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Home » Cottage Cheese Ranch Dressing

Cottage Cheese Ranch Dressing

May 29, 2023 by Debi 19 Comments

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

This Cottage Cheese Ranch Dressing recipe is easy to make, is high in protein, and doesn’t have all the additives and preservatives that many store-bought dressings have. And it comes together quickly with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. 

Have you seen the new viral trend of whipped cottage cheese desserts? You need to check out my Cottage Cheese Chocolate Pudding; it’s so rich and creamy & delicious! Well, that got me thinking about making a savory version. And, I’m always a fan of ranch dressing. So, it seemed like a natural thing to try! I have another new savory cottage cheese recipe, Cottage Cheese Everything but the Bagel Dip that you should check out!

And, I love the flavor that this has!

Table of Contents

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  • We appreciate your support
  • How to make ranch dressing
    • Can I make this ahead of time? 
    • What are some serving suggestions for this Cottage Cheese Ranch Dressing?
  • Salad dressing recipes
  • More tips
    • How can I make this recipe lower in calories?
    • Can I adjust the herbs and spices to my liking?
    • play around with it!
    • Can I use fresh herbs?
    • How many servings does this recipe make?
  • Let’s keep in touch
  • Recipe
  • Cottage Cheese Ranch Dressing
    • Ingredients  1x2x3x
    • Instructions 
    • Notes
    • Nutrition

a mason jar filled with cottage cheese ranch dressing and a spoon on top that's been dipped in the dressing.

We appreciate your support

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

a salad in the upper right a plate of veggies in the lower right and a bowl of ranch dressing for dipping in the middle.
Great for salads or dipping veggies!

How to make ranch dressing

If you’re looking for a creamy and delicious way to dress up your salads or veggies but want to keep it healthy, look no further than this amazing Cottage Cheese Ranch Dressing recipe!

This recipe also showed up in my popular recipes of 2023! Check out my Best Recipes of 2023 today!

Packed with wholesome ingredients like protein-rich cottage cheese and flavorful herbs, this easy-to-make dressing is the perfect addition to any healthy meal.

The full printable recipe ingredients and instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can find important tips and tricks in the post.

a glass bowl with cottage cheese and herbs and spices in it.

This is super simple to make. Simply pop all the ingredients in a food processor or blender, scraping down the sides once or twice. And blend until smooth and creamy.

I’ve made it a nice thick dressing that’s great to dip veggies into or to toss onto salads. If you prefer it a bit thinner for your salad, add a little milk, about a tablespoon at a time until it’s the consistency you like.

Also, feel free to double this recipe if desired. Simply use the servings slider on the recipe card to have it do the work for you.

Can I make this ahead of time? 

Yes! In fact, ranch dressing tastes better once the flavors have time to meld, so this is a perfect make ahead and keep it in the fridge recipe. 

Store the homemade ranch dressing in an airtight container; I love keeping it in a small mason jar, for up to two weeks in the fridge.

Also, I find that organic cottage cheese stays fresh longer than non-organic.

What are some serving suggestions for this Cottage Cheese Ranch Dressing?

While the Cottage Cheese Ranch Dressing can be used as a salad dressing, it can also be used in other ways.

Use it as a spread for sandwiches or wraps.

For an easy snack, serve the cottage cheese ranch with veggies for dipping. Try baby carrots, sliced bell peppers, broccoli, or cauliflower. Or dip Cottage Cheese Tots into this ranch dip.

Try it with crackers, chips, or pita.

Smear it on some Cottage Cheese Bread for a great high protein snack!

Great on burgers too.

Dip your Pizza or chicken tenders into it
 
Make it thicker for dipping or thinner for pouring on salad.
 
Also fantastic with blue cheese mixed in like Gorgonzola or Cambozola.

a spinach salad with cottage cheese ranch dressing on it.

Salad dressing recipes

I’m a big fan of homemade dressings. They’re usually healthier, no preservatives, and you can adjust the flavors to your liking. Be sure to try my Mom’s Salad Dressing, Homemade Italian dressing, Skinny Buttermilk Ranch, and Chipotle Vinaigrette Dressing.

More tips

How can I make this recipe lower in calories?

