Healthy Ranch Dressing Recipes: How To Make A Healthy And Homemade Ranch Dressing

Did you know that Ranch dressing is the most popular dressing there is?

Coming in at a close second is Italian but Ranch dressing has far outdistanced all salad dressings.

If you want a healthier version of this popular dressing, see the recipe below and also check out some of the helpful hints on how you can perfect your terrific version of this wonderful dressing.

Ranch dressing as I'm sure you know also is used to flavor potato chips and innumerable other snack foods.  It is also a favorite for any number of variations of dips for crackers, chips and vegetables. 

Check out some of the suggestions below to see what else you can use homemade Ranch dressing for and check out some of the uses for Ranch dressing!

Photo Credit: Penywise at morguefile.com

Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1-2 cloves garlic
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons chives
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Buttermilk (use as needed to desired consistency)
• White vinegar or other vinegar (optional, to taste)
• Worcestershire sauce (optional, to taste)
• Fresh dill (optional, to taste)
• Pepper (optional, to taste)
• Paprika (optional, to taste)
• Fresh oregano (optional, to taste)
• Tabasco (optional, to taste)

PREPARATION

1. Mince the garlic with a knife or in garlic press. Sprinkle about an 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of salt on it and mash it into a paste with a fork.
2. Chop the parsley, chives and any of the optional herbs very finely and add to the garlic.
3. In a bowl combine all ingredients, adding other optional ingredients as you wish, tasting frequently and adjusting seasonings as needed.
4. Chill for a couple of hours before serving, thin with milk or buttermilk if desired.
5. Alternatively, put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until super smooth. Thin to desired thickness.

• Add whatever herbs you like best! There are no right herbs or wrong herbs if you like the taste
• Substitute powdered buttermilk and then use skim or other milk to desired thickness
• I substitute for mayonnaise whenever I can - use Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise
• Use part Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise or in any proportion you would like
• Substitute nonfat sour cream for the mayo - or part - or a combination of mayo, Greek yogurt and sour cream. It will not change the taste but you can decide which combination makes your taste buds go 'yes'!
• Use nonfat cottage cheese for the mayonnaise or for part of it - or for the sour cream. If you use cottage cheese, whir in a blender or a food processor to get it smooth
• I use a small peeled carrot whirred in the food processor to add to my Ranch dressing - you can add any vegetable you would like - just make sure that it is pureed down to smooth when you add it
• Use a peeled, seeded cucumber blended to smooth to the other ingredients
• Experiment with different veggies and different herbs and mediums like mayo that are not mayo to get the flavor and the texture that you want
• There is no 'exact' Ranch dressing recipe; it is about what you like and what tastes best to you!

Once upon a time, in the 1950s, there was a couple who owned a dude ranch in Santa Barbara, California and they stumbled upon a recipe for making Ranch dressing. They served it to their customers at the dude ranch and then took to bottling it and sending it home with folks. Next thing you know, it was becoming quite popular!

In 1954, Steve and Gayle Henson marketed it as the now famous Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing. It obviously took off - and was finally picked up by none other than the Clorox Company. (huh?) Yes, you read that right! Clorox.

They began marketing it and the rest is history. They went from a powder where you had to add buttermilk to a powder with the buttermilk already in it and you only had to add milk, to bottled dressings, to different variations - and the product is still on the market today!

No wonder Ranch dressing is #1 on the list of dressings. It is a wonderful dressing that can be used for so many things - I rather like that I can create my own chemical-free and healthy version though so as I salute Steve and Gayle for their wonderful discovery, I'm happiest when I'm making healthy recipes of an old favorite!

• Use as a salad dressing
• Use as a dip for chips
• Use as a dip for vegetables
• Put on a pizza and blend in with a sauce or use alone
• Put a tiny bit into mashed potatoes for a distinctive taste
• Use it on hamburgers for unique taste
• Use as a dipping sauce for potato wedges or other fried/baked veggies
• Put a tiny bit into a burrito for flavor - just add to the ingredients
• Put a dab into scrambled eggs or a quiche
• Use it in potato salad
• Use it in casseroles
• Add it along with Dijon mustard to a basting sauce for any meat, pork, or poultry
• Use a bit of it along with mayonnaise, sour cream or Greek yogurt as a spread on fish to hold in the moisture when grilling or baking