Ranch dressing is a classic favorite. Whether you use a package as the base for your dressing or make it from scratch, this variation is fabulous for salads or even as a dipping sauce. This ranch dressing with a kick elevates an everyday dressing to a party for your salad with just a kick of spice.
The basic salad dressing ingredients include buttermilk, mayonnaise, herbs, and spices. It gets the ranch name from the brand name of Hidden Valley Ranch. This California locale is where a man and his wife served their buttermilk dressing to friends. After a few years, they expanded to selling o local supermarkets. In 1972, the couple sold the name and recipe for $8 million. But this classic dressing now is a favorite worldwide.
Ranch Dressing with a Kick Herbs and Spices
You can buy a packet of dry ranch ingredients (no judgement, always have some in my pantry). Or you can mix up the basic herbs and spices from scratch according to you taste preference.
- Parsley (use 3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley)
- Dill (use 1 teaspoon fresh minced dill or 1/4 teaspoon dried dill)
- Garlic Powder (make sure you use garlic powder, not garlic salt), dried powder than fresh minced garlic for this dressing
- Onion Powder (same caveats as with the garlic powder)
- Beau Monde or Bon Apetit Spice (this sweet and savory spice mix pumps up the hint or celery and onion) Also something I keep in my pantry and use to boost herb flavors
- Nutritional Yeast (this is not yeast that leavens, but a great product that gives a salty, cheese-like flavor that is hard to replicate, when you combine nutritional yeast with salt the results are wonderful, Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast is the brand I use)
- Cayenne Powder (use a pinch to give the dressing a spicy kick)
- Sweet Paprika (or smoked paprika) adds both a hint of color and an earthy taste
- Salt and Black Pepper (standard seasoning)
Plus the wet ingredients
- Worcestershire Sauce (for the umami taste)
- Apple Cider Vinegar (to brighten all the flavors of the herbs and serves as the acid in the dressing)
- Mayonnaise (dressing thickener and base, as the dressing, chills the pronounced mayo flavor melts away)
- Sour Cream (I like to cut the mayonnaise with sour cream in my dressing and dips to add more creaminess body to the recipe)
- Buttermilk (gives both tang and creaminess to the dressing)
Making a Great Green Salad
Plan on about 3 ounces of salad greens per person, however since greens vary in weight (think iceberg lettuce versus spring greens) sonly focusing on that amount can throw off the ratio. it is easier to figure out amounts based on the size of the plate you will serve the salad on. See this post for more information.
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Ranch Dressing With A Kick
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 70 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: salad, dressing
- Method: fresh
- Cuisine: American
Description
This ranch dressing with a kick elevates an everyday dressing to a party for your salad with just a kick of spice. This is a copycat recipe like what is served at Outback Steakhouse.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1–1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 (.3-.4 ounce) package of Buttermilk Ranch Dressing or see note to make the mix from scratch
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast, (like Braggs Nutritional Yeast)
- 1/2 teaspoon Beau Monde Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, (1/8 teaspoon and add the rest as needed)
Salad
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated (3/8 cup shredded)
- 1/8 red cabbage, cut into thin shreds (about 1 cup)
- 1/4 – 1/2 red onion, cut into thin slices
- 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 English cucumber, cut into slices
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup seasoned croutons
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce until smooth.
- Stir in the ranch packet, nutritional yeast, Beau Monde seasoning, black pepper, paprika and half of the cayenne powder and mix well.
- Taste and add the remaining cayenne powder as desired.
- Refrigerate dressing for at least 60 minutes for flavors to meld.
- Meanwhile cut iceberg lettuce into bite size pieces
- Grate carrot and thinly slice and shred red cabbage, toss with lettuce.
- In a salad bowl add the lettuce mix.
- Arrange the red onion ring slices, tomato wedges, cucumber slices, shredded cheese and croutons.
- When ready to eat, drizzle the ranch dressing with a kick over the salad.
Notes
To make the dressing from scratch, substitute 3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon fresh minced dill or 1/4 teaspoon dried dill, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon Beau Monde seasoning, 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1-1/2 cups buttermilk, 2/3 cups mayonnaise, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce; follow the directions as above.
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