The best ranch dressing is creamy, herby, and versatile. It should compliment a killer salad and perfectly contrast a spicy wing. It should be a welcome addition to pizza and a sensational dip for veggies. To put it plainly, the best ranch should be able to do anything and everything.
“What is a ranch anyway?” Sporked contributor Danny Palumbo asked halfway through our ranch dressing taste test. It’s a legitimate question. To me, ranch has always been creamy, herby, and thick (but not too thick). A good ranch should strike the perfect balance of sweetness, tartness, and saltiness. What we found, however, is that there are many different interpretations of ranch dressing that range from incredibly delicious to truly heinous. We weren’t wasting time with baby carrots, either. For this taste test—we’ve done two, in fact—we just ate big spoonfuls of salad dressing to find out which ranch is the ranchiest ranch on the market. Here are the best ranch dressings you can buy right now:
- Follow Your Heart High Omega Vegan Ranch Dressing
If you don’t eat dairy, grab a bottle of this Follow Your Heart High Omega Vegan Ranch Dressing. It’s creamy, rich, and garlicky. It doesn’t have any weird twang of artificial flavor like some of the other vegan (or even regular) ranch dressings we tried. I don’t necessarily think this ranch dressing will turn you into a vegan, but I think it’s a great option if you eat plant-based or are looking to cut down on animal products in general. That’s why it’s one of the best ranch dressing brands (definitely the best vegan ranch dressing) we tried in our taste test.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Marzetti Simply Dressed Ranch Dressing
Everyone screamed at us when we first published our best ranch dressing ranking. You all insisted that Marzetti was the only option for store bought ranch dressing. We grabbed a bottle to check it out and, while we don’t think it’s the best ranch dressing, we do really like it! It has a cult following and we support it. This is one of the best ranch dressings on the market, but y’all already knew that.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Olive Garden Parmesan Ranch Salad Dressing
I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by solid chunks of parmesan cheese when I tasted the Olive Garden Parmesan Ranch Salad Dressing. For some reason, I assumed there would just be an essence of parm, as if it had been finely grated and then disintegrated into the dressing as it sat on the shelf. I was thrilled to be wrong! Another exciting feature of this dressing is that it tastes like ranch mixed with the beloved Olive Garden Italian dressing. If you’ve ever thought, “Hmm, I wish Olive Garden Italian dressing was way creamier,” your prayers have been answered!
Credit: Ryan Martin / Walmart
- Tessemae’s Gluten Free Classic Ranch Salad Dressings and Dip
I’m glad I tried this ranch during our taste test because I would normally never buy a product boasting the fact that it’s “Whole30 Approved” and “Keto Friendly.” It loses sporks for its fitness-forward advertising but wins sporks in every other category. My favorite aspect of Tessemae’s Classic Ranch is its sensational herbiness. There are so many herbs packed into the bottle that the dressing is not a white color like most other ranches on the market. Please ignore the packaging and give this ranch a try.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Target
- Market Pantry Spicy Chipotle Ranch Dressing
Market Pantry Spicy Chipotle Ranch from Target doesn’t really taste like the ranch we know and love. Instead, it’s a new flavor you’ll absolutely fall in love with. It has a great spice and kick, so I would only recommend it for flavor freaks like myself. This would be sensational on a taco salad (or even poured on top of tacos, to be honest). If you like ranch but want even more zest, this is an excellent option. Who knew one of the best ranch dressings wouldn’t even taste like ranch?
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Ken’s Steak House Peppercorn Ranch Dressing
Ken’s Peppercorn Ranch is my kind of ranch. It’s thick, creamy, and peppery. The flavor is simultaneously bold and subtle. I would pour this all over a salad or spread it onto bread for a sandwich. If you gave this to me in a ramekin at a restaurant, I’d think it was made in-house. It tastes so good I’d probably just drink it from the bottle if I didn’t think all that dairy would make me violently ill. That’s why it’s one of the best store bought ranch salad dressings (and my personal favorite on this list).
Credit: Liv Averett / Stock Up Express
- Litehouse Homestyle Ranch Dressing & Dip
Texture is king when it comes to Litehouse Homestyle Ranch Dressing & Dip. It is lusciously thick and creamy. There are pieces of herbs and small bits of dried onion that give the jar a lovely speckled look. The flavor is lightly zippy and delicately herby. It would pair with vegetables like a dream, making it perfect for a crudite platter or salad. Don’t let me oversell it as a health food, though. I took it home and dipped kettle-cooked BBQ potato chips into it and it was wonderful, too.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Target
- Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dressing
Classics are classics for a reason and Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing is no exception to that rule. It is one of the best ranch dressing brands on the market. Yes, of course, there are brands that make fancier or more homemade-style ranch dressings, but Hidden Valley isn’t trying to be fancy or homemade. They are trying to make the best store-bought ranch and have it be affordable. They are succeeding. What makes this ranch stand out is that it’s perfectly balanced: It’s a little herby, a little sweet, and a little tangy. You can’t pick out any one ingredient because everything is so beautifully homogeneous. This ranch would be good on anything, but I think the viscous texture and squeezable bottle make it ideal for squirting onto pizza (the most important use for ranch). This is unrelated, but did you know that there is an actual Hidden Valley Ranch in Santa Barbara? Did you also know that I am desperate to go there?
Credit: Ryan Martin / Walmart
- Marie’s Creamy Ranch Dressing + Dip
We’d like to thank Daniel, Sporked reader, for opening our eyes to the wonders of Marie’s Creamy Ranch. His persistence in the comment section after we initially published our ranking of the best ranch dressing made us buy a bottle of this stuff, and it is now our favorite store bought ranch dressing. It is thick, creamy, and herby. There’s absolutely zero weird chemical-y aftertaste or strange, unnecessary twang. It’s thick enough for wings but thin enough to dress a salad. Marie’s Creamy Ranch is totally perfect. Thanks, Daniel!
Credit: Liv Averett / Ralphs
Best Dairy-Free
Fan Favorite
Best Cheesy
Best Almost Homemade
Best Flavored
Best Restaurant-Style
Best for Salads
Best Classic
Best of the Best
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