Day 2 of P90X workouts and crazy healthy nutrition plan, and I already have a healthy recipe to share!
I love the idea of making homemade salad dressings, but the few recipes I’ve tried turned out…not very good. Since I’ll be eating a lot of salads over the next few months, I decided to work on a yogurt-based ranch recipe to top my salads with. I used several recipes online as reference, but didn’t have buttermilk or dry milk or chives or whatever else that a lot of recipes called for. After tweaking the recipe numerous times and eating way too much homemade ranch by itself, I finally settled on the recipe and amย pretty excited about it.
I will say, though, that this recipe is not for everyone. I’ve kind of aquired taste for plain Greek yogurt, so the fact it sticks out a bitย in this recipe is okay with me. Just keep in mind thisย will taste differently from traditional ranch, and not everyone may like it. However, I personally think it’s worth the massive improvement in nutrients.
In a small bowl, I combined milk (2%) and just a tiny bit of white vinegar and set that aside. (This will create a homemade buttermilk.) Then in a larger bowl, I added plain Greek yogurt, grated Parmesan, and a whole bunch of seasonings (aka dried parsley, dried dill, garlic and onion powders, salt, and pepper). At this point, I poured the milk-vinegar combo into the larger bowl and whisked it all together. Voila! You’ve got a Greek yogurt ranch concoction.
Just a heads up, this is a ranch dressing recipe; not a ranchย dip. However, if you just omitted a bit of the milk, it’ll be a thicker consistency and much better for dipping. ๐ Without further ado, here it is!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup milk* (I usually use 1% milk)
- 1/2 tsp white vinegar
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbs grated parmesan
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions:
- Combine milk and vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In a larger bowl, combine yogurt and all seasonings. Add milk-vinegar mixture, and whisk until all ingredients are combined.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge for a couple weeks.
Notes:
*1/2 cup of milk will provide a thinner dressing consistency. For more of a ranch dip, only add 1/4 cup of milk.
I’m hoping to add more dressings to my healthy recipe list, but I’m happy I have this for now!ย I’ve found this to work well on salads, to dip veggies in, and even for a condiment on chicken. Let’s be real, though, the possibilities for ranch are endless.
Side note: Make sure to check the expiration date on the milk and yogurt. This only stays good as long as those do!
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says
I love using Greek yogurt in my dressings this looks great too!
Katie says
I’m starting to realize the beauty of yogurt in dressings. It adds a nice creaminess!
Debbie says
I made this. Way too much milk. Grossed me out. Not good at all.
Katie says
Sorry to hear you didn’t like it! This is meant as a fairly thin dressing, but you can definitely lower the amount of milk according to the consistency you prefer.
Allison says
Is there any way to thicken it some?
Katie says
Yep! You can easily make it thicker by using less milk. Try using 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup of milk (instead of the 3/4 cup) to see if it’s more the consistency you’re looking for.
Donitta says
very watery I shoulda read the comments first I would have used less milk
Lori says
I made this to go with my cauliflower buffalo wings, and it turned out great!. I added the milk a little at a time to get the consistency I was looking for.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!.
Katie says
So glad you liked it! Sounds like a great combo with the cauliflower buffalo wings.
Maria says
This is amazing!!! Love that I came across it. It tastes just like ranch, but without so much fat!
Katie says
I’m so glad you liked it!! ๐
Lisa says
I wonder how it would be with almond milk