Use yogurt, yogurt alternative, or sour cream to make this 5 minute Ranch dressing in a flash with real food ingredients and the best Ranch flavor!
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Summer…here we come!
Over a decade of writing in this space, and if you’ve been following along for any of that time, you know we live for our Lake Michigan summer beach days! With all that outside time planned, it’s time to break out the “no-cook” food hacks for the warmer months. One of my favs is this fast and easy Ranch!
So…what’s so bad about Ranch from the store?
When you grow up in the Midwest, Ranch practically runs through your veins from toddlerhood. I distinctly remember all of my mom’s 1980’s and 90’s dinner menus, all of which included a side salad with Ranch dressing. Unfortunately, all the amazing antioxidant benefits of any veggie paired with store bought Ranch is negated by the inflammatory seed oils riddled in each bottle. There are some great companies that have caught onto this and made Ranch dressing with better oils like avocado oil, but I don’t always love the price, and haven’t found one that actually tastes like Ranch.
From veggie plates, to salads…and everything in between!
My hope is to show you how to use my own Ranch seasoning mix to not only make your own Ranch dressing, but also to keep in the pantry for seasoning dips, chicken, pasta salads, roasted veggies, and more!
Let’s start with mixing up the Ranch seasoning mix!
I am willing to bet that you already have all of the ingredients for the Ranch seasoning right in your pantry or spice drawer! Simply whisk the seasonings together, and voila! You have an easy to grab season blend to use for not only Ranch dressing, but roasted veggies, chicken salad, and meat.
Let’s talk about yogurt and milk choices (and alternatives!)
You can use whatever yogurt you like to keep in the house. We tend to have coconut yogurt around, but milk based or Greek yogurts work well, as does sour cream. For thinning out the dressing, milk or milk alternatives work well. I have even used water, honestly, when I don’t have milk around! One of the advantages of making your own dressing is getting to source the ingredients from your choice! If you have local raw milk and/or yogurt, that would be my top choice!
How to use the seasoning mix to make Ranch dressing
Just a couple scoops of seasoning mix and some yogurt! That really is all you need! You can thin the mixture out with milk or milk alternative to the consistency you prefer. If you are going for more of a dip, use less milk. If you want more of a pourable dressing, use more. It is that simple!
The best part!
Of course making your own dressing and seasoning mix gives you wide open spaces for variations to your taste! If you prefer more of a certain herb, go for it! If you want to make the dip milder, use less seasoning. Taste it along the way to your family’s preference! In fact, maybe the kids want to make it with you so they get a say in the amount of seasoning they prefer.
5 Minute Ranch Dressing & Dip
Ingredients
For the Ranch Seasoning Mix:
- 2 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 1/2 tbsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp organic cane sugar, turbinado sugar, or coconut sugar
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp black pepper
For the Ranch Dressing & Dip:
- 1/2 cup yogurt, Greek yogurt, sour cream, or milk alternative yogurt such as coconut yogurt
- 1 tbsp Ranch Seasoning Mix from above
- Milk or milk alternative such as coconut milk to thin the dressing to your consistency liking
Instructions
For the Ranch Seasoning Mix:
- Whisk the Ranch seasonings together in a jar or container that has a lid. Store at room temp in an airtight container. See Notes below for other ideas to use your Ranch seasoning!
To Make the Ranch Dressing & Dip:
- Mix the yogurt and Ranch seasoning together, and then stir in the milk or milk alternative to thin it out to your liking. If you are going for more of a veggie dip consistency, use less milk to keep it a thicker, dip like texture. If you are going for more of a pourable dressing, you can add more milk – if you like it much thinner, using more milk, you may have to add a teaspoon or 2 more of the seasoning mix.
Notes
- The Ranch Seasoning mix makes at least 5 batches of Ranch dressing, depending on your taste preference and how much you like to use.Â
- The Ranch Seasoning mix can be stored in a mason jar or spice jar in your pantry or spice cabinet. Having it already made up makes the Ranch dressing prep even faster!
- You can use your Ranch Seasoning mix to season roasted potatoes or other veggies, as well as chicken, fish, pasta salad…the list is endless! Try my Ranch Chicken & Roasted Veggies sheet pan dinner or my Ranch Chicken Salad to get started!