Use the dairy of your choice. Full fat, low fat, fat free. Dairy with fat will have more flavor and creaminess, but if you want to reduce your calories, by all means.

Allergies and dietary restrictions: It’s important to consider any allergies or dietary restrictions you may have. For example, if you’re lactose intolerant, you may not be able to consume this recipe as it contains cottage cheese and sour cream.

In such cases, you may want to try some alternatives or variations like vegan cottage cheese or sour cream. Also, you could use plain vegan yogurt in place of the sour cream. And, thin it with a neutral flavored plant-based milk.

Can I adjust the herbs and spices to my liking?

While this recipe is delicious as is, you may want to make adjustments or variations to suit individual tastes or preferences.

For example, some people may prefer more or less seasoning, or may want to add other ingredients such as avocado or lime juice.

play around with it!

Feel free to play around with the recipe. You could even make it a little differently each time you make it!

You could even use the cottage cheese base and add some of a packet of store-bought ranch if you want! I won’t tell anyone!

Can I use fresh herbs?

Yes, you can use fresh herbs. I wanted to make the dressing with dried herbs so that it’s easy for anyone at any time of year to make. And you probably have everything in the pantry to make it now.

It’s also very budget friendly with dried herbs.

But maybe you have fresh dill growing in your garden. Or lots of chives. Feel free to use them.

Mix and match too – use some fresh chives and dried parsley. Or however you like!

The general rule of thumb for using dry to fresh herbs is 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon of dried herbs. That also makes the conversion nice and easy.

Because dried herbs are often more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs, you’ll need less if they’re dry.

For the garlic, it’s roughly 1/8th of a teaspoon of garlic powder equals one garlic clove. Keep in mind some garlic is more potent than others, but this is a good starting point.

1 tablespoon of onion powder is about1 cup of chopped fresh onion.

For this recipe, fresh herbs conversions would be:

  • ½ tablespoon fresh chives
  • ½ tablespoon fresh parsley (flat leaf preferred, but if you have curly, use a little less than ½ tablespoon as curly is stronger than flat leaf)
  • ½ tablespoon fresh dill leaves
  • 2 fresh garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon chopped fresh onion, but I’d round that to about 2 tablespoons of fresh finely chopped onion

How many servings does this recipe make?

About 8 servings at 2 tablespoons per serving.

looking straight down into a mason jar filled with ranch dressing on a wooden plate.

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looking down on a small bowl filled with ranch and garnished with chives surrounded by veggies.
Don’t forget to pin this recipe!

Recipe

square crop looking down on a small white bowl filled with ranch and surrounded by vegetables and a lemon wedge.

Cottage Cheese Ranch Dressing

Debi
This Cottage Cheese Ranch Dressing recipe is easy to make at home, is high in protein, and doesn’t have all the additives and preservatives that many store-bought dressings have. And it comes together quickly with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
4.73 from 37 votes
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Prevent your screen from going to sleep.
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 0 minutes mins
Total Time 5 minutes mins
Course Salad, Sauce
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 30 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • ½ teaspoon dried chives
  • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • freshly squeezed lemon juice adjust to taste, approximately 1-3 teaspoons

Instructions
 

  • Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides a couple of times.
  • Store in an airtight container, like a mason jar, in the fridge for you to 2 weeks.

Notes

About 8 servings at 2 tablespoons per serving

Nutrition

Calories: 30kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.04gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 122mgPotassium: 46mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 258IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 0.1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword dressing, ranch, salad dressing
Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!
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Filed Under: Budget, Favorites, Sauces, Condiments, & Preserves, Vegetarian Tagged With: cottage cheese, dressing, Food, gluten-free, healthy, ranch, recipe, vegetarian

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about debi

ABOUT DEBI

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read more...

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Comments

  1. Amy Nash

    June 7, 2023 at 8:30 pm

    5 stars
    This idea is inspired! I’ll admit I’m not a huge fan of raw veggies without plenty of ranch to go with them and this is a way better option that keeps me more full!

  2. Baby dd

    June 19, 2023 at 2:01 pm

    5 stars
    Yumo my dog baby dd wuvs salad but it must have ranch dressing on it so this was a great way to save on fat and calories and still taste delish – she can’t tell the difference and either can I !

