Your Ranch Dressing Deserves This Chef-Approved Flavor Boost

Creamy, fresh, and tangy; ranch dressing has it all. It's practically an all-purpose dip, working equally well on carrots as it does on pizza or chicken wings. People who love the herbaceous dressing really love it and use it on pretty much anything. While there are a myriad of ways to get your ranch dressing fix, from flavor powders to squeeze bottles, the most prized of all ranch formats is the fresh-made version (there is a reason you probably prefer restaurant-made ranch over bottled). But what if you want fresh-ranch taste yet don't have time to whip up a whole new batch? You're in luck; we spoke to chef Mike O'Mara, senior food scientist at Litehouse Inc., about the best way to jazz up that humble bottle of grocery store ranch you have sitting in the side door of your fridge.

His suggestion? Add some fresh dairy. "I recommend incorporating a splash of heavy cream or buttermilk," O'Mara said. But what does an addition such as buttermilk or cream bring to the table (or bowl)? According to O'Mara, fresh dairy products "elevate the dressing, providing fresh dairy notes that are characteristic of homemade ranch." Essentially, buttermilk or cream adds a more homemade taste to your dressing, counteracting some of the gluey, sometimes artificial taste of bottled ranch.

Some bottled ranch dressings are better than others, but there is no denying that bottled ranch simply cannot capture the taste of its fresh counterpart. It's difficult to make a dairy-based dip into a product that can sit on store shelves, or in your fridge, for an extended period of time. Ingredients such as buttermilk, cream, or milk have a tendency to spoil quickly, as do the herbs that go into the dressing. To extend ranch dressing's longevity, vegetable oil is added as a supplement to dairy ingredients, which play a much smaller role in bottled versions. Since vegetable oil doesn't spoil as quickly, it makes a better base for bottled ranch. However, it does change the consistency, making it more oily and less creamy.

Additionally, preservatives, such as sorbic acid, are added to bottled ranch to help keep the dairy ingredients from spoiling. Sorbic acid doesn't impact the dressing's taste, but it may avert diners who prefer to avoid preservatives. While there is some dairy in bottled ranch, it isn't nearly as prominent as in its fresh counterpart, so it doesn't have the same fresh, creamy taste as homemade ranch. Adding some fresh buttermilk can help de-gloop your dressing and add a bright zing that instantly enhances it.

While adding a bit of fresh buttermilk, cream, or milk to your bottled ranch perks up your next dip, it might also thin it out. This is a benefit if you prefer runny ranch, but it's a dealbreaker for some. If you want to give your ranch a tangy twist without thinning it out, add sour cream or Greek yogurt. This brings a similar tanginess as buttermilk while keeping your ranch perfectly thick. 

If it's the green, herby taste you find lacking in the bottled stuff, try adding some chopped dill or chives. This instantly elevates your dressing, giving it a green, aromatic edge that the shelved version often lacks. This can be done in conjunction with, or in place of, adding milk to your dressing (depending on which elements of fresh ranch you want to recreate).

Other additions to consider are onion and garlic powder, which bring out a savory edge, or a few sprinkles of powdered ranch dressing mix, which really help if your dairy supplement diluted the taste. At this point, though, your ranch might be the culinary version of the ship of Theseus — how much can you alter bottled ranch until it circles back to being homemade?