Home > Homemade Ranch Dressing

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Posting Date: 09/23/16

Homemade Ranch Dressing did not originate from Indonesia as you know. I made this ranch dressing because I ran out of the ranch seasoning mix. In the old days, I used to buy ready to use ranch dressing sold in a bottle. The taste of the dressing varies depending on the brands. I found some brands were just bland and too thin but since I had the entire bottle, I was stuck with it until I finished the bottle and could try another brand. Someone introduced me to the ranch seasoning mix several years ago. You basically mix the seasoning mix with sour cream. If you have never had one before, it tastes much better than the ranch dressing you buy in a bottle. So, I bought a box of the seasoning mix when they were on sale. It lasted for several years. Recently, I ran out of it. Fortunately for me, Food Network was showing The Pioneer Woman making her homemade ranch dressing. I didn't pay that much attention at that time. However, I ran into a problem where I had too many parsleys and chives from my garden. So, I was looking for ways to use them and ranch dressing came to mind. After searching The Pioneer Woman's website, I decided to make the homemade ranch dressing using parsleys and chives from my garden. I made several modifications to The Pioneer Woman's recipe to adjust it to my taste. One of the modifications I did was adding the onion powder. It added depth of flavor. I can tell you that homemade ranch dressing tastes much better than the ranch dressing made using seasoning mix. I don't think I can go back to seasoning mix or ready to use ranch dressing. Since I had a lot of parsleys and chives all summer, I started to make extra and give the dressing to my friends. Everyone of them told me how much they liked it and everyone of them asked for the recipe. Because of that, I am posting the recipe here.

This homemade ranch dressing is so versatile. You can adjust the seasoning amount based on your preference. If you don't like heat, you can reduce the amount of paprika although paprika is not that hot. It actually adds a nice kick to the dressing. The dressing itself is thick, so it is good for vegetable dip. If you want to use it for salad dressing, you can thin it down with milk or buttermilk. However, I like it the way it is on my salad, so I don't thin it down.

The recipe is for 12 servings.

Ingredients:

3/2 cups mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, minced
1 tablespoon chives, minced
7 basil leaves, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
pinch of pepper or to taste
pinch of dried thyme leaves or to taste
1/4 teaspoon paprika or to taste. If you don't like heat, use a pinch of paprika only.
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano or to taste
1/4 teaspoon onion powder or to taste
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or skip it to make it vegetarian
1/4 teaspoon vinegar or to taste
Optional: milk or buttermilk to thin it down if you prefer thinner dressing

Methods:

Combine sour cream and mayonnaise in a bowl. Add parsley, chives, and basil leaves into the bowl. Stir it.
Add garlic powder, salt, pepper, and thymes into the bowl. Stir to mix the dressing.
Add paprika, onion powder, oregano, Worchestershire sauce, and vinegar. Stir to mix. Taste it and add more seasonings if preferred.
Serve it with vegetables as dipping or salad as dressing. If you are going to use the dressing for vegetable dip, you don't need to add milk or buttermilk. If you want to use it as salad dressing, add little bit of milk or buttermilk so that it has the consistency you want. Try to add 1 teaspoon first since you can add more milk or buttermilk if needed. For me, the consistency is fine as it is for salad, so I don't thin it down.

All images, materials, and recipes on Indonesiancooking101.com are protected by copyright. Please do not use or republish the recipes, materials, or images without prior written permission from Indonesian Cooking 101. If you want to share this recipe, please share the link rather than the whole recipe.