A homemade ranch dressing recipe kids will love to make and eat

Ranch dressing is an essential for parents who need to entice their young children to eat their veggies. Its cool creaminess and mild flavor complements crudites, chicken nuggets, crackers pizza, pretzels and many kid-approved foods. On my quest to teach my young children a few beginner cooking skills, I bought a dry package of ranch dressing mix instead of the premade, bottled dressing. I thought this would be a great opportunity to introduce  skills like following instructions, measuring, whisking and stirring. I was feeling so proud of myself creating healthy snacks for my kids while teaching them how to read and follow directions—and then I read the ingredientsYikes! MSG and a number of other things I could not pronounce. I quickly decided to find a scratch-made Ranch dressing recipe. The kids and I tried several before we came up with our own version. Used dried herbs help the flavors develop slowly into a more balanced, mild flavor, while olive oil-based mayo, light sour cream and low fat milk reduce fat and calories. This dressing lasts for up to  two weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.

Yields 3 cups

1 cup Hellmann’s olive mayonnaise

1 cup light sour cream

1 cup low fat milk

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried chives

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried dill

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream and milk until smooth.
2. Add in the remaining ingredients. Whisk again until everything is well incorporated. 
3. Pour the ranch dressing into an airtight container or jar with a tight-fitting lid, and place in the fridge. Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight before serving.

This article was originally published in the June 2023 issue of 225 magazine.