I made some southwest egg rolls a couple of weeks ago, and I decided that they would taste even better with some avocado ranch dressing to dip them into. I’d never made avocado ranch before, but I figured the name was self-explanatory, right? I’d make a batch of ranch, add some creamed avocado, and that would be it, right?
A few months ago, I just happened to read the nutrition label on the container of powdered ranch dressing I kept in my pantry. Imagine my surprise when I found out it contained MSG! Label reading is something I’m pretty good about doing, but I guess the powdered ranch mix had become so ubiquitous in our house, I never got around to it until that day. Now knowing it contains MSG, I feel a little iffy about continuing to use it.
But then I remembered a healthy ranch dressing recipe from a fellow blogger that I kept meaning to try, so I went to her web site for her recipe, which I then adapted slightly by adding chives and avocado.
I met Breeze from Little Feet Big Adventures at a blogging conference last October in Houston, TX. She had been blogging longer than I. I found Breeze to be such a font of helpful knowledge. She let me tag along with her for a lot of the conference, and we’ve stayed somewhat in touch since. I love Breeze’s ideas about parenting and travel, so check out her blog!
Back to the avocado ranch dressing…I was super happy with the results, so I thought I would share it with you!
let’s make some avocado ranch dressing
What I loved about Breeze’s recipe is that she uses yogurt instead of sour cream, and very little mayonnaise. I checked around online and found that yogurt only has about 1/3 of the calories of sour cream. And the ranch dressing from her recipe was delicious, so it had to make a great avocado ranch dressing, right?
I mixed everything but the avocado together until I had a tasty ranch dressing.
Then I cubed the avocado and creamed it in the food processor. When there were no solid avocado pieces anymore, I added the ranch dressing and pulsed until everything was incorporated.
Pretty color, huh?
Then I poured it into a jar and let it chill for a bit.
Light, creamy and herby, with a beautiful, velvety avocado flavor. Home run!
It was so delicious with the southwest egg rolls that I decided this avocado ranch dressing will be a great addition to the turkey fajita wraps I’m making next!
Enjoy!
Healthy Avocado Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 8 fluid ounces plain yogurt full fat with no fillers
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon dry dill
- 1/2 teaspoon dry parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dry dry chives
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 5-6- ounce avocado
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the first 8 ingredients to make the ranch dressing.
- Scoop the insides of the avocado onto a cutting board and cube into 1-inch pieces.
- Transfer the cubed avocado to the bowl of a food processor with the lemon juice (optional) and process until creamy.
- Add the prepared ranch dressing to the food processor bowl and pulse until the mixture is fully blended.
- Transfer to a re-sealable container and chill until ready to use.
I made this yesterday without the avocado because I didn’t have one. Let me tell you, this is now my go to dip! It is wonderful and sooo easy and fast to make. Not only does it taste wonderful it smells so delicious too. I will definitely be making this again and again…. and also with an avocado. I might give it a whirl with low fat yogurt too, unless Lori, you have already experimented with it and it does not work. I trust your opinion. Another winner!
Isn’t it a great dip? Everyone I’ve made it for has liked it. But definitely a NO on the low fat yogurt. You lose that wonderful deep Ranch flavor. I’ve had friends try it with low fat yogurt and tell me the flavor came out flat. You’re saving 1/3 of the calories compared to sour cream, so count it a better choice and enjoy!