I love, love, love my homemade taco seasoning mix. It’s convenient, cheap and oh-so-tasty. And I’m mixing up a new homemade seasoning mix today…this time for ranch dressing!
This past weekend I planted some lettuce and other cold weather veggies (more on that this weekend). I try to eat a salad for lunch everyday and usually mix up a quick vinaigrette (yeah for cheap olive oil this week!). And while I love my vinaigrettes, I also like variety. I’ve been craving ranch dressing lately and much prefer this homemade version. While I wait for the fresh parsley, dill and basil to grow up in the garden and be ready for some “fresh herbs” ranch dressing mix, I plan on using this version with the dried spices until then.
I also love this because it costs a fraction of what you would pay for a packet at the store, and makes twice as much!
Before we get to the recipe, how about a few homemade seasoning mixes to try out!
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- Homemade Seasoning Salt
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Homemade Apple Pie Spice
- Homemade Onion Soup Mix
Homemade Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Directions
- Add each of the dried spices to a bowl and gently stir.
- Store in a resealable plastic baggie or small ball canning jar with tight fitting lid in your spice cabinet.
- To make the ranch dressing, whisk together 1/3 cup mayonaisse with 1/4 cup milk (more or less depending on the consistency you want) with 1 Tbsp of the homemade ranch dressing seasoning mix. Season with salt, to taste. Use immediately and can refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Makes about 4 Tbsp worth of mix. Or use the ratios above and mix up however much you’ll need!
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This is a great recipe to have in your arsenal! My best friend and I tried to make ranch dressing ourselves and it was very similar to your recipe above. Once tip I have…to decrease the fat content, I used Greek yogurt. Worked like a charm! Thanks!
Great idea Bethany!!!
This recipe, using the Greek yogurt also makes a great dip for veggies. My kids and grand kids love it.
love that idea. i hate mayo and almost never keep it in the house, so that sounds like a great substitute.
Thank you for sharing this! I can’t wait to try it tonight for the kids. They love ranch, while hubs and I prefer something lighter. I have some Greek yogurt too, so I think I’ll try it that way! Thanks for the tip!
If using fresh herbs, what are your measurements?
I use a ratio of 1:3 for dried/fresh herbs. Usually if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of basil, use 3 teaspoons of fresh basil. Hope that helps!
Thanks for this! My mom is allergic to MSG that is in most ranch dressing. I will send this to her!
My mom is also allergic to MSG, and ranch flavor is her favorite! Thanks for posting-she’s going to be so happy =)
My Daughter is allergic to something, probably MSG that is in most Ranch dressings and Ranch is her Favorite too! I am going to make this next time we need some ranch in the house!
Is there any way to make the thicker ranch dip with this?
Using Greek yogurt instead of mayo like some readers suggested would definitely make it thicker.
Mix the seasonings with 1/2 C powdered buttermilk.
Approx. 1 T in 1 tub of sour cream gives nice, thick ranch dip, just like you get with Hidden Valley but without the MSG and less salt.
Don’t add sugar. Not needed. Use full-fat sour cream – fat is not your enemy, sugar is.
Thanks for the add! I tried the powdered buttermilk along with seasonings. Did not end up with a very robust flavor however when mixed with low-fat sour cream. Maybe too much buttermilk?
How does it taste mixed with sour cream?
I never use mayo in my ranch dressing or ranch dip sour cream and buttermilk!
This is great! My husband’s allergic to mayo (eggs), so would I replace it with the greek yogurt? Also, will you be doing an Italian Dressing one soon? That is the one I really need, preferably with less salt than store bought package also.
Thanks for all you do!
You might give this a try. Of, course just omit anything you don’t like. I have this in my files 10 year. It is from a email list and was from Tammy in Oregon . Hope this helps.
Italian Dressing Mix (Dry)
4 T garlic salt (I use 2 T. garlic powder as I don’t buy the salt)
4 T onion powder
4 T dried parsley
2 T salt
4 T sugar
6 T dried oregano
4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. celery salt
Put all ingredients in a mason jar. Put on a lid. Shake until it looks uniform. Store in the cupboard and shake again before using. Use within a year or so.
