Ranch sauce: homemade recipes

Ranch sauce - what is it?

Having decided to prepare a seasoning, you first need to figure out what it is - ranch sauce, what it consists of and how to prepare it correctly. When preparing, mayonnaise and dairy products are used as a base, so the taste will be creamy.

Classic ranch sauce is made from mayonnaise. You can take both a fatty and a light product; the sauce will differ in thickness.
The classic ranch recipe consists of a mixture of buttermilk - which is low-fat cream and mayonnaise - and spices, salt and herbs.
The classic version uses dried herbs. This is done to preserve the sauce for a longer period of time.
The composition of the main ingredients can be varied, for example, a homemade ranch sauce recipe can be made from sour cream, replacing buttermilk, and mayonnaise can be removed altogether or kefir (yogurt) can be added, making the dressing less high in calories.
The sauce can be hot if you add more pepper or spicy if you add rosemary or thyme.
Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice adds the missing sourness to the sauce.
Avocado and olive oil add richness and enrich the flavor.

Pizza sauce

Americans prepare ranch specifically for pizza. Chicken Ranch pizza is even named so because it is baked with your favorite sauce. This is the signature secret ingredient in pizza. They lubricate the pizza base with it, then the recipe is sure to include: fresh red tomatoes, chicken, garlic, mozzarella cheese and ham.

This recipe does not contain mayonnaise, tomato paste and much other standard stuff that we are used to. This is the American style. Strange pizza with strange sauce! But maybe it's worth a try?

What do you eat ranch sauce with?

Americans eat it every day, prepare various dishes with it, spread it on bread and complement vegetables, bake meat, fish and poultry with it. Ranch sauce is a versatile dressing for any treat.

If the sauce is intended for salad, you should not add a lot of it. For a large bowl you only need 2 tbsp. spoons. The salad should not “swim” in the dressing.
Fresh cucumbers will taste better if you simply dip them in the sauce. You can eat other vegetables, croutons, crackers, chips and cookies in the same way.
Many people prepare sauce specifically for pizza. They lubricate the base.
No matter how tasty the sauce is, you cannot eat a lot of it - it is fatty, rich and contains a lot of calories.

Composition of pizza with ranch sauce at Dodo Pizza

The large chain of pizzerias Dodo Pizza also uses American sauce in the preparation of some of its dishes, for example, in Ranch pizza. A very tasty recipe: in addition to the sauce, it includes chicken, fresh tomatoes, garlic, ham and mozzarella cheese.

Delicious recipe! Why dream of digging potatoes with a dead person?

All ingredients are of excellent quality, very tasty and satisfying. And ranch sauce gives pizza an unusual taste, as it is smeared on its base.

And although the statement about the simplicity of making American-style pizza is very controversial, for a knowledgeable person it is clear that this can only be baked with great skill and dexterity. After all, chefs initially study the traditions of Italian cuisine and work very, very hard.

If you do everything for yourself and at home, you can try making this pizza. Even if you've never done this before.

Ranch Sauce - Recipes

It’s better to start your acquaintance with a simplified recipe. Many cooks want to know how to make homemade ranch sauce. It can be used to grease pizza bases and season multi-ingredient vegetable salads. If you are preparing a sauce that will be used within 1-2 days, then it is better to add fresh parsley and dill, and if you are preparing it for future use, then it is better to replace it with dried herbs. If desired, you can add a little soy sauce.

Ingredients:

mustard – 1 tbsp. spoon;
kefir – 100 ml;
sugar – 1 tbsp. spoon;
vinegar 6% – 1 tbsp. spoon;
vegetable oil – 250-300 ml;
salt;
eggs – 4 pcs.;
green onion – 2 feathers;
fresh parsley and dill - 1 bunch.

Preparation

Separate the whites from the yolks.
Add sugar, mustard and salt to the yolks.
Beat the ingredients, pouring in vegetable oil in a thin stream.
Add vinegar to lighten the mixture.
Dill and parsley, finely chop the onion. Add to bowl.
Pour in kefir and stir.

Ranch sauce - classic recipe

The main ingredient is buttermilk, and in general, American ranch sauce, the composition of which is very primitive, is prepared from the most affordable products. Buttermilk is a by-product obtained during the production of butter. Whisk the cream until the butter and whey separate. The latter is used in the preparation of this sauce. Despite its simplicity, the taste comes out very original if you follow the condition - the sauce must steep for at least 30 minutes. Only in this way will the rich taste be revealed, the aroma of spices will appear, the richness, density and color will be determined.

