion powder, fish sauce, and worcestershire sauce.

Ingredient List

Mayonnaise: I prefer to make my own mayonnaise with pasteurized eggs because it tastes better and makes me feel fancy. You can also use store bought mayo. Homemade mayo is very easy to make so keep it in mind for your next from scratch recipes if you haven’t made it before.

Sour Cream: Adds tang and body.

Buttermilk: Thins out the ranch and adds tang. If you want the consistency of the ranch thick for a dip, you can omit the buttermilk altogether.

Garlic Powder: I prefer dried garlic powder to fresh garlic because it sits in the background making the whole flavor better. Fresh garlic has a bit of a punch that I don’t want in my ranch.

Onion Powder/Dried Minced Onion: I like using onion powder and dried minced onion to give the dressing an umami note and small chunks of onion. It’s a personal taste. You can use either one if you don’t want to use both. Just use 1 teaspoon total.

Fish Sauce: It is classically used in Caesar dressing, but just a touch here gives the ranch dressing a savory backbone. You can skip it if you don’t have it, but I would add a bit more worcestershire.

Worcestershire: Balances the freshness with a deep umami note.

Lemon Juice: Adds tartness to the recipe, but is also used to bloom the spices. When using dried herbs, soak them in the lemon juice for 10 minutes to give them time to wake up. I also do it with the dried spices. Before I mix everything together, I allow the garlic powder, onion powder, and minced onion to sit in the lemon juice.

Fresh Parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried): I like to use fresh herbs when possible because it really gives the ranch dressing a freshness. You can also use dried parsley. Only use 1 teaspoon of dried parsley instead of 1 tablespoon fresh.

Fresh Dill (or 1 teaspoon dried): Same goes for the dill. I love it fresh, but if you need to use dried, swap 1 teaspoon dried dill for 1 tablespoon fresh.

To bloom dried herbs, ten minutes before adding to the mayo, add your dried herbs to the lemon juice. It will hydrate them and the acid will give them a fresher flavor.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Pour the garlic powder, onion powder, dried minced onion, and any dried herbs, if using, into the lemon juice. Let it bloom for 10 minutes.
Mix together mayo, sour cream, and buttermilk.
Add fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, fresh dill, parsley, salt, and black pepper, then stir.
Once the ten minutes is up, stir the lemon juice with the spices into the dressing.
Give it a really good stir and taste.
If anything feels off balance, note it, but don’t add anything yet.
Allow the ranch to sit covered in the refrigerator for one hour
Mix again and taste.

Herby ranch dressing on a spoon over a mason jar.

Expert Tips

If the balance is still off, add ingredients to fix it:

Too tart? Add more mayo.
Not tart enough? Try a bit more lemon or sour cream.
Too herby? Add more garlic/onion powder, not minced onion, which takes longer to soften.
Not herby enough? Add 1 teaspoon more of dill and parsley and taste again.

What to Serve Herby Ranch Dressing with

This ranch is dreamy on a salad, pizza crusts that need dipping, or veggie trays that usually get ignored. Honestly? I’ve been known to drizzle it over roast potatoes and call it dinner.

A fork with a bite of salad on it with ranch dressing.

Storage

Store your ranch in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days with fresh herbs and up to 6 for dried herbs. I like to keep mine in a mason jar to make it easier to pour.

Creamy dressings do not freeze well. They turn grainy or watery when thawed so I don’t recommend attempting to freeze it.

FAQs

Why does my homemade ranch taste bland?

t probably needs more acid (lemon juice, vinegar, or buttermilk), salt, or time to rest. Ranch relies on balance. If it’s flat, it’s likely a seasoning issue or it hasn’t had time to bloom.

Can I use garlic powder AND fresh garlic?

Yes, but with restraint. Garlic powder gives that classic “ranchy” backbone, while fresh garlic adds bite. If you use both, go light on the raw garlic because it can overpower the dressing and become bitter if it sits too long.

Can I use all dried herbs instead of fresh?

Yes! Use 1 teaspoon dried = 1 tablespoon fresh. But let it sit at least 30 minutes so the dried herbs have time to rehydrate and release flavor. It’s even better if you make it the day before.

Why doesn’t mine taste like restaurant ranch?

Restaurants often thin their ranch with buttermilk or milk, and use commercial spice blends with MSG, which adds savory depth. Try adding a pinch of MSG or a little bouillon powder to replicate the restaurant ranch.

Can I freeze homemade ranch dressing?

Dairy and mayo-based dressings tend to separate and get grainy when thawed. Best to make fresh and store in the fridge.

I hope this recipe has inspired you to try creating more from scratch recipes. If it has, follow me on Pinterest or join my newsletter for more recipes from scratch.

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