Annie & Skyler It’s ranch time, folks. Crisp, cool spring veggies—radishes, snap peas, baby carrots, green onions, and others—taste even more amazing with a little dip in ranch. And all those baby greens popping up in the garden? A healthy drizzle of homemade ranch brings their fresh, clean flavor home like nothing else.
We have an EXTREME love for this amazingly versatile condiment at FIO, and no shade to Hidden Valley—we adore that stuff too (who doesn’t?!!)—but there’s nothing like ranch made with fresh, vibrant herbs AND a little extra love. Our homemade version will last all week for everything from Monday veg burgs and fries to Friday crudités.
The secret to the zesty flavor in our dressing is the combo of fresh herbs—dill, cilantro, and chives. The way these three play together is absolutely amazing. (Even if you don’t think you like cilantro, it really is essential to that classic ranch flavor—you’ll see!) The rest of the key ingredients—chives, lime, dried chile—take home the tex-mex flavor for ultimate ranch satisfaction. We like using lots of Greek yogurt for its thick texture and light, tangy flavor, but feel free to adjust the creamy ingredients to your preference. If the dressing gets too thick stir in additional buttermilk or milk.
Beyond Salads and Dip
A spoonful of our Zesty Ranch Dressing instantly makes ANYTHING more delicious. Here are some of our favorite ways to use it.
• Use as a sauce for breakfast pizza, topped with scrambled eggs, cooked bacon or sausage, and cheese.
• Make chicken strips. Coat chicken tenderloins with ranch, then dip in seasoned breadcrumbs and bake at 400°F until cooked through and golden.
• Marinate chicken breasts or pork chops in ranch, then grill.
• Make ranch fries. Toss cut potato wedges in a little ranch and olive oil then roast, turning once, until golden.
• Stir into mac-and-cheese or creamy casseroles.
• Add to hummus.
• Mix ranch into the ground meat mixture for burgers, meatloaf, and meatballs.
A Few Spins
Try these variation for even more ranch deliciousness.
Parmesan-Peppercorn Ranch Stir in 2 Tbsp. grated parm and an additional ½ tsp. freshly cracked black pepper.
Chipotle Lime Ranch Stir in 1 minced canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and an additional ½ tsp. lime zest.
Spicy Ranch Stir in 1 to 2 tsp. sriracha sauce.
Roasted Pepper Ranch Add ¼ cup chopped roasted red pepper to the ranch mixture before blending.
Lemon-Caper Ranch Swap lemon juice and zest for the lime juice and zest. Stir in 2 tsp. minced capers.
Harissa Ranch Stir in 2 to 3 tsp. harissa paste.
Zesty Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- ½ cup buttermilk or cream
- ⅓ mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives or green onion
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
- 2 to 3 Tbsp. lime juice
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ to ½ tsp. ground Mexican chile (such as guajillo pepper), or Alleppo, cayenne, or crushed red pepper
- ¼ tsp. lime zest
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender. Pulse and blend until smooth. Transfer to a jar or container. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving or up to 1 week.