  3. Laura

    July 19, 2023 at 8:08 pm

    5 stars
    I was craving ranch dressing but didn’t have any; this was delicious and healthy! Looking forward to making it regularly instead of keeping storebought ranch.

  4. Shelly

    August 19, 2023 at 8:47 am

    5 stars
    Made this today. OH So Good!! Thanks for the recipe!!

  5. Sue Ringsdorf

    August 28, 2023 at 6:53 am

    5 stars
    Genius way to use cottage cheese! My family gobbled it up and it made our salads delish!

  6. Kathleen

    August 28, 2023 at 8:44 am

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness, so rich, thick and full of flavor. I had some fresh dill in my garden and threw a teaspoon in! YUM!

  7. Janelle

    August 29, 2023 at 7:19 pm

    5 stars
    This dressing is messing with my head. I know there is cottage cheese in it, but I cannot see or taste it. My new go to recipe!

  8. Jules

    August 30, 2023 at 6:07 pm

    5 stars
    I try and make all of our dressing homemade and boy did we enjoy this one. I’m making another batch for a charcuterie board tomorrow!

  9. Laura Ashley Johnson

    September 22, 2023 at 5:15 pm

    5 stars
    I love this texture! So yummy!!

  10. Caroline

    October 29, 2023 at 5:27 am

    5 stars
    Loved it with extra lemon!

  11. Annie

    December 28, 2023 at 3:48 pm

    4 stars
    I was concerned that the whipped cottage cheese would have a grainy texture. It does have a mild grainy texture to it. Not the fault of this recipe, just the properties of cottage cheese. Adding extra sour cream helped. I was also worried that adding acid like lemon juice would cause it to curdle but that was not a problem. Not the same mouth feel as a dressing made with mayo, sour cream etc, but pretty good overall, especially considering how much protein is has.

  12. Portia

    January 14, 2024 at 3:42 pm

    5 stars
    I love this recipe! I have made it several times!! I eat it with all kinds of raw veggies!! Great alternative to mayo filled Ranch!

  13. Sara

    February 18, 2024 at 12:52 pm

    5 stars
    I LOVE this dressing! The only changes I made the second time I made it was cut the dill in half. For my taste, it was too dill forward the first time I made it. I used lime instead of lemon juice, simply because that is what I had on hand. I made the second batch with 4% cottage cheese vs. 2% the first time. The 4% made for a more creamy texture. Try this recipe if you are a ranch lover!

  14. Bill

    February 19, 2024 at 6:39 am

    5 stars
    I have made it twice now. It is AWESOME! Ranch lovers will not be disappointed.

  15. Emily

    March 22, 2024 at 3:06 pm

    5 stars
    Best ranch hands down

  16. Joyce

    March 28, 2024 at 6:21 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! I used low fat yogurt instead of sour cream and lime juice instead of lemon because that’s what I had. Added a tablespoon of red wine vinegar. Best ranch dressing we’ve ever had! Tons of flavor and tons of protein. Definitely a keeper.

  17. Marcia

    June 22, 2024 at 2:23 pm

    5 stars
    This is delicious and healthy! I do add extra milk as I like it more pourable to use as a salad dressing. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Would love to know if you have a healthy French dressing.

  18. Debi

    June 22, 2024 at 2:28 pm

    Marcia, Thanks so much! I don’t have a French Dressing. I do have this dressing https://lifecurrentsblog.com/moms-salad-dressing/ that my mom made when I was a kid. It has lots of sugar though, so I wouldn’t say it’s healthy at all, but it is delicious and very similar to French dressing. Maybe you could leave all the sugar out of it or use a sugar sub.
    Here’s a list of all my dressings https://lifecurrentsblog.com/?s=dressing if you want to take a look. The search engine picks up some extras as well.

  19. Kristen

    August 1, 2024 at 6:41 pm

    5 stars
    This was shockingly amazing – so much better than store bought!! Not to mention better for you.

4.73 from 37 votes (19 ratings without comment)

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Hi! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents, where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes with some great desserts and other goodies mixed in! Read More >>>

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