To prepare dressing:
1/4 cup white vinegar
2/3 cup oil (I prefer canola or olive)
2 T water
2 T Italian spice mixture (recipe above)
Mix. Store in fridge
Oops! Should have noted that I do not use the celery salt either. I didn’t remember it was still
there. I use crushed dried celery flakes, instead. I make these almost “free” by snipping off the leaves of stalks of celery, placing them in a single layer in a shallow container, and just letting them sit on my counter 2 0r 3 days until the leaves are dry. I mix hem up a little each day. I then store the dried leaves in a plastic bag and crush them to put in seasoning mixes and into soups and stews.
Thanks! Hoping to make some this weekend!
I am calorie counting and would love to be able to have a good ranch that is low in calories! Now I can control what it’s made of! Thank you!!!!
This looks delicious! Does anyone know of a recipe for homemade Caesar Salad Dressing?
HEALTHY CHICKEN CAESAR SALAD
Make your own tangy, low fat Caesar salad dressing, and use either fat-free croutons from the grocery store or make your own. Use rotisserie chicken for speed, or top your salad with slices of freshly grilled skinless chicken breasts or even wild salmon.
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 large head of romaine lettuce, torn
2 cups chopped, cooked, skinless chicken breast*
1 cup fat-free or low fat croutons
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Dressing:
1/3 cup plain non-fat yogurt, drained
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp anchovy paste (optional)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
Preparation:
Arrange torn Romaine lettuce in a big serving bowl. Top with chicken, croutons and sprinkle with cheese. Whisk dressing ingredients together and drizzle over salad. Gently toss until combined. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serves 4
Per Serving: Calories 188, Calories from Fat 39, Total Fat 4.5g (Sat 1.5g), Cholesterol 54mg, Sodium 328mg, Carbohydrate 11.3g, Fiber 2.3g, Protein 25.9g
Thank you SO much! While I love being frugal, I love no-additive recipes even more, since carrageenan causes me so much pain, and is being used in more and more foods (recently found it in pre-packaged deli meats!) Check the last paragraph of this page:
http://www.starthrower.org/research/kelpmisc/kelp_mp.htm
I’m pretty sure other kinds of kelp don’t bother me, since I tolerate California rolls just fine. I handle other thickeners fine too, just something about carrageenan and me don’t get along.
And artichokes just aren’t the same with Italian dressing LOL
Thanks again!
Thank you so much!! I love adding to my list of things that I can make myself instead of buying pre-packaged at the store:)
The kids love ranch so we are going to try this one out -thank you.
Ranch dressing is the only dressing I like. The wife won’t buy bottled dressing because of all the “odd” ingredients-she likes to make most everything from scratch. I am passing this on to her for sure.
This is a great base: I love to use buttermilk as a direct substitution for the milk, it’s fat free and makes the dressing really creamy.
You can also puree avocado in place of the Mayo and it’s green goddess dressing. This version is simply awesome when drizzled over a chilled iceberg wedge!
Oh I love this idea! Have been doing homemade taco seasoning for ages but for some reason it never occurred to me to make other seasoning mixes…thanks for the “aha” moment!
I got a recipe years ago for using the Hidden Valley packet on cut up potatoes with a little olive oil. It was a favorite of my husband even those we are not ranch dressing fans. We haven’t had it in ages because the cost of the packets were too expensive. I am excited to try this and see if it tastes just as yummy. I am also going to try it with the sour cream to see if it makes the dip because I love that with carrots
Thanks for the recipe!!! I am sure it will be as great as the taco seasoning which was a hit with the family 
Love this! Another great spice recipe! Thanks!
Homemade dressing sounds so good — good for the health AND the budget! The best part? All you need is a few drops of Sriracha sauce to make spicy ranch. I’d love to see recipes from you in the future for vinaigrettes or Thousand Island.
So excited about this! My husband and I are Americans living overseas and can’t get the ranch packets…this is great. thanks!
My oldest will only eat certain foods if he dips them in Ranch. I will make this homemade version and hopefully he will like it and I can save a few $$$.
Made this today and added 2 tablespoons to about 1 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt. Makes a wonderful veggie dip!
for the dip, use the same quantities of spices, and add them to 16 oz sour cream, also add 3/4 t. salt. deliciously creamy!!
