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Home » Recipes

Homemade Ranch Dip Recipe

Homemade ranch dip recipe on 100 Days of Real Food

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I was browsing through the $5 Dinner Mom’s website when I came across her ingenious idea to mix up a big batch of seasonings at one time for an easy homemade Ranch dressing. We also love this Swiss Cheese Dip!

Quick and Easy Homemade Ranch Dip Recipe

Once your spice mixture has been made it’s a very simple process to add your perishable ingredient whenever you’re in the mood for some homemade dressing. Talk about being efficient! You could even prepare them ahead of time in separate bags or containers to mix up once you're ready.

A Sour Cream Ranch Dip for Everyone

Now we prefer a Ranch dip over a dressing at our house (especially since it magically makes my 6-year-old eat twice as many carrots as normal) so below is a modified version that turns Erin’s spice mixture into a Ranch dip instead of a Ranch dressing.

This gives it a thicker consistency overall, making it a perfect dip for veggie trays that the whole family will enjoy. It's a lot cheaper than pre bought spice mixes and easily more nutritious than the bottled stuff. No preservatives here! Just a few simple ingredients that make for a fresh and easy to make dip.

How to Reduce the Fat Content of This Dip Recipe

If you want to save on calories and dollars at the same time, there's an incredibly easy substitution you can make here! Greek yogurt doesn't just add substantial protein content to the mix, but is slightly less calorie dense than cream cheese. (Some people may prefer the flavor, too!)

To use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, simply swap the sour cream in the ranch dip recipe below for equal parts Greek yogurt.

Here's a little video showing you how simple it is to make! Enjoy!

You May Also Enjoy

  • Warm Bean Dip
  • Cheesy Broccoli Dip
  • Creamy Queso Dip
  • Cheese Fries
  • Pumpkin Fluff Dip

If you enjoyed this Ranch dip recipe, please leave a rating and comment! For more inspiration, check out my Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. For 5 free weekly meal plans and more free resources, sign up to receive my free newsletter! In addition, check out these Snacks and Appetizers.

homemade ranch dip in a bowl with celery sticks on the side

Ranch Flavored Dip

Ranch makes everything taste good! I'm so glad I found this idea from the $5 Dinner Mom, because it's a healthier alternative to the store-bought Ranch salad dressing or packaged dips. Mix up a big batch of the spice and have it ready for anytime you need a little help to get your kids to eat their veggies.
23 Reviews / 4.3 Average
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 minute min
Course: Sides, Snacks & Appetizers
Cuisine: American
Method: Freezer Friendly
Diet: Egg Free, Gluten Free, Peanut/Tree Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Servings: 1 cup
Save Recipe Saved!

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoon parsley (dried)
  • 1 teaspoon dill (dried)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon basil (dried)
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • sour cream (for serving)

Instructions
 

  • Mix together the first six ingredients down to the pepper. Store in an airtight container.
  • When you are ready to make the dip stir 1 tablespoon of the spice mixture together with ½ cup sour cream. Serve with fresh sliced veggies or whole-wheat pretzels.
  • Save the remaining dry spice mixture in spice cabinet or pantry for another day.

Notes

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Ranch Flavored Dip
Amount Per Serving
Calories 22 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 8mg0%
Potassium 80mg2%
Carbohydrates 5g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 675IU14%
Vitamin C 10.6mg13%
Calcium 11mg1%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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41.6K shares

About Lisa Leake

Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and #1 New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.

Comments

  1. Cassandra says

    March 24, 2014 at 7:18 pm

    5 stars
    This is yummy and super easy! I love that it makes enough spice to make the dip a few times, very efficient!

    Reply
  2. Lauren says

    March 17, 2014 at 10:05 pm

    I love, love, love this recipe!!! I too added a bit of salt and a little more of the seasoning and I used Greek yogurt sour cream. My 15 month old son loves to dip his bell pepper strips in it! I can't complain!!!

    Reply
  3. Christina says

    February 23, 2014 at 6:36 pm

    I ended up adding about 1 tsp., and after the flavors absorbed for several hours in 2 cups of Nancy's cultured sour cream in the fridge, the saltiness was perfect. I cannot imagine not adding it. I served at a party, and everyone RAVED about it! Was just curious if there being no salt in the recipe was a typo. It is so flavorful I suppose you wouldn't need it...but I added it since one of the things that makes the ranch dip packets so tasty is the salt. I used unrefined REAL salt, which has health benefits (unlike the processed sodium chloride or table salt in most processed foods),

    Reply
  4. Lisa says

    February 20, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    5 stars
    This is delicious as a dip (though I did add a greater ratio of the spice mixture to the sour cream than indicated to up the flavor). Also was really delicious added to mashed potatoes!

