This homemade ranch seasoning is not only delicious but also gluten free, Paleo, Whole30 and no dairy. It is a great way to get the favorite flavor combination of ranch dressing without the extras.
I think the deepest loves of my heart go something like this: God, Family, Friends, Ranch Dressing. Not any old ranch but the homemade stuff totally has carved out its own special little place right there in my heart. I mean why not? It is over the top delicious. The flavor goes well with everything and it makes my life in the kitchen way easier. Get anything. Season with ranch. cook. Serve. Family devours it. Simple right?
{To see ALL of our Whole30 Recipes, click here!}
Then Whole30 happened. You can read more about why I decided to do Whole30 here, it is not what you are probably thinking, by the way. No dairy. NO DAIRY. This meant no ranch dressing or even premade ranch powder since it also has powdered milk. This was not going to fly in my house.
I started digging around and researching the flavors in ranch. Without getting to much into it, a little reverse engineering later I came out with a seasoning mix sans dairy that would give me the main flavors of ranch. Now in the spirit of total disclosure, dairy is part of the signature taste of ranch dressing, so this is not an identical copycat of the store bought stuff, BUT dare I say it… My family might even like it better.
Making this seasoning mix from scratch leaves out not only the dairy but all of the preservatives and other non-pronounceable things in that ingredient list. What you are left with is an amazingly fresh and bold combo of seasonings you can use on anything!
I have become slightly *obsessed* with using it and have about a thousand ideas coming at you soon in the form of new recipe posts here on my blog, so make sure you follow along on Pinterest or Facebook to catch all of them when they are published.
Now since this mix is pretty concentrated with spices and there is no dairy diluting it, it is pretty strong so a little bit goes a long way. About 2 tablespoons would equal one store bought package and can be used in any of the same recipes or ways you would currently use it.
I like to do a few everyday things with my ranch mix:
- Mix with olive oil to marinade meat (SO good on chicken!)
- Mix with mayo for a dairy free, sugar free, and INSANELY delicious dip ** If you are following Whole30, you will need to use either homemade mayo, or compliant mayo like this Avocado Oil Mayo.
- Sprinkle over veggies you are grilling or sautéing, or roasting.
The sky is the limit though. You can really add this magical stuff to anything you are making and it will be great!
Oh wait… the best part: super simple to make. Just combine the dry seasonings in a bowl and mix until evenly combined. Then just transfer it to a mason jar, or another air tight container and you are in business. Make sure that you give it a good shake before you scoop it out because there are quite a few shapes and sizes of seasonings in the mix and the finer ones can settle to the bottom as it rests.
****Get the recipe to make this ranch mix into Whole30 Ranch Dressing here!!****
Hungry for more family-friendly recipes? Sign up for my free recipe club to get new family-friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing daily meal-time inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.
Whole30 Homemade Ranch Mix
Ingredients
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp parsley
- 3 tsp dill weed
- 2 tsp dried chives
- 4 tsp garlic powder
- 4 tsp onion powder
- 4 tsp dried onion flakes
- 2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together and store in a 1/2 pint mason jar or other air tight container.
Recipe Notes:
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Ashley says
how long does this last in the fridge once the ranch dressing is made?
Megan says
This is really good and I think it’s pretty similar to the regular ranch dressing we’ve been making for a while now! Instead of mixing with 1/2 sour cream and half store bought mayo like we normally do, I mixed with a cup of homemade Whole 30 mayo like suggested (I added 1tbs plus 2 tsp of mix just because we thin ours to use as dressing and if it isn’t strong flavored, thinning tends to make it bland). One tip, we’ve always thinned our homemade ranch with pickle juice and it’s tasted so much better than when we’ve tried anything else. So now, I just made sure the pickles were Whole 30 compliant (they’re the Trader Joe’s kosher dills) and it worked like a charm as per usual! Thanks for sharing this!
Kimber says
I absolutely love this idea! I’m going to have to try it! Thanks for sharing!
Manda says
I am loving this blog!!! I just started whole 30, and NEEED ranch. I Use ranch literally on everything! you are a life saver!
Val says
If I don’t have onion flakes should I just use more onion powder?
Kensy says
Found this via your chicken salad recipe, and we love both! Wondering if anyone has done the math to make an even larger batch (hoping to make some to share)? Thought I’d ask before taking the time to do so myself. Thanks!
Kayleigh says
Fresh dill and parsley or dried?
Kimber says
I use dried for all. I am sorry that was confusing. I will fix it!
Mary Lynn says
I made this to add to vegan cream cheese for cucumber sandwiches with party rye, a cucumber slice and a piece of pimento. My vegan family members and everyone else LOVED it!! And I got lots of credit for making my own mix.Thanks!
Joie Riddle says
For whole 30, You use about 3 to 1 ratio of homemade Mayo to coconut cream. So put a can of coconut milk in the fridge for a few hours, and then just take the solid portion on top. That makes more of a dip. If you wanted a little thinner you can add more of the milk portion. Just do this to desired consistency. If you’re using more of a 3 to 1, and it’s totally up to personal taste, you don’t taste the coconut at all.
Jackie Turbot says
I just finished my first Whole30 using the Primal and Tessemaes salad dressings. This mix is the bomb. It tastes very close to the real thing–without any of the crap. Thank you!!
Becky Harden says
Thank you for this recipe! We love the ranch dressing made with the packet, but wanted to cut processed food from our diet. This combination is spot on!