Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing Recipe « Running in a Skirt (2024)

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Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing with no mayo is homemade, low-fat, and low-calorie salad dressing or dip. Creamy, smooth, and with all the classic ranch flavors you love. This easy low-calorie ranch dressing uses pantry staples and can be made in minutes! You'll never miss the bottled kind!

Love making your own salad dressings? Try my 15+ Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings.

Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing Recipe « Running in a Skirt (1)

Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing

My Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing with no mayo takes everything bad for you OUT of the ranch and makes it an amazing dressing or dip you can actually feel good eating. This recipe calls for no mayo or sour cream plus instead of using a packet or mix it uses simple spices you probably already have in your fridge. You can also use my Homemade Ranch Seasoning.

My Healthy Greek Salad Dressing went over so well, that I decided to share a few more of my favorite dressing creations. Homemade salad dressings are very simple and something you can make ahead and use all week. I have nothing against using a bottle in a pinch, but homemade tastes so much better and you can control what you put in them.

If you are wondering if you can make ranch dressing with Greek yogurt... YOU CAN! It tastes better than the bottle AND is surprisingly healthy. This low-calorie ranch dressing is perfect for dipping and drizzling on top of your favorite salad.

This magical salad dressing is low calorie, low fat, low carb, gluten-free, vegetarian, and comes in at only 27 calories per serving. Traditional bottled ranch dressing has 130 calories just two tablespoons per serving.

Move over Hidden Valley Ranch and store bought ranch... a new HEALTHY ranch dressing is in town.

Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing Recipe « Running in a Skirt (2)

Why You'll Love this Ranch Dressing with Greek Yogurt...

  • This Ranch Dressing with Greek Yogurt is made with Greek yogurt and has no mayo or sour cream.
  • It's super light and healthy! It's even diet-friendly, unlike traditional ranch dressing.
  • It's simple to make with pantry staples.
  • It's a great use for Greek yogurt.
  • It works great as a dressing or dip!
  • Making your own salad dressing is a great habit to get into for health and budget.

Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing Recipe « Running in a Skirt (3)

Ingredients:

Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing, but keep scrolling for the full recipe amounts and printable recipe.

  • Plain Greek yogurt:Greek yogurt takes the place of the more fattening ingredients you typically see in homemade ranch dressings: sour cream and mayonnaise. You can use either low-fat or full fat greek yogurt, depending on your dietary preferences, but if you are looking for a low-calorie dressing, do the low-fat.
  • Seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, chives, dill):You can't have ranch dressing without these main seasonings. These are the same combination of seasonings you'll find in a traditional ranch packet. You can easily make your own with the combination below, or make your own DIY Ranch Seasoning with my recipe. You'll need about 2 tablespoons of prepared ranch seasoning. You can use fresh or dried parsley.
  • Lemon:A little bit of lemon juice adds a nice tanginess to the dressing. It also keeps the dressing bright and light and adds some acidity to the dressing to balance out the flavors.
  • Salt and Pepper:Salt and pepper helps to bring out the flavors. I usually add around ¼ teaspoon of each, but adjust to your taste.
  • Milk: Dairy or non-dairy (make sure it's non-flavored), you can use whichever type of milk you prefer.

How do you make Homemade Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing?

  1. Add all of the ingredients, except the milk, to a small bowl and whisk together.
  2. Slowly add in the milk until you reach the desired consistency. You can leave the dip thicker for a dip or make it thinner for a dressing.
  3. Transfer to a glass serving bottle for pouring and storage.

Tips for making the ranch

  • The greek yogurt ranch dip recipe calls for using either fresh or dried herbs, making it a great year-round recipe. You can use whatever you have. Since my garden is going so well this year, I used fresh herbs in this version. It packs a lot of flavors too. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
  • If you have picky kids (or a picky husband!) this recipe is the perfect addition to a salad or veggie plate. They'll never know you made the swap.
  • The type of greek yogurt you pick for this salad dressing will determine the calorie count and creaminess. Higher fat yogurt will be creamier but lower fat will have fewer calories.
  • The base for this healthy dressing is basically just Greek yogurt and milk. The milk thins it out a bit and you can adjust the amount of milk you put in to adapt to what you are using it for. Want a thinner salad dressing? Use more milk! Want a thicker ranch dip? Use less! Either way, you make it, it's delicious!

Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing Recipe « Running in a Skirt (4)

Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing is So Good!

The entire recipe for my Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing takes less than 5 minutes to make and is super low calorie. A tablespoon of the healthy homemade ranch dressing is only 27 calories when using fat-free yogurt and milk. You can dunk and dip until your heart is content.

It's also made with ingredients you probably already keep in your pantry and spice rack, so hopefully, it will be pretty easy for you to try it. Making ranch dressing with Greek yogurt at home is so great and it's never been easier to leave the mayo out of a recipe.

If you love making homemade salad dressing, or just trying to get into the habit, check out my complete guide to making Homemade Salad Dressing which includes 15+ recipes for healthy salad dressing including Healthy Greek Salad Dressing, Homemade Red Wine Vinegar Dressing, Greek Yogurt Poppyseed Dressing, Healthy Thai Peanut Dressing and more.

As always, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below.

FAQ

Storage & Leftovers

Store any leftovers in an airtight container like a mason jar in the fridge for up to a week. I love this glass serving bottle. Make sure to stir it well before using it.

Freezing

I do not recommend freezing the dressing as it will have a strange consistency when you thaw it back out.

How long does the ranch last?

Store the ranch in an airtight container in your fridge for as long as your milk and yogurt are fresh! Most likely that will be 5-7 days.

What does yogurt ranch taste like?

Yogurt Ranch tastes surprisingly like traditional ranch because it has all of the same spices and flavors. Greek yogurt is a perfect swap out for mayo. It is a bit lighter in taste and slightly tangier than traditional ranch, but it still tastes very similar to the ranch you expect.

What is Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing used for?

You can use Greek yogurt ranch on:

  • With fresh veggies like carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers and tomatoes.
  • On your favorite salad.
  • As a dressing on Vegan Cobb Salad
  • As a dressing on Mexican Chopped Salad.
  • With my Homemade Sweet Potato Chips.
  • As a dip for Parmesan Ranch Cauliflower or Curly Sweet Potato Fries
  • With my Oven Baked Zucchini Fries.
  • Drizzle it on Shrimp Tacos.
  • It's also a great substitute for anything you love ranch dressing on!

More Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings:

  • 15+ Healthy Homemade Salad Dressings
  • Healthy Greek Salad Dressing
  • Healthy Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing
  • Homemade Lemon Tahini Dressing
  • 5 Ingredient Basil Vinaigrette Dressing
  • Healthy Homemade Green Goddess Dressing

More Ranch Recipes to Try:

  • DIY Ranch Seasoning
  • Cottage Cheese Ranch Dip
  • Everything Bagel Greek Yogurt Ranch
  • Greek Yogurt Chipolte Lime Ranch
  • Cheesy Ranch Potatoes
  • Crispy Ranch Chickpeas
  • Roasted Parmesan Ranch Cauliflower

If you make this Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram,Pinterest, andFacebooktoo!

Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing Recipe « Running in a Skirt (5)

Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing

Julie Wunder

Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing with no mayo is homemade, low-fat, and low-calorie salad dressing or dip. Creamy, smooth, and with all the classic ranch flavors you love. This easy low-calorie ranch dressing uses pantry staples and can be made in minutes! You'll never miss the bottled kind!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 27 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Put all ingredients except the milk in a bowl and mix well.

  • Stir in a tablespoons of the milk at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

  • Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

Use any combination of dried and fresh herbs you have on hand. Start with the smaller amount of garlic and onion powder and add more to taste.

Storage & Leftovers

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. I love this glass serving bottle. Make sure to stir it well before using it.

Freezing

I do not recommend freezing the dressing as it will have a strange consistency when you thaw it back out.

Nutrition

Calories: 27kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 89mgPotassium: 65mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 54IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 1mg

Keyword dressing, greek yogurt, ranch

Tried this recipe?Mention @Julie_Wunder or tag #RunninginaSkirt!

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Healthy Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing Recipe « Running in a Skirt (2024)

FAQs

How do restaurants make their ranch so good? ›

Even when a restaurant does start with premade ranch, they will often fold in extra fresh herbs, and maybe even more buttermilk, to lighten and bring in some brighter flavors that can be lost in shelf-stable bottling.

