Tag: Ranch

One of the foods I miss on a low-sodium diet is ranch dressing.

Not because ranch is some gourmet food.

It’s ranch.

But it goes on everything.

Salads.

Vegetables.

Chicken.

Wraps.

Potatoes.

And unfortunately, most bottled ranch dressing can contain a decent amount of sodium before you even put it on anything.

So I started looking for something I could make myself.

That is when I found MySALT Restaurant-Style Ranch Dressing & Dip Mix.

The thing that got my attention was simple:

The dry mix itself contains zero sodium per serving.

That gives me something I really like with low-sodium cooking — control.

I can decide what goes into the finished dressing instead of starting with a bottle that already contains a bunch of sodium. The manufacturer specifically says the mix is sodium-free as packaged and can be combined with buttermilk and mayonnaise to make ranch dressing. 

MySALT Sodium-Free Ranch Mix on Amazon

Important: The Finished Ranch Is Not Sodium-Free

This is worth making very clear.

The seasoning packet is sodium-free.

The ranch dressing I make from it is not.

Why?

Because I add mayonnaise and buttermilk, and both contain naturally occurring or added sodium depending on the brand.

That means the final sodium content depends almost entirely on the ingredients you choose.

This is one of those situations where reading labels still matters.

If one brand of mayonnaise has considerably less sodium than another, use the lower-sodium one.

Same with the buttermilk.

The seasoning mix gives you a zero-sodium starting point, but it does not magically remove the sodium from everything you mix with it.

How I Make My Low-Sodium Ranch Dressing

This is about as simple as a recipe gets.

Ingredients

• 1 packet MySALT Sodium-Free Ranch Dressing & Dip Mix
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup buttermilk

Directions

Add the mayonnaise and buttermilk to a bowl.

Pour in the ranch seasoning.

Whisk everything together until completely combined.

Refrigerate it before serving so the flavors have time to come together.

That’s it.

You now have about 2 cups of homemade ranch dressing.

The manufacturer also says the seasoning can be used to make a dip with sour cream, so there are a few different ways to use it beyond salad dressing. 

Why I Like Making Ranch This Way

The biggest advantage is that I know where the sodium is coming from.

The mix?

Zero.

Then I can look at my mayonnaise label.

Look at my buttermilk label.

Do the math.

That is much easier for me than buying a bottled dressing where I have no control over how much salt was added.

And it actually tastes like ranch.

That last part is important.

I have tried enough low-sodium replacements that taste like somebody removed everything enjoyable from the food.

I’m not interested in eating something just because the label says it is healthy.

It still has to taste good.

This does.

You Can Adjust the Consistency Too

Another benefit of making it yourself is that you can control how thick it is.

If you want a thicker ranch for dipping vegetables, use a little less buttermilk.

If you want it thinner for salads, add a little more.

Just remember that changing the amount of buttermilk also changes the sodium content of the finished dressing.

Again, read the label.

Don’t Forget Portion Size

There is another trap with ranch.

You make something considerably lower in sodium and suddenly think:

Great. I can use as much as I want.

Not exactly.

Mayonnaise and buttermilk still contribute sodium, calories, and fat.

And ranch is really easy to pour.

A little becomes a lot very quickly.

So even though this gives me much more control than bottled ranch, I still pay attention to how much I use.

Low sodium does not mean unlimited.

More Than Salad Dressing

The manufacturer also suggests using the dry ranch mix as a seasoning on foods such as meats and potatoes. 

That opens up a lot of possibilities.

You could try it on:

• Chicken
• Potatoes
• Vegetables
• Burgers
• Sandwiches
• Wraps

Because the seasoning itself starts with zero sodium, you can add ranch flavor without automatically adding the salt found in many traditional ranch seasoning packets.

That is probably where I’ll experiment with it next.

Helpful Find Verdict

For me, this one is definitely a Helpful Find.

It solves a real problem.

I wanted ranch.

I didn’t want all the sodium that often comes with ranch.

This gives me a sodium-free seasoning base and lets me control the rest of the recipe myself.

Is the finished dressing sodium-free?

No.

But it doesn’t need to be.

The goal for me isn’t always zero sodium.

The goal is knowing what I’m eating and being able to make choices that fit the plan my medical team gave me.

And this makes that a lot easier.