This homemade ranch dressing recipe was originally a sponsored post. The flavors of this Greek yogurt based dressing will have you asking why you didn’t start making your own years ago!
My daughter is in the midst of selling Girl Scout cookies. I head out on a cruise next week as part of my birthday present from my husband.
The past two months, I didn’t go to the gym at all and enjoyed far too much of … everything. Needless to say, something has to change, right?
I know I’m not alone.
Big changes are hard. Changing everything at once is harder, so while I aim to get to the gym more often, right now my goal is to get more veggies in my meals to fill me up and fewer carbs and desserts. The good news? I like veggies.
When I eat out, I love to choose a salad. At home, I don’t make salads as often as I should.
Why not? Oddly, as much as I enjoy prepping veggies for my salads – carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and more – I’m terrible about prepping lettuce for my salads.
Part of the problem is that I like to use a variety of lettuce, which means picking and choosing how much of each head to wash and chop.
The other part? By the time I decide to make a salad and clean the lettuce, I want to eat immediately. I inevitably end up with wet lettuce leaves. All the nope.
With the focus on resolutions and smart choices, I definitely want to avoid topping this veggie filled creation with ingredients I try to avoid.
The good news? Homemade salad dressing is easy to make. This homemade ranch dressing? Let’s just say when I have leftover cucumbers or carrots, I can’t wait to dip them!
Instead of buttermilk and oils, I chose to use Greek yogurt for the tang. Make sure you pick up the plain version, not vanilla for this recipe!
With a few fresh herbs, lemon juice, and spices, it’s just a quick shake in a jar from being your new favorite salad dressing!
How to Make Homemade Ranch Dressing with Greek Yogurt
This tastes best with fresh herbs and time for flavors to meld. Make this the day before you want to use it if you can. It lasts a week in your fridge, so get your salad on!
Unlike when I make homemade pickles, I want just the tender dill fronds. Pick off the small stems and leave the thicker ones for another use. Twist off your parsley and remove any thick stems there, too.
Roll the dill inside the parsley to form a log, then slice through to easily and quickly chop your fresh herbs.
Run your knife through the sliced herbs to get slightly smaller pieces, then mince your garlic.
Add the yogurt, lemon juice, milk, salt, pepper, and mustard powder to a pint size glass jar. Top with your fresh herbs and garlic. Tighten the lid, then shake well to combine.
That. Is. It.
Place the jar in your fridge overnight (or for at least two hours) before using. Did you have any idea it was so easy to make delicious smart choices?
Create Your Own Veggie Filled Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing
The best part about salads is that you can make them as you see fit. This dressing has so much versatility.
It tastes as delicious with some chopped grilled chicken, black beans, corn, and tomatoes as it does with the carrots, cucumber, and tomatoes I used today.
Remember that fresh parsley you used to make your homemade ranch dressing? Twist off a bit more and add it to your lettuce mix. This adds a delicious fresh burst to every salad I make. It’s one of my favorite “secret” tips.
My other pro tip? Before I put my veggies away from my shopping trip, I prep them.
I wash everything, peel my carrots, and slice them the way I want to use them for my salads. They go straight into clear containers so I can easily tell what ingredients I have available when I crave a salad.
Add your lettuce and parsley to a bowl and toss well. Top with prepped veggies, then add the homemade ranch dressing just before you serve.
Have you ever tried homemade ranch dressing?
Homemade Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup plain Greek Yogurt
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Pick small stems of dill from larger frond. Twist off parsley and remove any thick stems.
- Roll the dill inside the parsley to form a log, then slice through to chop fresh herbs. Run knife through the herbs to get slightly smaller pieces, then mince garlic.3 tablespoons fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons fresh dill, 1 clove garlic
- Add yogurt, lemon juice, milk, salt, pepper, and mustard powder to pint size glass jar. Top with fresh herbs and garlic. Tighten lid, then shake well to combine.1 cup plain Greek Yogurt, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- Place jar in your fridge overnight (or for at least two hours) before using.
- Peel carrot. Slice carrot and cucumber into thin coins. Wash tomatoes, and slice if too large.
- Twist off parsley from larger bunch and add it to lettuce mix in a bowl and toss well.
- Top with prepped veggies, then add homemade ranch dressing.
Notes
- To make this perfect salad, add 4 cups spring mix lettuce to a bowl with 1/4 cup fresh parsley. Add half a sliced cucumber and half a carrot sliced into coins. Toss in a half cup of grape tomatoes, then top with two tablespoons homemade ranch dressing (from above).
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.
We eat lots of salad and love to make our own dressing. This looks amazing! Love that yogurt is the base.
I’m with you – homemade salad dressings are always the best!
I love using Greek Yogurt for my salad dressing as well. Definitely much better than Mayo. The seasoning sounds yum.
I’m just not a mayo girl any way you look at it. This is such a good dressing and perfect for what I need 🙂