High-Protein Ranch
Just about 40 calories a serving, this creamy ranch has a fraction of the fat and triple the protein of the store-bought stuff, and it still tastes like the real thing. It is blended from cottage cheese instead of mayo.
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This ranch comes in around 40 calories a serving, next to about 140 for store-bought. Regular ranch is basically flavored oil, so most of those calories are fat. This version keeps the flavor and drops the fat, a fraction of the calories with triple the protein, and it comes down to understanding what fat actually does.
Fat has two jobs in ranch. It carries the aromatic flavors, the garlic, onion, and dill, and it gives that creamy, coat-your-tongue mouthfeel. What it was never doing is carrying the tang or the savory depth. Those come from cultured dairy and the seasoning. So we keep just enough fat to carry the aromatics, build the creamy body from blended cottage cheese instead of mayo, and let the seasoning do the rest.
The result pours, dips, and tastes like ranch, at about 40 calories a serving.
Make the ranch
- 01Add the cottage cheese, oil, ranch packet, and MSG to the blender and blend completely smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Blend these first, before the yogurt and milk go in. While the mix is still concentrated and the fat is not yet diluted, the cottage cheese breaks all the way down and the ranch packet aromatics, the garlic, onion, and dill, work deep into the oil. Those flavors are fat-soluble, so infusing them into concentrated fat first is what makes this taste like real ranch instead of seasoned dairy.
- 02Add the Greek yogurt and blend until fully combined and flecked with herbs.
- 03Thin with the milk, a tablespoon at a time, until it is the pourable consistency you want. You can add more if you like it looser, just keep an eye on the calories. Any milk works here, whole, 2%, skim, or a non-dairy milk, since the amount is small enough that it barely moves the macros.
- 04Stir in the vinegar to taste for brightness.
- 05Rest it in the fridge overnight. The dried herbs and garlic in the packet need time to hydrate and bloom, which is what takes it from seasoned dairy to actual ranch. Transfer to a squeeze bottle and use within a week.
- Blend the fat and seasoning first. Blending the cottage cheese, oil, and ranch packet before the yogurt and milk gets the aromatics into the fat while it is still concentrated. That is what makes it read as ranch, not seasoned dairy.
- Get it completely smooth. Leave zero curds in the cottage cheese so it turns silky like real dressing. This is the make-or-break step.
- Do not skip the overnight rest. Right after blending it tastes flat. The dried herbs and garlic need time to bloom. The next day, it is ranch.
- Make it your own. More milk for a pourable drizzle, less for a thick dip. A little extra vinegar or a squeeze of lemon brightens it.
- Lower sodium option. The seasoning packet drives most of the salt. Use a low-sodium packet, or half a packet, and skip the added MSG.
