When someone mentions the word “ranch” my mind instantly thinks of Hidden Valley Ranch. The flavor of Hidden Valley Ranch is heaven on a carrot stick. I mean, how else would we eat our vegetables? Hidden Valley was the only kind I would buy for years because nothing else tasted the same.
So I wanted to create the mix for myself to save money (those packets are expensive…) and to eat more healthy. Hidden Valley ranch has lots of processed ingredients including MSG and I wanted a more natural recipe. After toiling for many days and force feeding experiment ranch to my husband, I was finally able to re-create the homemade Hidden Valley Ranch mix and am sharing that recipe with you today.
That’s right I said it, the Hidden Valley is Hidden no more. Go ahead. I will wait while you do your happy dance.
I had to solve the problem of the MSG. From looking at the ingredients I noticed there was MSG in the dressing – which is a huge flavor additive. One thing I knew for certain…I did NOT want to have MSG or other nasty chemical or processed items in this recipe. I’m trying to use real foods and make more things from scratch. I tried using spices and buttermilk powder but it never came out quite right. It also seemed every time I tried just adding more salt or spices, it just wasn’t the same. The depth of flavor wasn’t there.
I even called up my sister as a last resort (who is known for her copycat recipe abilities) and she said she gave up on making a copycat homemade hidden valley ranch mix a long time ago. So with great despair I almost gave up. I googled for replacements for MSG and it said there was nothing that works. Some folks mentioned random things like tomatoes, sugar, fish oil, and Mrs. Dash. Mushrooms were also mentioned in passing as something that can add a lot of depth of flavor, so I thought I would try the recipe one more time with dried mushrooms.
Hallelujah. It turned out those dried mushrooms were the secret ingredient that made this work!! And I don’t even like mushrooms. But in this recipe it is delicious and the flavor I needed.
When I perfected the recipe I compared them side by side; the homemade hidden valley ranch mix and the original mixed with sour cream. The flavors were almost exactly the same. I will say that both are pretty salty, so if you want less salt feel free not to add as much. But to get the real exact flavor you need lots of salt.
And now without further ado..here is the recipe for homemade Hidden Valley Ranch mix. May you have much joy, eat more real foods and possibly save money too while making this!
Homemade Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
1/2 cup dry buttermilk powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley, divided
1 teaspoon dried dill weed, 1/2 teaspoon reserved (I used Litehouse freeze dried dill)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried onion flakes (or dried chopped onion)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons pieces organic portabella dried mushrooms
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Directions:
Add all the dry ingredients except the reserved teaspoon of dried parsley and the 1/2 teaspoon of dried dill to your blender. Blend until a nice powder.
Hand mix in the reserved parsley and dill – you want to see some herbs in your mix.
Store dry mix in an air-tight container or jar in your pantry for 2-3 months or in the freezer for 6 months or longer.
To make Hidden Valley Ranch Dip:
Mix 2 tablespoons of dry mix with 1/2 – 1 cup of Sour Cream. Chill for 2 hours and serve as a dip. If for some reason your sour cream isn’t very thick, and you want your dip to really set up thickly add in 1/2 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin.
To make Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing for salads n such.
Mix together
3 Tablespoons Dry Ranch Dip mix
1 cup of mayonnaise
2/3 cup buttermilk
Mix together and let sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours (gotta let those flavors deepen). Just to let you know I tried this recipe with regular milk instead of the buttermilk first and it was NOT great tasting. But using the buttermilk it tasted just like the real deal. So keep that in mind…real buttermilk is the key to the dressing.
Other ideas to use your dry ranch mix
After spreading butter on a 1/2 of a loaf of french bread, sprinkle some dry ranch powder on and bake it for a delicious ranch-y style of garlic bread.
Sprinkle some of this mix over your roasting potatoes as a seasoning.
Use 2 tablespoons of dry mix in any recipe asking for dry ranch mix.
