Easy Ranch Dip
This ranch dip made with cream cheese, mayonnaise, and blend of savory herbs and spices comes together in about 5 minutes. It pairs perfectly with your favorite crackers, fresh veggies, or pretzels.
Homemade dip recipes are so easy and super tasty! Better yet, they aren’t complicated to make and don’t use any store bought, packaged seasoning mixes.
Much like our garlic dip recipe, this ranch dip is made without sour cream. It starts with a cream cheese base and a little bit of mayonnaise. Then we added a few pantry herbs and spices like dill, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
The longest part about this recipe is waiting for the cream cheese to soften. Trust me when I say, you don’t want to skip that part or you’ll have chunky dip.
Other than that, this recipe is simple, straightforward, and as easy as it gets!
How to make ranch dip:
Start by setting the cream cheese out about an hour ahead of time to let it soften. If you house is on the cooler side, let it set out longer.
You’ll want the cream cheese to be nice and soft so there aren’t any lumps in the dip. After the cream cheese has softened to room temperature, prep all the other ingredients and grab a big mixing bowl.
Place the cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, dill, pepper, and smoked paprika in the bowl. Use a hand mixer on a low setting to combine the ingredients until smooth and creamy.
Transfer the ranch dip to the refrigerator until ready to serve. The flavors will intensify as the dip sets. Serve the ranch dip cold with your favorite crackers, pretzels, or fresh vegetables.
Homemade Ranch Dip Tips:
- When making the dip, adjust the speed of the mixer from low to medium to whip some extra air into the mixture to make it light and fluffy.
- Sometimes the dip can have a slight graininess to its texture. This is due to the spices. In order to prevent the grainy feel, cut back on the spices slightly or add a tablespoon or two of extra mayo.
- If the dip is too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk or buttermilk to thin it out.
- If you’d prefer a ranch dip that’s lighter in color and not orange, reduce the paprika significantly or omit it all together. Omitting the paprika will change the flavor some.
Other recipes that use cream cheese:
Ingredients
- 8 ounce(s) block-style cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- ¾ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. dill weed, dried
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp. smoked paprika
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, dill, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Refrigerate until ready to serve.8 ounce(s) block-style cream cheese½ cup mayonnaise1 tsp. garlic powder1 tsp. onion powder¾ tsp. kosher salt½ tsp. dill weed¼ tsp. ground black pepper¼ tsp. smoked paprika
- Serve cold, and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
