Blackened Ranch Dressing | Keto, Low-Carb

Tangy, creamy, spicy, and smooth this delicious blackened ranch dressing recipe easily rivals the Popeye’s version, but with the cost-saving convenience of making it at home.

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Peace, family.

It may be all in my head, but I feel like ranch dressing is a controversial subject. People I’ve encountered either absolutely love it or absolutely hate it, and there is no in-between. I happen to fall into the category of folks who adore ranch dressing – a good ranch dressing, that is. In fact, the only salad dressing I love more is a really well-made Caesar salad dressing. It may be my inner country girl speaking, but to me, nothing compares.

Admittedly, we grew up eating the leading brand of the bottled stuff, and that was (and in some cases still is) perfectly fine by me.  Then something magical happened. Okay, it wasn’t that magical but it did open my eyes a bit. As a teenager I worked taking orders for a local pizza chain and as part of our training we were asked to taste various menu items. You guys – when I tasted their fresh, homemade ranch dressing I felt the strong urge to run through town like Belle in Beauty and the Beast throwing gallons of it out of a wicker basket at bystanders. That’s a bit much, I know, but it was SO good and it offered me a glance into what a really great homemade dressing could taste like. I was still a bit intimidated to try and make it myself though, which feels silly now. I knew relatively little about cooking anything at that time though.

Fast forward to adulthood and being somewhat immersed in a ketogenic and low-carb lifestyle. Popeyes blackened tenders became a low-carb drive thru favorite for my husband and myself. So much so that I even developed my own copycat Popeye’s blackened tenders recipe for home; it continues to be one of the most popular recipes on my site (and for good reason – it’s damn good). But Popeye’s has another “blackened” favorite of ours as well – their delicious blackened ranch. It tastes great on everything.

We try to reserve fast food for only the rarest of occasions, so once again I took to the kitchen to whip up my own version. This isn’t necessarily a “copycat” recipe; it’s more of an adapted sauce made the way I prefer. It’s well-seasoned, slightly spicy, and doesn’t contain any weird ingredients or preservatives which is something I think we all can get behind. And if it’s ever discontinued you have a slightly better-for-you version that you can make using everyday ingredients and without having to put pants on.

Blackened Ranch Nutrition

When divided into 8 equal servings, this dressing is about 132 calories, 13 grams of fat, 1 gram of protein, and 2 grams of carbs. That makes this blackened ranch dressing suitable for a ketogenic or low-carb lifestyle. It’s also just plain delicious, making it perfect for anyone who wants a spicy sauce for dipping, dunking, and dressing salads.

How to Make Blackened Ranch Dressing

My dressing is super easy to make and comes together in less than five minutes. You can’t beat it!

I start by mixing equal parts:

• Buttermilk – I use 2%; feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
• Mayonnaise – My preference here is Hellman’s brand. Be sure to choose a good high-quality brand.
• Sour Cream – Any sour cream will do although I suggest not using a reduced fat variety

I add each of these ingredients to a glass bowl, vigorously whisking between each addition. I continue whisking until a homogeneous, creamy, smooth sauce forms.

Then, I season my dressing with:

• Kosher Salt
• Garlic Powder
• Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
• Smoked Paprika
• Chili Powder
• Cayenne Pepper – Use as much or as little as you like to reach your desired level of spiciness.

After adding the blackened seasonings, I stir until well-incorporated. The final touch is to stir in some freshly chopped parsley. The end result will be a spicy, tangy, creamy delicious dressing/sauce.

This can be served with:

• Salads
• Chicken Tenders
• Vegetable Slices/Sticks
• Hot Wings

I keep my dressing in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. This will easily last you a week at minimum, although it’s highly addictive so you may not even get that far.

As usual try it out and let me know what you think.

Peace,

Adri

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