Blackened Ranch Dressing (Popeyes Copycat)
If you like Popeyes blackened ranch, you’ll LOVE this copycat recipe. This Blackened Ranch Dressing is creamy, zesty, and packed with delicious Cajun flavor. It’s excellent as a salad dressing and a dipping sauce for crispy chicken, chicken wings, veggies, and more! 2-ingredient shortcut recipe included.
As for the best fast food fried chicken, Popeyes gets my vote. The menu is rooted in Louisiana-style home cooking and features New Orleans-style fried chicken, fried seafood, Cajun sides, and signature sauces to complement your meal.
The lineup of Popeyes classic sauces includes BBQ, buttermilk ranch, chili sauce, and tartar sauce, and if you’re lucky, your location may also offer the blackened ranch.
Blackened ranch debuted on the menu in 2011 as a dip for blackened chicken tenders, Rip’n Chick’n, and Dip’n Chick’n, but it seems to be phased out of many locations. Bummer, right? Wrong! With this Popeyes blackened ranch dressing recipe, you can make it yourself in minutes!
This rich, creamy sauce is seriously the best. Imagine dipping a crispy chicken tender in a zesty buttermilk ranch dressing with a warm and peppery Cajun kick. You can make this spicy sauce entirely from scratch or simplify it with semi-homemade ingredients.
🧾 Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sour cream – For the best results, use full-fat sour cream. The rest of the ingredients build on the sour cream to make a thick, tangy dressing.
- Buttermilk – The aged cream in buttermilk improves the tang. If you’ve ever wondered why store-bought ranch dressing never tastes as good as restaurant ranch, it’s most likely the buttermilk.
- Mayonnaise – Mayo helps make a thick, dip-like density. I recommend using full-fat real mayo or making homemade mayo.
- Ranch seasoning – Try this homemade ranch seasoning for that distinct herby, zesty ranch flavor. If you use a ranch dressing packet, Hidden Valley, Great Value, Simply Organic, and Primal Palate ranch seasoning are good options.
- Blackened seasoning – This spice blend has deep, Earthy, and smokey flavors and a kick of Cajun heat. Louisiana Fish Fry Products, Phillips, Zatarain’s, and Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning are flavorful, readily available options.
🥣 How To Make Blackened Ranch Dressing & Dip
1️⃣ Combine creamy ingredients. Add the sour cream, buttermilk, and mayo to a mixing bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
2️⃣ Stir in spices. Add the ranch seasoning and blackened seasoning, and whisk to incorporate the spices into the dressing. Give it a quick taste and adjust the seasonings if you need to.
3️⃣ Chill before serving. Transfer the blackened ranch dressing to an airtight container, and set it in the fridge for at least 2 hours to let the flavors develop. Enjoy!
⏰ Short on time? Take a shortcut! Stir blackened seasoning & your favorite ranch dressing together, and serve—no chilling necessary.
💭 Recipe Tips
- Give it a taste test. Some blackening seasons are saltier than others, so you may or may not need to add salt.
- Don’t skip chilling. Placing the dressing in the fridge for a couple of hours gives the flavors a chance to wake up and mesh together.
- If your sauce is too thick, whisk in a splash of buttermilk at a time to thin it out to your preferred consistency.
- For an extra thick ranch dip, use less buttermilk.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
If you’re anything like me, this blackened ranch goes on everything. These are my favorite meals to serve with blackened ranch.
- Fried catfish and crinkle-cut fries made in the air fryer.
- Air fryer chicken nuggets or popcorn chicken with sweet potato fries.
- As a dip with air fryer baby potatoes, yuca fries, or onion rings.
🧊 Storage
Storing: Store this buttermilk ranch dressing in a well-sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. No freezing!
❔ FAQ
Blackened ranch is everything you love about ranch dressing with added warm, earthy, and peppery flavors from blackened seasoning.
It varies by location. It has been discontinued in many stores, so check in with your closest Popeyes location to see if they still carry it.
Milk + vinegar or lemon juice. Stir one tablespoon of distilled white vinegar or lemon juice with a cup of milk and let stand for 5 minutes. You can also add water to plain yogurt, extra sour cream, or plain kefir as a substitute for buttermilk.
Not to my knowledge, but this blackened ranch copycat is easy to make and just as delicious.
More Dressing & Dip Recipes
Dill Pickle Dip
Easy Buffalo DIp
Crockpot Pizza Dip
Keto Buffalo Chicken Dip
Thousand Island Dressing
Habanero Ranch Sauce
Blackened Ranch Dressing (Popeye’s Copycat)
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Airtight Container for storage
Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning or ranch dressing packet
- 1 tablespoon blackened seasoning
Instructions
- Add the sour cream, buttermilk, and mayo to a mixing bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Then, add the ranch seasoning and blackened seasoning to the bowl, and continue whisking to incorporate the dry seasonings fully.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Transfer the blackened ranch dressing to an airtight container, and set it in the fridge for at least 2 hours to let the flavors develop. Enjoy!
Notes
- 1 tablespoon blackened seasoning
- 1 cup of your favorite ranch dressing (store-bought or homemade)
