Avocado Ranch Dressing

Creamy and tangy Avocado Ranch Dressing features a smooth blend of buttermilk and avocado that’s infused with fresh herbs like basil and dill. This easy recipe comes together in minutes and is wonderful on salads, tacos, grilled meats, roasted veggies, and more.

Why You’ll Love This Homemade Dressing

Delicious Details

Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: No-cook, Blender
Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free option
Skill Level: Easy

This easy avocado ranch dressing recipe is packed with lots of fresh herbs, plus it’s super creamy from avocado and beautifully tangy from plenty of buttermilk. You won’t need any mayonnaise or oil in this dressing, making it stand out from more traditional ranch dressings – and I love it for that! It’s amazing drizzled over steak for a bit of extra flavor, on salads, or even served as a dip. I know you’ll love this one. Here are a few more highlights:

So easy. You need just minutes to make this recipe – simply assemble your ingredients and blend them until smooth!
A little different. In my opinion, this dressing is very close to a traditional ranch dressing in taste, but it’s just different enough to make it stand on its own. I love adding avocado instead of oil here for both its mellow flavor and creamy texture.
Super flavorful. Buttermilk on its own is wonderfully flavorful, and when you whirl it with herbs it elevates its tangy goodness even more.
Naturally gluten free. Another one for the gluten free files, this avocado ranch dressing recipe contains ingredients that are naturally gluten free, so you won’t have to worry about any cross-contamination or sneaky gluten ingredients that could occur with a store-bought dressing. If you need to make it dairy-free, I’ve included some suggestions lower down.

Avocado ranch dressing is poured from a bottle onto a salad.

Recipe Ingredients

I’ve outlined what you’ll need to pick up to make avocado ranch dressing below. Check the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.

Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use sour cream or plain yogurt thinned with water to the consistency of heavy cream.
Avocado: Choose a ripe avocado for this recipe, meaning one that is slightly soft when gently pressed but not mushy.
Honey: A little natural sweetness balances the acidity of this dressing. You can swap maple syrup if needed.
Garlic
Basil: I think this dressing tastes the best with fresh basil leaves, but dried will work in a pinch.
Parsley: You can use fresh or dried parsley.
Dill: Fresh or dried dill works.
Rosemary: You can use fresh or dried rosemary.
Dried Minced Onion: For savory flavor. Substitute onion powder if needed.
Chives: A handful of chopped fresh chives adds a subtle garlicky note.
Salt and Pepper

Ingredients for avocado ranch dressing: buttermilk, avocado, herbs, onion powder, honey, garlic, salt and pepper.

How To Make Avocado Ranch Dressing

All you’ll need to do to make this avocado ranch dressing recipe is to combine the ingredients! Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.

Prepare. Place all of the ingredients in a blender.
Combine. Puree the ingredients until smooth.

The ingredients are placed in a blender. — Add to blender.

The blended dressing in the blender. — Add to blender.

Tips & Variations

Dressings are simple recipes to put together, but they benefit from a few best practices, which I’ve detailed below.

Fresh vs. dried herbs. In the ingredients list, I advise using fresh herbs, and I do prefer to use fresh herbs in this dressing when possible. They infuse it with so much fresh flavor it’s hard to skimp on them! But, dried herbs are also perfectly acceptable. I have given quantities in the recipe card if you want to swap dried herbs for fresh.
Other spices. Or, you can try some different herbs. The herbs I’ve included in the recipe create a classic ranch taste, but you can try other herbs if you wish. Some good options include thyme or oregano.
Let it rest. For the best flavor, make the dressing slightly in advance of when you plan to use it. The flavors will develop the longer it rests in the fridge, making it even more tangy and herby.
Go dairy-free. If you need to make this avocado ranch dressing dairy-free, you can use dairy-free yogurt or sour cream instead of the buttermilk. To make it more of the consistency of buttermilk, add a little water to thin it out until it is pourable.
Make it spicy. Riff off of my recipe for Jalapeño Ranch Dressing and add 2 tablespoons of chopped, seeded jalapeño (or to taste) to the dressing ingredients before you place them in the blender.

A glass bottle of avocado ranch dressing on a wooden board.

Proper Storage

Place avocado ranch dressing in an airtight container such as a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend freezing this dip because the dairy will separate when it’s defrosted, affecting the taste and texture.

Avocado ranch dressing is seen through the round opening of a glass bottle.

Ways To Use It

There are so many ways to use this dressing from, of course, salads to burrito bowls to tacos and more. You can use it as a dip or as a way to add extra flavor to Air Fryer French Fries. Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve avocado ranch dressing:

On steak. Drizzle creamy dressing over portions of Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak or Easy Steak Bites to punch up the flavor. It’s also wonderful on Grilled Steak Salad.
With chicken. Spicy chicken just calls for a creamy ranch, so change up the usual dip when you serve Buffalo Chicken Tenders or Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes.
Inside tacos. Finish a breakfast of Salsa Egg Tacos with a spoonful of avocado ranch dressing. Or, add dressing as a topping for my Ground Turkey Tacos and Baked Chicken Tacos recipe.
Burrito bowls. I love adding this creamy dressing to burrito bowls for the perfect finishing touch! Avocado ranch dressing is fantastic with my recipes for Beef Burrito Bowl with Cilantro Lime Rice and Crockpot Mexican Chicken Burrito Bowls.
Tostadas. Add avocado ranch dressing to tostadas, like my Easy Chicken Tostadas or Beef and Cheese Tostadas.
Salads. You can use this salad dressing on so many salads, from a simple pile of fresh greens to more elaborate salads like Strawberry Spinach Salad, an Chicken Cobb Salad, or any salad that would take well to a traditional ranch dressing. You can also try it in pasta salad!
As a dip. Serve avocado ranch dressing as a dip alongside Air Fryer Kale Chips or Air Fryer Tortilla Chips. Or, dip in your favorite fresh veggies or gluten free pita chips.

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