I don’t think I even knew other salad dressings existed until I was about in high school. My Mom’s Homemade Ranch Dressing was the only salad dressing in our fridge. We ate it on salad, baked potatoes, tacos, and anything else we felt needed a little zip! Soooo, soooo good!
If you’ve never had homemade ranch dressing before, you are in for a treat. I have tasted a few other homemade ranch dressings, and I am telling you, this one is by far and above THE BEST!!! The recipe uses buttermilk and a little seasoning called Bon Appetite (or Beau Monde) which really sets it apart from other recipes.
My mom made ranch dressing by the quart. A quart would last our family of nine for about a week. I make it by the pint. Depending on what we are using it for, a pint lasts my family anywhere from a week to two weeks.
More Awesome Homemade Salad Dressings
- Homemade Catalina Salad Dressing (Delicious on Taco Salad)
- (Semi) Homemade Italian Salad Dressing
- Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing
- Sunshine Salad (The citrus dressing in this recipe is AWESOME!)
- Cafe Rio Cilantro Ranch Dressing
How to make homemade ranch dressing
Frequently Asked Questions about making Mom’s Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing
How do you make ranch dressing from scratch?
The two main ingredients to make ranch from scratch are buttermilk and mayonnaise. The rest is a combination of spices including dried onion, parsley, garlic salt, pepper, and a unique spice blend called Bon Appetit or Beau Monde. The Bon Appetit/Beau Monde really adds a unique flavor, setting my Mom’s Homemade Ranch Dressing recipe apart from others, and in my opinion, it’s the best!
can you substitute milk for buttermilk?
Unfortunately, what really gives this recipe that familiar ranch flavor is the buttermilk. It adds a tang that regular milk just can’t.
how long will this ranch stay good in the refrigerator?
I don’t recommend keeping it in the refrigerator for more than two weeks, but technically, you can keep it in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. It will still be good but the flavor changes slightly. It doesn’t taste quite as fresh.
can this be made into a dip?
Yes. Instead of adding buttermilk, you can mix sour cream with the mayonnaise and the other ingredients to make a dip. When I make it as a dip, I also add 3-4 drops of red wine vinegar. It just gives it an extra pep of deliciousness.
What’s the best container to make this in?
I prefer to use a Tupperware salad dressing shaker, but you can also mix this up in a blender or whisk it together in a bowl.
Try this ranch with these favorites:
- 1 cup mayonnaise (Do not use Miracle Whip.)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- ½ tbsp dried onion
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp garlic salt
- ¼ tsp Bon Appetit or Beau Monde (seasoning mix McCormick brand)
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- In a salad dressing shaker or in a quart-sized bowl, combine all ingredients and shake well until mixed or whisk if using a bowl.
- Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until thick.
- Enjoy!
More of my mom's best recipes:
So what is Bon Apetit? Is there a substitute for it besides Beau Monde, that can’t be shipped to Canada?
It is a unique seasoning blend. From what I have researched Beau Monde is the same thing, just looks like they are marketing it under a new name. One of the main flavors in teh seasoning is celery salt so you could sub that or you could look up copy cat recipes for bon appetit.
Do you suppose the buttermilk mix by Red Mill would work? I live in Mexico, and buttermilk doesn’t exist here. But the other stuff is available in the gringo specialty market here. It will also be a challenge to find the Beau Monde, but we’ll see. Thank you.
btw We’ve made many of your recipes and all were fabulous ! There are a couple that are now weekly staples at our dinner table.
Unfortunately, Roger, I have tried the Red Mill mix and it doesnt’ work. 🙁
I wish I could send you some real buttermilk. As far as a sub for Beau Monde or Bon Apetit, the strongest flavor in the seasoning is celery salt so I suggest using that if cant find the other. I think there are also some copy cat Bon Appetit recipes circulating the web as well that might be worth a try.
I am so glad to hear that you have tried my recipes and enjoy them enough that they are weekly staples! Seriously, that just made my day!