This homemade ranch seasoning is a convenient dry mix for making salad dressings and dips, roasts, seasoning chicken wings, and more. Low carb and Keto recipe.
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If you love Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing & seasoning mix, but want to control the ingredients, this is for you. I’ve used this recipe to season chicken wings, to make Mississippi Pot Roast, and delicious ranch dressings and dip. It’s herby and tangy.
You can use a little ranch seasoning in almost anything crackers, breads, garlic bread, meats, pasta salads… But what’s in that little packet of savory goodness you get from the store? Spoiler alert – It ain’t “goodness”!
Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix – Ingredients
Have you actually looked at the list of ingredients on one of those packets? Yikes! First ingredient, salt. Second ingredient, monosodium glutamate (MSG), then modified food starch, spices, onion, maltodextrin, natural flavor, and thickeners.
I don’t know about you, but I’m trying to clean-up my diet by ridding it of overly processed foods. I think this would qualify for a more wholesome homemade ranch seasoning replacement. Don’t you?
How to Make Homemade Ranch Seasoning
It’s super easy to make your own ranch seasoning mix at home. This recipe calls for garlic powder, dried chives, lemon pepper, dill, onion powder, parsley, salt, sweetener, and powdered lemon. Mix all of the ingredients together in a mortar and pestle, and work until fine in texture.
NOTE: If you are looking to make a buttermilk ranch seasoning mix, add 1/3 cup powdered buttermilk and 1/4 cup nutritional yeast to the dried seasonings. The buttermilk gives you some tang and the nutritional yeast provides some of that delicious umami flavor without the MSG.
I buy Bob’s Red Mill buttermilk powder on Amazon, but powdered buttermilk can be found in the baking aisle of most supermarkets. It’s a common addition for bread making and baking. It keeps in the refrigerator indefinitely. Nutritional yeast is an inactive form of yeast that has a rich, cheesy smell and taste. I buy nutritional yeast on Amazon or my local health food store. My Cheddar Cheese Cracker Recipe uses nutritional yeast to give it a super-flaky texture.
The recipe as written yields 1/3 cup with 1 tsp as a serving. If using in a Mississippi Roast recipe, use 1 tbsp – 2 tbsp per your taste.
Homemade Ranch Seasoning
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon Dried chives
- 1 tablespoon Sugar-Free Powdered sugar sub
- 5 teaspoons Granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons Onion powder
- 2 teaspoons Lemon pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon Pink sea salt
- 2 packets Tru Lemon (1/8-1/4 tsp citric acid)
Instructions
- Measure all ingredients into a mortar and pestle and work ingredients into a fine powder. Alternately, use an electric coffee grinder to powder the ingredients.
- Store in an air-tight container.
- Makes 1/3 cup of ranch seasoning powder. Serving size is 1 teaspoon. NET CARBS: 0.98 g per teaspoon.
To Make Dressing:
- Mix together: 1/2 c mayo, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1-2 T lemon juice, 1 T seasoning mix, 3 T water, 2 tbsp heavy cream, freshly ground black pepper to taste: 2.25 net carbs per 1/4 cup serving (serves 5)
Bravo!
I have had this in my recipe file for a long time to make, but opted to try some others first which I “THOUGHT” would achieve the quintessential Ranch.
I stand corrected, you are a genius.
If I just taste your dry mixture, I don’t get “Ranch” immediately, because the lemon is very forward. But once mixed into your fine dressing recipe (that achieves the perfect pouring consistency) I could not stop eating it!
I immediately made another dry batch for the spice jar while I had everything out.
My small adjustments, which were successful, in case it helps anyone:
-I didn’t have any dill, so made up the volume with some more parsley and chive.
-I did not add fresh lemon juice to the final dressing, but only because my lemon pepper is exceptionally strong and my Duke’s mayo and Breakstone’s sour cream are very tangy.
-Used same amt of garlic powder, as I didn’t have granules.
-Added a good pinch of cayenne, only because my family loves it.
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. My hunt has ended.
I love this recipe
I’m having a hard time understanding how a recipe with sugar is keto….
Hi Karla, it’s supposed to read Sugar-Free Powdered Sugar. Thanks for catching that and letting me know there was an error. -Kim
This ranch seasoning is amazing! I am using it for homemade zucchini chips.
