This ranch dressing recipe is our absolute favorite! You can use a base of greek yogurt or sour cream, dried herbs or fresh herbs and it has a touch of smoky flavor. It’s incredible!
Say hello to my all-time favorite ranch recipe. EVER! Yes, this is the only ranch dressing you need.
This ranch made its first appearance in my cookbook Everyday Dinners. I’ve shared it in a few different recipes, but it’s buried inside those recipes and since I use it so often, I wanted a landing page for just.the.ranch.
It deserves it!
In Everyday Dinners, I have a Sauces & Dressings chapter and it is my lifeline. It’s basically my fridge essentials chapter. The chapter consists of tons of different vinaigrettes (chili lime! balsamic!), creamy dressings (green goddess! strawberry black pepper!), sauces (tahini! avocado!) and things I keep in the fridge like garlic confit, tomato confit, pickled onions and more.
I LOVE this chapter because prepping one or two of these recipes for the week and storing them in the fridge totally changes the game for all meals. The options add so much versatility to regular weeknight meals. They elevate leftovers and make lunches feel “special.” You know?
Anyway!
My ranch recipe also lives in that chapter and boy oh boy is a popular one around here.
This is so much more than a dressing! It’s a dip. A spread. Even a drizzle. It makes everything taste incredible, but doesn’t overwhelm foods with ranch flavor.
Okay want to hear something crazy? I never cared for ranch dressing growing up. Honestly – I would still probably not buy a bottle of it. I never dipped (or dip?) pizza crust in ranch. I never dipped veggies in ranch or drizzled it on anything.
Pretty sure that stems from my parents who never had ranch in the house. My mom would make salads with dinner but they are very big balsamic/oil and vinegar/house italian dressing people. And very much into blue cheese crumbles instead of ranch.
Not that it has to be one or the other, but it often is.
I wasn’t super into ranch until I started making this ranch. OH MY WORD.
Here’s what I love about this ranch dressing recipe:
- You can use dried herbs or fresh herbs. Totally depends on the season and what you have. The general rule is that one tablespoon of fresh herbs equals one teaspoon of dried herbs. So they definitely have different measurements and I have that listed for you below! I’ve made this a million times with both fresh and dried, so I’m including my favorite way. If you want more herbs, feel free to add them. Fresh herbs may make the dressing a bit more green in color!
- Plain greek yogurt or sour cream work. Either is fine – it is your preference! Base it on what you have in the fridge.
- I use a pinch of smoked paprika in this recipe, regardless of whether I’m using dried or fresh herbs. It adds the best hint of smokiness. If you don’t have this, I would just omit paprika completely. No need to use traditional paprika.
- The mayo in this recipe is necessary. It helps cut the tang from the yogurt or sour cream and makes a huge difference. I don’t suggest skipping it! If you leave it out, this will be overly tangy and not taste like traditional ranch.
And let’s talk about my favorite way to make this!
I use my nutribullet. It’s amazing. I use the nutribullet nearly everyday to make vinaigrettes or my favorite mini sauces for recipes. I occasionally use it for smoothies, but I always use it for dressings like this. It is easy and foolproof!
It’s the best on my ranch chicken meatballs, potato chip crusted chicken fingers and broccoli and my grilled sweet potatoes.
So that is how I make our favorite ranch… and now please have it in your fridge at all times! (more…)
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