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Ranch Dressing is a Midwest staple! We serve it with chicken wings, put it on salads, serve it with fried cheese curds, top our burgers, and the list goes on and on. This ranch dressing recipe gives you all that fresh flavor you would expect from a supper club, without having to have fresh herbs to make it (don’t worry, I do offer all all the fresh herb amounts as well).

Sure, whipping up a batch of homemade ranch takes a little more time than just twisting off a cap and pouring. Trust me, once you’ve tasted the cool, creamy, herby zing of this freshly made ranch, there’s no contest—homemade ranch wins every time.

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Plus, making your own homemade ranch dressing means that you control what goes into it! The flavor and the consistency are all dialed into your preferences.

Ranch Dressing Ingredients

The ingredients in this case are mostly pantry-friendly. I want this to be readily available to anyone at anytime. That being said. I also want to make sure this is as easy and adjustable as possible. so substitutions and explanations are included to help you make this YOUR perfect dressing.

Sour Cream

Sour cream is creamy, tangy, and delicious. It forms the base of this ranch dressing and gives it that creamy zing you expect.

Want a higher protein substitute? Try equal Parts Greek Yogurt. Just note that this can actually be a little looser than sour cream so cut back on the cream/milk

Rice Wine Vinegar

Rice vinegar (or rice wine vinegar) is less acidic with a delicate, mild, and somewhat sweet flavor vs plain white vinegar. These notes are exactly why I use it with heavy cream vs just simply doing buttermilk. Rice Vinegar gives it a perfect tang that also helps with the use of dried herbs.

Heavy Cream

Heavy cream just slightly thins everything out to yield a more drizzly texture. You’ll see in the recipe, that I offer a range in the amount added for the addition of the heavy cream. This way you can make this dressing thicker or thinner as desired.

If you don’t have heavy cream you can use half and half or even milk. Just note that both are thinner than heavy cream, so start with 2 tablespoons then add a tablespoon at a time to achieve that desired consistency.

Mayonnaise

This ranch dressing needs that little bit of mayonnaise to achieve that classic, perfectly rich, and creamy texture you expect from a Midwest Supper Club Ranch.

Dried Herbs vs Fresh Herbs

Dried herbs tend to have a deeper, spicier flavor than fresh herbs. I chose to use dried herbs in this recipe to give you a pantry-friendly option that anyone can make at home at any time.

Fresh herbs can make this classic dressing taste more gourmet and can even give it a slightly different flavor. This is why when I made this recipe I made sure to give you options to use whatever you have on hand. If you have fresh dill, but everything else is dried, go that route.

Fresh Herb Substitutions:

1 ½ teaspoons fresh dill
1 ½ teaspoons fresh parsley
1 ½ teaspoons fresh chives

Garlic and onion powder

I almost always add garlic and onion powder together. They just go hand in hand and really bring out the best in each other. In this case, they also bring this dressing to a whole new level of deliciousness.

Lemon Juice

The lemon juice ramps up the tang, like expect from a ranch dressing.

Salt and Pepper

Like with any recipe, salt enhances the other flavors. The ground white pepper offers a delicate, earthy heat and mild floral aroma which I love in this creamy dressing. It’s not as intense as black pepper, but you can use black pepper instead if you prefer.

Jenn’s Notes:

With the cream/milk, it’s best to side on the error of caution. So start with ¼ cup of heavy cream, then add in a tablespoon at a time until up to another ¼ cup of heavy cream if you desire a thinner, more drizzly consistency.
This dressing tastes great immediately, and even better after resting for about 10 minutes.

finished ranch dressing with a whisk and salad in the background

Cooking with Kids

DISCLOSURE: These tips are generalized, and meant to be suggestive. Everything I’m sharing I do with my kids, and they are all different even within my own five. So please take these as suggestions or ideas and if you think your child needs more or less help, then go with what you and your child are comfortable with. Ultimately, you know your kids, do what YOU think is best.

*This one involves some cooking so unless you’re comfortable with them at a stove, here are a few things all kids can help with:

measuring ingredients
mixing everything together

Storage Details

Pour any extra into a jar or other food-safe container of your choice.

Stored in the fridge for 5 to 7 days.
I do not recommend freezing it.

What to use your dressing with

Obviously, a classic salad is always a good choice. You can also serve it with chicken wings or my personal favorite, some freshly fried beer batter cheese curds.

Dipping a fried cheese curd into ranch dressing

Did you try it, have questions?

Please leave your feedback and rate this ranch dressing recipe using the star icons on the recipe card. Your input helps me improve both this and future recipes. Thank you!

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It’s always wonderful to see loved ones coming together over delicious food.