    Reply
  5. robin says

    February 11, 2014 at 2:01 pm

    I am looking for your homemade onion dip recipe. I know I've seen you share it, but am having trouble finding it on your site.

    Reply
    • Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says

      February 25, 2014 at 5:40 pm

      Hi Robin. It will be in the cookbook: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/buythecookbook. :) ~Amy

      Reply
  6. Mrs. Martinez says

    February 11, 2014 at 7:07 am

    5 stars
    Wow! This was such a great find!! I added about a 1/4 tsp of sea salt and 1/2 tsp of dried minced onion, and this hit the spot!! Thank you VERY MUCH!! =^)

    Reply
  7. Jess says

    February 09, 2014 at 9:25 pm

    I actually meant without mayo. Earlier comments refer to original post for dressing (rather than dip), but the original recipe on other site uses mayo. If I wanted to turn this dip into a dressing, would adding milk (to make it more liquidy) do the trick?

    Reply
    • Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says

      February 23, 2014 at 7:55 am

      Hi again, Jess. We have not tried but I think that adding a bit of milk would certainly get you to the right consistency. ~Amy

      Reply
  8. Jess says

    February 07, 2014 at 6:58 pm

    How would you turn this into a dressing without using mayo? Just add whole milk??

    Reply
    • Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says

      February 09, 2014 at 9:19 pm

      Hi Jess. Do you mean without sour cream? You could try using yogurt. ~Amy

      Reply
  9. Robin says

    January 19, 2014 at 4:52 pm

    5 stars
    Just what I was looking for! I subbed greek yogurt and was very pleased with the results. Will be making this regularly!

    Reply
  10. Melissa says

    January 10, 2014 at 3:33 pm

    Just made this and loved it. Thanks.

    Reply
  11. Alicia says

    January 01, 2014 at 8:25 pm

    2 stars
    I recently fixed this for a party. It was my first time trying a homemade ranch dip, and I would say it turned out so-so. My husband & I did eat it w/ some veggies, but our family (who isn't used to more natural foods) didn't like it. To us, it didn't seem to have a very strong "ranch" flavor that we expected. The taste was palatable but not sure I would expect to pass it as ranch dip. We will keep trying though; usually are very pleased with the recipes from this site :)

    Reply
  12. Samantha says

    December 14, 2013 at 12:11 pm

    I have to say, I was very excited to see this! We have begun to eat a much healthier diet and it has been hard to find a ranch dressing or dip that meets my standards for flavor. I cannot wait to try making this. It will be perfect for our New Years Eve party. Thanks for sharing :-)

    Reply
  13. Emily says

    November 29, 2013 at 3:30 pm

    I (and my guests) found this dip to be a bit crunchy with all of the dried parsley. May be okay if use fresh parsley. Would also recommend reducing the amount of garlic powder.

    Reply
  14. Denise says

    November 21, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    I love this idea and can't wait to try it, but I just happened to look at the ingredient list on my sour cream and for the first time noticed that it has 10 different ingredients in it. Is there any sour cream out there has less than 5 ingredients without a bunch of stuff I can't pronounce?

    Reply
    • Sarah W says

      November 21, 2013 at 5:11 pm

      I use Daisy brand. One ingredient: Grade A cultured cream

      Reply
    • jamie says

      January 09, 2014 at 7:00 pm

      I was surprised and disappointed to see that, too! Meijer brand sour cream is out! Daisy Sour Cream is just made with cream. Sometimes it is a dollar more expensive, but I think it is worth it.

      Reply
    • Rebekah says

      January 11, 2014 at 1:29 pm

      You can make your own sour cream. I make mine out of cream (not ultra pasteurized).I got my cultures form cultures from health.

      Reply
  15. Sarah W says

    November 21, 2013 at 12:40 pm

    3 stars
    As is long time lover of ranch party dip, I have to say this recipe is as close as I have found to the real deal. Yeah, it's not perfect, but it's pretty darn close. I made it exactly as written, and after a first taste test I decided it needed a little sea salt. Other than that, I didn't mess with it. Thanks for helping me to get off the "chemical powders in an envelope"!

    Reply
    • Sarah W says

      November 21, 2013 at 12:40 pm

      Meant to give it 5 stars! Oops!

