Appetizers Quick Recipes Vegetarian Winter

Healthy Homemade Ranch Dip

homemade ranch dip

I’ve been craving Ranch lately, but store-bought ranch dressing – and other ranch-flavored things – gross me out a little, since they’re often loaded with chemical additives and barely recognizable ingredients.

Luckily, it’s super easy to make your own ranch dressing & dip at home.

This big batch takes me just 5 minutes to whip up, and stores well in the fridge for a week. Having a bowl of this on-hand is a great way to encourage yourself to snack on veggies instead of less-healthy items. The dip is also delicious with chicken skewers or as a spread on sandwiches.

Yum!

homemade ranch dip

Healthy Homemade Ranch Dip
 
Prep time
Total time
 
Serves: About 1¼ cups dip
Ingredients
  • ½ cup real mayonnaise (I like the flavor of Best Foods/Hellman's)
  • ¾ cup organic plain Greek yogurt
  • ¾ tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove fresh minced garlic)
  • 1 tsp dried dill weed
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • ¼ cup finely chopped chives
  • Small squeeze of lemon juice or dash of white wine vinegar (optional)
  • Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Whisk everything together in a medium bowl.
  2. Chill for 30 minutes before serving for best flavor.
  3. Store dip in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
To turn this dip into a dressing, add low-fat buttermilk until you reach desired consistency.

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7 Comments

  • Kate
    February 8, 2014 at 10:16 am

    This is interesting, because I’ve always wondered what give ranch it’s “ranch” taste.

  • Eva
    February 18, 2014 at 10:00 am

    YES!! I recently went through a ranch dressing period. Making your own is definitely a nicer way to have it. I usually up the dill and immersion blend it for a sec as well.

    Thanks for this!

  • Amelia Winslow
    February 18, 2014 at 11:45 am

    Yum!!

  • Charlie
    February 27, 2014 at 7:45 pm

    Can you provide a cost estimate for the ingredients? I can get a bottle of Ranch Dressing/Dip at the grocery store with 80 cal per tbsp, and the cost is $1.89. It just seems less cost-effective to put it together this way, even though it’s healthier.

    Many thanks, and God bless!
    Charlie

  • Amelia Winslow
    February 27, 2014 at 8:04 pm

    Hi Charlie, I’ll put together an estimate for you. My guess is it’s not much more than buying a bottle, but you’re right that the main benefit here is health & taste, rather than cost. In general, store-bought ranch dips (and ranch flavored things) have chemical preservatives, including MSG or MSG-look-alikes, so it’s my feeling the the slightly higher cost is worth it. I’ll get back to you with an estimate soon though šŸ™‚

  • Pat
    May 27, 2017 at 8:07 am

    Recipe looks like it’s quick and easy. However, not sure if it’s considered healthy at 500 calories. It doesn’t appear to be with the ingredients listed. Where is the calorie count–per serving or the entire bowl?

  • Amelia Winslow
    June 13, 2017 at 12:44 pm

    Hi Pat, the recipe makes an entire batch, per serving I’d consider it healthy. It’s not intended to be a low calorie dip, but rather a dip made from real ingredients, as opposed to the additives included in many powdered or store-bought dips.

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