The Best Restaurant-Style Ranch Recipe
My mom calls it empty bottle ranch.
We’re from the Midwest.
Which means ranch isn’t a condiment. It’s a food group.
If it can be dipped, it will be.
And if anyone can find an excuse to dip something in ranch, it’s us.
I’ve spent years trying to make the best version. What I didn’t expect was discovering how ranch actually started.
It wasn’t invented by a brand.
How Ranch Started
In the early 1950s, Steven Henson was a plumbing contractor working in Anchorage, Alaska. Cold weather. Long days. He cooked for his work crews and made a creamy herb dressing everyone loved.
At 35, Henson retired from plumbing and moved with his wife to California. They bought a guest ranch and called it Hidden Valley Ranch.
The dressing showed up at dinner.
Guests took notice.
Then they wanted jars to take home.
By 1957, Henson was selling seasoning packets so people could make it themselves. Demand grew fast. So fast that nearly every room in his house turned into a packing operation.
The ranch eventually closed.
The dressing didn’t.
Ranch spread everywhere.
What Actually Makes It Work
What made it work was the mix.
Most bottled ranch is off.
Too thick.
Too thin.
Too sweet.
Get the ratio right and it disappears fast.
One thing it’s not missing: fresh herbs.
I’ve tried them.
They sound right.
They taste wrong.
Fresh herbs push ranch in a weird direction.
Too green. Too sharp. Too fancy.
I’m not looking for fancy ranch.
I want ranch that works on a salad but can also go knuckle-deep on a chicken wing.
That’s a specific flavor profile.
Fresh herbs don’t get you there.
The One Detail That Actually Matters
Hidden Valley makes different ranch packets.
They are not the same.
You need the one labeled Restaurant Style.
The restaurant-style version is stronger.
More savory.
Less sweet.
This matters if you’re chasing Midwest pizza ranch.
I figured this out trying to clone Mazzio’s ranch. Before it was Mazzio’s, it was Ken’s Pizza. Like a lot of Midwest places, the ranch wasn’t an extra. It was an important part of the meal.
But I could never get the flavor right.
The moment I switched to the restaurant-style packet, it clicked.
If you know and love Mazzio's...this is your holy grail.
If you can’t find it, the original packet still works.
It’s still good.
Just different.
Original = softer flavor
Restaurant Style = sharper, more savory
If you want that ranch, this is the key.
The Recipe (Fits a 16 oz Bottle)
Use a 1:1 ratio of mayo and buttermilk. It’s roughly 1 cup each, but I weigh the mayo. It’s faster and more consistent.
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230 g Hellmann’s Mayo
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230 g Buttermilk
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¼ tsp Salt
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1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch – Restaurant Style
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a bowl.
Whisk until completely smooth and combined.
Transfer to a bottle or sealed container.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Overnight is better.
That rest time matters. The flavor settles and the texture thickens.
How long does it last?
A few weeks in the fridge.
In reality?
I’ve never had it last long enough to find out.
You probably won’t either.
The Only Test That Matters-
I still make this ranch for my mom.
I told her how easy it is to make.
She doesn’t care.
We just call it empty bottle ranch now.
When the bottle’s empty, she sets it by the door.
That’s the signal.
