This homemade healthy ranch dressing is seriously tasty and takes just 5 minutes: why buy it again? It features Greek yogurt and a special mix of spices.
See Also: All Homemade Salad Dressings | Homemade Italian Dressing
When Alex and I first started cooking together, storebought salad dressings were the first to be replaced by homemade versions. Now, we’re not against buying salad dressing. There are many salad dressings these days without lots of sugar, salt and preservatives. However, homemade salad dressings are 1. very delicious 2. don’t have preservatives or added ingredients 3. are pretty quick to make! Such is the case with this homemade healthy ranch dressing. Now that we have a healthy ranch dressing recipe that we love, I don’t think we’ll ever buy it again!
How to make homemade healthy ranch dressing
As you may know if you follow us or have our Pretty Simple Cooking cookbook, Alex and I are passionate about the intersection of healthy, pretty simple, and delicious. Meaning our favorite recipes taste amazing, are pretty easy to make, and aren’t too terrible for you. We’ve designed this homemade healthy ranch dressing recipe to hit all categories.
Related: 10 Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes | The Best Tahini Sauce
Most ranch dressings are made with a lot of mayonnaise. We’re not against mayonnaise at all, since it’s a whole food made up of a short ingredient list. However, to add a healthy ranch dressing spin, we’ve cut the mayo with a bit of plain yogurt. This helps it to be a little lighter, and adds a bit of those lovely yogurt probiotics. We have used a bit of mayonnaise, but less than the standard ranch. The mayo is important to add the richness and so that the healthy ranch dressing adheres to the lettuce and vegetables. After making a lot of healthy dressings that don’t stick to the salad, we’re conscious about this aspect as well.
Add to the mayo and yogurt a splash of olive oil, and some delicious spices: garlic powder, onion powder, and dried dill. We’ve specified that you can also add some chopped chives or green onion tops for an added freshness. It takes it to the next level: but it’s also not necessary for a delicious ranch dressing!
How to serve healthy ranch dressing
This homemade healthy ranch dressing is perfect on any type of salad that you throw together! Here are a few of our salad recipes where we’d use it:
- California Salad with Chickpeas & Dill
- Ranch Wedge Salad with Potato Chips
- Healthy Potato Salad with Hard-boiled Egg
- Vegetarian Cobb Salad
- Kale Caesar Salad with Cornbread Bits
- Radish and Blue Cheese Chopped Salad Recipe
- Easy Salad Bar Ideas
- Every Night Salad
Related: How to Make Homemade Vinaigrette | Thousand Island Dressing | Creamy Avocado Dressing
Now of course, ranch is also perfect for dipping! Here are some delicious dipping ideas for our best healthy ranch dressing recipe:
- Carrots, celery & bell pepper strips (see this video on How to Cut a Pepper)
- Baked French Fries
- Yogurt Ranch Salad Pizza
- Potato chips
- Buffalo Cauliflower
- Veggie Dippers
What do you love to dip in your ranch dressing? Let us know in the comments below!
Ranch dressing FAQ
Before we get to the recipe, here are a few frequently asked questions about ranch dressing! Let us know if you have additional questions (in the comments below) and we’ll add them.
Ranch dressing typically is not considered a health food. However, our Healthy Ranch Dressing recipe has only 38 calories per tablespoon! So the recipe below is a healthy version of ranch dressing. In either case, you’ll want to consume ranch dressing in moderation.
Yes, homemade ranch dressing is gluten free.
A standard ranch dressing includes mayonnaise, buttermilk, onion, garlic, spices, and herbs. Our Healthy Ranch Dressing below substitutes some Greek yogurt for some of the mayo, which lends a healthy spin.
It was invented by Steve Henson, a plumber turned cowboy, in the 1950’s. Steve invented the dressing while working as a plumber in Alaska, then he and his wife Gail opened a ranch in California called Hidden Valley Ranch. They started selling it at supermarkets, and eventually ended up selling the name and recipe for 8 million. Here’s more about the story of ranch dressing.
Yes, this Healthy Ranch Dressing is low carb and keto friendly.
Ranch dressing commonly includes garlic powder, onion powder, and dried dill.
Because ranch dressing includes dairy products, it does not freeze well.
This recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, see our Vegan Ranch Dressing.
Print
Healthy Ranch Dressing
(35 votes, average: 4.17 out of 5)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: About 3/4 cup 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This homemade healthy ranch dressing is seriously tasty and takes just 5 minutes: why buy it again? It features Greek yogurt and a special mix of spices.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt*
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl. Store refrigerated (keeps at least 1 week).**
Notes
*Make sure the yogurt has a creamy consistency. Most yogurt brands we’ve used work, but we found one brand that was very runny which didn’t work well for salad dressing.
**Adding 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives or green onion tops amps it up a notch.
- Category: Salad Dressing
- Method: Whisked
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Ranch dressing homemade, Ranch dressing, Best ranch dressing, Healthy ranch dressing, Salad dressing recipes
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About the Authors
Sonja Overhiser
Cookbook Author and writer
Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.
Alex Overhiser
Cookbook Author and photographer
Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.
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