This kefir ranch dressing is a spin on a classic favorite! Bursting with flavor and filled with gut healthy probiotics, you’ll want to add it to every salad you make.
Homemade salad dressings are always welcome on our homestead. Not only do they taste delicious and save us money but I enjoy being able to control what goes into our bottle of salad dressing.
We love this recipe for kefir ranch salad dressing. It is rich with probiotics and is a great way to use up a jar of kefir in our fridge.
The blend of tangy milk kefir and mayonnaise creates a creamy base. The herbs and fresh garlic and shallot add a bold flavor. If you’d prefer a thicker consistency, use less kefir and more mayo and whisk the dressing together instead of using a blender.
You can use this kefir ranch dressing to top salads with homemade croutons, as a dipping sauce or drizzle it on your favorite sandwich.
If you love making homemade salad dressings, be sure to check out my recipe for Italian dressing.
How to Use Kefir for Gut Health
Since you’ve landed on this post for making ranch dressing with kefir, I assume you likely have the base knowledge of what is milk kefir. If not, do jump over to the article about how to make milk kefir and get all the ins and outs of how kefir works.
Kefir is one of my favorite cultured foods to eat. With 56 strains of different bacteria, my belly is quite happy and much more in balance than it used to be prior to consuming kefir. If you’re new to milk kefir, you may be wondering how to add it to your daily diet. I recommended starting with a small amount each day, approximately 1 to 2 tablespoons. As your body begins to love the new food, you can increase your intake.
Once your gut is happily processing milk kefir, you can add it to dozens of recipes. This milk kefir ranch dressing is a great place to start! You can also mix it into smoothie recipes, desserts, bread recipes, popsicles, drinks and more! To keep my gut healthy I consume at least a cup of kefir or more every single day.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Gut Healthy – Rich in probiotics and full of vitamins, beneficial yeasts and good bacteria, the addition of milk kefir to this homemade ranch dressing recipe, helps support a healthy digestive system.
Easy to Make – In less than 5 minutes, you can have homemade kefir ranch dressing. Simply gather your ingredients, dump them into a blender and voila, delicious dressing!
Uses Natural Ingredients – Many store-bought salad dressings or even vegetable dips use unhealthy ingredients. By making it at home and using only real ingredients you can be sure you are getting the best kefir ranch dressing.
Tips
- You can make this simple kefir ranch dressing exactly to your liking. Feel free to adjust seasonings or swap out the dried herbs for fresh.
- To add a tart pop to the recipe, use lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar and add a sprinkle of lemon zest.
- Add a piece of fermented garlic for extra probiotics!
- I like to use a regular blender to make the dressing nice and smooth but you could also put all of the ingredients together in a wide mouth mason jar and use an immersion blender to combine the ingredients.
- If you don’t have a small blender, you can use a whisk to mix the kefir ranch dressing together. Just make sure all of the ingredients are minced well.
Tools You May Need
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How to Make Kefir Ranch Dressing
Makes: 6 servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup milk kefir
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon shallot, minced (or 1 teaspoon onion powder)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Directions
Add all ingredients into a blender and mix until combined. Dressing can be stored inside the fridge up to 2 weeks.
Variations
- Swap out the apple cider vinegar for fresh lemon juice.
- White vinegar can also be used if you don’t have any apple cider vinegar on hand.
- Add a bit of lemon zest to give the kefir salad dressing a nice tart pop of flavor.
- You can use fresh or dried herbs in this homemade salad dressing recipe.
- For a thicker ranch dressing, use more mayo or less kefir. You can also add yogurt for a thick dressing.
Storage Instructions
Thanks to the friendly bacteria in milk kefir, this easy kefir ranch dressing can last for several weeks. For optional storage time, pour dressing into a container with a good seal. I like to store mine in a glass mason jar usually with a plastic lid. Store the bottle of dressing in the fridge for at least two weeks.
How to Use Kefir Dressing
The most obvious way to use kefir ranch dressing is drizzled over a salad. I love to add it to a bowl of homegrown kale and swiss chard with tomatoes and some sliced avocado.
You could also use this homemade dressing as a dip for sliced vegetables or as a base for a pasta salad.
Add this kefir dressing recipe to burgers, sandwiches or wraps.
Try These Fermenting Recipes
Kefir Ranch Dressing
This kefir ranch dressing is a spin on a classic favorite! Bursting with flavor and filled with gut healthy probiotics, you’ll want to add it to every salad you make.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk kefir
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon shallot, minced (or 1 teaspoon onion powder)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a blender and mix until combined. Dressing can be stored inside the fridge up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- You can make this simple kefir ranch dressing exactly to your liking. Feel free to adjust seasonings or swap out the dried herbs for fresh.
- To add a tart pop to the recipe, use lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar and add a sprinkle of lemon zest.
- Add a piece of fermented garlic for extra probiotics!
- I like to use a regular blender to make the dressing nice and smooth but you could also put all of the ingredients together in a wide mouth mason jar and use an immersion blender to combine the ingredients.
- If you don’t have a small blender, you can use a whisk to mix the kefir ranch dressing together. Just make sure all of the ingredients are minced well.
