I was inspired. Two totally unrelated events. An inspiration.
- Stumbling upon this post from Pioneer Woman
- Scoring a free head of lettuce from Kroger this past week (thanks to the Kroger best customer coupons!)
My light bulb moment…
You see. I like salad. I like lettuce. But straight iceberg lettuce is tough to swallow. It’s just so bland.
But top it with some STRONG homemade garlic ranch dressing.
A match made in heaven.
Be warned: You will suffer from “garlic breath” after eating this. But the fullness of the flavor is totally worth it!
Homemade Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup real mayonnaise ($.25) Often on sale...match with a coupon for a super deal!
- 3 Tbsp rice milk or regular milk ($.03)
- 1 tsp lemon juice ($.05)
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed ($.05) Use the largest you can find on the clove...or several small ones!
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped onion ($.05)
- 1 tsp tarragon ($.10)
- 2 tsp dried dill ($.20)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Add mayonnaise to a medium bowl. Whisk in the milk and lemon juice.
- Stir in the crushed garlic and finely chopped onion.
- Stir in the tarragon, dried dill, salt and pepper.
- Taste. Add a little of whatever else you think it needs!
P.S. I can’t wait to make this again this summer…using fresh dill and parsley from the garden!
Amy Hawkins says
Thanks for the recipe! How long do you think it would keep in the fridge?
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Amy Hawkins,
I’d say a week…but I bet it doesn’t last that long! Ours didn’t! 😉
Tami says
We are a ranch-lovin’ family! I never had it with garlic, but it’s sounding pretty good.
Alea says
I can’t wait to make this for my family. So many of the creamy dressing have allergens in them, so I rarely buy them. this will be a treat!
Katherine says
My mouth is watering over this!! Must make it soon! Thank you!
Janice says
mayonnaise is so easy to make from scratch- just 2 eggs, oil, vinegar, salt, dry mustard
Michelle says
I never buy iceberg. Never ever. Ever. But today, for some strange reason, I decided I specifically wanted iceberg to top my pulled pork nachos tomorrow. Great. That means I’m still gonna have a LOT of iceberg. Thanks for giving me an idea for the rest of it this week!!!!
have a great week…hope the lil guy is awesome 🙂
Sherry says
Can you use something else for the tarragon? I want to make this today, but I don’t have tarragon. I have a lot of other spices though. 😀
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Sherry,
Parsley would be the ideal…I just happened to have tarragon! I liked the flavor it gave. Can’t wait to make this with fresh herbs this summer!
Erin
Sherry says
@Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom,
Thank you so much, Erin! I made it tonight, and it was delish!
krista says
mmm, and it could probably be made thicker for dipping or thinner for tossing the salad, too.
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@krista,
Right on!
Jessica says
I read somewhere that if you use lemon juice that you have to consume right away and not store, because the lemon juice makes the milk go sour. Just thought I would share that, thanks for the great recipe.
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@Jessica,
Thanks for sharing…I wouldn’t think it would cause rice milk to go sour…but I could be wrong!
Cassie says
I just made this–it was fabulous! I didn’t have any lemons or lemon juice, so I used some lemonade! Also no tarragon, so I used a combination of parsley and rosemary. I never get iceberg, even though it always seems to be on sale, but this is something wonderfully simple to do with it. Thanks!
Jen says
Any thoughts on whether you can use fake mayo – Nayonaise with success?
Kathy Lee says
Sounds yummy, although I’d make it with a vegan mayo (my favorites are nut based & homemade). This dressing would be really good with fresh basil added, too. ; )
Kathy says
Can’t wait to try your ranch dressing!
Jerry says
I was wondering what I could use instead of mayo, as my friend can’t have eggs or dairy in any form, and mayo usually has both dairy and eggs..