How many calories are in yogurt ranch dressing? ›

Made with non fat yogurt, you'll find this dressing to be deliciously deceiving to your taste buds with only 60 Calories per serving.

What can I add to ranch dressing to make it better? ›

This might seem obvious, but you can add a lot of flavor to ranch dressing by adding more of what's already in it. I love adding lots of fresh herbs, extra garlic, or even lemon zest.

What ranch mix do restaurants use? ›

Because while some restaurants do use a bottled shelf stable dressing, what you are referring to is a powdered ranch mix (typically the Hidden Valley brand) that the restaurant cooks add milk/ buttermilk and sour cream to make their dressing.

What to avoid in salad for weight loss? ›

Crunchy Noodles, Wontons, and Tortilla Strips

“Crunchy noodles are like eating chips,” says Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D.N., creator of BetterThanDieting.com and author of Read It Before You Eat It. All they add to your salad are calories (around 120 per half cup) and fat (half of those calories, at around 60 grams).

What is healthier than ranch dressing? ›

This distinction is important to know when deciphering whether or not a given product is healthy. Generally speaking, the healthiest salad dressing will be a vinaigrette like balsamic or oil and vinegar, while Caesar, ranch or anything with the word “creamy” will be the unhealthiest.

Is ranch okay for weight loss? ›

Ranch is undoubtedly a very famous salad dressing. The tangy taste of buttermilk with onions and garlic is adored by so many. However, the ranch dressing you love so much is loaded with saturated fats and sodium. Saturated fats are difficult for your body to metabolize, which leads to weight gain.

Is Greek yogurt good for you? ›

Consuming probiotics like Greek yogurt may improve your digestive system's ability to handle a wide variety of foods. It may also help regulate bowel movements. Greek yogurt has been connected to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which can reduce your risk of heart disease.

Is yogurt dressing healthier than regular dressing? ›

The healthiest dressings to choose from at the store tend to be those in the refrigerated section of the produce department. Harris-Pincus says, "This is where you will find the yogurt-based dressings which are significantly lower in calories and fat than mayo- or oil-based options."

Does Greek yogurt ranch taste good? ›

Most of the time, I'd rather have less of the real-deal than more of a low-fat dip that doesn't satisfy. Fortunately for us, a thick, dreamy base of plain Greek yogurt is the ideal stealthy healthy vehicle for the addictive garlic, onion, and dill spices that create classic ranch flavor.

How to make ranch dressing Martha Stewart? ›

Directions. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, and mayonnaise until smooth. Whisk in thyme, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

What is the best thickener for salad dressing? ›

Xanthan gum is ideal for thickening and emulsifying salad dressings and sauces. A dry free-flowing powder suitable for use in food preparations as a stabilizer, thickener or emulsifier. It is vegetarian and contains no meat, dairy or egg products.

Is putting ranch on salad healthy? ›

Worst: Salad With Creamy Dressing

Dressings like ranch, blue cheese, and Thousand Island are often high in calories, unhealthy saturated fat, and sodium.

Why is restaurant ranch so creamy? ›

When considering why meals taste so much better in restaurants than when prepared at home, the answer is usually lots of butter. However, when it comes to ranch dressing, there's another creamy ingredient that steals the show — buttermilk.

Why is the ranch from Wingstop so good? ›

Key Ingredients In Wingstop's Ranch Recipe

The Importance of Fresh Herbs and Spices: The use of fresh dill, garlic, and other herbs imparts a depth of flavor that dried counterparts cannot match. These components are pivotal in achieving the signature Wingstop taste.

What's the difference between store ranch and restaurant ranch? ›

The difference is dairy

The key difference between bottled ranch and ranch that's been mixed from a packet — which is what's usually served in restaurants — is that ranch made from a mix usually contains real dairy ingredients. The store-bought varieties don't.

Why does pizza place ranch taste better? ›

While many restaurants use mass produced ranch mix, they often add it to a higher-quality base. This might include milk, buttermilk, sour cream, or mayonnaise. So when you notice that the ranch in a restaurant tastes better than the bottled dressing from the store, what you're really tasting is delicious, creamy fat.

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