Joy the Baker

Homemade Ranch Dressing

by 121 Comments

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I really wanted to be a waitress… until I really didn’t want to be a waitress.

When I was a kid, my family would go to the same Italian restaurant every month.  I was so smitten by the young waiter who always seemed more than eager to bring me a straw with my water, and offer a hearty thumbs-up when my dad ordered an extra side of meatballs.  He made his button up shirt look flawless and comfortable…. and he just had one of those faces that you wanted to see every time you were hungry.

I was super stoked when I got my first waitressing job.  …Just so excited.

I was just as happy as I could be until I realized that the restaurant I was working in served ranch dressing.  The ranch wasn’t the problem.  The problem is that people want to put ranch on absolutely everything:  french fries, potatoes, toast, burritos.  Everything!  I was a vertiable ranch dispenser.  It was so far from the ultra-smiley impression of serving tables that I had gotten as a youth… mostly because I wasn’t ultra-smiley… I was a bringer.

Thank heavens this was a good while ago.  The restaurant?  Well, it started with “The” and ended in “Factory”.  It was a little dose of real life.  It helped me realize that I’d rather be the girl making the ranch in the back… not the girl faking a smile in the front.  This is how we learn.

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Good ranch dressing starts with fresh herbs and smashed garlic.

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I start with a base of sour cream and mayonaise.  Add herbs, salt, pepper, and a good squeeze of lemon.

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Add buttermilk until the dressing finds a good consistency.

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 Have some carrot sticks on hand.  You’ll have a lot of tasting to do as you make the ranch.

There are lots of bonus extras to add:  Tabasco, fresh dill, garlic powder, or barbecue sauce.  Add a dash of this and a pinch of that until you’ve reached a happy ranch point.  It’s important to let the dip rest in the fridge before serving.  Four hours.  It’ll give the flavors a chance to marry.

I’m satisfied, aren’t you?

Happy Day!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

makes about 2 1/2 cups of dressing

Print this Recipe!

1 cup sour cream (I used light sour cream)

1/2 cup mayonaise (I used light mayo)

cold buttermilk

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup chopped chives

1 clove garlic

salt and coarse ground black pepper

additions:

garlic powder

tabasco sauce

worchestershire sauce

chopped dill

barbecue sauce

On a cutting board, smash a whole garlic clove.  Sprinkle garlic with about 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt.  With a fork, smash the salt into the garlic, creating a paste.

In a medium bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonaise, parsley, chives, and garlic.  Add salt and pepper.  Drizzle in buttermilk until you’ve reached a desired consistency.  I added about 1/2 to 3/4 cup but you may add as much as you’d like.

Add any additional ingredients like tabasco sauce, garlic powder, and dill.  A touch of barbecue sauce is dang good!

Taste and adjust ingredients to taste.

Place dressing in an airtight container and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.  The flavors need to rest and meld before serving.  Serve cold, and add more buttermilk if you find that the dressing is too thick.  Dressing lasts up to 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ruth

    I love their ranch–I’m sorry if I was probably one of the patrons who kept asking for extra ranch to keep dipping everything in but…it’s my favorite Ranch Dressing. One thing that you mentioned is that you give it a squeeze of lemon–that’s not on the ingredient list? I hope you became the girl in the back making the dressing… ;)

    Reply

  4. CHEF MICHAEL

    THIS DOES NOT TASTE ANYTHING LIKE “THE…FACTORYS” RANCH DRESSING. FALSE ADVERTISING!!!
    PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR CCF’s RANCH DRESSING WANT THE EXACT RECIPE!!!
    WHAT MAYO DO THEY USE (home made????? how is it done???)
    WHAT SOUR CREAM (what kind??????)
    WHAT BUTTERMILK?????
    THESE QUESTIONS DETERMINE “THE REAL” TRUE FLAVOR, AND DISTINGUISHES BETWEEN GOOD AND GREAT. THERES A BIG DIFFERENCE!!, AVERAGE OR ABOVE AVERAGE. ILL NOT PAY FOR THIS VERSES I WANT IT AT ANY PRICE. CATCH MY DRIFT???????!!!!!! THIS IS, AND TASTE, LIKE A COPY CAT RECIPE AND THATS WHAT YOU SHOULD STATE!!! THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE WITH YOUR RECIPE COMPARE TO ALL OTHER RANCH RECIPES ON THE WWW.
    NOW PAY ME FOR MY WASTED TIME AND GROCERIES!!
    LADY….., IM VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT MY CCF RANCH DRESSING
    DONT INSINUATE THAT YOUR REVEALING THE GREATEST RANCH RECIPE IN THE WORLD. SAY SOMETHING LIKE “INSPIRED BY CCF RANCH” OR ” WANNA BE CCF RANCH”
    CHEF MICHAEL

    F———(minuses)

    Reply

  5. Kacey

    Joy, this is my go to base dressing recipe. I’ve made it so many times, each with a little variation. My husband would drink it if I let him!

