Have you ever noticed that Ranch dressing always has a touch of sugar to balance out the flavors? In this case, we used unrefined pure maple syrup for our Maple Ranch Dressing recipe. We also have a bonus pairing suggestion for a healthy spinach salad recipe with beets and bacon.

bottle of maple ranch dressing with chives

Why We Love This Recipe for Maple Ranch Dressing

I wanted to share this dressing all on it’s own today because honestly, I think it deserved its own post. To answer your question–yes, it really is that good.

See, I only have a few creamy dressings on the blog, and only one ranch (which is actually a ranch dip), so I decided you all needed a light ranch dressing as well. I made it extra special by adding a hint of maple syrup for a little sweetness.

I loved it so much that I used this recipe for the cooking demo I did in my daughter’s classroom. The kiddos loved it! I’m guessing (or hoping at least) you’ll fall in love with it as well. However, when you make it, I recommend you double the recipe so that you have some extra for the next night (or two).

Ingredients for this Recipe

Dark maple syrup

Maple syrup lends a robust sweet flavor to this ranch dressing, and is a great natural way to add the needed sweetness.

Buttermilk powder

This dressing has buttermilk powder in it to give it that cheesy ranchy flavor that everyone associates with ranch dressing. If you have nutritional yeast and you want to use that instead, go for it.

Low-fat Greek yogurt

I only use a few tablespoons mayonnaise, and mostly low-fat Greek yogurt. The dressing comes in at only 63 calories per serving. That’s about half the calories of traditional ranch. And it is just as yummy and creamy, if not more so.

Other Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

How to Make This Maple Ranch Dressing

Combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, chives, maple syrup, buttermilk or yeast, salt, dill and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. Alternatively, puree in a blender.

Serve the dressing with your favorite salad, or use it for dipping veggies in. You can also store it in an airtight container to use later in the week.

( I’ve also added a favorite spinach salad recipe in the notes of the recipe card!)

FAQs and Expert Tips

How long does homemade dressings last in the fridge?

Every dressing has a different shelf life depending on its ingredients, however most of them tend to last 3-4 days if stored properly in the fridge.

Can I use vegan mayonnaise?

Absolutely. You can use homemade mayonnaise, vegan mayonnaise, or really any kind you prefer. My favorite vegan mayonnaise is the one by Primal Kitchen.

What if I don’t have maple syrup?

I definitely recommend using maple syrup for this specific recipe, but if you need to substitute for some reason, you could use a sweetener alternative like sugar, or possibly honey.

Recipes to Serve Alongside Maple Ranch

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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bottle of ranch

Maple Ranch Dressing


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Description

Ranch dressing always has a touch of sugar to balance the flavors. In this case we used unrefined pure maple syrup . For a more overt maple flavor, choose a darker grade; for a less pronounced maple flavor and a more classic ranch taste, choose light amber maple syrup.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Dressing

  • 1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives
  • 4 teaspoons dark maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon dried buttermilk powder, such as SACO or nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, chives, maple syrup, buttermilk or yeast, salt, dill and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine. Alternatively, puree in a blender.

Notes

Spinach Salad with Maple Ranch

Serving Suggestion: Spinach, Beet and Bacon Salad

  • 1 pound small or baby beets (weight is with no greens attached)
  • 8 cups baby spinach
  • 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • Chive blossoms for garnish
  1. Place beets in a large saucepan, cover generously with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork, 40 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes depending on size. Drain and cool. Trim, peel and cut into wedges or slices.
  2. Arrange spinach in salad bowls. Top with the beets, bacon and ranch dressing. Garnish with chive blossoms.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: na
  • Category: Salad Dressing
  • Method: No cook
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 tablespoonss
  • Calories: 49 calories
  • Sugar: 3 g
  • Sodium: 181 mg
  • Fat: 3 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 4 g
  • Fiber: 0 g
  • Protein: 2 g