Thank you SO MUCH. Can no longer eat the store ranch dressings, due to the MSG. Once I got Asthma that will really affect the asthma. Since then I’d also read about MSG causing weight gain and metabolic issues. So this was a LIFE SAVER for me!!!!!!!!
Do you know for a casserole recipe that calls for one package of dry ranch dressing mix, how much of this would I use?
I found your ranch dressing mix on pinterest. I never looked at the ingredients to see that they put MSG in the seasonings and mixes. Thanks for giving us a homemade version that is better for us.
this is great – most of the bottles and mixes have MSG – thanks.
how can i make a ranch that last long
I have been looking for a homemade ranch salad dressing recipe! The premade ranch dressing from the store just never tastes as good. I’m going to give your recipe a try, thanks!
what is the ratio if I want to make a gallon of this?
Steve, if you multiply the recipe by 24, you’ll get just under a gallon. So use 8 cups of mayo (or Greek yogurt), 6 cups of milk (or buttermilk), and 1 1/2 cups seasoning mix (which is just under 8x the given recipe). This might not be QUITE a gallon, but it’s the closest easy conversion. Hope this helps!
Add a fresh advocado (mashed, of course) and you have a wonderful Advocado Ranch Dressing.
…and teach me there is but one “d” in avocado…lol
Perfect! Thank you for sharing. I am going to make this with low fat dairy..:D
I just found this on Ponterest and I’m so excited to try it. Do you know how much of this mix would equal a packet? I have several recipes that use a packet of mix and I’d love to use this instead.
Kimberly,
The packets are usually 1 oz. packages, so I’d use my kitchen scale and substitute 1 oz. of the dry mix.
Do you have a recipe for Catalina dressing – my husband loves it.
My daughter cannot have dairy anymore but she loves ranch dressing. Just wondering if you could use nut milk in place of the milk. cashew milk, coconut milk, almond milk.
Thank you so much for this ranch recipe. Now I can make ranch dressing without salt!
How would I make this vegan? Any suggestions?
You could use a vegan mayo with “original” (not vanilla) rice milk…that would probably be your best bet to keep the taste as close as possible.
Erin
Avocados work awesome! but its a bit thicker probably you could use some form of milk (almond, rice ,ect) to thin it out a bit
Do you have a recipe for coleslaw dressing without mayo.
I’m excited to try this. I always use the hidden valley packets and added sour cream and not mayo.
Can’t wait to try this!
Just started Pinterest this week and found this recipe and pinned it to my New things to try Board. Made the recipe today and it goes to my Favorite Foods and Drink Board. My comment had been about how my granddaughter Megan uses Ranch Dressing by the quart. She hasn’t tried it yet but it’s a genuine hit with the rest of the family. She’s so particular about Hidden Valley Brand we can’t even buy their lowfat variety. Thank you so much for this recipe! Even if we can’t substitute it for her, the rest of us love it. Now we’re going to try your taco mix! I’m the particular one there because I don’t care for chili powder. I’ll let you know how that comes out. Thanks again.
Found this recipe from Pinterest and I’m so happy and impressed how well it turned out! I think I added a bit too much basil though….what herb should I/can I add to counteract that?
This is great. Instead of mayo or greek yogurt. Puree up some cottage cheese for a different healthy version
Mixing the Ranch powder (1-2T) with 2 avocados and smashing it all up make a awesome veggie dip!!
My family loves this mix. I blend cottage cheese until smooth, ad a dash of lemon juice, add the ranch mix, then thin with a little 1% milk. It was taste approved by my ranch addicted kids.
Thanks so much! I plan on sharing this on my blog – I’ll be sure to link back to your fantastic ideas!
Just made it with low fat sour cream and it’s yummy! Thank you!
Does the powdered buttermilk make the dressing less runny? I’ve tried making homemade ranch in the past, it’s just so runny.
Thanks!
Thank you so much! I have many allergies and am always trying to find things without preservatives and additives!
Today I made this with a teaspoon of chicken boullion (you know the Knorr’s concentrate stuff), and a fresh jalapeno. Ran it through the blender and….PRESTO….makes some amazing dip or taco salad dressing.
I’m especially fond of dill, so I tend to go heavier on it
I use a low fat cottage cheese and skim milk well blended with the above spices, that way I am also getting a little protein kick to my dressing
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