    Thanks again for an awesome recipe!

    Reply

  6. Robert Spears

    I have a question: does it matter what kind of parsley you use? I don’t know the names of the parsley, but the one you have pictured looks kind of flat like cilantro, the kind I usually buy is “not flat” …LOL….ya know whatI mean?

    Reply

  8. Tuimasi Tawake

    I absolutely love this… an American friend went on and on about how his mom did home-made ‘ranch’ dressing and now I finally have the time to search and found this one. Thank you so much.

    Reply

  9. Justina

    This is really cool! I don’t like ranch, but after seeing the fresh chives and smashed garlic with buttermilk I might actually like making and eating ranch.

    Reply

  10. Chris

    I made this a couple of nights ago and put it on a chicken & bacon pasta salad. It was SO GOOD – without-a-doubt the best Ranch I have EVER had! I made mine with nonfat greek yogurt, but then used regular mayo – just cause that’s what I had. The flavor was outstanding, nice and tangy. Only thing I would say is – make only what you’ll use on the spot ’cause the garlic gets strong even by next day. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

  11. Kristin

    If you’re talking about the Cheesecake Factory, girl, I was right there with you. Worked there during college and my oh my do people LOVE ranch. Although, I cannot really blame them as it is quite delicious. I must be trying this one!

    Reply

  12. Anita

    i was a waitress as well, too many times. i also make homemade ranch and think it’s delightful. thanks for sharing your recipe.

    Reply

  13. heather @ chiknpastry

    oh lordy. I realized I didn’t want to be a waitress the second those sauteed mushrooms (and all of their oily goodness) slid right on outta the bowl and into the nice-turn-horrible lady’s lap. needless to say, she left with a free meal, and a really greasy shirt…..

    also, thanks for the ranch-on-everything memories. pizza crusts are my favorite dipper ;).

    Reply

  17. Susanne

    I cannot tolerate mayo and so I always steer clear of ranch, but I WANT to like it! By the way, I am public school teacher these days and waitressing was the hardest job I ever had!

    Reply

  19. Christina Perucci

    oh.my.god this is so good!!! i made it for a potluck and i’m not sure if it will last that long in this house!

    i used my mortar and pestle for the garlic, which made a nice paste quickly. thanks for the delicious recipe!

    Reply

  20. anna

    #1 i am totally grossed out by all the stuff people put ranch on. #2 this is probably because deep down i secretly desire to also pour it all over my pizza/dunk my chicken wings in it/any and every other gross thing. at least if i make this recipe i’ll feel like it’s GOOD ranch :)

    Reply

  26. Ellen

    Oh man, ranch dressing is delicious on everything! Well, savory things anyway.
    I hated waitressing too, but that’s mainly because I got stage fright talking to tables. I was the nervous too too smiley one…

    Reply

  27. Willow

    Haha – I remember wanting to be a waitress. I was talked out of it before I ever applied for a job, though… and luckily still managed to figure out that it was the food I was interested in.

    This ranch sounds wonderful. Always better when it’s homemade! :)

    Reply

  28. Laury

    A salad bar restaurant near my home just started offering a BBQ ranch dressing. It is FANTASTIC!! I never would have thought of mixing BBQ sauce into Ranch, but it really works!

    Reply

  33. Jenna @ littlekitchenbigflavors

    It’s amazes me how people get with their condiments. Where I’m from it’s all about blue cheese. With maybe one or two exceptions, you don’t find ranch on the menus here. Just blue cheese. And Buffalonians use it as their favorite dunker for all of the food groups… not just chicken wings and celery.

    Reply

  34. Cate

    My pathetic attempt at homemade ranch dressing usually just includes yogurt, mayo, dried chives and dill, salt, and pepper. This looks sooooo much better.

    Reply

  35. wesley @ the way home

    i want to try this because i feel like i am always looking for the right ranch and can never find it! i thought i had one i liked but recently i haven’t liked it for some reason. i’m guessing i could also tweak this recipe and add more of the things i like. definitely going to give this a shot. also, having been a patron at The (blank) Factory, that menu is WAY too long. i can’t imagine having to try to memorize that, i hope you didn’t have to.

    Reply

  36. Andrea Beard

    Dude I always wanted to be a waitress when I grew up, too. Shootin for the stars, as they say. Hehe. (And now I am one, but I really would rather be the one in the back as well!)

