Homemade ranch dressing comes close to restaurant ranch dressing

In the Midwest we really like our condiments, and one of those condiments we regularly use on things other than salads is ranch dressing. I love using ranch dressing as a dipping sauce for cheese curds, pizza crust, cheesy bread and even the traditional veggies every now and then.

When it comes to ranch dressing there are two classes — the kind out of a bottle (think Hidden Valley) and the really good kind you get at restaurants. The restaurant kind is referable because it is usually tangier and has a deeper flavor. The kind out of a bottle is usually thicker and can have a plasticy flavor. Since the restaurant kind is preferable (and because one of our producers requested it) I tried making some homemade ranch this weekend.

My version turned out a bit thicker than I would have liked, but the flavor was on point. I doubled the recipe so I could keep some at home and deliver a batch to the friend who requested I try out the recipe:

1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed 1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried chives 1/2 teaspoon dried onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Freshly squeeze lemon juice

Directions: whisk together the mayo, sour cream and milk, and then add all of the spices. Once that’s all combined you add the lemon juice to taste.

DIY do or don’t? It’s a super simple recipe and whips up really quick. I used the juice of half a lemon and then just a little bit from the other half. I wish the dressing would have thinned out a bit, but it’s still pourable. Between the ingredients I already had the ones I had to buy, I only spent about $4 for two decent-sized containers. If you have a couple minutes and really like restaurant-style ranch, this recipe is a good option.

— Hannah