Spicy Ranch Dressing

This spicy dressing is creamy, tangy, and has just the right amount of kick. It’s made with mayo, buttermilk, and a little milk for a creamy, smooth texture. It’s loaded with dill, garlic, and a little heat from cayenne and chipotle.

Easy Homemade Spicy Ranch Dressing

Once you make this from-scratch dressing, you’ll never go back to the bottled stuff. Our homemade version is thick, rich, and packed with dill, garlic, and a little heat from chipotle powder, cayenne, and smoked paprika.

You only need a few simple ingredients and about 10 minutes. That’s it! It’s great for salads, sandwiches, wraps, and dipping. Use it on burgers, drizzle it over tacos, or serve it with fries and veggies.

A quick tip before you start to make it

The buttermilk does a lot of the work, so I recommend not swapping it out. It’s what gives you that classic tangy flavor. And go easy on the cayenne at first.

You can always make it spicier, but you can’t take it out once you’ve added it. The longer this dressing sits, the better it tastes. If you have time, let it sit in the fridge for a while so the flavors can meld.

How to make spicy ranch dressing

Whisk: Add the mayo, buttermilk, milk, and all the seasonings to a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy.

Chill: Use it right away, or pop it in the fridge for about an hour so the flavors come together

Serve: Use it as a dip, a spread, or as a dressing. Try it on a simple green salad, chicken salad, cheese stuffed burgers, spicy chicken sandwiches, or shredded beef tacos. It’s also great with chicken tenders, fries, veggies, or onion rings.

Don’t miss some of my other homemade dressings like creamy southwest dressing, dill salad dressing, and creamy garlic dressing.

Spicy Ranch Dressing

5 from 3 votes

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Author: Kimberly Vargo

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 Servings

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Ingredients

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons milk, up to ¼ cup (use more for a thinner consistency)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
• ½ teaspoon dried dill
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, optional

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Instructions

 

• Place all the ingredients in a medium bowl, and whisk to combine.
  1 cup mayonnaise

  ½ cup buttermilk

  2 tablespoons milk

  1 teaspoon garlic powder

  1 teaspoon onion powder

  ¾ teaspoon salt

  ½ teaspoon chipotle powder

  ½ teaspoon dried dill

  ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

  ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Use immediately on your favorite salad, with cheese fries, on a burger, or sandwich. Optional: Let it sit in the fridge for an hour so the flavors can meld.

Notes

• Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 
• Buttermilk swap: Add 1 ½ teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup, then fill with milk to just under ½ cup. Let it sit for 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Sour milk is thinner than real buttermilk, so start with ⅓ cup and add more only to thin out the dressing.
• Adjusting the heat: Use ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne for mild or the full ¼ teaspoon for more heat. Want it hotter? Add a few dashes of hot sauce after mixing.
• Controlling the thickness: The dressing thickens in the fridge. For a thicker dip/dressing, start with 2 tablespoons of milk. For a pourable salad dressing, use the full ¼ cup. Thin it out later by whisking in 1 tablespoon of milk at a time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ounceCalories: 137kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 277mgPotassium: 30mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 89IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 0.1mg

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