Homemade Ranch Dressing and Dip Recipe | Valerie's Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

How is ranch made from scratch? ›

Whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl until well-combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Ranch dressing is a creamy, tangy, and herb-infused dressing commonly used as a topping for salads, as a dip for vegetables, or as a condiment for various dishes. What is ranch dip? Ranch dip is a thicker, more concentrated version of ranch dressing, specifically designed for dipping purposes.

Certainly. It's all about what texture you're going for. Use the dip mix if you prefer a thicker dressing, or the pourable dressing as dip if you prefer a smoother, creamier texture. In a bowl, combine 1 cup milk and 1 cup mayonnaise with 3 tablespoons of Hidden Valley® mix.

Ranch dressing is a savory, creamy American salad dressing usually made from buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, mustard, herbs (commonly chives, parsley and dill), and spices (commonly pepper, paprika and ground mustard seed) mixed into a sauce based on mayonnaise or another oil emulsion.

I use a mix of mayonnaise, sour cream, and a bit of buttermilk for some tang, plus garlic, and plenty of fresh herbs. I also like to add a dash of cayenne pepper for a kick, but you can add Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, or whatever you want. Ranch dressing is fun to customize!

Who Invented Ranch? Around 1950, Steve Henson unknowingly made history when he whipped up a unique mixture of dry herbs and buttermilk. Originally a plumber, Steve came up with the concoction while working briefly in Anchorage as a construction worker and part-time cook for his crew.

Ranch dressing is made with a creamy base and when you use buttermilk as the main ingredient, it becomes a Buttermilk Ranch. We love combining buttermilk, sour cream and mayo for the ultimate creamy consistency that makes it creamy enough to drizzle as a dressing and thick enough to serve as a dip.

The ranch packet has a fresher taste, because you add your own mayo and milk. Even though all the herbs and spices in the mix are dried, they rehydrate quickly and leave you with a product that feels homemade. This version of Hidden Valley Ranch is more flavorful than the bottled version and much, much thicker.

If you want to thicken up your homemade ranch dressing, add more mayo, yogurt, or sour cream, and use less milk. For a more drizzle-able dressing, add more milk (or water) to thin it out. Chill in the Fridge. Transfer your creamy ranch dressing into a sealed jar or bottle for storage.

Stored in a well-sealed container in the fridge (assuming you began with fresh sour cream and buttermilk) your buttermilk ranch dressing should keep for up to two weeks. Help it stay fresh by not dipping anything directly into the container that you're storing it in—for example, a half-bitten carrot.

What gives ranch dressing its distinctive flavor? ›

“But the particular flavor of traditional ranch can only be achieved with the dry versions of all those aromatics: garlic and onion powder, dried herbs, powdered pepper and buttermilk.” That's because fresh ingredients were rare in Alaska at the time.

Homer's tastes are meant to reflect those of the American everyman, and in this case the Simpsons writers nailed it: Ranch dressing has been the nation's best-selling salad topper since 1992, when it overtook Italian.

Xanthan gum emulsifier is often present in ranch dressing, thousand island dressing, and honey mustard dressing.

Dried Chives – Dried chives give the dressing those special green flecks! Onion Powder – Like the garlic salt, the powder imparts flavor without chunks of vegetable, so you keep that smooth, creamy consistency.

Real homemade ranch dressing usually contains things like: buttermilk, green onion, garlic, mayonnaise, black pepper, salt, sour cream and parsley.

Scratch ranch relies on fresh herbs and aromatics, which bring bite and those pops of grassy flavor that dried or powdered versions never can, so you get an eating experience that is elevated. Usually, ranch recipes will contain fresh buttermilk, and sometimes sour cream as well, for a tang that is really balanced.

Ranch dressing is essentially a buttermilk mayonnaise dressing spiffed up with herbs. It was popularized by Clorox, when they figured out a way to make their Hidden Valley brand shelf stable. (According to Slate, bottled ranch dressing is shelf stable to 150 days or about 5 months.

"Titanium dioxide, an ingredient often used in body care items, especially sunscreen and face lotions, helps provide the white color in ranch dressing," says Jones.