Are you a creamy ranch dressing lover? Whether you use it as a dip for vegetables or a dressing for your favorite salads, I think you will be surprised at how easy it is to make your own. This homemade yogurt ranch dressing has a bite from the black pepper and raw garlic. Fresh herbs and lemon juice brighten it up perfectly. I hope you love it!

So I’m not going to start by talking about how ranch is “bad” and “here’s how to make it healthier”. You know that’s not how I roll around here. There’s nothing wrong with the bottled stuff if that’s what you have time for and you really love the taste but if you’ve never tried homemade, hear me out!

Ranch dressing is one of those magical foods that just makes things taste GOOD. It gets a bad rap because the traditional store-bought versions have taboo things like sodium and artificial flavors. I’m not entirely opposed to that stuff because I know it helps keep food products affordable and accessible and also cut down on waste (yeah, I’m not your average dietitian). That being said, I also like recreating store-bought favorites in my kitchen for a fresher, tastier and usually less expensive end product.

The Case for Going Homemade

When I worked in a restaurant, I remember making the ranch from scratch at the beginning of my shift during prep work in a HUGE batch. Kind of gross dealing with that much mayonnaise but the taste was seriously so much better than the bottled stuff in the store which can be (for lack of a better word) “goopy”.

My favorite part about the homemade version was that it was pourable and had a strong garlic and herb flavor. For awhile, I’ve wanted to make a variation that has the added health benefits of yogurt, but still has a great flavor profile from garlic, onion, fresh herbs and citrus (no seasoning packet required).

One day I realized that I happened to have all of the ingredients I needed to give this a go so I got to work on making the perfect homemade yogurt ranch dressing. I’m happy to report that my first test ended up turning out just right so here we are!

What You Need to Make Homemade Ranch

The key ingredients:

Full-fat Greek yogurt to add creaminess and mouthfeel (I used my favorite siggis 4%)
Fresh garlic grated on a microplane (no chunks), plus herbs and citrus to brighten it up
Dried onion flakes to provide that must-have {but slightly toned down} onion-y flavor
Buttermilk to thin it out without losing the creaminess (Yes you need it. Here are some ideas for using up the rest)

I also added just enough mayo to add a punch of richness while still keeping this on the lighter side, but you could skip it or use your favorite plant-based alternative instead (I know mayo is a touchy subject for some people). It’s as simple as whisking everything up in a bowl until smooth and creamy – you might never go back to the store-bought version again!

Use this yogurt ranch as a dip for fresh vegetables or drizzle it over your favorite salad. If you dip your pizza in it I won’t judge.