      Reply
  16. Laura says

    November 21, 2013 at 11:23 am

    This is probably a dumb question, but I have a recipe that for ranch dressing mix that uses dry buttermilk powder. Is there anything wrong with that?

    Reply
    • Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says

      November 23, 2013 at 9:16 am

      Hi Laura. Powdered milks are not an ingredient Lisa uses both because it is more processed, but also because powdered milks contain oxidized cholesterol which is not a form of cholesterol that is food for your heart. ~Amy

      Reply
  17. Maria says

    November 21, 2013 at 11:19 am

    Yay! I would love to have Ranch Dressing ready to go, Think that we could do half butter milk/half sour cream? iIts what we do when using Hidden Valley's (ahhhhhhh) Ranch. That stuff makes my heat race so badly!!!

    Reply
    • Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says

      November 23, 2013 at 9:05 am

      Hi Maria. We have not tried. Let us know if you do and how it turns out. ~Amy

      Reply
  18. Angella says

    November 21, 2013 at 10:19 am

    The spices would be good as long as they would have been in their original container....just look at your soonest expiration date and mark your calendar with that.....when you make the dip or dressing, it will expire whenever your dairy product would have expired.

    Reply
  19. Mary Jimenez says

    November 21, 2013 at 9:44 am

    How long can you keep this mixture of spices befor it goes bad?

    Reply
    • Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says

      November 23, 2013 at 8:32 am

      Hi Mary. Are you asking about the mixture before it is mixed in to the sour cream? If so, if you keep it in a airtight container, it would keep like any other spice blend. Keeping it in the fridge would prolong its life, too. Once you have mixed it with the dairy, it would keep only as long a the sour cream. ~Amy

      Reply
  20. Michelle says

    November 21, 2013 at 9:34 am

    Thank you for posting this! We've made a committment to cut out MSG and ranch dip/dressing has been a tough one to find without it.

    Reply
  21. delilah says

    November 21, 2013 at 9:12 am

    I am wondering if anyone has done this with yogurt instead of sour cream? we have a dairy allergy in the family, but if yogurt would work i could mix it with so coconut yogurt.

    Reply
    • Veronica says

      November 21, 2013 at 9:40 am

      I use yogurt all the time instead of sour cream. Can't tell a difference at all.

      Reply
  22. Suzy says

    November 21, 2013 at 9:09 am

    I can't wait to try this! We don't use sour cream anymore, instead we use plain yogurt and you cannot tell a difference! I'm sure it'd work perfectly with this!!

    Reply
  23. carl steiner says

    November 05, 2013 at 7:01 pm

    missing one key ingredient, powdered buttermilk

    Reply
  24. Cassi says

    November 03, 2013 at 8:43 pm

    3 stars
    After reading the comments I was nervous to try this. My daughter wanted to take it with her to school tomorrow so we whipped some up real fast and tried it out. I used 1/2 t of dill since many replies said 1 t was too much. She liked it. I didn't think it had enough flavor, and ended up adding more season mix. Maybe i'm just used to "real" ranch. We'll continue to play around with it until we get the right flavor.

    :)

    Reply
  25. Laura says

    September 21, 2013 at 9:37 pm

    I made some ranch dip last week (didn't use this recipe, just haphazardly added things to sour cream) - just saw this post refresh on FB - and thought I'd see what the official recipe is! My only thing is that I would probably add a little salt. This is good, now I have something to actually measure!

    Reply
  26. CJ says

    September 09, 2013 at 5:28 pm

    5 stars
    I made this today using full fat sour cream and thought it was delicious! I only added a few sprinkles of freshly ground pepper rather than a full 1/2 tsp. Thank you for another awesome recipe and for all that you do and share! :)

    Reply
  27. BB says

    August 21, 2013 at 11:25 pm

    5 stars
    I thought this was delicious, and my kids will definitely love it! It DOES need a bit of salt though. I may try it with a tiny bit of fresh garlic mashed w/ a bit of salt next time. There is NOTHING better than fresh garlic!
    Thanks

    Reply
  28. Stacey says

    August 09, 2013 at 3:58 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this. My daughter can make it on her own. Added bonus that there are no artificial ingredients that we cannot pronounce!

    (*I did add salt but my daughter didn't think it needed it.)

