Ranch Seasoning Mix (Buttermilk)

At a glance

What stands out: From-scratch ranch seasoning mix is so straightforward to mix at home and great to have on hand for when you get that ranch craving. When you make it yourself, you can adapt the seasoning mix so it reflects your own preferences (with no artificial ingredients).

How long it takes: 5 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: small jar or container
Servings: makes ½ cup

From-scratch Seasoning Mixes

We might not always be the healthiest eater in the whole world, but we try to make small changes because the little things add up. Just like little changes can make a difference in other areas of your life, little changes in the way you eat can make a big change over time.

We now make from-scratch taco seasoning. It’s so much better AND it’s so straightforward to mix! That philosophy trickled into from-scratch fajita seasoning (similar to taco seasoning but with a bit of brown sugar), beef stew seasoning, and mild curry powder (the secret ingredient in our at-home Panera squash soup). We now have more than 20 seasoning mix recipes and we keep on adding to the list.

It seemed about time for us to add a from-scratch ranch seasoning mix to the list. Nearly everyone loves ranch dressing, right? This reduced fat ranch dressing is one of our favorite ways to use an abundance of fresh summer herb but we wanted to have something on hand that we could quickly mix up, something similar to the packages of ranch seasoning that you can buy.

DYI Ranch Seasoning

Skip the packet. If you take a look at the ingredients in a packet of ranch seasoning, you’ll notice lots of long words. It usually contains preservatives, and a variety of other things. We like the idea of keeping things natural, don’t you? Wherever you’d use a packet of ranch dressing mix, you can also use this mixture.

Uses pantry ingredients. You probably have all the ingredients you need on hand in your spice cabinet, with the possible exception of dry buttermilk powder. You’ll also need dried herbs (parsley, chives, and dill), onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.

What Is Buttermilk Powder?

Buttermilk powder is simply dry (dehydrated) buttermilk.Unopened, buttermilk powder is shelf-stable but once it’s opened, it should be refrigerated where it will keep for up to 2 years.

Buttermilk powder usually can be located in the baking aisle. You can also get it on Amazon. It’s handy to have around for recipes that needs buttermilk, like buttermilk pancakes.

How To Use Ranch Seasoning

It’s so versatile! You can use it to make ranch dressing, ranch dip (or jalapeño ranch), southwestern orzo salad, ranch pasta salad, and so much more! It’s a natural with any kind of potatoes. Sprinkle it on baked potatoes with a little sour cream, or mix with olive oil to season roasted potatoes or other vegetables. We take this one idea step further to make our ranch pork chops sheet pan dinner with potatoes and green beans, one of our favorite meals. We love the ideas for ranch dressing mix at Taste Of Home’s 38 Recipes That Start With Ranch Dressing Mix!

Keeping leftovers

This recipe makes about a half cup. If you feel that it’s something you’ll use frequently, we'd encourage you to make a double batch. Store it in a jar with a tight-fitting lid or another airtight container. We usually refrigerate ranch seasoning mix. It will keep for up to year. Refer to the Use By date on the buttermilk.

From-scratch Seasoning Mixes

• Yield: 16
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Total: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup dry buttermilk powder
• 3 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 ½ tablespoons dried chives
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons dill weed
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon paprika

Method

1. Mix all ingredients with a fork or whisk until combined. You can also put the ingredients in a small jar with a lid and shake it.
2. If desired, pulse in a food processor or blender to create a more uniform texture. We don't usually blend ours because we like the visible green herbs but it's up to you.
3. Refrigerate the seasoning in an airtight container. It will keep for 2 to 3 months. We use the “best by” date on our buttermilk powder as a guide.

Notes

Yield: 3 tablespoons of from-scratch ranch seasoning is equivalent to one 1-ounce package of store-bought ranch seasoning mix. This recipe makes about ½ cup which would be equivalent to a little less than 3 packets (8 tablespoons = ½ cup). We usually make a double batch.

Make ranch dressing: Mix ingredients as instructed above. Add 1 cup of milk and one cup of mayonnaise OR plain Greek yogurt (or a combination); whisk until blended. Refrigerate until ready to serve. We usually stir it again before serving.