This healthy ranch dressing recipe is so good, you'll never want any store-bought ranch dressings ever again! This dressing tastes just like real deal ranch dressing but without all the fat! If this is your first time making this healthy ranch dressing you're in for a real treat!
I'm a ranch addict-I've studied ranch dressing up and down, over and out. I've made ranch dressing what seems like a million times for restaurant use and I have my favorite version of my restaurant ranch recipe here.
BUT, I wanted to create a healthy ranch dressing I could eat while doing Weight Watchers and 75 Hard. Something I could eat weekly and not gain weight. Alas, this recipe was born.
So many healthy ranch recipes include a Hidden Valley ranch seasoning packet. Did you know that their ranch packet now contains MSG (monosodium glutamate)? In this article by Mayo Clinic, you can decide if MSG is good or bad for you and if you want to use it.
Alright, enough of that, let's make some delicious healthy ranch!
Ingredients You'll Need This Healthier Ranch Dressing
This recipe is designed to taste like traditional real-deal ranch dressing with fresh flavor but with fewer calories, added protein, and wholesome ingredients.
- Cottage cheese: This makes a great base for ranch dressing and it's a great way to add protein to your salad dressing and dip! I like to use the low-fat Good Culture cottage cheese for its all-natural ingredients, plus it also has probiotics, a win-win. The cottage cheese gets blended up to a smooth creamy texture, so if you're not a fan of cottage cheese, not to worry-you won't even taste it!
- Plain Greek yogurt: I used low-fat. This adds a nice tang (and more protein) to the dressing just like the sour cream in my easy homemade ranch recipe.
- Mayonnaise: (optional) I know, you're wondering why mayonnaise is in a healthy ranch! We are just going to add a little bit. It makes a big difference in the mouthfeel of the dressing.
- Milk: Use plain low fat milk, low-fat buttermilk works well but is unnecessary for a delicious ranch dressing.
- Distilled white vinegar: This ingredient is KEY for a good ranch dressing. Don't substitute with apple cider vinegar because it adds a sweetness to the dressing that isn't in the classic ranch flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Shallot: This is another KEY ingredient to making really good ranch dressing.
- Dried spices: onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, and dried dill weed
- Fresh herbs: fresh chives and fresh parsley
- Salt: I use kosher salt. You can also use sea salt just cut the amount of salt in half.
- Black pepper
How to Make This Healthy Ranch Dressing Recipe
- Combine all of the ingredients except for the chives and parsley in a personal blender, full-size blender, or food processor.
- Blend until smooth.
- Then add the chopped chives and parsley and blend for just a few seconds, leaving small chunks of the herbs.
- Pour into an airtight container or mason jar with a lid and chill for 1 hour - overnight.
Ways to Use This Healthy Salad Dressing
- Dip for carrot sticks for fresh-cut veggies.
- Pour on your favorite salads - no need to hold back!
- Use as a dip for healthier bar snacks like these air fryer mushroom fries or cauliflower wings.
- Use in place of mayo for chicken salads, pasta salads or potato salads.
- and so much more!
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Stir again before use.
Recipe
The BEST Healthy Ranch Dressing
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*Easily adjust serving size to your liking by clicking the number under servings or with the boxes below in the ingredients section.
Equipment
- Blender or
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Cottage cheese low fat
- ¼ cup Plain greek yogurt low fat
- 1 tablespoon Mayonnaise optional
- ¼ cup milk low fat, plus more to thin as needed
- 1 tablespoon Distilled White Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Shallot minced
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Mustard Powder
- ½ teaspoon Dried Dill
- 1-2 tablespoon Chives fresh
- 1-2 tablespoon Fresh Parsley fresh, optional
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt use half the amount if using sea salt and add more as needed
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
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Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients except for the chives and parsley in a personal blender, full-size blender, or food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Then add the chopped chives and parsley and blend for just a few seconds, leaving small chunks of the herbs.
- Pour into an airtight container or mason jar with a lid and chill for 1 hour - overnight, then serve!
Nutrition
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Afline
Hi! I love this idea of a healthier dressing. I’m looking to add more protein in my diet and exercise and cottage cheese has been a game changer and so I was so happy to find a recipe that uses blended cottage cheese has cheese instead. Thank you! ❤️ Also I was wondering if I could substitute some for the ingredients like either the sour cream or the milk for kefir? Sour cream isn’t really a liked condiment in our house. Honestly, we buy and forget it in the back of the fridge so it always goes bad. 😩 So just trying to see what I can use instead since we do keep kefir in the fridge. Looking forward to your response and can’t wait to make this ranch dressing! 😊
Suzie J.
Hi Alfine! Yes, you can replace the milk and the sour cream with plain kefir - what a great idea! I would start with 1/4 cup of kefir and add more as needed. I haven't tried this myself, but I think it would work great! If the dressing tastes too tangy/sour, add a touch more mayo (if you're using it) to balance the acid. I would love to know how it turns out for you. I hope you enjoy! X Suzie
Karen
I made this last night and I liked it, but wanted to let you know that at the beginning you mentioned vinegar and lemon juice. When you get down to the recipe, there is no mention of it and in the ingredients list where the measurements are given, vinegar and lemon juice are not included. You might want to correct this because when I added a dash of each, it helped a lot. But I would like to know what the exact measurements are supposed to be! Thank you.
Suzie J.
Thank you, Karen! I updated it to include the ingredients. Yes, they are VITAL to the recipe! My instructions also looked like they were missing so I've updated those as well. Thank you for letting me know and trying my recipe! xo Suzie
Wanda
I will try this recipe but is there a way to reduce the sodium.
Suzie J.
Hi Wanda, Cottage cheese naturally contains a decent amount of sodium. You can try to find a low-sodium cottage cheese to use, but they may be hard to find. You can also omit the salt from the recipe to lower the total sodium. Taste it when finished, and add a little more lemon juice to enhance the flavor in the dressing if needed. The flavors in the dressing will develop more as it sits, so taste it again after a few hours and see if it needs a little more lemon juice. I hope this helps! xo Suzie