Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix by Joanne

When I was a kid, ranch was one of my favorite flavors. Ranch dressing was always the magical thing you dipped all of the finger foods into. Chicken strips, cut celery, carrot sticks, you name it.

Oh, and salad. There was lots of ranch dressing on salad.

Ranch dressing is probably the most common form of the ranch flavor theme, but with ranch seasoning mix, you can make all sorts of foods ranch-style. Beyond dressing and dip, I love making ranch popcorn, ranch potato wedges, and crispy ranch chicken tenders. That creamy mix of buttermilk, chives, dill, and spices is a welcome addition to so many dishes.

 
 

Though you can buy ranch seasoning packets from the store, I really prefer to make my own, free of MSG and preservatives. It really doesn’t take long to make. Take 5 minutes to mix a few ingredients together, and you’re set.

 
 

The key ingredient to ranch seasoning mix is dry buttermilk powder. You can pick it up off the shelf of your grocery store, usually in the baking aisle or near the powdered milk.

If you’ve never seen this stuff before, it’s wonderful because you can actually use it for pancakes, waffles, and many other recipes calling for buttermilk, and it keeps for months!

 
 

Add a half cup of the dry buttermilk to a bowl, then add dried parsley, dried dill, dried chives, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

 
 

Whisk it all together to combine, and you’re in business!

 
 

Place the seasoning mix into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.

Here are a few ideas for using ranch seasoning mix:

Homemade Ranch Dip
Mix together ¼ cup of ranch seasoning mix with 1 cup of sour cream and 2 tablespoons buttermilk.

Homemade Ranch Dressing
Mix together ¼ cup ranch seasoning mix with 1 cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, and ½ cup buttermilk.

Ranch Chicken Fingers
When dredging chicken tenders in flour, egg, and cornflakes, add 2 tablespoons of ranch seasoning mix to the flour to give more flavor.

Ranch Popcorn
Toss 8 cups of popcorn with 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning mix.

Roasted Ranch Potato Wedges
Toss 1 pound of potato wedges with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning mix. Roast at 400ºF for about 30 minutes, until tender.

 
 

Do you have any favorite ways to use ranch mix? Share with us below!