6 Ways To Amp Up The Flavor Of Store-Bought Ranch Dressing

Though it actually originated in the late 1940s, ranch dressing hit its stride around the late 80s and early 90s when it became part of both the Gen X and Millennial zeitgeist. Nineties kids will remember their childhood as the height of the ranch dressing decade and all of the creamy, dreamy years that have followed since. While the composition is a relatively simple mix of buttermilk, mayonnaise, herbs, and spices, the widespread availability of store-bought ranch dressing has many home cooks grabbing a bottle of their favorite brand and jazzing it up as they see fit — and there are many options to elevate the flavors to amazing new heights.

Considering the general makeup of ranch dressing, you can go the route of identifying your favorite ingredients and adding more of whatever you already like best, such as dill or cilantro. If you're feeling a little extra, there's always the choice to buck expectations and get experimental with upgrades like hot sauce and even more seemingly off-the-wall additions. Whether choosing to enhance your classic favorite flavors or throw a curveball in contrast, your improved store-bought ranch dressing is sure to be a hit whether dressing a salad, acting as a condiment to pizza, or any number of other creative uses.

The characteristically tangy taste of ranch dressing comes from its buttermilk base, complemented by a slew of green herbs including dill, parsley, and chives. If you want to amp up the earthy green taste of your favorite brand, it's as simple as adding more fresh or dried herbs. There is an observable difference between fresh and dried herbs with dried herbs having a stronger flavor. As such, you'll need less dried herbs to blend into your ranch than you would fresh.

With fresh herbs, however, there is more of a brightness in taste that will permeate throughout the already cool and refreshing mixture, particularly when you use herbs like dill, parsley, basil, cilantro, or sage. Consider mincing or muddling your green herbs to release the oils and enhance the aroma prior to adding them to your store-bought ranch. Whether dried or fresh, make sure that you go slowly with your additions so that they complement the overall flavor without overpowering it.

Since its inception, ranch dressing has utilized a combination of buttermilk and mayonnaise for its base. In the modern day, many store-bought brands include a significantly wider selection of options using substitutes for buttermilk along with other non-dairy offerings. If you're looking to increase the sour and tangy notes in your bottled dressing, then an addition of fresh buttermilk is still an excellent choice. The fermentation process by which buttermilk is cultured is what gives it such a distinctive sour taste, making it the foundation to any great ranch dressing.

Similarly to creating a sourdough, making your own cultured buttermilk starts with already active cultures in a portion of buttermilk, which are combined with regular milk and given time to culture. By this logic, adding buttermilk to your ranch dressing will effectively re-culture it, giving more of its signature tangy flavor and enhancing its overall composition. You can also try a DIY dairy-free version by combining 1 cup of non-dairy milk with 1 tablespoon of either vinegar or lemon juice, and giving the mixture about five minutes to fully integrate.

Along with a variety of green herbs, the spices in ranch dressing are what really make it. A hearty mix of salt and black pepper are typical of any iteration, but it's up to you to amp up the seasoning blend of your store-bought bottle. For example, something as simple as using coarse or freshly ground cracked black pepper will immediately add a touch of boldness to an otherwise standard recipe. You don't have to stick to just salt and pepper, though. With so many essential spices to have in your pantry, there's a lot of room for creativity.

Think about how you will be utilizing your ranch dressing — as a dip or condiment versus dressing a salad, for example — and consider how the addition of spices will play well with whatever you're eating. Adding more seasonings like garlic powder, coriander, and paprika will enrich the complexity of your flavors. Something spicy like a chili powder or red cayenne will give a fiery taste to your store-bought ranch, making it a perfect pizza topping for anyone who likes a little heat.

Speaking of spicy, if you love giving a kick to your food, look no further than that basic bottle of store-bought ranch dressing for a place to bring the heat. Knowing the generally dairy-rich base of your dressing will act as a cooling counter to whatever spicy ingredients you add, you can comfortably test the waters — and Scoville levels — to your comfort. From hot sauce, to spicy seasonings, and even a few homemade tricks, it's easy and fun to add a new layer of flavor and fire to your ranch.

Choose from a number of grocery store hot sauce brands to combine with your dressing for a quick and easy lift to your sauce. If you're feeling especially adventurous, you can also try mixing chili powders of different heat levels to make your own spicy seasoning blend. If you prefer to get even more DIY, make your own hot sauce at home for the perfect complementary addition.

To give a boost to the tangy and sour flavors of a standard ranch recipe, you'll want to amp up the citrus factor. As many quick homemade buttermilk recipes call for combining regular milk with either vinegar or lemon juice, you can be sure that the addition of citrus to your ranch dressing will dress it up with the essential elements already present. Stretch the limits of your imagination by choosing a citrus fruit other than lemon to add more complexity to the flavor profile.

Lime is an excellent citrus fruit to try and would pair well to dress a hearty taco salad along with a variety of other delicious recipes. Calamansi fruit is a unique choice that also makes a perfect addition to ranch dressing with its aromatic and delicate balance of both sour and sweet notes. Consider that you can also zest your citrus fruits to add a dash of the rind into the dressing alongside a generous squeeze of juice.

Of course, no tinkering would be complete without a healthy dose of experimentation. And there are lots of avenues to explore when it comes to out-of-the-box ingredients to elevate the status of your store-bought dressing. On the lighter side, try adding avocado for extra creaminess or a hefty crumble of blue cheese to increase the pungency of your ranch. Getting heavier, mixing in chopped pieces of smoky bacon will add a meaty taste and texture, which would be especially delicious atop a Cobb salad among others.

If you want to dive even deeper into your experimentation, mix a dash of truffle oil into your dressing and explore the taste sensation. A few drops of fish sauce will bring a uniquely salty — and particularly pungent — addition to your sauce. Beyond that, the sky's the limit. If you're conscientious of the flavors already present in your store-bought ranch as well as what you'll be pouring it on or dipping into it, you can definitely test and see what best suits your tastes and livens up your dressing.