Ingredients:

buttermilk – 125 ml;
mayonnaise – 125 ml;
dried onion and dry garlic – 5 g each;
dried parsley and dry dill - 10 g each;
black pepper, salt.

Preparation

Mix buttermilk with mayonnaise.
Add salt, pepper, dried herbs, garlic, onion.
Stir well, cover the cup with cling film, put it in the refrigerator to brew for 30-60 minutes.
This sauce can be stored for 10 days in the refrigerator.

Ranch sauce without mayonnaise

You can make a thicker ranch sauce, homemade recipe. Control the consistency to a creamy consistency for dipping pieces of food, or a thinner consistency to make an excellent salad dressing. You can cook with fresh chopped onions or with dried ones - they will be appropriate in any form. If you are preparing a dressing with fresh herbs, you need to rinse it thoroughly and dry it thoroughly with a paper towel.

Ingredients:

vegetable oil – 150 ml;
vinegar 6% – 70 ml;
mild mustard – 1 teaspoon;
shallot – 1 pc.;
cream 25% fat - 3 tbsp. spoons;
dry herbs – 1 teaspoon;
salt, ground pepper.

Preparation

Mix vegetable oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper.
Finely chop the shallots and add to the sauce.
Add mustard and stir.
Add cream and stir again, salt and pepper to taste.

Ranch sauce with avocado

This dressing will be appreciated by those who do not like mayonnaise. The sauce recipe is simple and straightforward, but the taste is simply delicious, thanks to the avocado, olive oil and lemon juice that enrich the final taste of the dish. If the mixture turns out too thick, you can dilute it with milk or cream. This sauce will not be stored for long in the refrigerator; this must be taken into account when calculating the amount of ingredients.

Ingredients:

avocado – 1 pc.;
sour cream – 150 g;
garlic – 1/2 clove;
lemon juice – 1 teaspoon;
olive oil – 1-2 teaspoons;
dill, parsley, onion – 20 g each;
salt and pepper.

Preparation

Cut the avocado, remove the pit, peel it, and place it in a blender bowl.
Add garlic, chop green onions a little and place with avocado.
Add parsley, sour cream, olive oil.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Grind in a blender.
Add lemon juice and stir again.

Creamy Ranch Sauce

The following recipe will yield 5-6 servings; ranch sauce, which will not take more than 10 minutes to prepare, will not be thick and is good for vegetables. It’s also nice to eat croutons, nuggets or deep-fried onion rings with this sauce. If you want to add some spice, you can use garlic salt instead of dried garlic.

Ingredients:

heavy cream (33-35%) – 250 ml;
mustard – 1 tbsp. spoon;
mayonnaise – 50 g;
parsley and dill - 1/2 bunch;
salt, pepper and herbs.

Preparation

Combine cream and mustard.
Finely chop the dill and parsley, add to the mixture and mix thoroughly.
Throw in the spices and adjust the taste with salt.
Mix everything well, add the pepper mixture.

Garlic Ranch Sauce

The classic recipe for this dressing is unknown to anyone, but this is its beauty: you can supplement the base with any components and create your own unique recipe. Very tasty, moderately spicy and piquant – garlic ranch sauce is spicy and aromatic. It is better to cook from fresh cloves, but substituting dry garlic is also acceptable in the traditional version.

Ingredients:

sour cream – 3 tbsp. spoons;
mayonnaise – 3 tbsp. spoons;
dried onion – 0.5 teaspoon;
dried dill – 0.5 teaspoon;
dried parsley - 0.5 teaspoon;
garlic – 1 clove;
lemon juice – 0.5 teaspoon;
salt and ground black pepper.

Preparation

Mix sour cream and mayonnaise in equal proportions.
Add dried onions, dill and parsley.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Add lemon juice.
Crush the garlic and mix everything again, leave it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Other recipes

With egg and vegetable oil

We will need: milk, vegetable oil, fresh eggs, garlic, lemon, dill, salt, sugar, pepper. Whisk the yolks, milk, vegetable oil and place in a water bath to slightly heat and thicken. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix, let it brew in the refrigerator. You will get a delicate American gravy. Be sure to try it - it's delicious!