DIY Copycat Homemade Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dry buttermilk powder
- 1 tbsp dried parsley for blending, divided
- 1 tsp dried dill weed, divided
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried onion flakes or dried chopped onion
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp pieces organic portabella dried mushrooms
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Add all the dry ingredients except the reserved 1 tsp of dried parsley and the 1/2 teaspoon of dried dill to your blender. Blend until a nice powder.
- Hand mix in the reserved parsley and dill - you want to see some herbs in your mix.
- Store dry mix in an air-tight container or jar in your pantry for 2-3 months or in the freezer for 6 months or longer.
Notes
Mix 2 tablespoons of dry mix with 1/2 - 1 cup of Sour Cream. Chill for 2 hours and serve as a dip. If for some reason your sour cream isn't very thick, and you want your dip to really set up thickly add in 1/2 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin. To make Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing for salads and such:
Mix together
3 Tablespoons Dry Ranch Dip mix
1 cup of mayonaise
2/3 cup buttermilk Mix together and let sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours (gotta let those flavors deepen). Just to let you know I tried this recipe with regular milk instead of the buttermilk first and it was NOT great tasting. But using the buttermilk it tasted just like the real deal. So keep that in mind...real buttermilk is the key to the dressing. Other ideas to use your dry ranch mix After spreading butter on a 1/2 of a loaf of french bread, sprinkle some dry ranch powder on and bake it for a delicious ranch-y style of garlic bread.
Sprinkle some of this mix over your roasting potatoes as a seasoning. Use 2 tablespoons of dry mix in any recipe asking for dry ranch mix. NOTE: This recipe makes about 6 Hidden-Valley-Ranch packet sizes worth of dry powder. Each individual pack serves 36 (about 1/4 tsp of mix per person).
Nutrition
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About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
stephanie says
Karrie,
I am trying to find the dried onions. Can you tell me if these are with the spices, or if they are called something else specific. I am not the best with spices, but I am trying to learn.
Happy.MoneySaver says
Yes, they are usually in the dried spices section. If you can’t find them right away ask at customer service and they can pinpoint exactly where they are! 🙂
Autumn says
Thank you so much. We are also an MSG sensitive house and only recently discovered that it is in ranch dressing. We never thought to look at the salad dressing, but now we look at everything. My experience so far since going msg free has been that many of the homemade products actually taste better, so I have high hopes here.
Autumn says
I am happy to report that I was not disappointed at all. We were out of parsley. I left it out. I could only find dried oyster mushrooms. I used them anyway. The only thing I will do differently is use miracle whip instead of mayonnaise next time, because my hubby wanted a little more tang. The dry mix is perfect, and when I get a chance to, I’ll get some parsley and add it in. Thank you again for this wonderful recipe.
Michelle says
Thank you for this! Is there a link to click on for a “printable” version of this recipe? It’s written more like a blog post- which would take several pages to print out. Thanks!
Karrie says
Just added that feature Michelle, thanks and happy printing!
Stephanie Miller says
I bought my dried mushrooms today and it has a very clear warning: NEVER EAT DRIED MUSHROOMS RAW
Hmmm, any thought on this? It scares me a bit to put them in the mix.
Happy.MoneySaver says
I have read that once mushrooms are cooked or dried they are safe. I don’t know why they have that on the label…maybe it’s because of the texture of it.
Holly says
I dry my own mushrooms. I slice and then blanch them before putting them into the dehydrator. Unblanched, unwashed mushrooms will carry ‘ickies’ from the soil which will not die in a dehydrator due to the low temperature.
…and look at what mushrooms grow in… so it is a case of CYA in commercial products.
dawn says
You should get a yummy link. 🙂
Jennifer says
Finally! I have been looking for a “mix” recipe for a long time. We used to put a packet of ranch, packet of italian, and a packet of brown gravy (mixed with 1 c broth) into the crockpot with a big roast. It made the most wonderfully flavored roast with a gravy and the best thing is I didn’t have to do anything but put it all in the crock. But since we have been trying to get rid of extra sugar and chemicals, this recipe has been out. This was the missing key ingredient that I needed. Will try it this weekend. Thanks ~ Jen.
