My kid, like just about any kid, has a thing for ranch dressing. It’s an American classic, and I love it too – all creamy, rich with herbs and a touch of garlic and hint of acidity. I’m into it, and so is he.
When he makes his lunch, one of his favorite things to add to his lunchbox (P.S. this is the reusable lunchbox he uses) is carrot sticks and a little container of homemade ranch dressing to dip them in.
The thing is, I want to make a dressing that not only tastes good, but also makes our bellies feel good too – one that avoids the laundry list of ingredients found in store-bought dressings like soybean oil, MSG and high fructose corn syrup and artificial ingredients. Instead, our is made from homemade mayonnaise, milk kefir (which conveys many benefits), extra virgin olive oil, and fresh herbs. It’s simple, easy and nourishing.
Kefir is a Powerhouse
Milk kefir is a nutritional powerhouse. It is rich in beneficial bacteria that support gut health, and is strongly anti-inflammatory, and when you make it from the milk of grass-fed cows or goats, you enjoy the additional benefit conveyed by healthy fats like conjugated linoleic acid and omega-3 fatty acids. There’s a beautiful synergy that exists within kefir as it is rich in beneficial bacteria, and it’s those same bacteria that can outcompete pathogenic bacteria which is why researchers are investigating it’s role in addressing salmonella, h. pylori, and staph infections (read it here and here).
Homemade Kefir Really Is Better
The kefir you find in grocery stores is more closely akin to thin, drinkable yogurt than it is to milk kefir. Store-bought kefir is still rich in beneficial bacteria, like any cultured milk; however, it lacks the rich diversity of homemade, traditional kefir. Store-bought kefir is produced with a commercial starter culture (incidentally, you can buy similar powdered cultures here); by contrast, homemade kefir is prepared the traditional way, using kefir grains, and this makes a big difference.
To make traditional milk kefir, you add milk kefir grains to a jar, top them with fresh milk and wait. Milk kefir grains, like kombucha mothers, are a SCOBY – or a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts. They contain a wide variety of beneficial bacteria and yeasts that come together to eat up the naturally occurring sugars in milk, transforming milk from sweet and fluid to tart, slightly thick and faintly effervescent. Store-bought, commercial kefir lacks microbial biodiversity of traditionally prepared kefir made from real kefir grains.
As those beneficial yeasts and bacteria eat the lactose in milk, they produce beneficial acids, which are responsible for kefir’s tart flavor; moreover, they also produce B vitamins, like folate, a nutrient critical to women of reproductive age for its ability to reduce the risk of neural tube defects.
Where to Find Kefir Grains (And How to Make It)
To make kefir, you’ll need kefir grains and you can either purchase them live here or dried here. From there, it’s as simple as dropping the grains into a jar, covering them with milk, and letting them sit, do their work and culture that milk. All in all, it takes about a day, then you strain away the grains, bottle the kefir and use it as you like. You can get full instructions on brewing here, or in my first cookbook The Nourished Kitchen which also includes many other recipes for cultured foods.
| Kefir Ranch Dressing | Print |
- 1 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade (get the recipe here)
- ½ cup milk kefir
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I use this kind.)
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
- 2 teaspoons dried chives
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
- Spoon the mayonnaise into a mixing bowl, and then whisk in the kefir and olive oil. When the oil and filmjolk are completely integrated into the mayonnaise, whisk in the onion and garlic powders, salt, herbs and dried parsley. Taste it, and adjust seasoning as necessary to suit your preferences.
How exactly does Fil Mjolk differ from kefir? I culture dairy products (mostly raw goats’ milk) with kefir grains.
Hi! I grew up with filmjolk as most Swedes did in the 70’s. Filmjolk is soured milk basically, but with today’s restriction of pasturisation of dairy products it’s not possible to do this at home anymore unless you can get hold of old fashioned milk. Kefir is made by adding kefir grains to milk and then strain it before drinking/ eating.
One very traditional way of eating filmjolk for breakfast which I’ve tried to do with kefir as well is to break a Ryvita on top and then add a bit of sugar and cinnamon. Hope you like it!
Fil Mjolk differs in a few ways–it has a milder, sweeter flavor than kefir and it requires no grains. I think that kefir also originates in the middle east or central Asia, while fil mjolk originates in Scandinavia.
Only sort of on topic (re: mayo)- I’ve been making my mayo for a few months now. The last 2 times it has turned out hard as a rock after I’ve refrigerated it. I’ve only ever used CO, so I doubt that’s why (but it could be as I’ve been known to be wrong). Any ideas?
I think it IS the coconut oil. I use a blend of EVOO and coconut oil in my recipe. Some people use just EVOO but I find the mayo to be too strong that way. Some others use EVOO and sunflower oil (or other oil) but I like the slight firming action of the coconut oil. Using only coconut oil, however, would most likely result in very hard mayo, so I’d bet that’s the culprit!
I have found another homemade ranch dressing mix that has a great flavor but I have trouble getting it to thicken up. I use sour milk in the recipe and regular store bought mayo. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Did I miss something? Why does the ingredients call for milk kefir, but the instructions say film jolk?
I was wondering the same thing about the Fil Mjolk
The advantage of using kefir culture in the packets is that I can make as little kefir as I need and when I need it. I have been contemplating using the kefir grains many times but seems that I would have to make a lot of kefir all the time since the grains have to be submerged in milk all the time…. There’s only so much kefir two person family can drink… :)) Any thoughts on this?
Store the kefir grains in the fridge, up to a week. You can use 1 tb grains to make 1 pint kefir, I’m sure you can enjoy that much within a week.
Or…if you’re like me and are afraid it will get dumped in the blender by one of the “chefs” in a large family, I pull the grains out and put them in a tiny jar with milk till I need them again. I’ve left them for as long as 2 weeks that way and never had an issue.
Hi Jenny,
Could you use fresh herbs in place of the dried?
Hey Jenny,
I just made this and it was so good on my salad! I’m glad I found a ranch dressing that’s so tasty. I used just plain kefir too and liked the tartness of it in the dressing.
I have been looking for a great homemade ranch recipe for a while….will definitely have to try this one! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m from Sweden and grew up eating filmjölk for breakfast pretty much every day. I now live in the UK and I often buy Polish Kefir but I can also sometimes but filmjölk here. Which product do you recommend using?
You can use either.
I wonder if you can skip the mayo and just make kefir cheese in place of both the kefir milk and mayo?
No, you can’t, or, at least, you can’t make that substitution and expect the recipe to turn out. Ranch dressing gets its texture from emulsification, which only mayo provides. It also provides a neutral flavor that mellows out the kefir.
Hello Jenny,
I guess this is another great way to incorporate the delicious kefir to our food. I started using kefir for my healthy drink and smoothie a few years back and since have been a huge fan of Kefir since then. I like preparing my own at home than just buying one at the nearest store. Homemade kefir tastes nicer than the commercially produced ones. Anyway, just want to ask if we can substitute virgin coconut oil for extra virgin olive oil in this ranching recipe?
Hi Giselle,
No, you can’t substitute virgin coconut oil for extra virgin olive oil.
How long will this last in the frig? Can u freeze it?
It’ll last Aboit 5 days in the fridge, and it doesn’t freeze well.
This is really easy and good! It was a little too mayonnaisey at first so I added more kefir. I didn’t have the chives or parley. My boys and I gobbled our salads. Thanks!
where do you get the filmjolk for this recipe? is it possible to replace yogurt or kefir instead?
Kefir is great.
Would this work with coconut milk kefir?
Where do I get kefir?
Hi Nancy!
There’s a bunch of suggestions in the post above under the headline “Where to find kefir grains (and how to make it)”