Dry ranch seasoning, ground beef and breadcrumbs come together to form the best Ranch Meatballs! Perfectly tender, juicy, zesty and delicious!
You’ve had cocktail meatballs and Italian style meatballs, but have you had ranch meatballs?
These little nuggets are just like regular meatballs, but laced with the spices of dry Ranch dressing mix. What are those seasonings?
- dry powdered buttermilk
- dried parsley flakes
- dried dill
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- dried onion flakes
- ground black pepper
- dried chives
- fine sea salt
You are probably familiar with all of the ingredients in this ranch meatballs recipe with the exception of maybe one. Dry powdered buttermilk.
Dry powdered buttermilk is just like any other dry powdered milk. It is made from actual buttermilk, which is the liquid left behind after churning to milk butter, but fermented so it is a little funky.
But then dehydrated so it has a much longer shelf life. Let’s be honest, I don’t use that much buttermilk. Maybe here and there for fried chicken, pancakes and waffles, but not on the regular.
How to Make Ranch Meatballs
The recipe is simple, just place all the ingredients together and toss until combined. The key to perfect meatballs is to not overwork the ingredients. In fact, it is recommended to toss the meat to form balls rather than rolling or packing.
You can use plain breadcrumbs to make these easy ranch meatballs, or even seasoned. The reason why I didn’t was that the ranch mix has enough to flavor to compensate for the small amount of Italian seasoning in the seasoned varieties.
And you don’t even have to use bread crumbs if you don’t want to. Cracker crumbs like saltines or club cracker also work. I’ve even heard of some folks using cereal like Corn Flakes. You do need some binder though or else they will fall apart.
Do I have to use beef?
Nope! Any kind of ground meat will work for ranch meatballs. Chicken, pork (even spicy Italian sausage), turkey or beef will do. Keep in mind that you’ll want a tiny bit of fat to help bind it all together.
You can even use a blend of ground meats or a meatloaf mix, commonly beef, veal and pork.
Get Saucy
Do they need sauce? Yes and no, it depends on how saucy you are! Serve with ranch dressing or make them into Pesto Meatballs! This also gives you the option to make them turkey.
Can I freeze cocktail meatballs?
Ranch meatballs can be frozen after being cooked. Place into an airtight bag and freeze for up to 6 months. They can be prepared ahead of time and reheated in the oven. Place aluminum foil over the dish to reheat so they don’t dry out.
Ranch meatballs can also be made into big meatballs. This recipe will make about 12 large meatballs suitable for spaghetti and meatballs or any other dish you might want to make with them.
More of my favorite ranch recipes:
Ranch Butter
Chipotle Ranch Dressing
Ranch Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 egg , lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon dry Ranch seasoning mix
- Sauce for Dipping
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine together ground beef, egg, milk, bread crumbs and Ranch seasoning. Toss until combined.
- Roll meatballs into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Place into a coated baking dish. You’ll have about 30 meatballs.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Remove and serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauce.
- Come back and let us know how they were!
Notes
Nutrition
These were excellent meatballs. Thanks for sharing.
looks hearty and delicious! Nice recipe
These meatballs look so moist and I am sure the ranch flavors makes them so delicious! I can’t wait to make this for my family!
Oh yum! I have all these ingredients, and I didn’t know what I was going to make for supper!
These meatballs are delicious and I love that it’s using basic pantry ingredients. Perfect for these days when it’s harder and not convenient to get fresh produce.
These are so easy to create. I couldn’t believe it. Meatballs will be on the menu a lot now.