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Put down that store-bought packet of Hidden Valley and make your own Dry Ranch Seasoning Mix! Simply made with just 8 easy-to-pronounce ingredients — most of which are probably already in your spice cabinet — and just 5 minutes of effort, this delightfully speedy homemade ranch powder recipe is an excellent way to level up your pantry.
Table of Contents
About this ranch seasoning recipe
If you’re used to that little green packet of ranch seasonings, be prepared to have your world rocked with this super simple 5-minute homemade mix. With just 8 dry spices and seasonings (most of which you probably already have hanging around your pantry), you can stir up a delicious batch of homemade ranch powder that’ll take any dish from boring and bland to OH MY YUM in .02 seconds flat.
Why you’ll love this spice mix
- It’s an all-natural alternative to a blue ranch dressing seasoning packet. Not to be a turd, but I’m pretty sure the “hidden” in Hidden Valley is talking about all the weird additives they use. The FIRST ingredient of the store-bought stuff is maltodextrin, plus other head scratchers like calcium stearate and caboxymethylcellulose. 😬
- You can use it as a 1-to-1 substitute for pre-packaged ranch mix. And it’s just as versatile!
- There are tons of ways to put it to use, aside from making ranch salad dressing. This homemade ranch dip seasoning can be stirred into yogurt for a healthy chip dip, mixed with sour cream to upgrade your jacket potatoes, sprinkled onto popcorn, or used like savory Fun Dip for your veggies, just to name a few.
If you’re looking for more flavorful seasoning mixes, be sure to try these favorites next: Dry Jerk Seasoning, Homemade Italian Seasoning Mix, Fajita Flavor Seasoning, Homemade Greek Seasoning, and Sazon Seasoning Mix.
Ingredients for dry ranch seasoning
As with all seasoning blends, you’ll need to raid your spice cabinet for those dried herbs and pantry staples. Here’s what to grab for this ranch packet seasoning:
- Buttermilk Powder – It’s like regular milk powder, but tangy! I love Judee’s, but any brand will do the trick. Store it in the fridge for an exceptionally long shelf-life, and then you’ll never have to buy a jug of buttermilk to make biscuits or fried chicken again.
- Dried Parsley – For a fresh, bright, lemony flavor.
- Garlic Powder & Onion Powder – For the sweetness of cooked alliums. If you only have dehydrated garlic or onion flakes, you can either blitz them in a clean coffee/spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle. Use approximately 3x as much flakes to get the same amount of flavor as powder.
- Dried Chives – For a mild, fresh onion flavor.
- Dried Dill – For an earthy, grassy flavor. If you don’t have any on hand, dried tarragon or thyme is acceptable.
- Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper – For seasoning.
Recipe variations
- Vegan/Dairy-Free – While it won’t have quite the same kick, nutritional yeast can be used in place of buttermilk powder. Consider adding a bit of mustard powder to add some tang.
- Spicy DIY Ranch Packet – Feel free to add a little fire with the addition of cayenne powder or red pepper flakes to this ranch seasoning recipe.
- Optional Add-Ins – While we’ve covered the basic ranch dip spices, have fun mixing and matching your way to deliciousness. Use seasoned salt or celery salt instead of kosher salt; add some dried minced garlic or onions for a bit of chunky texture in your homemade ranch dressing; or use a pinch of sugar for sweetness.
How to make homemade ranch dressing seasoning
This recipe for a diy ranch packet seasoning is literally as easy as 1, 2, 3. Here’s what you’ll do:
- Gather Ingredients: Collect and measure all the spices and seasonings.
- Combine Ranch Spices: Add all the measured ingredients to a small mixing bowl and use a small whisk, fork, or spoon to stir all the spices together until fully combined.
- Use or Store Ranch Flavor Seasonings: Use homemade dry ranch seasoning to season chicken, meats, fish, veggies, beans, dressings, sauces, and more. Alternatively, transfer the ranch spice mix in a storage container with a tight-fitting lid. Then store in a cool, dry, dark place in your kitchen for a few months, or up to a year if all your spices were brand new.
Expert tips for success!
- Use fresh dried spices. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but hear me out: dried spices lose their potency over time. In fact, you should use them within 6 months to a year of when you opened them for the best, most intense flavor.