With avocado

Avocado ranch is a very popular dressing in the USA and even has its own name, Avocado ranch dressing. Avocado and olive oil add rich flavor to the sauce. The pulp of a large ripe avocado is mashed and added to buttermilk, mayonnaise and spices. This option is best prepared with fresh herbs and garlic. Add lemon juice and your delicious soft green ranch is ready. Spread it on bread or season vegetables and enjoy, and if you dilute it with a little milk, it is perfect as a gravy for meat dishes and poultry.

Original version

Add finely chopped fresh chives, buttermilk and sour cream, allspice, parsley, and salt. Mix everything vigorously. Cover the cup with cling film and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Then pour it into a gravy boat or season any vegetable salad. Often bistros and cafes use this option in sandwiches and burgers, and I, for example, like to bake chicken in just such a spread.

Garlic option

The garlic version adds fresh garlic. Take a little lemon juice, crush 1 clove of garlic in a garlic press and add to the mayonnaise-sour cream base, add salt and pepper. Then add dried onions, garlic, and parsley. Everything is simple and tasty, and most importantly – satisfying! With this gravy, any dish acquires a new original taste.

Without mayonnaise

Remove the mayonnaise, add the egg, lemon juice and olive oil. It will turn out amazing! This is for those who don't like mayonnaise. Natural, soft, delicate, without any chemical additives, it goes well with French fries, chips and crackers. Salads, meat dishes, and cold cuts will be tastier and richer if you add this spread.

If you are preparing a sauce that you will use within 1-2 days, then use fresh parsley and dill, and if you are preparing for future use, for a week or 10 days, then it is better to use dried herbs.
When dressing your salad, don't overdo it with ranch. For a large cup you only need 2 tablespoons. The salad should not “swim” in the sauce.
Be sure to let the product steep for 30–60 minutes to allow the flavor and aroma of the spices to develop.
You can cook ranch with fresh onions, or you can use dried ones. He'll be good anyway.
If you are cooking with fresh herbs, rinse them thoroughly and dry them with a paper towel.
If we are preparing a garlic version, we can use garlic salt instead of dried garlic.
To keep the product longer, add a teaspoon of balsamic, apple or regular vinegar to it.
You can make the ranch thicker and creamier for dipping into bites of food, or thinner for a great salad dressing. Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise or into long slices and eat them dipped in the sauce. You can use any other vegetables, as well as bread, crackers, croutons, chips and even cookies. It is delicious!
If you make avocado ranch and it is too thick, thin it with milk. But remember that such a product will not be stored for long, even in the refrigerator.
If we add a little mustard powder to the ranch, we'll only benefit. Of course, this is not for everybody, but I like it.

What can you substitute for ranch sauce?

Considering how easy it is to make at home, a similar ranch dressing can be created using a variety of ingredients that you have on hand.

If you don’t have buttermilk, you can confidently replace it with kefir, yogurt, sour cream or cream.
You will also need milk, vegetable oil, fresh eggs, garlic, lemon, dill, salt, sugar, pepper.
You can remove the butter and eggs from the recipe and add mayonnaise.

Every country in the world has its own favorite recipes for seasonings and sauces. In the USA, the most popular is American ranch sauce, which any housewife can easily prepare in the kitchen. This gas station has its own, rather unusual history of creation. Its recipe was invented by Steve Hanson, the owner of a small ranch, which became a favorite vacation spot for students, but did not bring him the expected income. Once he mixed a few simple ingredients and served the dressing with his signature salad, Hanson found that all his guests were delighted with the taste and even began ordering the dressing separately. A simple accident instantly turned the unsuccessful entrepreneur into a millionaire, because Hanson managed to put the sauce production on stream.

Since then, every American housewife knows the recipe for making the dressing, and throughout the country it is considered almost national.

On store shelves you can find nice bottles from various manufacturers with ready-made mixtures, but real fans of the seasoning believe that you can only appreciate its taste by preparing the sauce yourself.

However, this approach seems rational, because ready-made ranch sauce contains a lot of preservatives and chemical additives, while homemade seasoning is much healthier.

You will need:

Buttermilk – 200 ml
Mayonnaise – 100 ml
Garlic – 2 cloves
Green onion – 1 bunch
Fresh parsley – 1 bunch
Fresh dill – 1 bunch
Onion – ½ small onion
Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
Paprika - to taste
Ground black pepper - to taste

Number of servings – 5

Cooking time – 15 minutes

The perfect combination

The main components of the mixture are mayonnaise and. They have equal proportions, diluted with a small amount of dry herbs, pepper, as well as dried onions.

