Quick and easy homemade ranch dressing

Make your own ranch

Have you ever read the ingredients on a bottle of ranch dressing? There's no denying that the stuff is delicious, but the list of ingredients is downright scary. Try bypassing all those unwanted additives by making your own. Chances are, you'll love it so much that you'll never buy the bottled stuff again.

More reasons to make your own

There's something to be said for knowing exactly what's in the food you're eating, but that's not the only reason you should consider making your own ranch dressing.

When you make your own dressing, you can adjust it to fit your tastes exactly. Omit any of the ingredients you don't agree with, adjust the amounts or add something new – it's up to you, so make it your way.

Making your own dressing can also save you some cash. When you buy bottled, you're not just paying for the ingredients. You're paying for the facilities and workers that manufacture the dressing, as well as for the bottle, that flashy label and the cost of shipping it to the store. Don't waste your money. Make your own and save at least half the cost.

Uses for ranch

Ranch dressing is for so much more than salads. The uses for this delectable dressing are nearly endless, but here are some of the more popular uses:

• Dipping sauce for chicken tenders and wings
• Drizzled over pizza
• Vegetable dip
• Sandwich topping
• Chicken marinade
• Give your mashed potatoes a kick

Homemade ranch dressing recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together.
2. Store the dressing in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

Notes:

This recipe calls for dried herbs. If you use fresh ingredients, double the amount it calls for. Add more or less of each ingredient to taste. You can also consider adding garlic powder or lemon juice.

Try these recipes with ranch

Ranch taco salad
Ranch cheeseburger
Ranch new potatoes