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–+ servings
A jar of dressing topped with herbs and served with a salad and a lemon

The BEST Easy Restaurant Style Ranch Dressing

After making ranch dressing from scratch in restaurants for years, I have created this easy method for you to make at home that rivals restaurant ranch.
5 from 9 votes

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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.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Condiments, Dips, Salad Dressings
Cuisine American
Servings 5 -10
Calories 129 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 1-2 tablespoon shallot minced or chopped
  • ¾ cup mayonnaise Best Foods or Hellmanns
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon milk plus more to thin, if desired
  • 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice Fresh or bottled
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder make sure it's salt-free
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder make sure it's salt-free
  • ½ teaspoon dried mustard
  • ½ teaspoon dried dill
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1-2 tablespoon green onion or chives, chopped (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Gather ingredients and chop shallots and green onions.
  • Add all ingredients except green onions (or chives) to a personal blender. Blend for 10 seconds or until the shallot is finely minced. If you like your dressing a bit thinner, add 1 more tablespoon of milk and blend for another 2-3 seconds.
    *If you don't have a personal blender, see the notes below.
  • Add the green onions and blend for 3 seconds or until just incorporated. (You want to leave them a bit chunky.)
    That's it!
    Serve right away or cover and store in the refrigerator overnight to improve flavor.

Notes

Alternatives to a personal blender:
  • Large cup or mason jar with a stick blender
  • Food processor
  • Large blender: I recommend doubling the recipe if using a large blender.
  • Chop by hand: If making this dressing by hand, finely mince the shallots and green onions and steep in the vinegar for 5 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients. This will allow the onions to bloom and release more flavor into the dressing.

Ingredient notes:

  • Green Onions or Chives: (optional) Green onions or chives are added at the end of the blending process to add that fresh herb flavor and texture to the restaurant-style ranch dressing. Green onions are a little stronger than chives if you are looking for a stronger onion flavor in your dressing.
  • SHALLOT: (RESTAURANT SECRET INGREDIENT) Using fresh shallots adds a fresh onion depth of flavor, which makes this dressing even better.
  • DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR: This is the KEY ingredient in restaurant-style ranch dressing. Only use distilled white vinegar; all other kinds of vinegar will change the base flavor of the dressing.
  • Mayonnaise: Use good-quality mayonnaise like Best Foods or Hellmann's. Some mayonnaise has an unpleasant, overpowering flavor and can take over the spices in the dressing. I've noticed this with Miracle Whip and Trader Joe's brands, to name a few.
  • Make sure you're onion and garlic powder are salt-free to prevent over-salting.
Healthy Ranch: You can make a healthier version by using low-fat or Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and blended cottage cheese instead of mayonnaise. See the healthy ranch dressing recipe here.

Nutrition

Serving: 10zCalories: 129kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 0.5gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 226mgPotassium: 23mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.5gVitamin A: 58IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 0.1mg
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