After Mr. Hanson's discovery gained incredible popularity, it was decided to launch a separate product line. It provided for the sale of components in the form of ready-made dry powder. The cook was only required to mix the contents of the bag with equal proportions of the base.

Due to the development of the food industry, many fans of a healthy lifestyle are afraid to buy ready-made sauce offerings. Instead, they're looking for how to make their own ranch dressing. This will allow you to avoid the use of chemicals that enhance taste and other elements that are completely unnecessary for the body.

Despite the existence of the original preparation, many modifications have emerged today. Gourmets advise trying at least a few of them to decide on the best one.

Americans who cannot imagine their life without ranch sometimes joke, saying that it can be added anywhere, except perhaps in sweets. Even if they don’t want to pour the finished dish, they are allowed to dip almost anything edible in it:

vegetables;
nuggets;
homemade, crackers.

If you change the proportions of the consistency, you will be able to achieve an ideal filling for vegetable salads, fish and meat dishes with baked goods.

Sharpness and softness of taste

Ranch sauce is based on buttermilk, which is low-fat cream that is prepared with the addition of special bacterial cultures. It appeared in our kitchen relatively recently, and its use is more typical for Western cuisine. Nevertheless, the process of globalization has done its job, and a healthy dairy product has appeared on the shelves of our stores. Initially, buttermilk was obtained as a by-product of butter production, but now it is made specially. The finished product tastes like light low-fat yogurt without fruit and berry additives.

The recipe allows you to replace this ingredient with ordinary low-fat sour cream or the same yogurt - in fact, the taste of the sauce will not suffer much.

To prepare the sauce all year round - that is, even in those seasons when fresh herbs are not very available, you can prepare a special preparation for dressing. It will be a wonderful alternative to store-bought bags of dried vegetables and herbs.

Knowing how to prepare dried herbs and vegetables for ranch dressing—outdoors, in the dehydrator, or in the oven—can provide you with a valuable supply of seasonings that can be used to prepare not only the dressing, but also other dishes. The dried ingredients need to be ground into powder, and the onions and garlic are crushed separately from the herbs. Dried products are stored in convenient jars with a closing lid.

Version for the lazy

If you don’t want or can’t find the original buttermilk, this is not a reason to stop trying to create the perfect sauce. Skilled gourmets have created an alternative plan that includes:

a quarter liter of mayonnaise;
125 ml sour cream;
5 g of dried parsley, onion, garlic powder;
if you have it, a pinch of dried onion powder.

Salt and ground salt are added at personal discretion.

First, the spices are mixed together, and then the white base. You need to add spices to the base, and not vice versa, achieving a good consistency while stirring.

But here you should prepare for the fact that it will be higher than the original. We have sour cream to thank for this.

It is better not to modify the sauce. It’s enough just to try adding one additional spice each time to find the right balance for yourself. Moreover, it is allowed to replace ready-made onion and garlic powders with homemade ones. To do this, finely ground ingredients are dried in an oven or special installation at a minimum temperature for about 14 hours. But since this process can take a long time, not everyone agrees to waste time and buy bags with ready-made contents.

Ranch is perfect for both holiday meals and everyday menus, delighting consumers with its savory taste.
step-by-step recipe with photos
Ranch sauce is an excellent addition to many dishes, be it meat, fish, various snacks or side dishes. You can also dress a salad with this sauce. In the USA it is very popular, probably like mayonnaise is popular here. By the way, mayonnaise is also included in the sauce, but the main ingredient is sour cream. After preparing the sauce, you need to let it sit for about 20 minutes so that the spices and herbs “open up.” You can make the ranch dressing more or less spicy by adjusting the amount of black pepper and garlic.

Innings

Ranch sauce can be served with absolutely any dish. This is a wonderful dressing for pizza, French fries and chips, all kinds of appetizers and snacks. The sauce recipe is also used to create a dressing for vegetable salads, instead of the usual mayonnaise or sour cream. Ranch also goes well with meat dishes, chicken and shrimp. You can create a variety of sandwiches and sandwiches with this dressing, and prepare homemade burgers. And finally, the sauce is perfect as a marinade for baking meat and potatoes in the oven.