Laura says
What do you do for the Italian and the gravy packets?
martha0stout says
It’s a good recipe, but if you’re using dill seed instead of dill weed (don’t ask, just…don’t ask) only use that half a teaspoon initially and don’t use the other half at all. Makes it really strong.
Tiffany says
Hi, I’m new to diy meals so still trying to figure put how it all works. The ranch mix has buttermilk powder in it and u add more buttermilk liquid to it to make it into a dressing? Not water? I just want to make sure I understand it before making it. Thanks 🙂
Karrie says
Yep that’s right. More buttermilk to make it taste just right. 🙂
Tiffany says
Great! I’m making this today if I can find the mushrooms. 🙂 my 4 yr old will thank u too! we can’t use store bought ranchbc she’s allergic to oregano, and we don’t know what brands have it or not. :/
Sarah says
What do you think of using dry Shirataki mushrooms instead of the portabellas? Do you think that would affect the taste much? I have a whole conainer or shirataki that i’m looking to use up…
Karrie says
I would say give it a try! I think the mushrooms just add that depth of flavor. Let me know how it goes!
Nutmeg says
I used dried shiitake mushrooms and it tasted great!
Amber says
This is great! Makes really good tasting ranch dressing without all of the hydrogenated oils, corn additives and preservatives in the bottled stuff. My family and I really appreciate this recipe!
Sophie says
do you know how long the ranch dressing would last in the fridge once it is made?
Karrie says
around 5-7 days. 🙂
Shannon says
Do you know of something I could substitute for the buttermilk powder? My son is allergic to milk so I had given up on anything with ranch flavor (one of my favorites!)
Ali Rich says
Dairy allergy here too…any suggestions? I have a daughter BEGGING to eat ranch again /:
Shirley Burdick says
I too have dairy allergies and am looking for a buttermilk alternative that will not harden (like the recipes with coconut oil)
ruthie says
This may sound kind of off the wall, but how about using almond milk and some really tangy tofu in there. That combo might just give the flavor profile of buttermilk. I’d say whip the tofu in with the almond milk when you prepare your salad dressing. I have no suggestions for subbing buttermilk powder, unless someone has the patience to dry and pulverize tofu. That would give some bulk and tang to the dry ingredients.
As long as you don’t have a problem with soy.
Heather says
For dairy free, I was thinking cashew milk (raw cashews blended with water) since it’s really creamy, plus mayo. The buttermilk powder could be omitted and either subbed with lemon crystals (near tea or lemonade in stores) or with lemon juice added when mixing in liquids.
That’s what I would do since I keep cashews and lemon juice on hand; but I’ve seen ranch recipes done with tofu so it does work. Use silken.
Julie says
Try using nutritional yeast in the dry mix and a little splash of lemon juice when you make the dip or dressing.
Kim says
Don’t give up! I just made ‘buttermilk by adding 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to 1/2 cup soy milk. You could use oat, or almond or whatever his allergies allow. I got my mushrooms from Costco and was wondering what to do with all of them. Now I know. Just made this and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Kathy says
P.S. A copycat Miracle Whip recipe would make me do back flips! 🙂
Ashley says
Me too! What did you all use for the mayonnaise? I still haven’t found a tasty substitute for Miracle Whip and Hellman’s. Kind of ruins this if I don’t have a mayo to use.
Rhonda Ferrell says
To get away from mayo I put cottage cheese in the blender and add milk until I get the desired consistency. Add the ranch dip powder and it is absolute heaven! Give it a try, perhaps you will like it too.
Susan says
That sounds amazing! I will definitely try!!
