How to Make Dry Ranch Mix at Home
This is my family’s favorite ranch mix. I use it for ranch dressing and a host of other recipes instead of store bought ranch mix packets or bottled ranch dressing filled with all sorts of unpronounceable ingredients. It’s made of regular herbs and ingredients and stores for ages in your pantry. Besides being a healthy alternative that is gluten-free, no msg, and an easy recipe, it’s also a big money saver. A quart jar of this DIY ranch mix recipe costs you about the same amount as 3 packets in the store, but this makes about 30 packets worth. So read on and then get ready to make your own ranch mix. It takes hardly any time and you’ll have it on hand for months.
I go to Winco for bulk spices for this, but you can use any bulk spice place or online resource. That’ll save you even more.
This recipe was made after a few years of altering other ones we found online until this became our family favorite. It’s even first choice over Hidden Valley.
Start with a medium sized bowl and add in: (printable recipe below)
1/4 cup ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups parsley flakes (you can’t see a lot in the picture because they’re under the other spices. My parsley chunks may look big in the picture because this was my first time using homegrown and dried parsley! I’m giddy typing that. I ended up crushing it a bit more during the mixing process.
3/4 cup granulated garlic
3/4 cup granulated onion
2 Tablespoons fine sea salt (you can start with one tablespoon if you want a low salt version and then add if necessary)
2 Tablespoons dried dill weed. I just planted dill, so maybe next time I make this I’ll have homegrown dill too! That’d be awesome.
And that’s pretty much it. Mix it up and keep it in a mason jar or airtight container in your pantry.
When you have a recipe calling for a packet of dry ranch mix use 2 Tablespoons of the mix.
If you want to make ranch dressing:
Use 2 Tablespoons of the mix, 1 cup of sour cream, 1 cup of mayonnaise, a splash of lemon juice (about a tablespoonish) and then thin to desired consistency with water. If you get it slightly thin don’t worry, it thickens up a tiny bit in the fridge.
Once the dressing is made store it in the refrigerator. It should technically last as long as your sour cream, but mine usually lasts several weeks before going bad…and we usually use it up before then.
In the interest of full disclosure, I don’t actually keep my ranch in a cute jar. I keep it in a cheap squeeze bottle.
It just doesn’t have the same ‘wow factor’ you know? But I have kids, and this is a less messy way for them to serve themselves. 😉
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| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 0 |
| Passive Time | 0 |
| Servings |
bottles of ranch
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- 1/4 cup ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups dried parsley
- 3/4 cup granulated garlic
- 3/4 cup granulated onion
- 2 Tablespoons fine sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons dried dill weed
- 2 Tablespoons dry mix from above
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- water to thin to desired consistency
Ingredients
Dry Ranch Mix
Ranch Dressing
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- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined. Transfer to a storage jar and keep in the pantry. When a recipe calls for a packet of dry ranch mix, use 2 Tablespoons of the dry mix.
- To make actual ranch dressing combine 2 tablespoons dry mix with the mayo, sour cream, and lemon juice. Mix well and then add water, about a tablespoon at a time, to thin to desired consistency. (We like it thicker for dips and thinner for salad dressing). The dressing will thicken slightly after sitting in the refrigerator. Just add more water and mix again if necessary.