Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing

At a glance

What stands out: This creamy Parmesan peppercorn dressing is the reliable dressing if you love ranch but are looking for something new! It’s cheesy with a little spice, and buttermilk adds a tangy balance.

How long it takes: 10 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: bowl or jar, whisk
Servings: 8

Move Over, Ranch

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: the secret to a truly great salad is the dressing. This creamy Parmesan peppercorn version has been living in our fridge lately — it’s tangy, cheesy, with just the right amount of pepper. It’s like ranch dressing’s cooler cousin, familiar but it feels a little fancier.

We pour it on everything: green salads, grilled chicken, steak… sometimes even as a dip for veggies when we're pretending to snack “light.”

What makes it special:

• Familiar, but fresh. It’s ranch-adjacent, but with extra depth and a spicy punch of black pepper.
• Reliable on a green tossed salad. This dressing is best suited for a leafy green salad with lots of crunchy vegetables, served with grilled chicken thighs or sliced grilled flank steak to round it out into a full meal. From-scratch croutons are a must!
• Great for people who are blue cheese adverse (us). If you don’t like blue cheese dressing, this dressing is a reliable alternative where blue cheese dressing is often used, like for Cobb salad, wedge salad, or for dipping wings.

What goes in

• Mayonnaise: We usually use mayonnaise to make this Parmesan peppercorn dressing but we've also made it with Greek yogurt to lighten things up. If you do that, the dressing will be more tangy, and the texture will be slightly thinner.
• Buttermilk: We recommend using store-bought buttermilk, rather than using the from-scratch buttermilk hack. The flavor is better and it’s thicker too.
• Grated Parmesan cheese: This is a recipe where you can get away with using the pre-grated “shaky cheese” or you can grate your own off a block.
• Red wine vinegar: We like red wine vinegar in this dressing because it adds a bright, tangy acidity to balance out the creaminess.
• Freshly cracked black pepper: We highly recommend that you grind your own pepper for this recipe! Freshly ground black pepper has a coarse texture and more vibrant flavor that you’ll appreciate in this salad dressing. However, if you choose to use pre-ground pepper from the grocery store, you’ll want to use less.
• Garlic powder: This adds depth and savoriness without the bite of fresh garlic.

How it comes together

Combine. Add all of the ingredients to a liquid measuring cup, bowl, or jar.

Mix. Whisk the dressing (or cover the jar and shake it). Use immediately or refrigerate for later.

Straightforward Recipe Variations

• Make it extra spicy. If you want your Parmesan peppercorn ranch to be spicy, you can add cayenne pepper—a pinch for just a bit of heat, or up to ¼ teaspoon for a bigger kick.
• Add smokiness. A generous pinch or two of smoked paprika brings a different kind of warmth to the dressing.
• Add herbs. We've made this recipe with dried dill and parsley too, and they make this taste more like a traditional ranch dressing. If you want to try it, use 1 teaspoon of dried parsley and ½ teaspoon of dried dill.
• Carrabba’s creamy Parmesan dressing: If you’re a fan of Carrabba’s salad dressing, you can use this recipe with a few minor changes. Reduce the black pepper to ¼ teaspoon, increase the Parmesan (maybe even double it!) and substitute a clove or two of fresh minced garlic for the garlic powder.

Favorite Ways to Use This Dressing

• Hearty salads. For a straightforward side, slice a head of iceberg lettuce into wedges, then drizzle it with this Parmesan peppercorn dressing and top with crumbled air fryer bacon. It would be great with this BBQ chicken salad too!
• Dipping. Use it for dipping raw veggies or air fryer BBQ chicken wings.
• Drizzling. Add a swirl of Parmesan peppercorn dressing to macaroni and cheese pizza or drizzle it on potato skins.

Keeping leftovers

Store this Parmesan peppercorn dressing in an airtight container, jar, or bottle in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (Because it’s made with mayonnaise and that separates when frozen, this is not a recipe that can be stored in the freezer.)

• Yield: 8
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Total: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup buttermilk (more as needed to thin to desired consistency)
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (see note)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Method

1. In a large measuring cup, bowl, or jar, mix all ingredients together until blended.
2. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes

Black pepper: If you use finely ground black pepper (the pre-ground kind that you buy in the spice section), you’ll want to use quite a bit less. Because black pepper that you grind in a peppermill is so coarse, less fits in a teaspoon than finely ground black pepper. If you’re unsure, start with ½ teaspoon and add more as desired. If you like it spicy, add ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper.

Make it with yogurt: If you want to lighten up this dressing, substitute plain yogurt for some or all of the mayonnaise. You can use Greek yogurt or regular. It will affect flavor as well as consistency.

Storage: Cover and refrigerate the dressing for up to 1 week. Stir or shake well before using.