Judith says
I use a recipe from Allrecipes. It’s called “whole egg mayonnaise” by Megan karlowsky. I changed it up a bit. Per chef John, eggs can be pasturized by bringing water to a boil…enough that will cover eggs. Remove pan from heat and Put eggs in boiled water for 30 seconds. Then put in ice water to stop the cooking. I am use avocado oil instead of veg oil. I also add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. I make in a wide mouth glass jar just big enough to hold the ingredients. I put all ingredients in the jar and use my blender stix, and start blending on the bottom of the jar and as it thickens, slowly raise the stix. My husband who is a Hellman nut, says it is as close as anyone can get. Good luck and God bless. PS: read reviews for this on Allrecipes
Jeremiah Roark says
Seriously? That stuff is gross
Kathy says
This is awesome! Thank you for all your hard work!
Amy Rivard says
I just did a recipe this week found on I believe Mom’s pantry, cream of chicken soup (I had used mushroom) 1 pkg of ranch dressing and pork chops in the slow cooker. It was amazing!
Jennifer says
Take that ranch powder and make ranch cauliflower. Cut up into bite size pieces, toss in olive oil and sprinkle the ranch powder on. Place I. A single layer on a baking sheet, stir half way. Bake at 350 for 20-35 minutes, depending how small you cut your pieces and how tender you would like your veggies. I like mine with some texture. You can do the same thing with homemade taco seasoning!
jan jones says
I am really looking forward to making the ranch cauliflower, and will probably add broccoli too. We already make roasted broccoli, and my kids are less than enthusiastic. But they love ranch- So much that my son has been asking for his own jar of ranch seasoning to use on his baked potatoes.
Angela says
Karrie!!!! You are just the most awesome person ever!!! Thank you for doing this one. I have been wanting a diy ranch mix for so long.
While living down in the states I found a huge container of dried mushrooms at Costco, thinking I would add them to soups, but now I have a new use for them… they will most likely all go into my ranch mixes. So excited!
I’ll let you know how it tastes… as soon as I can find a place that carries powdered buttermilk.
Thanks again.
Karrie says
You are so welcome Angela!! Yes, let me know what you think!
Hope Johnson says
I just wanted to let you know that dry buttermilk can be found in the baking supplies department at many supermarkets. Walmart, Krogers, Winco, Albertsons, etc. I believe even Tartet Stores carry it. It comes in a box, or a in a round cardboard type container. I just bought mine at Walmart and it was less than $4.00. Just wanted to let you know.
Susan says
I found it in my local super market in the baking Isle. It is a flour substitute.
Heather says
Oh, I just am getting caught up and saw your week in review posting and this recipe! I can’t wait to try it….! Original ranch I gave up a long time ago too, but with the mushrooms, I love that idea. My neighbor actually just went mushroom picking yesterday and gave me a big bag of chantrells yesterday. I will stick some in my dehydrator this week to have on hand for this recipe. Thank you!
Karrie says
Awesome, I would love to learn how to mushroom pick, that is so cool. Let me know what you think after you make this!
Lisa E says
I’m curious to know if you did a side by side cost comparison after figuring out the copy. I too have tried to copy it (failed!) because the packets are expensive. But I’m thinking those organic mushrooms have got to be spendy too right? I would be interested to know if the homemade is cheaper, or how much cheaper…
Karrie says
Hmmm..I didn’t Lisa, and thought that I should. The mushroom package was $3.59 at my local Yokes store, so not too awfully expensive. I will try to do a price comparison this week. 🙂
Sara O'Brien says
If it costs more, I think it’d be worth it! MSG triggers migraines for me. Paying a little extra so I can still enjoy my favorite dip and not get a migraine? Worth it! I’ll definitely have to try this soon 🙂
Jamie says
I agree! My hubby has an MSG allergy that triggers almost immediate vomiting. I don’t care how much it costs to give him one of his fave foods back!
itsdone says
There is no such things as an MSG “allergy.” MSG is an amino acid and neurotransmitter that your body is full of. The hysteria over MSG is ridiculous. If you were allergic to it, you would literally be dead. If it is a “processed chemical” then how do you survive wihout it in your body?
lemonfair says
the mushrooms are actually a natural source of MSG. If it makes you feel better to use a natural source, go for it. But you’re still getting the same compound. Perhaps the amount is what triggers your sensitivity. Glutamates give us “umami,” that wonderful savory flavor.
mpbusyb says
Amen to that, Karrie. Even if you don’t get negative reactions from MSG, it’s worth nixing from the diet. That stuff is about as bad for health as artificial sweeteners.
