Grab a straw, buckle up, and prepare to to take a ride on the best damn dressing train. Toot Toot! This dill pickle ranch dressing has an unrivaled balance of herby creamy goodness and tangy brininess. Its the perfect accompaniment to any salad, side dish, chicken wing, or shameful midnight finger dip.
“Oh sh*t they found us!”
-hidden valley folks
Table of Contents: Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing
Table of contents
- Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing Recipe
Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing Recipe
Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing
A fun fresh homemade ranch dressing packed full of dill pickle flavor.
4
servings5
minutesIngredients
1/3 cup 1/3 Mayo – preferably Dukes
1/3 cup 1/3 Sour Cream – or greek yogurt
3 Tbsp 3 Pickle Brine
2 Tbsp 2 Dill Pickles – minced
1.5 tsp 1.5 Garlic Powder
1 tsp 1 Onion Powder
1.5 tsp 1.5 Dill Weed
1 tsp 1 Kosher Salt
2 Tbsp 2 Fresh Dill – Finely Chopped
Directions
- Mince the dill pickle, chop your herbs, and gather the rest of your ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients.
- Use a whisk to incorporate everything thoroughly. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
Notes
- *You could also just toss all of your ingredients into a mason jar, secure the lid, and shake well for 30 seconds or so. Less mess and no bowl to wash.
WTF is Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing?
Everyone knows what ranch dressing is. The NY times states “Forty percent of Americans named ranch as their favorite dressing; its nearest competitor, Italian, came in at 10 percent”. Full article here.
But what the hell exactly is dill pickle ranch dressing? Well, let me tell you, it’s exactly what it sounds like. A magical combination of creamy homemade ranch dressing and tangy dill pickles. For this recipe, we take crisp pickles, fresh dill herbs, dried dill weed, and even some pickle brine and blend it together with top notch sour cream and mayo to create a flavor explosion in your mouth. Trust me, it’s a match made in heaven.
This recipe is perfect for anyone who can’t get enough dill pickles. Or anyone that is pickle curious. Or for anyone just wanting to kick up the flavor meter a few notches. Come one, come all to the not so hidden valley of dill pickle ranch dressing.
Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this dill pickle ranch dressing recipe. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding any of these ingredients at your local supermarket. Let’s get to ranch’n!
- Mayo: We prefer Duke’s Mayo, it’s the best. Any mayo will work fine, use your favorite.
- Sour Cream: Tillamook sour cream is our preferred brand. Can you blame us? We do live in Oregon! Tillamook is right down the road from us.
- Pickles: We chop some pickles up and pour a couple tablespoons of the pickle brine into the dressing. So get a tasty pickle. My favorite dill pickles are Claussen, they have that nice snap to them.
- Herb & Spices: Salt, onion powder, garlic powder, dill weed and fresh dill.
Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing Equipment
You don’t need anything crazy to make this dill pickle ranch dressing recipe. You probably already have what you need in your kitchen.
- Mixing Bowl: Or just use a cereal bowl, whatever you have is fine.
- Whisk: A fork works just as good too.
- Knife & Cutting Board: Mince those dill pickles up really nicely, you don’t want a huge hunk of pickle in your dressing.
- Storage Container/Jar: Once your dill pickle ranch dressing is ready, you’ll need a container with a lid for storage in the refrigerator.
- *Food Processor: You definitely don’t HAVE to have a food processor to make pickle ranch dressing, but it’ll make your life easier. Just toss everything in and let it do the work for you.
How to Make Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing
Follow these step by step instructions to make this ranch dressing recipe. It’s really just some prep work, no cooking required. It should only take your five minutes or so to complete.
Step 1: Prep
Mince the dill pickle, chop your herbs, and gather the rest of your ingredients.
Step 2: Combine
In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients. Use a whisk to thoroughly incorporate everything. Optionally you could mix everything together in a food processor.
Step 3: Store
Transfer to an airtight container for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.
*You could also just toss all of your ingredients into a mason jar, secure the lid, and shake well for 30 seconds or so. Less mess and no bowl to wash.
How to Use Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing
If you need help finding things to put ranch dressing on, then you probably can’t read this blog post, so I don’t know what I’m doing here. Obviously you just stick a straw in the jar and drink it straight, duh.
However, if you’re not into that you could always use it on salads, or as a dip for pizza, veggies, or chicken wings. If you’re looking for a quick and easy chicken wing recipe, check out our Classic Buffalo Chicken Wing recipe or our Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wing Recipe.
I’ve also heard rumors of people taking dill pickle ranch dressing baths. However, with inflation on the rise I can’t endorse this in good conscious.
Why is My Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing Too Thin?
If your dressing is coming out more like an experimental dairy cocktail than the thick store bought dressing we’re all used to, we have some tips. (Although I’m not knocking the idea of a dill pickle & ranch BloodyMary)
- One way to thicken your dressing is by using a little more mayo or sour cream. They are both high in fat they give the dressing that a wonderful creamy texture. Simply add a few more tablespoons of sour cream or mayonnaise, one or two at time, until you get the dressing to a thicker consistency.
- Another way you could thicken your dill pickle ranch dressing is by using a thickening agent like cornstarch or xanthan gum. Yeah, I don’t have any xanthan gum either. Simply mix a small amount of cornstarch with a little water to make a paste and then mix it into the dressing. Be careful not to add too much, as it can give the dressing a gluey texture if overused.
- You can also use a food processor or blender to make the dressing more homogenous. This will make it thicker, by breaking down the ingredients and making the dressing more cohesive.
Storing Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing
Store the dressing in a clean, airtight container in the refrigerator, it’ll be good for up to a week or more.
Don’t freeze dill pickle ranch dressing. Freezing it will affect the texture and the flavor, especially the creamy components. The sour cream and mayonnaise tend to separate after thawing, and the water and ice crystals that form during freezing can also change the texture of the dressing. Gross
Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing FAQ’s
Yes, you can use ranch dressing as a marinade for chicken, pork, or beef. Simply coat the meat with the dressing and allow it to marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking.
Yes, you can make homemade ranch dressing dairy-free by using non-dairy alternatives such as vegan mayonnaise, vegan sour cream or vegan yogurt.
Yes, you can use yogurt instead of sour cream in ranch dressing. Yogurt is a healthy alternative to sour cream and will still give you a creamy, tangy flavor.
Yes, you can use low-fat mayonnaise, sour cream, and yogurt to make a healthier version of homemade ranch dressing. Keep in mind that using low-fat ingredients may affect the flavor and consistency of the dressing.
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