Bon appetit!
step-by-step recipe with photos
Ranch sauce is an excellent addition to many dishes, be it meat, fish, various snacks or side dishes. You can also dress a salad with this sauce. In the USA it is very popular, probably like mayonnaise is popular here. By the way, mayonnaise is also included in the sauce, but the main ingredient is sour cream. After preparing the sauce, you need to let it sit for about 20 minutes so that the spices and herbs “open up”. You can make the ranch dressing more or less spicy by adjusting the amount of black pepper and garlic.

Cooking features

Making ranch sauce is not difficult, especially since it does not require cooking. Therefore, even an inexperienced housewife can cope with the task. The advice of experienced chefs will help her with this.

Another ingredient in ranch sauce may not be available to many of our compatriots. These are chives, which are actually very similar to green onions, but have thinner shoots and are somewhat milder in taste. If you couldn't get chives, replace them with green ones - the taste of the sauce won't change much.
If you are serving ranch dressing on its own, chill it in the refrigerator before serving as it tastes better cold.
You should not prepare a large amount of ranch sauce if you do not plan to eat it on the same day: the shelf life of this product is short - it should be eaten within two days maximum, and stored in the refrigerator.

Ranch sauce is served with meat, fish, and vegetable side dishes. It goes especially well with potatoes. In addition, the sauce can be used to dress salads instead of sour cream and mayonnaise.

Preparation

1. Take a suitable container for the sauce. Wash and dry fresh herbs, then chop finely. Add chopped garlic cloves here. You can cut them with a knife or pass them through a special press.

2. Add mustard to the bowl - hot or mild if desired. The recipe uses medium hot mustard. Also add ground paprika - here, along with the paprika, there are pieces of dried chili pepper and dried tomato.

3. Measure out the required amount of sour cream - its fat content does not matter. The main thing is that it is not thick like butter - homemade sour cream is usually like this.

4. Add mayonnaise, its fat content doesn’t matter either. Of course, it is better to use homemade mayonnaise, but store-bought mayonnaise will also work – it will turn out delicious too.

Ranch is a sauce no American can resist. And this is not without reason, because it was in America that this very tasty and aromatic product was first created. It should be noted that in the USA this sauce is as popular as mayonnaise in Russia. By the way, this product is the main ingredient of ranch. So that you can make such a sauce at home, we decided to present to your attention a step-by-step recipe. However, before that, I would like to tell you about the history of this delicious dressing.

Ranch is a sauce originally from America.

As often happens, the sauce we are considering was prepared completely by accident. And this happened back in the middle of the 20th century. Its creator, Steve Henson, simply mixed his favorite ingredients, and after a short period of time he realized that absolutely everyone liked the product he prepared, and he could make good money from it. And so begins the story of millionaire Henson and his sauce called “Ranch.”

How it was…

It’s not for nothing that they say that everything ingenious is simple, and you can’t escape fate. Who would have thought that young Steve Henson, who was not even a cook, would make a fortune in this field?.. And all thanks to the fact that one fine day he simply combined equal amounts of buttermilk and mayonnaise, added dry herbs, pepper and other ingredients , resulting in "Ranch". The sauce prepared by the future millionaire was immediately liked by all his relatives and friends. And after sales volumes of this fragrant product increased several dozen times, Henson came up with another interesting move. He decided to sell all the spices and seasonings needed to prepare the sauce in dry form, in bags. So, the housewives could only mix all the ingredients with buttermilk and mayonnaise and enjoy its wonderful taste.

Today, American Ranch dressing has no analogues in the States. But most of its fans in our country prefer to prepare such a product at home, without the use of any chemical additives. It is also worth noting that today there are several options for creating this gravy. Let's look at them in more detail.

How to choose and where to buy

Finding ranch is not a problem in grocery stores and supermarkets. The most commonly found on sale is Heinz garlic sauce.

Delicious recipe! Chicken kebab in the oven on a baking sheet

When purchasing, carefully study the ingredients label. Look for as many natural ingredients as possible. Most brands of ranch sauce contain soybean oil, cornstarch, fructose, artificial colors, flavors, flavor enhancers and preservatives. As a rule, store-bought dressing is high in fat and calories and low in carbohydrates and protein.

If you have time, your best bet is to make a healthier ranch dressing at home.

