Homemade Ranch Dressing From Scratch
Some things taste completely different when you make them from scratch, and ranch is one of them.
Once you taste a homemade version that is creamy, herby, tangy, and actually full of flavor, the bottled version starts to feel like a backup plan.
This is my go-to homemade ranch. It is creamy, herby, and deeply savory in a way bottled dressing simply cannot replicate. The base is mayo, sour cream, and a little cream cheese for body. The buttermilk thins it to the perfect consistency. And Simply Home Herbal Blend pulls the whole thing together with a rounded, savory finish that makes this taste like it came from somewhere intentional.
It takes about five minutes to make and needs thirty minutes in the refrigerator to let the flavors develop. That’s the whole recipe.
Made with Simply Home Herbal Blend
This recipe uses our Herbal Blend to build the savory, herby depth that makes homemade ranch taste better than anything from a bottle.
Shop Herbal Blend — $15.99
Start with the Essential Five — $69.99
What Makes This Ranch Different
Many homemade ranch recipes still start with a packet, which often means you are leaning on a pre-seasoned mix instead of building the flavor yourself.
This version starts from scratch. Real mayo, real sour cream, real cream cheese, real buttermilk, real dill, and Simply Home Herbal Blend instead of a packet. The result is a ranch that tastes clean, fresh, and homemade — like something a good cook made, not something that came out of an envelope.
The cream cheese is the small detail that changes everything. It gives the ranch a little body and richness that keeps it from going watery after a day in the fridge. Do not skip it.
Simply Home Ranch Dressing
Made with Simply Home Herbal Blend. Creamy, herby, and ready in minutes.
Prep: 5 min
Chill: 30 min
Yield: About 1¼ cups
Skill: Easy
Ingredients
½ cup mayo
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup buttermilk
1 tbsp cream cheese, softened
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Simply Home Herbal Blend
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
½ tsp salt, or to taste
Method
Whisk together the mayo, sour cream, and softened cream cheese until smooth. Make sure the cream cheese is fully incorporated before moving on.
Add the buttermilk gradually, whisking as you go, until you reach your desired consistency. Add more buttermilk for a thinner dressing, or less for a thicker dip.
Stir in the onion powder, garlic powder, Simply Home Herbal Blend, fresh dill, and salt.
Whisk until fully combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. This step matters. The flavors need time to meld and the dressing needs time to thicken slightly.
Serve with carrots, celery, and broccoli — or use it as a dip for wings, pizza, fries, and snack boards.
Annie’s tip: Make this the night before if you can. Twenty-four hours in the fridge makes it noticeably better. The Herbal Blend has more time to bloom into the base, and the whole thing tastes more settled and complete.
No buttermilk? Mix ¼ cup whole milk with ¾ tsp white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for five minutes, then use it the same way.
How to Use It
Ranch is one of those condiments that earns its place in the fridge by being useful in more ways than people expect.
As a Dip
The classic. Carrots, celery, broccoli, wings, pizza, fries — this ranch is thick enough to cling and flavorful enough to be the reason people keep reaching back into the bowl.
As a Salad Dressing
Thin it slightly with an extra splash of buttermilk and it becomes a proper salad dressing. It works especially well on chopped salads where you want something creamy that coats every piece.
As a Sandwich Spread
Swap it in for plain mayo on sandwiches and wraps. It adds flavor and creaminess without overpowering the other ingredients.
As a Marinade Base
Coat chicken thighs in this ranch and let them sit for a few hours before grilling or baking. The dairy helps tenderize the meat, while the Herbal Blend seasons it with savory, herby depth.
Stirred Into Pasta Salad
A few spoonfuls stirred into a cold pasta salad pulls everything together. It is one of the easiest ways to make a crowd-pleasing side dish with almost no effort.
The Blend Behind the Dressing: Simply Home Herbal Blend
Simply Home Herbal Blend is what separates this ranch from every other homemade version you have tried.
Most scratch recipes still rely on garlic powder, onion powder, and a handful of dried herbs mixed separately. The Herbal Blend brings those elements together in one balanced, well-developed blend, so the flavor is consistent every time you make it.
No fillers. No added salt. Just herbs and spices doing exactly what they are supposed to do.
If Herbal Blend is already in your kitchen, here is where else it pulls its weight: chimichurri, homemade mayo, roasted chicken, potato salad, rice bowls, pasta sauces, shrimp and seafood, scrambled eggs, and vegetable dips.
Shop Herbal Blend — $15.99
If this is the kind of cooking you want to do more of — real ingredients, real flavor, made in your own kitchen — start with the Essential Five.
It is the Simply Home starter set I reach for every week, from sauces like this ranch to chicken, rice, seafood, soups, and everyday weeknight meals.
Start with the Essential Five — $69.99
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