I’m gonna give this recipe a try too. I had given up on DIY ranch dressing a long time ago, but now I have hope. Jamie, has your sister tried it?
Candice B. says
I dried baby portabella mushroom slices ( it took 3 days) on a plate then used them in this recipe. Baby portabella mushrooms are the same price as regular white mushrooms at our local grocery store so they are economical since you need so little of them. The buttermilk powder was the most costly. I also used home grown and dried herbs and onions and garlic. The finished ranch powder was delicious, it was a little salty for me but my family didn’t think so. I use it in egg salad and devilled eggs.
Amy says
I coould not find dried portobellos so I used dried porcinis. They were $4.99 for a 1 oz pkg. I priced all the ingredients out…figured out I could make about 5 batches of the mix. Based on the formula that 2TB mix equals 1 pkg. of the Hidden Valley mix, it came to just under $1.00 per pkg. Hidden Valley runs about $2.50 per pkg, so indeed, the value is here for making your own. AND this stuff is BETTER, IMO, that the original! That mushroom DOES provide a depth of flavor that is lacking in the original. (Hubby and I did a side by side comparison…we’re kind of anal that way). I will continue making this. THANKS for the recipe! In addition to making dressing, we’ve also made the Ranch Pretzels…1 1lb bag small pretzel twists, 3/4 C. vegetable oil, 2 Tbs. ranch dressing mix and 1 tsp. garlic pwd. Mix oil, ranch and garlic in bowl, whisk to blend, place pretzels in a gallon zip top bag, pour mixture over, seal bag and toss to coat. Let marinate in bag for 1 hour, tossing every 15 mins. DELISH!
Karrie says
Thank you so much!!! Glad I am not the only one that had to test it side by side. 🙂 Oh and those pretzels sound absolutely amazing!
Garry says
Also try the pretzel trick with saltines, I also grind really crispy bacon into a powder and add that to the recipe for the crackers.
Linda says
Ditto – I could not locate portobello and used porcini. Assuming that is the reason it did not taste like the HVR stuff. It was tasty, mind you, just not copycat. Will try drying my own portobellos next time.
Thanks for the recipe!!! MSG does very bad things to me.
Jeremiah Roark says
How much powder did 2 TBSP pieces yield? I’m
Linda says
The point was it was was healthy, organic and most important no MSG. In the big picture of life, eating organically is cheaper in the long run (not eating foods processed with chemicals) to avoid ailments that you can get like eating MSG!
S C says
Hi Karrie,
The powdered buttermilk I used says to refrigerate after opening. Do you keep your blend in the refrigerator?
I doubled your recipe, but did not use a blender. My spices were pretty small.
I used it to flavor a macaroni salad in place of Hidden Valley powder. I like the flavors – it was not as salty as the Hidden Valley brand powdered mix .
Dried mushrooms came from the bulk spice section at my local fruit market and was able to grind them in a hand crank nut grinder. The mushrooms were almost 35.00 a pound, but being dried and lightweight a large handful was only $1.25.
Thanks for a great recipe.
SC
Happy.MoneySaver says
I store my mix in an air-tight container or jar in my pantry for 2-3 months or in the freezer for 6 months or longer. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated until you add in the liquid ingredients.
Great tip on finding the mushrooms!
Jenna says
I bought bulk dried portabella mushrooms at our local food coop and they were .39¢ for probably 1/2 cup of them!
Robert Dinicola says
Guess what! Msg occurs naturally in tomatos and mushrooms and a host of other things. Its not fake flavor, in fact in moderation its not even bad for you.
Sophie says
This is great! We actually use the packets to marinate steak in, so this will save me lots of $$$ as they are spendy!! One packet for 4 steaks, plus about 2 TBS of Hidden Valley Ranch from the bottle to marinate it all in and it tastes so delicious!