Ranch Powder
A jar of dried herbs that turns olive oil, milk powder, and water into dressing on a picnic table.
- calories
- 120
- weight
- 0.9 oz
- cal / oz
- 133
- protein
- 2 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- 30 ml cold
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Snack
- No cook
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Dried parsley | 2 tbsp | |
|---|---|---|
| Dried dill | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Onion powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried basil | 2 tsp | |
| Ground black pepper | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Whole milk powder | 2 tbsp per serving | buttermilk powder if you can find it |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp per serving | dropper bottle |
| Citric acid or lemon powder | 1/4 tsp per serving | stands in for the tang of sour cream |
Method
- At home, crush the herbs between your palms and shake all seven dry seasonings together in a jar. That is the base mix, good for about eight servings.
- In camp, put 1 tbsp of the seasoning, 2 tbsp milk powder, and the citric acid in a small bag or cup.
- Add 2 tbsp cold water and work the lumps out with a spoon. Go slow; dumping all the water in at once gives you clumps you cannot break.
- Stir in the olive oil last. It will look thin, then tighten as it sits.
- Give it five minutes before eating. The dried herbs need that long to rehydrate or they stay woody.
The source recipe leans on yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise, and buttermilk, none of which survive a warm pack. What travels is the part that was already dry: seven herbs and spices in a jar. Everything else gets rebuilt in camp from milk powder for body, oil for fat, and citric acid for the sour edge that dairy would have brought.
The ratio of water to powder is the whole game. Two tablespoons of water to two of milk powder gives a dressing that coats; more and it runs off the food and pools in the bottom of the bowl. Mix it before you cook dinner so the parsley and dill have time to soften.
Packing
The seasoning lives in one small jar or bag all trip. Milk powder and citric acid go in single-serving bags so you are not measuring powder in the wind. Oil rides in a leakproof dropper bottle, upright, in an outside pocket.
Variations
- Thin it further and pour it over instant potatoes or a foil-packet chicken pouch.
- Swap the milk powder for powdered coconut milk and it goes dairy-free, though it reads sweeter.
- Double the seasoning and skip the water to make a dry dust for tortilla chips or crackers.
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/why-i-couldnt-buy-ranch-dressing-recipe