Ranch sauce: classic recipe

To make the same sauce as Steve Henson first created it, you will need to purchase the following ingredients:

buttermilk (if you couldn’t find such a product, you can use low-fat liquid sour cream instead) - ½ cup;
fresh chives - 3 large spoons (chopped);
high-calorie mayonnaise - ½ cup;
dried parsley - 3 large spoons;
garlic salt - ½ dessert spoon;
fresh green onions - ½ dessert spoon (chopped);
allspice black pepper (freshly ground) - ¼ dessert spoon.

It is advisable not to overeat

No matter how delicious ranch is, you cannot eat a lot of it, as it is fatty, rich, and contains a large number of calories. Excess fatty foods can lead to increased cholesterol levels, which is dangerous for our body.

But still, if you are watching your figure and health, this does not mean that you cannot eat delicious ranch - you can, but within reasonable limits. Prepare it in advance, put it in a glass jar with a tight lid, use a little at a time and store in the refrigerator.

Cooking process

As you can see, the Ranch sauce, the composition of which is described above, does not include any outlandish or expensive ingredients. Difficulties may arise only with the purchase of buttermilk and chives. As mentioned above, dairy products can easily be replaced. As for the second component, this sauce can be prepared without it. But this is only if you purchased regular bow arrows for such a product.

So, to prepare the famous sauce, you need to mix high-calorie mayonnaise, buttermilk, and finely chopped chives in one bowl and then add dried parsley, garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper into the same container. By thoroughly mixing all the ingredients, you should get a fairly thick and aromatic mixture. It needs to be covered with cling film and placed in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Original recipe

The presented variation is good on its own, or for baked pizza. The composition includes:

125 g of mayonnaise with buttermilk;
50 g chives, replaced with the usual green ones;
10 g;
30 g dried;
5 g allspice.

First, it is suggested to mix the duo of the main components until the result looks homogeneous. Next, you need to thoroughly wash the onion and chop it. The resulting result is mixed with the white mass.

Only after this can you add parsley, ground allspice and salt. After mixing the almost finished mixture, transfer it to a bowl, covering tightly with cling film. In this position, the ranch should cool in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

But it’s up to everyone to decide whether to pour it into a gravy boat or use it to dress a salad.

Another option for making American sauce

After the residents of our country learned about this aromatic and very tasty sauce, it underwent many changes. However, the taste and quality of this product did not suffer at all.

So, we will need:

fatty mayonnaise - about 200 ml;
buttermilk - about 200 ml;
dry mustard - ¼ dessert spoon;
fine iodized salt - add to taste;
fresh chopped parsley - 3 large spoons;
fresh chives - large spoon;
fresh dill - dessert spoon;
ground paprika - add as desired (a couple of pinches);
garlic - 3 cloves;
ground black pepper - add to taste;
lemon juice - dessert spoon.

Classic recipe

This classic version of ranch gravy has a lot of ingredients, but is quick and easy to make. For the sauce you need to take:

mayonnaise (fatty variety) – 200 ml;
buttermilk – 200 ml;
mustard (powder) – ¼ dessert spoon;
garlic – 3 cloves;
ground paprika – 2 whispers;
fresh parsley, finely chopped - 3 tablespoons;
fresh chives (chopped) - 3 tablespoons;
ground black pepper - to taste;
fresh dill (finely chopped) – 1 dessert spoon;
lemon juice – 1 dessert spoon;
salt - to taste.

Preparation:

All greens that are listed in the list of ingredients must be finely chopped. Crush or finely chop the garlic. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon.
Add all ingredients to mayonnaise and mix thoroughly. This is the secret to making garlic ranch sauce, which as you can see, there is no secret to.

Add paprika, pepper and salt, tasting the gravy to guess the taste you like.

How to serve it correctly?

American Ranch sauce goes perfectly with almost all dishes, except, of course, sweets. You can dip bread, chips, crackers, French fries, meat, etc. in it. In addition, it is actively used for dressing salads, preparing sandwiches and burgers, as well as for baking chicken and vegetables.

Sauce is a great way to add variety to your menu. For example, ranch dressing is a popular dressing in the United States, used primarily for dipping fresh vegetables, snacks, fried foods, and small baked foods. Ranch sauce is also added to salads and savory pastries, to tacos and all kinds of rolls in flatbreads, like what we used to call shawarma, to hamburgers, etc.

Product Description

Ranch sauce looks like a smooth milky or cream-colored emulsion interspersed with green and brown, depending on what spices are added to it. The consistency ranges from “mayonnaise” to a fairly liquid, pourable consistency - here the role is played by what products and in what ratio are chosen as the base.