Wonderful and convenient. I didn’t have the lemon pepper so I used black pepper. I also didn’t have dried chives. Even so this was delicious. I forgot to make it in advance and had no time for mortar & pestle so I just threw it together and mixed a bit with some mayo & sour cream and WOW! I was really delicious. Even imperfect it was great!
Its so convenient to store the powder and mix up the dressing as needed I can’t imagine buying the bottled stuff ever again!
I did add powdered buttermilk which is what attracted me to try the recipe and I also added nutritional yeast as suggested. Honestly I only used the nutritional yeast because I had it and I really didn’t like as I had intended to use it. But, it added a depth to the flavor that, while not essential was excellent. I now see how the nutritional yeast which, I thought was going to linger in my cabinet until I could throw it out in good conscience, is useful just not the way I had originally intended.
I’m so glad you like this mix, Waterdancer. I like the dried buttermilk/nutritional yeast version of this ranch seasoning, too. It’s also very easy to customize by adding a little more of this or less of that. Hold on to that nutritional yeast. I have a cheddar cheese cracker recipe (and developed a Parmesan cracker recipe for All Day I Dream About Food) that use nutritional yeast. The yeast makes them flaky! I don’t know why, but it does. I bet you could also stir it into coconut flour and make a savory “grits” substitute with cheese. Thanks for taking the time to leave such a nice comment. Have a nice week. -Kim
Hi Kim
What could I use as a True Lemon substitute? I’m living in Australia and really want to make your ranch dressing. But I’m at a complete loss as to what to use instead of True Lemon. Please help!
Thanks
Hi Elaine. Omit and add lemon juice to taste in the dressing recipe. Add it until the dressing tastes fresh. True Lemon is just dehydrated lemon juice crystals and it may be available in Australia under another name. I use it in powdered mixes like my lemon mug cake mix or when I don’t want to add additional liquid to a recipe. Be well. -Kim
Thank you so much for your prompt reply to my question. Got my lemon today and I’m going to make this for dinner along with your Slow Cook Mississippi Roast. Very excited to try new slow cooker recipes!
Is your nutritional value for the dry mix or the recipe including the sour cream etc?
It’s for the dry mix Vanessa. I still have to take decent photos of the dressing and post it. The dressing is 0.81 carbs per 2 tablespoons. -Kim
I don’t have Sukrin. But I have Swerve powered and monkfruit blend powered. Can I use that and how much would you recommend??
Absolutely, Valorie! -Kim
I have made 4 batches of this seasoning and use it for everything from seasoning chicken and halibut to actual ranch dressing. It is the best ranch recipe I have come across, tastes awesome, and I actually had everything in my pantry to make it!
I rarely come back to comment on blogs, but I wanted to tell you that this was a real good recipe – nice and herby. I used it on chicken I baked in the oven. I’ve tried several on your site. Thank you! Came out just as promised. Loved it!
So, is the 2 packets of Tru Lemon, the same as using the 1/2 tsp of citric acid?
Hi Linda. I did a little research and changed the amount of citric acid in the recipe. I would use 1/8th teaspoon of citric acid, but I think every kitchen should have crystalized lemon juice – something like True Lemon. I don’t think that citric acid has the same taste as crystalized lemon juice. Sorry for the confusion. -Kim
Kim, I have a large shaker of True Lemon and one of True Lime! I LOVE them and use one or the other in my water every single day! Can’t imagine life without it!
So, I’m wondering what the measured equivalent is for the 2 packets you list in the recipe. I’m sure I could wing it and it would be lovely, but I AM curious. Thanks heaps for this recipe and for all recipes and ideas that I have yet to uncover on your site! May you be well.
Hi Nancy, I am between homes at the moment and can’t get that answer for you. Start with 1/4 tsp and see if you need more. -Kim
This ranch dressing was awesome!!
Thanks for coming back to the blog and commenting, Cindy. I’m happy you liked the recipe. -Kim
Hi – could you please tell me what tru lemon is? I’m in Canada and haven’t seen anything like that.
Sure, Donna. It’s crystallized lemon juice. It comes in little packets and is VERY handy to use, especially in dry mixes or when you want the tang but not the added liquid. Here is a link for True Lemon. -Kim
How do I make actual ranch dressing for a salad for this?? What liquid and how much? Thank you!
Hi Carrie. I am posting the Ranch Dressing Recipe next week. For now, Google Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning and follow the instructions on the packet. Use 2 tsp – 1 Tbsp per your taste. It tastes best if it sits a few hours to overnight. -Kim