    Um.. I love ranch dressing but mostly the homemade kind, and this looks absolutely delicious. I’ll have to find time to make it this week while moving.

    Reply

  37. Grubarazzi (@Grubarazzi)

    Heehe. I vowed never to work as a waitress… or with a cash register… and somehow I have stuck to that rule my entire life. I will say I used to be that person… that ranch on everything person… until recently. This would certainly bring me back to my old trick!

    Reply

  38. Archer

    Yum! I miss dairy laden ranch! I love your description of the name of the restaurant you worked at…I’ve served at the one that starts with the letter “O” and ends in Garden. ;)

    Reply

  39. Rachel Cooks

    You cannot beat homemade ranch. The only waitressing I’ve ever done was at a nursing home…I’m not sure that counts since they had about 3 choices for their dinner…

    Reply

  48. Christina

    This. LMAO. I also waitressed for a several years and this has caused my extreeeme aversion to ranch dressing. The worst is how you never bring enough the first go-round, so then you do double the ranch bringing. In fact, one restaurant had a bag of ranch dressing that hung on the wall for easy dispensing.

    Just for you, Joy, I will try homemade ranch dressing. I can’t make any promises that it will diminish my disdain, but I will give an honest effort.

    Reply

  50. Annie

    much happiness at seeing this recipe for ranch dressing!! i seem to recall that you had one for green goddess, so i m now off to search and scour in hope of finding it.

    Reply

  52. Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out

    Hahaha, I love this post. Primarily because I was a waitress at a restaurant that DIDN’T serve ranch dressing (it was one of those create-your-own stir fry joints), and was constantly being asked if we DID have ranch dressing. Also, ketchup. Ketchup and ranch dressing are apparently the two condiments that Americans cannot seem to eat, live, breathe without.

    Reply

  54. Margarita

    I have always had a secret desire to drop everything I’m currently doing and just move to a tropical island and be a waitress. But then again, maybe I want to be a girl in the back and make the food instead… I love the idea of homemade ranch dressing!

    Reply

  55. Nicole

    I’m against putting ranch on everything, but a fresh, herby ranch hits the spot with veggies! When I was in high school, a German exchange student went canoeing with us and told my dad he didn’t know what ranch was and my dad couldn’t believe it. Also, he didn’t know what an Oreo was and my dad almost fell over, ha. He said something like, “But it’s America’s favorite cookie!” Oh, dads.

    Reply

  56. fatpiginthemarket

    Oh, ranch dressing, we had many moments togather at my first job (age 15) as the salad bar girl at Steak and Ale. I wanted to be a waitress but I was too young to wear the low cut wench, puffy shirts and mini plaid skirts (complete with sticking out mini petticoat) so they stuck me on salad bar. I actually loved the job because I’m way into maintaining the clean. Plus I got free slices of ginormous chocolate cake at the end of my shift.

    Reply

  57. kathryn

    timely recipe! was just whining the other day about how there were no good whole food versions of ranch dressing to be found at the store. guess the solution (as it so often is) would be: make it yourself! and that i’ll be doing! thanks!

    Reply

  58. Annette

    LMAO, I can’t believe how many people said they’ve never had ranch? What, what, what? I totally know what you mean about people putting it on everything though. Kinda grosses me out. BUT on the other hand, I can’t wait to make my own, and try some fresh home made ranch, vs, the bottled crap, with who knows what’s in it. ugh.
    I quite enjoy you and tracy’s podcasts, after reading so many blogs, where everything appears so pristine and perfect, it’s nice to hear, real people, talking about real things.

    Reply

  59. Rosalbina Anchante

    Hello Joy!
    Thanks for sharing this recipe. My bf is american, Im peruvian we both love ranch dressing but didnt have any idea of how to make it. Now i will be able to make it for him :)
    Love from Peru!

    Reply

  60. Stacy

    People do put ranch dressing on everything! When I waited tables, some family went through two bowls (soup bowls, not ramekins) of ranch with their cheese fries. Being an anti-ranch person, I was horrified.

    Reply

  61. Kristen M.

    I am always asking for ranch at restaurants for my son and I. We like to dip our french fries, onion rings, burgers, etc. in it. I almost wish the server would just instinctively know we want a side of ranch because I hate to request it, I always feel like I will get an eye roll since I am sure they hear this request often throughout their work day. The funny thing is at home the only times I ever eat ranch is maybe on a salad. It must just be something about restaurants and most importantly fried foods. They just need ranch!

    Reply

  62. KC

    I realize this post is about the creamy ranch dressing, but those carrots are seriously calling my name. They’re so cute!

