Food & Cooking Recipes Salad Recipes Buttermilk-Herb Vinaigrette 1.0 (1) It's a lighter, tangier, just-as-delicious take on ranch dressing. Close Credit: Jake Sternquist Prep Time: 10 mins Total Time: 10 mins Servings: 4 to 6 Yield: Makes 1/2 cup Jump to recipe This herby buttermilk dressing is light, bright, and perfect for summer salads. It’s made with tangy buttermilk, white-wine vinegar, and olive oil with a generous amount of fresh herbs. It's easy enough to whip up at a moment’s notice, and won’t weigh down or overpower delicate produce. Plus, it's an excellent use for the leftover buttermilk you may have in your fridge after a baking project or the homegrown herbs that might be getting out of control in your garden. Think of this dressing as ranch’s perky, less creamy cousin. Drizzle it on everything from green salads to platters of fresh, juicy tomatoes to potato salads. It's big on flavor but easy on effort, and may become your new go-to summer dressing. 25 Summer Salads Made With Fresh, Seasonal Produce Buttermilk Vinaigrette vs. Ranch Dressing Our tangy buttermilk vinaigrette is similar to a classic ranch dressing. Both have a buttermilk base and herby flavor profile, but this buttermilk vinaigrette has a much brighter taste and lighter consistency. In addition to buttermilk, ranch dressing is typically made with sour cream and mayonnaise, the one-two punch that gives it its signature rich and creamy mouthfeel. Ranch also includes garlic, which we leave out of this vinaigrette to let the herbs shine (though you can certainly toss in a bit of grated garlic or a few shakes of garlic powder, if desired). Storing Fresh Herbs at Home You'll need a quarter cup of dill, tarragon, or chives for this recipe, plus half a teaspoon of thyme, oregano, or marjoram. When you get them home from the store, wrap the herbs in damp paper towels, then transfer to a resealable bag, press out air, and store in the refrigerator's crisper drawer. Kept this way, fresh herbs should last for at least one week. Plus, rinsing them ahead of time will make it extra easy to add them to recipes whenever you need them. Hardy herbs like thyme and oregano have a deeper, earthier flavor than tender herbs like chives, dill, and tarragon. Used together, they bring a balanced, complex flavor to this simple dressing. Directions Credit: Jake Sternquist Combine buttermilk, vinegar, and seasoning: Whisk together buttermilk, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl to combine. Credit: Jake Sternquist Add oil and herbs: Slowly whisk in oil and herbs. Credit: Jake Sternquist How to Store Buttermilk-Herb Vinaigrette You can store our buttermilk-herb vinaigrette in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Whisk well to recombine, if needed, before serving. Ways to Use This Buttermilk Dressing There are so many ways to put this bright, tangy vinaigrette to use, including: On fresh vegetables: This lighter version of ranch dressing is excellent drizzled on everything from crunchy greens to juicy sliced tomatoes. Try it on a Cobb salad, with a tangle of peppery arugula, or tossed with smashed or sliced cucumbers. It would also be wonderful with fresh summer corn, so consider adding it to this corn-and-avocado salad or this mixture of quinoa, caramelized corn, and scallions. As a marinade: Use this buttermilk vinaigrette as a marinade for chicken before roasting or grilling. The buttermilk will tenderize the meat while the herbs will add plenty of delicious flavor. In pasta and potato salad: Add your buttermilk dressing to a pasta-and-bean salad instead of the garlic-lime dressing the recipe calls for. Use it in place of heavier mayo-based dressings with other pasta and potato salads. With lettuce wraps: Shred some chicken and slice some tomatoes, then serve them both with lettuce wraps, buttermilk dressing, crispy bacon, and avocado. Somewhere between a Cobb and a BLT, this makes a light yet satisfying summer lunch or dinner. (For extra bulk, toss some orzo in as well.) 5 More Homemade Dressing Recipes to Try Martha's Favorite Vinaigrette Green Goddess Dressing and Dip Blue Cheese Vinaigrette Mustard and Herb Vinaigrette Caesar Salad Dressing Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.