Looking for a Ranch Dressing without Buttermilk or Sour Cream? This homemade ranch dressing skips the buttermilk and sour cream, relying on a rich Greek yogurt and mayonnaise base instead. Lemon juice and vinegar provide a bright, tangy profile, while generous amounts of garlic, onion powder and fresh dill, parsley and chives deliver that classic ranch flavor.
Toss it with my loaded air fryer potato salad or serve it as a dip with my air fryer boneless chicken wings. We also love it with fresh veggies and crackers!
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Quick Look: Ranch Dressing without Buttermilk
- ⏱ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🍽 Servings: 8 (2 tablespoons per serving)
- ⚡ Calories: 79 per serving
- 🌱 Diet: gluten-free
- 🔥 Flavor/texture: Tangy and herby with pronounced garlic and onion flavor. Texture is thick and creamy.
- 👌 Difficulty: easy, no blender needed.
- ❤️ Why you'll love: you can enjoy a creamy dressing with classic ranch flavor by using Greek yogurt instead of buttermilk or sour cream.
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Why I leave buttermilk out of my ranch dressing
In short, I never have buttermilk in my fridge. I can count on one hand how many times I've bought buttermilk and I've never finished the carton. Sure, I could make it by combining milk and lemon juice or vinegar (like I do when I make my chai spice cake). But, I wanted to skip the buttermilk altogether for this recipe. And, while I was at it, I also left out the sour cream.
Here's why this recipe works, even without buttermilk or sour cream:
- Greek yogurt: In place of buttermilk and sour cream, using a thick, full fat Greek yogurt provides tangy flavor, plus you get some added protein in the dressing.
- Acidic ingredients: Lemon juice and vinegar work with the yogurt to add the classic tangy ranch flavor.
- Mayonnaise: Essential for a thick, emulsified texture that helps the dressing cling to ingredients.
- Fresh herbs: While you can easily use dried herbs, fresh herbs add a bright and fresh flavor.
- Garlic and onion powder: Fresh garlic maximizes the flavor punch, while onion powder adds the traditional ranch undertone.
Table of Contents
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Yogurt: I use a Greek yogurt with 5% milk fat for a thick and rich dressing. You can use a yogurt with lower milk fat, just note that the dressing may not be as thick.
- Mayo: Full fat mayo works best for texture, but feel free to substitute with a light mayo if you prefer. Again, just note that the dressing might not be as thick.
- Lemon juice: For the best flavor, use freshly squeezed lemon juice and avoid the bottled version.
- Apple cider vinegar: Just a little adds a bit more tang. Feel free to use white vinegar instead.
- Fresh garlic: I like to use minced garlic as it adds a sharper flavor than garlic powder. If you don't have fresh, just use ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder in place of 1 garlic clove.
- Onion powder. This is essential for the classic ranch flavor. There is no substitute!
- Fresh dill, chives and parsley: I love to use fresh herbs, but you can substitute with dried. Since dried herbs are more potent, use 1 teaspoon of dried to replace 1 tablespoon of fresh.
- Milk: This is used to thin out the dressing. You can use plant-based or dairy milk.
How to make ranch dressing without buttermilk
Step 1: Add all of the dressing ingredients, except the milk, to a medium-sized bowl.
Step 2: Whisk together until combined. Add the milk to thin out to your desired consistency. Cover and store in the fridge for at least a half an hour to let the flavors blend.
Expert tips
- Don't use a blender. You only need a whisk and a bowl to mix together this dressing. Avoid blending it as the fresh herbs will turn the dressing green.
- Keep it thick. If you want to keep this dressing thick and use it as a dip, just whisk in about 2 tablespoons of milk.
- Thin it out. If you prefer a thinner dressing, whisk in 4 tablespoons of milk (or even water) until it reaches your desired consistency. (You can add even more if you prefer).
Ranch dressing without buttermilk FAQs
Yes! You can use plant-based mayo, like I do for my egg-free caesar dressing, and use plant-based yogurt or sour cream. When I make this one dairy-free, I usually use plant-based sour cream instead of yogurt because I prefer the texture it adds to the dressing. While I haven't tested it, you could also try swapping traditional mayo for my homemade cashew mayo.
If using fresh herbs, I like to use this dressing within 5 days. If using dried herbs, it will last a bit longer.
In addition to using it to dress salads, there are so many other uses for this ranch dressing! If you're making it with plant-based ingredients, you can use it in my dairy-free buffalo chicken dip. We love to serve it with pizza, like these air fryer mini pizzas. As a dip, it goes perfectly with my cornflake chicken tenders, pizza potato skins or air fryer sweet potato wedges. And, don't forget to slather it on burgers, like these turkey jalapeno burgers!
More salad dressing recipes
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📖 Recipe
Ranch Dressing without Buttermilk or Sour Cream
Ingredients
- ½ cup (120 g) Greek yogurt, (5% milk fat)
- ⅓ cup (90 g) full fat mayonnaise, plant-based mayo works too
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, (or one teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, (or one teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, (or one teaspoon dried)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or chopped
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar, (or white vinegar)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2-4 tablespoons milk, plant-based or dairy
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients, except the milk, to a medium-sized bowl and whisk together until combined.
- Whisk in the milk until the dressing reaches your desired consistency.
- Transfer to a glass jar or dish, cover and store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors blend.
Notes
- Don't use a blender. You only need a whisk and a bowl to mix together this dressing. Avoid blending it as the fresh herbs will turn the dressing green.
- Keep it thick. If you want to keep this dressing thick and use it as a dip, just whisk in 2 tablespoons of milk.
- Thin it out. If you prefer a thinner dressing, whisk in 4 tablespoons of milk (or even water) until it reaches your desired consistency. You can add even more if you prefer.
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Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
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