Ranch Dressing Mix Recipe
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The holidays are just around the corner, and I’m betting you have at least one holiday recipe that calls for a packet of ranch dressing mix (I know I do). The thing is, I never feel good about buying it. It’s pretty expensive for what it is, and it contains MSG and other artificial yuck. No thanks! So, this week, I made a billion batches of ranch, until I landed on one that tasted as good as (maybe better than) the store-bought mix. Here’s the recipe.
Ranch Dressing Mix
Prep Time:
2 mins
Ingredients:
1/2 c powdered buttermilk
4 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp dried parsley
2 tsp dried dill
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Before we move on to the recipe, I’d like to take a second to talk about powdered buttermilk because it may not be an ingredient that you’re familiar with. It’s something I discovered five or six years ago, and I’ve been buying it ever since. As the name suggests, it’s just buttermilk in powdered form. You measure out what you need, add water and like magic, you have buttermilk. For me, it was a total game changer because it completely eliminated my need for fresh buttermilk. Now, I no longer have to run out for a jug when I want to make a recipe that calls for buttermilk, and I don’t have to figure out what to do with the leftovers (or feel guilty when I forget, and end up having to throw out a partial jug). Those things make my frugal heart happy.
Saco is the most common brand, and that’s what I buy. When I first started using it, it was kind of hard to find. I ordered it off of Amazon back then. Now, most grocery stores seem to stock it in the powdered milk section, so I just buy it at Kroger. It’s quite a bit cheaper there. I paid $4.39 for my last container, and that’s enough to make 3.75 quarts of buttermilk. So, it works out to be cheaper than fresh buttermilk, too.
And bonus: powdered buttermilk can be used to make your own dry mixes, like the ranch dressing mix that I’m about to share. So, let’s get on to the recipe, shall we?
What You Do:
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Then, transfer your finished ranch dressing mix to an air-tight container, and store it in the fridge between uses.
To Use:
Use 3 Tbsp of mix in place of one packet of store-bought ranch dressing mix.
To Make Ranch Dip:
Whisk together 3 Tbsp of ranch dressing mix, 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1 cup of sour cream or plain yogurt.
To Make Ranch Dressing:
Whisk together 3 Tbsp of ranch dressing mix, 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1/2 cup of milk.
Tip:
I like to use my immersion blender to mix the ingredients. It whips the dip/dressing to a creamy consistency in a hurry.
One batch of ranch dressing mix is enough to make four batches of ranch dressing or dip, with a bit to spare. If you’d like to make a bigger batch, just double or triple the recipe.
Now, if I could just figure out what to do with the gallon of ranch currently taking up space in my fridge. These are just some of my many attempts before I got the recipe just right.
Ranch Dressing Mix
Here’s how to make your own ranch dressing mix to replace those store-bought packets.
- Total Time: 2 minutes
- Yield: Enough mix for 4 batches of ranch dressing or dip
Ingredients
- 1/2 c powdered buttermilk
- 4 tsp onion powder
- 2 Tbsp dried parsley
- 2 tsp dried dill
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
Mix all the ingredients together. Then, transfer your ranch dressing mix to an air-tight container, and store it in the fridge between uses.
Use 3 Tbsp of mix in place of one packet of store-bought ranch dressing mix.
Notes
- To Make Ranch Dip: Whisk together 3 Tbsp of ranch dressing mix, 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1 cup of sour cream or plain yogurt.
- To Make Ranch Dressing: Whisk together 3 Tbsp of ranch dressing mix, 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1/2 cup of milk.
- One batch of ranch dressing mix is enough to make four batches of ranch dressing or dip, with a bit to spare.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: buttermilk ranch dressing mix recipe, homemade buttermilk ranch dressing mix
Try This
Use my ranch dressing mix to make these ranch pretzels. They’re perfect for parties and family get-togethers.
I don’t think we have powdered buttermilk up here, but I am going to look for it the next time I am shopping.
God bless.
Hopefully you’ll be able to find it. It’s great stuff 🙂
I buy it at the Amish Market where they sell the seasonings. I have purchased the Saco brand before but I like that at the Amish Market I can buy more or less.
Yep, I’m itching to get back up to the Amish dry goods store near our cabin. I’m betting they sell powdered buttermilk.
I can’t wait to try this! I dehydrate a lot of veggie chips, so ranch powder would be a perfect seasoning. Thanks, Erin!
That powdered buttermilk wouldn’t happen to be gluten-free, would it (I hope)?
Good question. I wasn’t sure, so I did a little research this morning. There’s an FAQ on the SACO website, and it says all of their products are gluten-free. Here are the ingredients listed on the container: A cultured blend of sweet cream churned buttermilk, sweet dairy whey, and lactic acid.
Thank you!
I have been making this for a few months now. I have tweaked it a bit. I add onion powder and granulated onion.. I also use 1 tbsp of mix more than the recipe calls for. We are very happy with this. I live in ranch household, except me. I like ranch ok, just not on salads. I have pledged to perfect this recipe to our liking because as I don’t use it myself much, I had not noticed until recently that Hidden Valley Ranch has MSG in it!!!!!!!!!!! I was appalled. I had thought we had cut MSG out of our diets years ago!! And Erin I am addicted to your site. 🙂
Yay! I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipe, and that you’ve tweaked it to your family’s tastes. And I’m glad you’re enjoying the site, too 🙂
I forgot to say I love that when I open the container I don’t have to mix it. It always looks perfect, no stirring or dumping out watery stuff on top.
King Arthur flour sells powdered buttermilk. I bought some from their store in Vermont while on vacation but they do have a web site too. Hope that helps. I’m going to try this later this week!
Very nice recipe. The store bought ranch mix contains MSG, which I’m highly sensitive to. I decided to make my own, and used it for your ranch pretzels recipe. I made it for a church camping trip with gluten free pretzels, and they were gobbled up like crazy! Thank you for this recipe, I have added it to my family recipe binder.
★★★★★
Yay! Glad you enjoyed both my ranch dressing mix and my ranch pretzels.