- Continuing from the last point, once you make your own homemade ranch seasoning, use it within 6 months to a year of mixing it up. If you started with fresh dried spices, it’ll last closer to a year.
- Store it in an empty spice bottle. I like to double or triple the recipe so I have enough to fill up a standard spice bottle. That way, I can add homemade ranch seasoning to whatever I want, whenever I want.
- Patience is a virtue. When you mix it into yogurt, sour cream, or mayonnaise to make homemade ranch dressing, let it sit covered in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. This will give the spices time to rehydrate and unlock all the flavor potential!
- Live in a humid place? Add about ½ teaspoon of dried rice to your ranch dressing spice mix before storing it in a shaker jar. The rice will help to absorb extra moisture and make it easy to shake all that yummy flavor over your favorite dishes. Or, if you want to be able to measure it out by the spoonful instead of just shaking it, add a leftover packet of silica!
- Store your dried buttermilk powder in the fridge. It’ll last for ages!
FAQs: frequently asked questions
What can I use if I don’t have buttermilk powder?
Buttermilk powder is the not-so-secret ingredient to delicious ranch dressing seasonings. However, if you can’t find it or simply don’t feel like purchasing it, you can substitute the buttermilk powder with an equal amount of powdered milk. However, please note that the flavor will suffer slightly.
Can I use fresh herbs instead of dry?
Sure! However, you will need to use three times the amount of finely chopped fresh herbs as dry herbs. Also, please note you’ll need to store this ranch seasoning recipe in the refrigerator instead of the pantry. As well, ranch with fresh herbs will have a much shorter shelf life.
Will this ranch powder be too salty?
Absolutely not. The beauty of making your own seasoning mixes is that YOU can control the level of salt. And that’s just something you can’t do with a store-bought ranch dressing mix.
Kosher salt enhances all the flavors in this homemade seasoning, so adding a little salt is necessary for flavor. However, if you’re looking to cut back on your sodium intake, simply cut the measurement of salt in half.
How do I prevent lumps in the ranch mix?
There aren’t any ingredients in this homemade ranch seasoning recipe that cause clumping. However, simply following the recipe instructions and whisking the ingredients thoroughly before storing will ensure you don’t run into this issue.
Will this taste like Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning?
I had a quite a few people do a taste test and while this doesn’t taste exactly like hidden valley ranch, it does taste very close. The beauty of homemade spice mixes is that you can expect a fresher, more robust flavor profile. As well, you can completely customize the spices to create a ranch powder YOU love. Hidden valley who?
And there you have it, folks! Whip up this ridiculously easy Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix to help your tongue do the two-step. Whether you’re shaking it into your chicken breading or mixing it into your favorite dips, this ranch seasoning recipe is sure to herd in the compliments. So don’t be shy—life is too short for boring meals. Sprinkle on the fun and give your tastebuds a little giddy-up with this one-of-a-kind blend. Happy seasoning, y’all! 🌿🤠
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Homemade Dry Ranch Seasoning
Equipment
- 1 Small mixing bowl
- 1 Fork or Small Whisk
Ingredients
- 3 TBS Buttermilk Powder
- 1 ½ tsp Dried Parsley
- ¾ heaping tsp Garlic Powder
- ¾ heaping tsp Onion Powder
- ¾ tsp Dried Chives
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Dried Dill
- ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Gather Ingredients: Collect and measure all the spices and seasonings.
- Combine Spices: Add all the measured ingredients to a small mixing bowl and use a small whisk, fork, or spoon to stir all the spices together until fully combined.
- Use or Store Ranch Seasoning Mix: Use homemade ranch seasoning to season chicken, meats, fish, veggies, beans, dressings, sauces, and more. Alternatively, transfer the ranch spice mix in a storage container with a tight-fitting lid. Then store in a cool, dry, dark place in your kitchen (such as the pantry or a cabinet) for a few months, or up to a year if all your spices were brand new.
Notes
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Need to Scale the Recipe? Hover your mouse over the number of servings in the recipe card. You’ll see a sliding scale pop up, you can use that to scale the recipe up or down as needed.
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Got questions? I’ve got answers! If you ever run into an issue, have a question, or need any clarification – please feel free to drop them in the comments section. I’m happy to help when I can!
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