Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. Store bought is tasty, but homemade is in another league better. Simply mix all the ingredients together in one bowl or even easier, throw them all in the blender. Who said salad/vegetables have to be boring?

Memorial Day is upon us this weekend and what better way to welcome in the summer with a get together. If you’re not sure what’s on the menu, make sure to add this Buttermilk Ranch Dressing to your menu. I know what you’re thinking – salad dressing? At a get together? YES! Having a vegetable platter with dip is the way to go. While the main dishes are getting grilled and ready, people tend to munch. Enter munching on vegetables. Vegetables might not be the star of your gathering, but they are hydrating. And here in Miami, it’s been SUPER hot. So even though it might not sound like an appetizer to bring, believe me, if the vegetables are there, people will eat them.

Keep in mind that only 1 in 10 people are eating their vegetables. As a dietitian I wish there were more people eating their vegetables. Enter this Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. It might just convert the non-vegetable eating person to a person that wants to eat their vegetables. You heard me right. It’s that good.

Believe me when I say that over the years store bought salad dressings have improved in taste, quality, and overall health. Some of them anyways. But there’s nothing better than being able to make this and know what goes into your dressing/dip. I’ve used full fat Greek yogurt and nonfat Greek yogurt and I’m here to tell you that it tastes delicious either way. You’d think with the extra fat it’d be creamier. It was not. I did add the mayonnaise (an olive oil based one) to the mix to add just a smidge of healthy fats – we need healthy fats to help absorb our vitamins and minerals – and let me tell you, this salad dressing is one you’ll want to have on hand at all times!

Ingredients: Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

1. Buttermilk– I like using buttermilk in this salad dressing. Milk works and you can add lemon juice if you don’t have buttermilk on hand (1/2 cup milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice). Whatever leftover buttermilk you have could be used for these pancakes. You should buy the buttermilk.
2. Greek Yogurt: Has a tang and is a great add-in for salad dressings to make them on the healthier side. Sour cream could be used, however, I find that with using Greek Yogurt, it’s still quite flavorful. Use a non-fat or low-fat and you’re getting some protein which is an added bonus.
3. Mayonnaise: Some people might ask if you could use all Greek yogurt in this recipe, and you could. However, adding just a little mayonnaise does help to create a creamier dressing. Mayonnaise these days have olive oil based and even avocado oil based options. Use those. And if you’re so inclined you can even make your own homemade (it’s literally just an egg yolk and oil).
4. Parsley, Dill, Scallions – The addition of fresh herbs isn’t a make or break, but if you do have some fresh herbs around, add them in. Dried herbs work well also. If the recipe calls for a tablespoon of a fresh herb, the dried herb is just a third of that amount as it’s more concentrated.
5. Other spices– Opted for a few dried spices here rather than fresh: onion powder and garlic powder. People ask sometimes if you could use the fresh. I find that using fresh is a bit overpowering in the dressing and the dried work better here. For the paprika, I used regular and not smoked, but you could use smoked. And I omitted salt and just used black pepper. A lot of times I leave salt out because other foods that it’s combined with might be higher in sodium and it won’t be missed here in this dressing. But you do you.

How To Make Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

This dressing is as simple as mixing all the ingredients together. The hardest part is cutting up the herbs. However, you can always blend everything in a food processor and then the hardest part would be cleaning the blender/food processor. Make some dressing today and it’ll last you through the week! You might even find yourself wanting to munch on veggies. Makes a dietitian’s heart happy.

1. Add: All ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend. OR simply put all ingredients, except the herbs in a bowl and whisk together. Dice the herbs and add them in.
2. Store: the salad dressing in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
3. Eat: On salad, with cut up veggies, and even use it for a grain bowl!

OTHER RECIPES FOR MEMORIAL DAY:

• Mezze Board
• Peach Popsicles
• Watermelon, Mint, & Feta Salad
• Mexican Corn – Elote

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