The Ranch Dip I Bring To Everything

I first started making this ranch dip when I was private cooking in Malibu, after a family requested Hidden Valley-style ranch dip for the kids—but with “cleaner ingredients” (whatever that means). It ended up being one of the biggest hits of the week, and the adults loved it just as much as the kids. You can make this dip with a packet, but there’s something fun, easy, and honestly a little satisfying about whipping it up with your own homemade seasoning mix.

Since then, I’ve made and served this ranch dip at weddings, events, and plenty of gatherings in between. It’s just familiar enough to feel nostalgic, but with a slightly elevated flavor that fits right in on a fancy spread. At the same time, it’s super easy to throw together at home any night of the week. I make it at least a couple times a month—for veggies, chips, or casual get-togethers—and it’s always a hit.

Fresh ingredients really make this dip sing—and it’s even better when you can use herbs from your own garden.

INGREDIENTS

Yields: About 1¼ cups (serves 5–10)
Total Time: ~5 minutes

¾ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise (store-bought or homemade)

1 tablespoon ranch powder (2 if you like it extra seasoned)

1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley

1 tablespoon fresh minced chives

¼ teaspoon paprika

Dash of cayenne

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

½ clove garlic, finely grated (microplaned)

Pinch of lemon zest (microplaned)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Wash, dry, and mince the parsley and chives very finely, measure 1 tablespoon each.

  2. Measure the sour cream and mayonnaise into a medium mixing bowl.

  3. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl.

  4. Mix very well until fully combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving—or overnight for best flavor.

Note: If the dip tastes too salty for your preference, start with 1 tablespoon of ranch powder. You can always add more sour cream or mayo to mellow it out.

This dip keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

CHEF NOTES

As long as you stick to the ratio of 1 cup base to 1–2 tablespoons of ranch powder, the rest is totally up to you. This is how I like to make it, but feel free to play around.

This recipe is written per cup of base—scale it up as needed to serve more.
Serving notes: For a casual gathering with other snacks, plan for about 2 tablespoons per person (1 cup serves ~8 people). For heavier dipping—like chips and veggies with little else—estimate about ¼ cup per person (1 cup serves ~4 people).

I prefer ¾ cup sour cream to ¼ cup mayo per cup of base, but you can switch it up to suit your taste. Use all sour cream, go half and half, or even flip it with ¾ cup mayo and ¼ cup sour cream.

You can substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream—or use all Greek yogurt if you prefer. Use whatever mayo you like, store-bought or homemade.

Short on time? You can absolutely stop at just the base and the ranch powder. I’ve done the quick version (sour cream, mayo, powder) plenty of times and it still hits. The extras just bring it to another level.

And yes, I know—there’s dried parsley and chive in the seasoning mix. So why add fresh? Because fresh and dried herbs taste different. They each bring unique flavor and texture, and layering them gives you a more dynamic, herbaceous dip.

If you'd like to thin this dip to your preferred consistency, add a splash of milk, buttermilk, or even water—about a teaspoon at a time—until it reaches the viscosity you like.

To turn this into a ranch dressing, I add a few tablespoons of fine olive oil and a few tablespoons of buttermilk or milk until drizzling consistency.

ONE LAST THING

I personally don’t like dill in ranch—as much as I love it in plenty of other things, it’s just not my favorite here. But if you do like dill in your ranch, go for it! A big pinch of dried or about a teaspoon of minced fresh will do the trick.

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Homemade Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning