Applebee's Ranch
Ranch dressing is high in histamine, mainly from the buttermilk and lemon juice concentrate.
Most of this is cooked to order, which is the best case for histamine. Even so, a restaurant kitchen preps ahead and holds things warm through a service, so freshness varies more than it would at home. The rating above comes from the chain's published ingredients. If a dish is borderline for you, asking how it is prepared tells you more than the menu does.
This is a creamy dressing of buttermilk, soybean oil, egg, vinegar, and herbs.
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Buttermilk and lemon juice concentrate — buttermilk is a cultured dairy, which builds histamine, and the lemon juice concentrate is a citrus liberator, so both push it up.
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Soybean oil — the oil base sits in the moderate range, while the garlic, onion, and herbs are milder background flavors.
The cultured buttermilk and lemon are baked into what ranch is, so this one does not have a low version.
This rating comes from Applebee's own published ingredient statement, read on August 11, 2026. Restaurant recipes vary by location and change over time, so always check the current listing: source 1, source 2. How we rate foods →
Applebee's Ranch and Applebee's are trademarks of their respective owners. This page is an independent histamine reference and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the brand.
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For educational purposes only. Not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional for personal guidance.
References
- SIGHI Food Compatibility List — SIGHI (2026)
- Histamine and histamine intolerance — Maintz & Novak (2007)
- Histamine Intolerance: The Current State of the Art — Comas-Basté et al. (2020)
- Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? — Sánchez-Pérez et al. (2021)
- Histamine Intolerance: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Beyond — Jochum (2024)
- Guideline on management of suspected adverse reactions to ingested histamine — Reese et al. (2021)