    Reply

  63. Eliz. K

    There’s no way to go back to storebought Ranch dressing once you’ve made your own! SO much better!

    Also, I love your point: “this is how we learn”… very true!

    Lovely recipe to have on hand for the summer!

    Reply

  64. Ernestine

    I must be one of the only people in the world that does not like ranch dressing. There is something in it that takes funny and smells weird. I’m guessing it’s the buttermilk. Maybe this homemade version will change my mind.

    Reply

  65. Kasey @ The Wit of the Staircase

    Delightful!

    I’m one of those friends who will look at you weird when you order extra ranch on the side of (insert non-ranchy food item here). It weirds me out and makes me want to gag.

    That said…

    There is something to be said for really *good* ranch. It’s not something you just put on any old thing.

    Have a great day, Joy!

    Reply

  66. Meghan

    I could absolutely live on ranch dressing! Ps I always forget you can smash garlic like that – so much better than mincing., so thank for that.

    Reply

  67. Candice @ NotesFromABroad

    I have never waited tables for a living but I am a bringer .. having a family … a girl finds herself turning into a bringer whether she asked for it or not :)

    I am just glad there are people like you who bring the rest of us good tasting recipes.

    I will make my own mayo to go into my own Ranch dressing, which is pretty much totally unknown in Buenos Aires.
    Here, salad dressing means oil and vinegar .

    Reply

  68. Lynne @ 365 Days of Baking

    I’ve never waitressed, but it never ceases to amaze me when we’re eating out how many times I hear people order ranch dressing. Crazy.
    Isn’t it wonderful how we can be doing something in life which leads us to finding the something we absolutely love doing? Life is pretty awesome like that.
    Happy day!

    Reply

  69. Arthur

    Nothing is better than homemade! LIke everyone above- I sometimes like to add different spices and herbs to create some variations depending on what I am serving!!

    Reply

  71. Angela Harvell

    My nephews could swim in a tub of ranch. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll write back with how I topped it off.

    Reply

  72. dbelle

    I always wonder when people comment things like “OMG i was just looking for a recipe for this- you’re a mind reader!” but now, here i am! 9 months pregnant and seriously just craving ranch dressing. the only thing i don’t have/can’t get is the chives, i’m sure it won’t be as good without but its better than nothing! thanks joy, ps love the new look of the site (new to me, at least)

    Reply

  73. Nicolette

    Fact: Ranch is good on everything.
    Throughout a good year and a half of university, my roommate and I went through an obscene amount of ranch because we maintained it tasted delicious on any food. Eggs? Delicious. Chicken? Too good. Grilled cheeses? Every day. Vegetables? Don’t be ridiculous. We were in university, our minds were preoccupied with those grilled cheeses.

    Reply

  77. Heather

    I spent my early 20’s working third shift in a diner that started with “D” and ended in “enny’s”.They made their ranch dressing with dried herbs, and it was without question the most popular thing we served. I’ll never look at ranch dressing the same way again. Drunk people like it on eggs. And waffles. It’s kind of crazy.
    Homemade ranch dressing is insanely good. I think the waffles liked it.

    Reply

  80. Amanda

    I had a waitressing job too at the RT. my first real job after babysitting 3 kids for $5/hr and then working at the local aquatic park dressed up as the welcoming duck mascot. All three bad experiences in very different ways.

    Reply

  81. Cathy

    I love ranch dressing too, but it’s hard to find in the UK. I want to know, like caroline, how long it will last in the fridge. And wonder if it would be possible to use yogurt instead of sour cream.

    Reply

  84. Sophie

    Confession…I have never had ranch dressing. Luckily I’m on my way to New York next Friday so I will probably give ranch dressing a whirl whilst I’m there. It sounds delicious.

    Reply

    • Jenna

      Oh boy. Joy wasn’t joking when she said most of her customers put ranch on everything. If I eat at a friend’s house for dinner, I’m miffed if they don’t have ranch dressing (why even bothering inviting me?!).

      Reply

  86. Margherita

    I’ll bet that the ranch dressing you were bringing to patrons at the restaurant was not even close to this one…fortunately for you otherwise you’d might have needed to brought much, much, much, much more than you actually did!

    Reply

  87. Averie @ Averie Cooks

    I love condiments, and especially ranch dressing. I like a little food with my dips :)

    This looks delicious. I mean how could all that mayo and sour cream not be an awesome base for the dressing!

    Reply

  88. CheezyK

    I must admit that I didn’t know what ranch dressing was but this certainly sounds like a mix I could get into – I can understand why everyone wanted it on everything (especially with a bit of tabasco mixed in!).

    Reply

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