It's difficult to clearly articulate what ranch sauce tastes like, since it all depends on what ingredients go into it. In the classic version, it has a mayonnaise-creamy-garlic taste, with the aroma of herbs included in the composition; most often - not spicy or slightly spicy. In particular, industrial types of sauce are mostly quite neutral. However, there are also quite “hot” varieties of it - we will also present one of these recipes in this article.

Origin story

Ranch sauce was invented by a certain Steve Henson, a plumber who worked in the first half of the 1950s in Alaska, in one of its remote regions. By that time, he had married and in 1954 he and his wife opened their own guest house in California, calling it Hidden Valley Ranch. Guests were served, among other things, ranch sauce. Many people liked this salad dressing, and pretty soon Steve and his wife began selling it for takeout. They also offered their customers ready-made spice kits so they could make garlic ranch sauce at home.

Within a few years, the Hensons registered the Hidden Valley Ranch Food Products brand and opened a ranch sauce factory. Its products began to spread first in the southwestern part of America, but quickly spread throughout the country. In the second half of 1972, the brand was purchased by Clorox and is still its property. The ranch sauce recipe was changed in favor of longer shelf life, and flavorings were added to the classic recipe to make it cheaper. But that's a completely different story.

Ranch sauce at Dodo Pizza

Thanks to this chain of restaurants, ranch sauce became famous in Russia and is gaining popularity here. In Dodo it is mild in taste, with a distinct garlicky and creamy aroma. What is ranch sauce (in what dishes is it) at Dodo Pizza:

Ranch Chicken Pizza.
Pasta Chicken and mushrooms.
Dodster.

Hearty Bacon Sticks, now removed from the menu, were also baked with ranch sauce.

Compound

What does ranch sauce consist of:

Mayonnaise.
Buttermilk (in the original), or sour cream, yogurt, whey, etc.
Set of fresh greens. In the original it is chives, dill and parsley. Garlic is often added, sometimes mustard is added.
Dry spices. The original contains black pepper, ground sweet paprika, mustard seeds.
Salt.

Sometimes only fresh herbs or only dry spices are used; you can take store-bought mayonnaise or prepare it yourself (there are many videos on this topic on the Internet); you can make ranch sauce without mayonnaise, using only full-fat sour cream and buttermilk; chives, if they cannot be obtained, can easily be replaced with regular green onions. By the way, on English-language culinary sites, options with sets of dry spices, without fresh herbs, are quite popular.

Cooking recipes

We offer you 4 options for ranch sauce, including creamy garlic, like in Dodo Pizza. Below you will find tips on how to adjust the consistency of the dressing to the desired thickness.

Classic dill ranch

A simple yet delicious ranch dressing, this recipe is equally good on pizza, on salads, or for dipping.

Ingredients:

Mayonnaise, sour cream 20%, yogurt* - 0.5 cups each.
Chopped dill - 2 tbsp. l. with a slide.
Chopped parsley - 1 tbsp. l. with a slide.
Garlic - 2 medium cloves.
Medium ground black pepper - ¼ tsp.
French mustard (with grains) - 1 tsp. optional.
Salt - start with ¼ tsp, then to taste.

*In the original, milk curdled by adding 2 tsp. lemon juice. You can use ready-made store-bought yogurt, or naturally sour milk.

How to make ranch sauce for pizza:

In a deep bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream and yogurt well.
Add dill, parsley, pressed garlic, pepper and salt.
Mix everything well and try. If necessary, add more salt, pepper, herbs or garlic.
Place in the refrigerator for 1.5 hours to infuse.

This sauce can be prepared even a day before serving - it will only benefit from this: the herbs will have enough time to fully reveal their aroma.

Please note: we do not recommend grinding fresh herbs in a mortar or grinding them into a paste with an immersion blender. The released juice will add unnecessary bitterness to the dressing and make it too tart. A knife and a board are all you need.

Ranch sauce like in Dodo Pizza

Naturally, you won’t be able to get exactly the same taste as in a restaurant, but overall it will be pretty close.

Ranch sauce as in Dodo Pizza, composition:

Buttermilk - ⅔ cup*
Mayonnaise - ⅔ tbsp.
Dried garlic (powder) - 1 tsp.
Dried dill - 1 tsp.
Dried onion (powder) - 0.5 tsp.
Salt - to taste.

*Here it is important to take buttermilk, and not whey or yogurt. It is buttermilk that gives that creamy taste.

