Ranch seasoning is a tangy and fresh seasoning blend made with herbs and spices. Use it to season vegetables, chicken, or to make homemade salad dressing.
Ranch seasoning makes a great addition to your home spice rack. It's made with dried herbs like parsley and dill, which add a fresh, tangy flavor. Plus this version is gluten-free and dairy-free, making it easy to add to your favorite vegan dishes.
Making your own ranch seasoning is a great alternative to buying processed packets from the grocery store. This recipe is made with six simple ingredients, so you know exactly what's going into your food.
Seasoning blends can make weeknight dinners even easier. I use ranch seasoning to make recipes like ranch roasted potatoes, chicken bacon ranch pasta, and rotisserie chicken salad.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Dried parsley - Adds a bright, peppery flavor and serves as the base of the recipe. I don't recommend omitting the parsley.
- Dried dill - Adds a bright, tangy flavor that's commonly found in ranch salad dressings. Dill could be substituted with dried chives if desired.
- Garlic powder - Adds a pungent, garlicky flavor.
- Onion powder - Adds a zesty, concentrated onion flavor.
- Salt - Enhances the flavors of the herbs and spices as well as the food you're seasoning.
- Pepper - Adds a warm, earthy flavor.
Tips and tricks
Use new herbs and spices - I recommend buying new herbs and spices before assembling a spice blend like ranch seasoning. Ground herbs and spices taste best within the first six months, and continually lose their flavor over time.
Only make what you'll use in six months - If you don't cook with ranch seasoning frequently, I recommend making a smaller batch of seasoning. To reduce the measurements in the recipe card, hover over the serving size and use the sliding bar.
Recipes with ranch seasoning
Aside from making your own ranch dressing or dip, what else can you use ranch seasoning for? Here are a few of my favorite recipes made with ranch seasoning:
- Ranch roasted potatoes
- Chicken bacon ranch pasta
- Buffalo ranch chex mix
- Rotisserie chicken salad
- BLT dip
- Crock pot buffalo chicken dip
- BLT pasta salad
Frequently asked questions
This recipe is made with dried parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Dried chives also make a great addition. Some recipes also call for dried buttermilk to add that signature buttermilk tang of ranch salad dressing.
Ranch dressing is a popular salad dressing in the United States. It's a creamy salad dressing that's usually made with buttermilk as the base. The main flavors of ranch include dill, garlic, and onion/chives. It has a tangy, fresh flavor that pairs particularly well with fresh vegetables.
Homemade ranch dressing is relatively simple. Mix equal parts sour cream, mayonnaise, and buttermilk, then add ranch seasoning until desired flavor is achieved.
This recipe for ranch seasoning is dairy-free. However, many store-bought ranch seasoning mixes also include powdered buttermilk, which is not dairy-free.
Ground herbs and spices are best used within the first six months (ideally 3 months) for best flavor, but will keep for 2 to 3 years in airtight containers. I recommend making a quantity of ranch seasoning that you think you'll use within about 6 months. This recipe can easily be scaled down by hovering over the servings in the recipe card and using the sliding bar.
Here's an article with more helpful information:
USDA: Will spices used beyond their shelf life be safe?
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Ranch Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried dill
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients until well blended.
- Store in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Use ranch seasoning on your favorite proteins, vegetables, or pasta. Common uses: hamburgers, meatloaf, roasted potatoes, broccoli, chicken breasts, potato salad, pasta salad.
- Ranch seasoning will keep for 1 year or more in a sealed container. Flavor is best if used within six months when made with new spices and herbs.
How do I use this seasoning to make ranch dressing? Or did I miss that part somewhere? Lol
Hi Elena, you can find this answered in the frequently asked questions section above: "Homemade ranch dressing is relatively simple. Mix equal parts sour cream, mayonnaise, and buttermilk, then add ranch seasoning until desired flavor is achieved."
Is this Hidden Valley Ranch Restaurant Style Mix?
This has a similar flavor to package ranch seasoning mix, minus the buttermilk powder.
How can I equate this recipe with the packet I can buy in the store? I use a lot of recipes that require the packet and I would love a healthier alternative and be able to use my sea salt instead.
One store bought ranch seasoning packet has about 2 tablespoons of seasoning. You can use this at a 1:1 ratio to replace the store bought packets.
I made this ranch seasoning today and used it in my gluten free crispy crunchy crackers...so delicious!! Love it and so easy. No more store bought Doritos with so many unhealthy ingredients!! Thanks so much Heather. It's a real keeper recipe. Will definitely try it on chicken and more. All the best, Lily in California.
Where did you find your crispy crunchy cracker recipe?
Thanks for the recipe. To confirm, the parsley and dill are fresh?
The parsley and dill are dried for this recipe.
Im trying to do less salt. Can sea salt or Himalayan salt be used instead?
Yes, feel free to substitute with your preferred salt!
I loove seasonings