Help! I love ranch dressing...

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  • DaniJeanine
    DaniJeanine Posts: 473 Member
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    You can actually make your own using nonfat, plain greek yogurt, olive oil, dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and any other spice you like! It's amazing and you control the amount of oil you add. Message me if you're interested in the exact recipe--I know it's around here somewhere!! :-)
  • corbansmom
    corbansmom Posts: 71
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    I loved Hidden Valley Light Original, but this past bottle I bought didn't taste as good. Good luck in your search!
  • fudgebudget
    fudgebudget Posts: 198 Member
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    Bolthouse Farms makes a really good ranch with yogurt (and sans HFCS) - it's 70 calories for 2 tablespoons, but it goes a long way. I have a habit of dipping baked sweet potato fries in it, which tastes AMAZING.
  • TS65
    TS65 Posts: 1,024 Member
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    Try making homemade - then you can use fat free or lower fat ingredients (mayo & buttermilk) to lower the calories (without ruining the flavor)

    Here's one I googled:

    Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Recipe

    Ingredients
    1 cup buttermilk
    1/2 cup mayonnaise
    1 teaspoon lemon juice
    1/8 teaspoon paprika
    1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/8 teaspoon black pepper
    1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
    1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
    1/4 teaspoon of dry dill (or a teaspoon chopped fresh)


    Method

    1 In a medium bowl, stir together the buttermilk and mayonnaise until fully mixed. Add in the other ingredients, adjusting for taste.

    Keeps for a week, covered in the fridge.

    Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
  • Jessicaruby
    Jessicaruby Posts: 881 Member
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    i use salsa instead! it is super yummy! i used to love ranch and i put it on everything. i do not even crave it anymore. i add other things to my salad for protein and fiber and more flavor such as corn, black beans, or garbonzo beans!!! it is so good.
  • WifeNMama
    WifeNMama Posts: 2,876 Member
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    A little goes a long way with dressing, provided you add it and then toss the salad like crazy. I hate Caesar salad simply because people put way too much dressing on. It's like soup in most restaurants.
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
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    Bolthouse Farms makes a really good ranch with yogurt (and sans HFCS) - it's 70 calories for 2 tablespoons, but it goes a long way. I have a habit of dipping baked sweet potato fries in it, which tastes AMAZING.

    Holy crap, this sounds good. Must get sweet potato fries at Trader Joe's this weekend.

    Anyway, I echo those recommending that you make your own. :) I do, and it's tasty enough that I only need one tablespoon for a huge salad.
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,209 Member
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    A couple of my favorites are Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger, Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian and Kraft Light Balsamic Vinaigrette. If you've ever had the salad at a Benihana restaurant the Newman's Own is quite similar.
  • harleygirlT
    harleygirlT Posts: 223 Member
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    I love Fat Free Asian dressing. It's a little sweet and spicy. I also will mix just a little bit of ranch with it. It's just enough to give you the creamy flavor of ranch without all the calories.
  • apee24
    apee24 Posts: 46
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    U know wuts really good? Make your own. Buy the packets and use low fat mayo and low fat buttermilk and it will be way less for you. Hidden Valley Ranch makes the best packet mix EVER!!! it's way better than the bottled stuff even as far as taste.
  • flutatious1
    flutatious1 Posts: 120 Member
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    I really like the Kens Healthy Options Light Raspberry Walnut. Balsamic Vinegar is always tasty (again Kens has a great one), I also love just red wine vinegar on a salad. If you have a WEGMANS to shop at, try their light Peppercorn Ranch.... I hate the other light ones too and I actually LOVE this ranch better than the "real" ranch dressings.
  • AI1108
    AI1108 Posts: 488 Member
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    I used to ALWAYS go with creamy until i realized how many more calories it is :-/ (who wants to lose all their cals from dressing right?) now I just pour vinegar which is so low cal.. and a little bit of olive oil (but not too much because its high in cals but gives you some of your essential fats too) and a few dashes of black pepper. it takes a little getting used to not having a creamy dressing and I can only do it on darker greens but it gives it a little flavor and I've learned to get the flavor from what I put in my salad rather than the dressing.
  • Seventhwave
    Seventhwave Posts: 3
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    creamy dressings don't have to be bad for you - what about a homemade mayonnaise - whisk a whole egg with a tsp of mustard and a good squeeze of lemon juice, then add olive oil until you get a thick white mayo, add salt and pepper - then use a teaspoon on your salad and there you go, nice, creamy, healthy dressing :-)
  • DawnOBRN
    DawnOBRN Posts: 290 Member
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    Bolthouse Farms makes a really good ranch with yogurt (and sans HFCS) - it's 70 calories for 2 tablespoons, but it goes a long way. I have a habit of dipping baked sweet potato fries in it, which tastes AMAZING.

    BoltHouse Dressings are amazing. and no weird low fat version left over taste. Highly reccommend!!
  • much2gain
    much2gain Posts: 42
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    I am a HUGE fan of ranch too but have really been trying to limit it since the non-fat are just nasty. BUT.. if you live near a Trader Joes, go get their Low Fat Parmesan Ranch Dressing. It's in the lettuce/salad refridgerator section. 30 calories per 2 Tbsp serving, 1.5 g fat, 130 mg sodium, 2 carbs. You would NEVER know this stuff is low fat it's soooo good. It a little thinner than a typical ranch too so I a little goes a long way. Enjoy!
  • philOHIO
    philOHIO Posts: 520 Member
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    Kaet, there are two things you can try. One, don't put the ranch on the salad, keep it on the side and dip the tines of the fork with each bite, you will use a LOT LESS. The other thing, I posted on your profile page, trying to experiment with your own recipes.

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