Preparation: everything is standard here - mix buttermilk with mayonnaise until smooth, then add all the spices and salt. Next, leave the sauce to sit in the refrigerator for an hour or two.

“Homemade” with dry spices

Homemade Ranch Sauce Ingredients:

Mayonnaise, sour cream and buttermilk - 0.5 cups each.
Dried garlic (powder) - 0.5 tsp.
Dried onion and parsley - 0.5 tsp each.
Dried onion (turnip) - ¼ tsp.
Dried dill - from ⅓ tsp. up to 1 tsp.
Salt - ¼ tsp.
Lemon juice - start with 1 tsp, then to taste. Can be replaced with white wine vinegar.

How to make Creamy* Ranch Sauce:

Place all the mayonnaise, sour cream and buttermilk in a deep container. Mix these products and then whisk until smooth.
Add all the spices and salt to the mixture and then mix well.
Add 1 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar, whisk for about 30 seconds.
Try the sauce. If necessary, acidify and add more salt, and then beat again.
Place the finished sauce in the refrigerator to steep for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours.

*the aroma of cream is given by buttermilk.

In this recipe, it is especially important not to ignore the point about the need to infuse the ranch sauce. Dry spices take time to develop their flavor and aroma.

Spicy “Southwestern”

Hot Ranch Sauce Recipe Includes:

Mayonnaise and sour cream - 1 glass each.
Chopped dill - 1 tbsp. l.
Chopped parsley - 1 tbsp. l.
Chives (chopped) - 1 tsp.
Garlic - 1 clove. You can replace ½ tsp. granulated (dry) garlic.
Crushed red pepper (raw) - 0.5 tsp.
Ground cayenne pepper - ⅙ tsp*
Ground red pepper flakes - ⅛ tsp*
Chili pepper - ½ tsp.
Oregano - ¼ tsp.
Salt - ½ tsp, then to taste.
Lemon or lime juice - 1 tsp, then to taste.

How to make ranch sauce using this recipe:

In a bowl, whisk mayonnaise and sour cream.
Add herbs, garlic, all types of peppers and salt. Mix well.
Pour 1 tsp into the mixture. lemon/lime juice and whisk everything together.
Taste and add more acid, pepper or salt if necessary.
Place in the refrigerator—the sauce should be well chilled before serving.

Please note: if the sauce is to be served the next day, additional pepper should not be added immediately (step 4). Overnight, the amount already added to the sauce will noticeably increase its spiciness.

About adjusting the thickness of ranch sauce

The consistency of this dressing directly depends on the quality and characteristics of its components. To get a thicker sauce, you can do the following:

Replace buttermilk with sour cream or yogurt. This is always acceptable, but you just need to take into account that the taste of the finished product will have more sourness*.
Increase the amount of mayonnaise in the recipe by decreasing the amount of buttermilk/other dairy products.
Replace fresh vegetables with dried ones. Garlic powder, dried chives, dill and parsley can all be found in the spice aisle.

*Fat sour cream (from 20%) will taste less sour.

Here's an interesting tip from English-language culinary forums: ranch sauce that turns out to be too thin can be thickened with saltine crackers crushed into powder. Add crackers starting from 1 tbsp. l. for every 0.5 l. Before adding more, let the previous portion swell well (3-5 minutes) - perhaps you will get the desired consistency from the first spoon.

Ranch Pizza Recipe

When choosing which dishes to serve with ranch sauce, it’s impossible to pass up America’s favorite pizza. I must say that it will also be garlicky, but not as complex in taste as real ranch from Hanks. For the dish you need to prepare:

garlic – 1 clove;
lemon juice – 1 tablespoon;
mayonnaise – ½ tablespoon;
raw yolk – 1 piece;
olive oil – 50 ml;
salt to taste.

Cooking process:

Peel the garlic and press through a press.
Mix lemon juice, yolk, butter, salt. Beat well, add garlic, beat a little more. You should not replace olive oil with sunflower oil, so as not to disrupt the originality of the dish.
Add mayonnaise, mix, ranch sauce for pizza is ready. If you want to give the gravy a red tint, add a little tomato sauce.

You can also sweeten the gravy, here you decide for yourself, and focus on the type of main dish. So, tomatoes are not suitable for pizza with mushrooms, but for a meat version, spicy ketchup will be organic. Vary the composition and enjoy culinary creativity.