Hidden Valley Ranch Chili Crunch Is Coming in Hot

If you read Sporked, you know we’re pretty big Hidden Valley Ranch fans. No, it isn’t our favorite ranch dressing (that honor goes to Marie’s, which is delicious), but if Hidden Valley slaps its name on a product, you can bet we’re going to want to get our hands on it. We even tried the ranch ice cream they released with Van Leeuwen, and while it wasn’t our cup of tea for a number of reasons, that won’t stop us from getting excited about the latest Hidden Valley collab to drop: Hidden Valley Ranch Chili Crunch. That’s right. Hidden Valley is getting all fance and teaming up with celebrity chef Stephanie Izard and her brand This Little Goat on a trendy new condiment, and we already have a bowl of noodles ready.

What can we expect from Hidden Valley Ranch Chili Crunch—and what are we supposed to do with it?

According to a press release, This Little Goat’s Hidden Valley Ranch Chili Crunch puts a tangy, decidedly American spin on a spicy Asian condiment. Good chili crunch (aka chili crisp) has three things: heat, a pleasantly crunchy texture, and good-tasting oil. And it would seem HVR Chili Crunch has all three covered. It’s made with gochugaru chiles for heat; fried garlic, puffed quinoa, and masa chips (say what??) for crunch; and sesame oil for that slick, unctuous consistency. Oh, and it also has Hidden Valley seasoning, obviously. I know what you’re thinking: Couldn’t I just add Hidden Valley seasoning to the chili crunch I already have in my fridge? I mean, sure, but if you know anything about Stephanie Izard, you can probably trust she’s done a better job with this than you could (no shade). Besides owning several extremely delicious restaurants—I’ve eaten at both her L.A. and Chicago restaurants and can vouch for them—she was the first female identifying Top Chef winner and also won a Best Chef James Beard Award in 2013, which is a big deal in the food world. Plus, her packaged food brand, This Little Goat, already produces a line of highly reviewed chili crunches, so this isn’t her first chili crunch rodeo.

We’ll be trying and reviewing this as soon as we get our hands on it, but if you’re ready to go ahead and buy your own jar, you can do so starting Wednesday, September 20 on This Little Goat’s website.

About the Author

Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks. Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction. Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home. Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.