Jalapeño Buttermilk Ranch

Ranch dressing! It’s the natural partner for cold and crunchy iceberg lettuce, carrot sticks and slices of takeout pizza. I have two different versions of ranch dressing, one full of herbs and lemon, and the other full of jalapeño and cilantro. I’ve also been known to tone down the “green things” and jalapeños for picky eaters.

For a night of soup and salad at home, there would be nothing easier than slow cooker chicken tortilla soup and jalapeño buttermilk ranch over greens. Add some cornbread and a jalapeño mint margarita, and your night is looking up.

Jalapeño buttermilk ranch is easy to modify into a more traditional ranch by eliminating the jalapeño peppers and cutting down or omitting the cilantro. Just combine all the ingredients in the bowl of your food processor and pulse to combine well.

Celery or carrot sticks should be close by for testing the finished product. There’s no better way to get veggies in your kids than a tempting bowl of ranch dressing for dipping. But be warned, it’s habit forming.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Homemade Jalapeno Ranch

Use regular Hellman's mayonnaise for this recipe, healthy avocado oil-based mayos will work, but lend a slightly different taste to the finished dressing. Low-fat or non-fat plain Greek yogurt will work fine, but I prefer it with full-fat. 

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Salad Dressing

Cuisine: American

Author: Marcia Smart

Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk or more for a thinner consistency
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 lemon juiced, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced chives
• 1 tablespoon minced cilantro
• 1 jalapeño deseeded and chopped, or more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

• In the bowl of your food processor, add all the ingredients. Pulse. Lift up a spoonful of dressing and pour it back into bowl. It should run freely; if not, thin it out with additional buttermilk. Taste for salt and lemon juice; adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Refrigerate for up to one week.

Notes

Serve this tangy homemade ranch with a variety of raw vegetables, including English cucumbers, colorful peppers, radishes, cherry tomatoes, carrots and celery. Ingredients make a big difference here – use Hellman’s or Duke’s mayo. When finished, taste for seasoning and add more salt or lemon juice if you'd like. Last but not least, the herbs should be fresh, not dried. 

Substitutions:

If you don't have buttermilk, use regular milk and an extra squeeze of lemon juice.