New Hidden Valley Ranch Cheez-Its: Our Honest Review

For a company with “hidden” in its name, Hidden Valley sure is all up in our faces with new products and collabs. In the past couple of years alone they’ve partnered with other packaged food brands to release Hidden Valley Ranch ice cream, Hidden Valley Ranch chili crunch, Hidden Valley Ranch Bugles, and, most recently, a Hidden Valley Ranch dressing flavored to taste like Cheez-Its. Some of these products were good, others were so-so. Personally, I wouldn’t go out of my way for Hidden Valley Ranch ice cream again (ever). And the Cheez-It ranch? Pretty mediocre, unfortunately. But a new product is here to give HVR a chance to redeem itself: Hidden Valley Ranch Cheez-Its. That’s right. Instead of cracker-flavored ranch dressing, they have flipped the script and given us ranch dressing-flavored Cheez-Its. They’re headed to stores now for a limited time, and we got our hands on a box. Are they ranchy? Yes. Very. With a strong buttermilk tang. Do they taste good? That’s another matter. Here’s our full review.

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New Product!

Hidden Valley Ranch Cheez-Its

Amazon

Right off the bat, Hidden Valley Ranch Cheez-Its might not be what you were expecting them to be. They weren’t what I was expecting, i.e. classic, orange, cheddar-flavored Cheez-Its coated in Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning dust. That seems like the most obvious route, but Cheez-It instead coated their white cheddar crackers in ranch dust. Controversial decision, if you ask me.

Pros: These crackers are very ranchy. I don’t know if I would instantly identify it as Hidden Valley Ranch, but it’s a bold, tangy ranch seasoning and the crackers are very coated in it. I know I already said it, but I can’t stress this enough: This ranch is tangy. If you love that HVR buttermilk tang, you will like these.

Cons: White Cheddar Cheez-Its are tangy in their own right, and in my (professional) opinion, the combo of the White Cheddar Cheez-It tang and the Hidden Valley Ranch tang is borderline unpleasant. The flavor evolves as you chew—it goes from powerfully ranchy and garlicky (delicious!) to tangy in a way that tastes almost sour or spoiled (not good!) and then settles into that pleasant crackery Cheez-It flavor that keeps you eating. While some people on the team really liked how ranchy they are, others agreed that there’s something weird about them. Frankly, I think Zesty Cheddar Ranch Grooves are tastier than these.

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

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.