    Reply
  29. Katy says

    June 28, 2013 at 3:26 pm

    Made this today, but truly I am bad at following recipes...and when I do they don't usually turn out, so I made my recipe as follows: 1/2 tsp dill, 1/2 tsp basil, salt, pepper, 1 tsp Afro Fusion brand - Mama Cita all purpose seasoning, maybe 1/2-1tsp honey, 1/2-1tsp mustard and 1/4-1/2 cup yogurt. My 4-1/2 year old and I liked it, but then again we don't eat fake ranch dressing so there isn't a comparison. When it comes to making veggie dip for parties I always make some kind of mix like this, using yogurt and/or sour cream and different seasonings. True ranch dip seems sweeter to me and definitely would not have that much dill. I like a good organic all-purpose seasoning to add in place of most of the spices.

    Reply
  30. Elaina says

    May 29, 2013 at 7:59 pm

    5 stars
    I LOVE this recipe! The ratio of seasoning is perfect in my opinion. I can't get enough of veggies dipped into this. The only thing I think it needs is a little salt to bring out all the flavors.

    Reply
  31. Niki Kruschke says

    May 22, 2013 at 1:30 pm

    Also try mixing this with greek yogurt. Very good!

    Reply
  32. Amanda says

    May 16, 2013 at 10:53 pm

    Every other recipe I've tried from this site has been really good. I was disappointed with this one though. Too much dill, too much pepper and just not very palatable.

    Reply
  33. Emily Ban says

    April 27, 2013 at 3:59 pm

    4 stars
    I experimented and tried the seasoning with nonfat greek yogurt, olive oil mayo and then sour cream. The Greek yogurt with seasonings was not bad but still needed work. The olive oil mayo was just weird (and I didn't feel good about eating it either). The full-fat sour cream won in my book. But, I will have to say it isn't exactly like Ranch. Hopefully my kids will accept it though!

    Reply
  34. Amy B. says

    April 18, 2013 at 10:10 am

    We're using this mix of spices as a dry rub for crock pot buffalo chicken lettuce wraps. I'm hopeful that it'll come out tasty!!

    Reply
  35. Laura Lee says

    April 16, 2013 at 9:17 pm

    5 stars
    YUM! I just made this (didn't have any onion powder) and it is delicous! Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  36. Jody says

    March 22, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    My kids absolutely ADORE this recipe. I cut back on the pepper a lot and we use greek yoghurt. We have done it with finely sliced green onion instead of the onion powder, and fresh parsley too. I love that if you have any of the fresh ingredients you can just use them instead. 1tbsp fresh for 1tsp dried.

    Also note - if you want a true ranch flavour you do need to use the dreaded fake mayo. I admit - it is the best for this recipe from a non-real stand point. But seeing as how that completely defeats the purpose - Greek Yogurt it is for us!

    Reply
  37. Laurie Washburn says

    March 13, 2013 at 5:57 pm

    I really like you , your recipes, and your blog, so I hate to leave a bad review, but I want to warn others before they waste ingredients on this. I thought this turned out pretty gross. It vaguely tastes like ranch, but has a very strong dill taste, not much other flavor, and just tastes off. It is also too spicy-- too much pepper for sure!

    I added 1 t lemon juice, a dash more of garlic powder and onion powder, 1 1/2 t Real Salt, and used Greek yogurt (the additions were added AFTER following the recipe to make it palatable) Tried the addition of honey as suggested in the comments and didn't notice a difference. Just a warning that this does NOT taste like ranch dip and I don't think I like whatever it does taste like!

    Reply
  38. Jennifer says

    March 09, 2013 at 5:24 pm

    My husband claims that I'm trying to kill him with the healthy food I've been serving recently (the man loves his chips), but then he proceeded to tuck into a platter of veggies with a small side of this ranch dressing. He LOVED it and I had everything on hand. It could not have been easier. Thanks very much.

    Reply
  39. abby says

    February 17, 2013 at 1:06 pm

    Hi, we made this tonight and for my kids I mixed 1 tbsp to about 1.5-2 cups of sour cream They thought when it was with one cup that it was too 'spicy' once I added more sour cream they gobbled it up they love dressing with our homemade potato chips and broccoli and carrots.

    Reply
  40. Alie H says

    December 31, 2012 at 7:14 pm

    VERY good! I'm a ranch girl and actually liked this BETTER!

    Reply
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Meet Lisa! Lisa is a best-selling cookbook author, wife, mother, and passionate home cook. Lisa began blogging in 2010 and has created a community of millions of people who share her love of healthy living, real food ingredients, and family recipes.

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