This Restaurant Ranch Recipe is hands down the best, most crave-worthy ranch you’ve ever tasted. This recipe rivals your favorite restaurant ranch dressing and is so simple to make at home! With 10 easy flavor variation ideas to make your favorite ranch at home. Plus, you can either make ranch dressing or a ranch dip, with one simple change.
I love drizzling this buttermilk ranch dressing on salads or serving it alongside buffalo wings or fresh vegetable sticks. It’s also amazing as a dip for pizza or served with these, air fryer fries, air fried chicken tenders or pasta chips.
And while I’m not much of a veggie eater – I’ll eat even my least favorite (ahem… carrots) if they’re dipped in ranch. And while I also love this Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip, there’s something about this pourable, drizzly, restaurant-style ranch dressing recipe that I just can’t get enough of.
Which reminds me – I once went to a party where there was a ranch fountain! Basically the hit of the night. I mean… come on. Everyone loves ranch, right?
So why not win some hearts and make this delicious dressing at home? It’s SO much better than the bottled stuff and made with simple ingredients!
Why is this the BEST Restaurant Ranch?
- It’s super simple.
- The ingredients are ones you may already have on hand – and I’ve included directions for using either fresh herbs or dried herbs.
- It can be made as thick or thin as you like it – so you can serve it as a ranch sauce, dip, or dressing.
- I’ve included variations below – think bacon ranch, cheesy ranch, spicy ranch, etc.
Ingredients needed
- Sour Cream – Or, substitute fat free greek yogurt.
- Mayonnaise
- Buttermilk (or regular milk) – PS, If you have leftover buttermilk, you can freeze it!
- Herbs – Use dried or fresh dill, parsley, and chives.
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Salt & Black Pepper
- White Wine Vinegar or Lemon Juice
Pro Tip: Don’t have buttermilk? The good news is that you can make your own buttermilk at home with just milk and white vinegar (or lemon juice). Here’s how.
How to make restaurant ranch
- Combine sour cream, mayonnaise and seasonings until well combined.
- Add buttermilk. Make a homemade ranch dip by adding less or a thinner dressing by adding more.
- Refrigerate. Let chill at least a couple of hours to allow the flavors to develop.
- Enjoy!
I start with 3/4 cup of buttermilk for this recipe. If you know you want a thicker ranch dressing that’s perfect as a dipping sauce, start with 1/2 cup and work your way up from there. Note that you can also use regular milk for this dressing, though it won’t be as tangy, so you may want to add additional vinegar or lemon juice.
If, after refrigerating, your ranch thickens too much, just add additional buttermilk to thin it out to your desired consistency before serving.
Ranch dressing variations
- Peppercorn Ranch: Add in lots of crushed peppercorns.
- Bacon Ranch: Add in bacon crumbles.
- Jalapeno Ranch: Add in finely chopped jalapenos.
- Smoky Ranch: Add in finely chopped chipotle peppers.
- Cheesy Ranch: Add in parmesan, pecorino romano, or cheddar cheese.
- Light Ranch: Swap the mayo for light mayo and the sour cream for nonfat plain Greek yogurt.
- Cilantro-Lime Ranch: Add in chopped fresh cilantro and swap the vinegar/lemon juice for lime juice.
- Buffalo Ranch: Swirl in some homemade buffalo sauce.
- Southwest Ranch: Add a pinch of chili powder and cumin.
- Avocado Ranch: Add an avocado and process in a food processor.
How long does homemade ranch last?
- Homemade ranch dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Is ranch dressing keto?
- Yes! This dressing is low carb, and keto-friendly.
How to use it
- As a Salad Dressing.
- Dip for Vegetable Sticks.
- Topping for Baked Potatoes. Try these Air Fryer Baked Potatoes or Instant Pot Baked Potatoes.
- Dip for French Fries or Tater Tots – Try these Air Fryer Fries, Green Bean Fries or these Zucchini Fries.
- On top of these Smashed Potatoes.
- Tossed into coleslaw.
- With anything buffalo flavored – Crispy Baked Chicken Wings, Baked Buffalo Tofu Bites, Buffalo Chicken Chili, Buffalo Cauliflower, Buffalo Smashed Potatoes.
- With air fried chicken fingers.
- With pizza.
More homemade salad dressings
- Green Goddess Dressing Recipe
- Greek Yogurt Salad Dressing
- Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
- Pesto Salad Dressing
- Southwest Salad Dressing
- Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe
- Basil Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Vegan Caesar Dressing
- Arugula Salad Dressing
Psst – Don’t forget the homemade croutons!
Did you try this ranch dressing recipe?
If you loved this restaurant style ranch, I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a ⭐️star review⭐️! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
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Have leftover buttermilk? Check out this post on 35+ ways to use buttermilk!
Restaurant Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon dried dill (or 3 tsp fresh)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 1/2 tsp fresh)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chives (or 1 1/2 tsp fresh)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 clove, grated)
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1-3 teaspoons white wine vinegar or fresh squeezed lemon juice (to taste)
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk or regular milk (as needed for desired consistency)
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, dill, parsley, chives, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, salt, pepper and vinegar or lemon juice.
- Add the buttermilk to desired consistency and mix to combine, tasting frequently and adjusting seasonings as needed.
- Refrigerate for a couple hours before serving, thinning with more buttermilk if needed.
Notes
Equipment
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2021. It was updated in 2023 to add new information. The ranch dressing recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
great, thank you, always love these copycat recipes if only to know what’s in them and to be able to tweak some of the ingredients, versus the unknowable set of stuff in most restaurant recipes
Recipe is sooo good, very tasty. Thank you for sharing with us all the ingredients and detailed instructions how to make it. It does make my cooking easy and delishious. Please, keep going with your work and i wish you all the best! I just discovered your site and sure i will make and cook many recipes of yours. Thanks again!
Thanks so much Nataliya!