“It’s so easy to make!” “It only takes a few minutes!” I’ve heard it over and over about making your own salad dressing, but still I resisted for years. They’re right, you know. Making your own salad dressing is quick and easy.
The main thing that drove me to doing it was ingredients. I don’t like the oils that are use in bottled salad dressing, even the ones from the health food store that don’t have a hundred unnecessary ingredients. So I started with oil and vinegar based dressings.
I didn’t think I really missed ranch dressing (because of going dairy free) until I decided to make some. As soon as I tasted it, I remembered what I had been missing! And even if you can eat the store bought dairy versions, you might want to make your own using regular milk (regular or nut milk can be used in this recipe).
If you’ve ever tried different brands of ranch dressing, you know that they each taste different. Well, my recipe is like its own brand of dressing. But the beauty of making your own is that you can adjust it to your own tastes.
The seasonings are totally up to you, and using fresh herbs, garlic, and onion, will give it a fresher more flavorful taste. I’ve listed dried herbs, though, because of the time factor. Let’s face it, I’m not going to use all fresh ingredients for salad dressing on a regular basis. If you do use fresh herbs, remember to use about 3 times more (1 teaspoon dried = 1 tablespoon fresh).
Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk or nut milk (I like homemade cashew milk)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon chia seed
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender and process for about a minute until smooth.
- Transfer to a bottle or jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
How long this keeps will depend on the milk used. My homemade cashew milk does not last as long as packaged nut milks or regular milk.
That looks yummy. Thank you. Good to know it can be made dairy free.
What a great recipe, Linda! Ranch dressing is one of those things that I was never addicted to (as some of my friends were/are), but I definitely appreciate it. Nice to have it back on the table with healthy ingredients! 🙂
Shirley
Forgot to mention that I bet this recipe would be equally delicious made with hemp milk for those who are nut free.
Shirley
I definitely like the sound of cashew milk for this recipe. 🙂 Homemade dressings are the best! Your photo is very nice. Pinned.
Is this a thin or thick Ranch?
I find it to be quite thin, just made for the first time- hoping it thickens up a lil- wondering how to tweak it so it is thicker…? more mayo less milk?
If you use store-bought almond or cashew milk how long is it safe to keep stored in the refrigerator?
Tasted good but too thin and I used 3/4 c 2% milk. So I added another 1/4 c mayo. Still too thin, will not cling to salad. Did not have chia seed.
The chia seed absorbs water and thickens the dressing. That’s why it turned out too thin.