Ranch Dressing and Seasoning Mix

My daughter was just diagnosed with a milk allergy, but she LOVES ranch dressing (it is the only one she would eat). She enjoys salads, but won't eat them without dressing and it is impossible to find one that doesn't have milk and/or soy. This is the first one I tried and my family loves it. I omitted the buttermilk powder (obvious reasons) and mixed it with Veganaise and rice milk. I didn't follow any specific measurements, just had her taste it until it was the right amount, but she loves it and my anti-vegan husband thought it was delicious too! I did add a splash of lemon juice, to add that extra tang. You will note on all commercial dressings, that there is vinegar and/or lemon juice in them and some of you not happy with the flavor may find that adding an acid (vinegar/lemon juice) would put it over the top for you.

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Absolutely perfect! Don't be fooled by the ones that use crackers, or don't have buttermilk in the mix. You can tell by looking at this when you're done that it's the one you want. Warning: Add the milk a little at a time when making a dressing, till it's how you like it. It can be a little thin...

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Made this today for the first time, and will definetly keep it as on hand! Being that I can never leave anything 'as is', I added a dash of cayenne to the mix. Then, for the dressing I mixed 1 T. of mix, 1/2 c. sour cream, 1/2 c. kefir (kind of like a runny yogurt), 1 clove minced garlic, 1/2 T. lemon juice, 1/2 T. cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp. instant clear jel (to thicken it up). Turned out super! My kids thank you, thank, you, thank you for sharing! Me too!

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This is really just like the original. I used nonfat dry milk powder, half the amt of dill salt. Mixed it with some nonfat sour cream for a veggie dip! It's chilling right now & am excited to try it. Thank u for sharing this!

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This turned out almost exactly like the real stuff. I actually like it better than the real stuff because it is less salty. I use the powder for popcorn. Thanks so much for posting this!

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This is a very nice mix to keep on hand if you don't want to buy bottled salad dressing. I replaced the parsley with dried basil, but otherwise made the mix as directed. To mix, I put 1 teaspoon into 1/3 cup mayo, and added 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (to give it some tanginess) and 1 teaspoon milk. This is a perfect dip consistency for me. The flavors of the herbs really don't show themselves until after they've had a chance to sit, so chill this for several hours before you need it.

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I tried to rate this without stars so I wouldn't mess up your 5 star rating, but it wouldn't let me...I used this recipe as a dip, mixing one tablespoon with 8oz of sour cream. I don't recommended it, it just doesn't have that twang. I tried adding more dill and more of the dry mix, still no twang. I'll rate it again when I make it as a dressing. Thanks for sharing, it was worth a shot. :-)

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This blend came out damn near perfect for a match for Hidden Valley, my daughter and her bff ate a whole dip bowl then and only then did I tell them it wasn't their ranch... Awesome. And for those who are missing something.. try using a cup of sour cream instead of mayo I think you will be surprised. Thanks Angela for posting this awesome and money saving recipe!

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This is one of the best reproductions Ive tried so far, but there is still something missing. Most mixes you find online are reproducing the bottled stuff. This is similar to the packet seasonings (which Im trying to replicate). I looks just like it, but I had to add msg to it to make it taste like the store bought, and thus the reason why I gave it only four stars. I usually avoid things with msg but this is my one and only exception. I used the Hellmans mayo. I didn't add the msg into the whole mix, but will try a different mayo, and see if it comes out any different, and if it needs the msg added to it then. I also used 1 1/2 T. and cut back the milk to 1/2c. to get the same consistency that the store bought produces. I'll update the next time I make it with the different mayo to let you know. Thank you for the recipe, at least I am closer to what I'm searching for! EDIT: This time I used Kraft Real Mayo and it turned out superb! How do I know? Had the real deal made up right next to it. I honestly couldnt tell them apart except for the real one was a bit saltier tasting (probably the msg) I have now been converted and am making up a big batch of mix and will no longer use the msg laden store bought stuff. Thanks for making one of my longest sought recipe quests come to a successful end. *loves you* :-)
EDIT: this recipe has been in my permanent collection for a while now. Have found a good healthy way to thicken it with some whole golden flax seeds. This way it doesn't need cooked to thicken like cornstarch does. The flax seeds add no other flavor. Am hoping to try Agar when I can get my hands on some.

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Thanks for a great substitute for ranch dressing. I have just started a gluten free diet and was really missing ranch dressing for my salads and dipping veggies in. This was exactly what I was looking for and I had all the ingredients on hand. I mixed 1 tbsp into about 3/4 c of greek yogurt and it was wonderful. Thanks, Angela!

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Ok so this is very good. However, I thought the milk/mayo ratio was a bit off, I found it to be too thin. I recommend 1 1/2 cups mayo to one cup milk. As well I added more than one teapsoon, probably two. And I would leave out the salt, I put in half of what the recipe calls for and that was still too much. And don't skip the buttermilk powder or the dill. Thats what makes ranch ranch!

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I thought the recipe was a great msg-free alternative. I didn't have onion powder, so I used 1/2t granulated onion and 1 t. dried chives. I feel like it took more like 2 T. of mix to make 16oz. of sour cream into dip, so start with the recommended amt. and work your way up to the way you like it :)

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genius....pure genius. i skipped the buttermilk and the parsley and half the salt, and im still feelin' the hidden valley. i just mixed the remaining ingredients with a cup or so of mayo and a splash of milk and it's the best dip ever. my bf could eat this with a spoon and i love it with those schwan's green bean fries - heaven! and now i don't have to buy those expensive little packets anymore. thank you thank you thank you!

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This did not taste like Ranch to my or my family. I am still searching for a homemade version of the dry buttermilk version.

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Sorry to rain on the parade of rave reviews, but this just didn't "float my boat." I felt the flavoring wasn't quite there. It seemed too salty for me. That may have been the dry buttermilk rather than the salt, not sure. I did try adding some sour cream (about 1/2 cup) per the advice of others, but that really didn't do much except add a bit more tang and thickness. I'm on a quest for the best homemade ranch dressing, and this was the first try. I ended up throwing it out. I did keep the dry mix, and I may try adjustments to it in the future if other recipes fail. The good thing I will say about this is when mixed with mayo and milk it was quite thick. In fact, it was thicker than I like in dressing - just right for dip, however. Just an FYI - I tried another ranch recipe that called for cilantro or parsley and lime juice. So, if you want more tang, try adding some lime. Fresh cilantro would add flavor more than parsley, but I have found dried cilantro to be flavorless. I'm moving on to other recipes in my continued search for good homemade ranch dressing.

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I've been messing with this one for quite a while now. I've found that mixing it with equal parts mayo and milk makes it too runny, compared to store bought, so I put in 1 cup mayo and just add enough milk to get the consistency that I like. So with that small adjustment, this one is a KEEPER! Thanks for posting!

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Soo much better than Kraft. I only used half the milk, and that worked well for us thickness wise. Great flavor, and so simple to make.

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Ooooh, thank you so much for posting this recipe! I am trying to avoid msg and I really missed ranch dressing. I have a taco soup recipe I have been avoiding since it calls for a packet of dressing mix and its not quite the same without it. This is very close if not identical to the real thing. Plus it is waaay cheaper. Thank you so much!

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Delicious! I wish I had read the reviews which cautioned to add milk a little bit at a time to achieve the consistency you want, as yes - 1 cup of milk makes it much too thin for my preferences. But the flavor is fantastic! Thanks for posting.

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This is very good ranch! Most definitely my go to recipe from now on. The only thing different I did was to add more than one Tablespoon of mix for a stronger flavor. Other than that, it was perfect as is. Thanks!

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