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Have you ever had homemade buttermilk ranch dressing? Because it will blow your mind!
Ranch is so versatile. In our house it doesn’t just go on salad, it goes on pizza, raw veggies, and in a pinch has been used on sandwiches in place of mayonnaise. So, when we started to switch to all-natural, ranch was one we really looked at, especially when we wanted to incorporate more salads.
Importance of quality ingredients
My first concern with it though was that it is so high in fat and when you switch to low-fat options it doesn’t taste all that great. Plus, manufacturers use sugar in place of some of the fat to maintain flavor. It’s like a never-ending battle to stay healthy (fat content) and to stay healthy (whole ingredients).
With much of my research and after talking to health professionals, I will always choose a whole food, high fat option over a synthesized low fat or fat free product.
Options we tried
So right off the bat, I was going gung-ho on every homemade option I could find on Pinterest and home cooking recipe book. Let me tell you, there are some nasty options. So, our first step was to start mixing our own ranch with the packets in mayonnaise and sour cream. Then we switched to mixing our own ranch packets (that’s the recipe we will be covering today). What we thought was going to be our final step was using fat free plain Greek yogurt instead of the fattening mayonnaise and sour cream.
Spoiler alert! Its nasty!
Seasoning blend
- 1/2cup Dry Buttermilk Powder
- 1Tbsp Dried Parsley Flakes
- 1tsp Dill Weed
- 1tsp Garlic Powder
- 1tsp Garlic Salt
- 1tsp Salt
- 1/2 tspPepper
- 1tsp Dried Minced Onions
- 1tsp Onion Powder
Mix well and store in an airtight container. Then whisk ¼ of a cup dry seasoning in with 2 cups of a variation of mayonnaise, milk, and sour cream depending on the consistency you desire.
Some of our winning combinations for ranch dressing
So, our perfect consistency combo has turned out to be 1 cup of mayonnaise, ½ cup of sour cream, and ½ of milk. Now I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, isn’t she aiming for lower fat? Well, yes. This is where I mix it up some. I like to use olive oil mayo over the traditional low-fat mayo because they don’t have the sugars. This is also an easy one to make at home. This make for a 2 tablespoon serving that has 4.7 grams of fat and 88 calories over the traditional ranch that has 14 grams of fat per serving! Then if I feel like it, I will replace the sour cream with the fat-free Greek yogurt. Plus, with a reduced fat milk you end up with a very low/health fat ranch AND whole ingredients. This is a win/win in my never-ending battle.
Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Buttermilk Powder
- 1 TBS Dried Parsley Flakes
- 1 tsp Dill Weed
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Salt
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Dried Minced Onion
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients together
- Store in an airtight container
- This makes enough for two batches of ranch dressing
- Blend 1/4 of dry ingredients with 2 cups of a combination of mayonnaise, sour cream and milk to reach your desired consistency.
Nutrition
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