One of the Best Salad Dressing Brands Is Making Protein Ranch

Every morning, we in the food world open our eyes, stretch, and begin to wonder which brand will be releasing a protein version of their normal product today. And you know what? At the moment, we’re never disappointed. Protein-rich alternatives to classic foods have reached fever pitch: In just the last week, we’ve brought you a review of the new Protein Doritos (which are pretty good), our thoughts on Premier Protein’s new Caffeinated Protein Shakes (which are…also pretty good), news of Kraft’s upcoming protein mac & cheese, and word of Insomnia Cookies’ all-new protein cookies. What else is left?

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Apparently, ranch. Marzetti has just created a new higher-protein ranch dressing (as well as a protein ranch dip), which has already started hitting stores. Here’s what we know.

How Much Protein Can You Get into Ranch? Not That Much, Apparently

Marzetti’s new duo of higher-protein ranch options was spied by @candyhunting in Woodman’s, and you can find it using the brand’s store locator on its website. It must be said that the amount of protein you get in these new options is…kinda funny? Marzetti’s Protein Ranch Dressing has a whopping three grams per serving, and its Protein Ranch Dip & Spread has four grams. Honestly, it kinda makes you wonder why they bothered in the first place.

Other people in @candyhunting’s comment section also had the same feeling that we did about these products. “The elusive 3g of protein I’ve been looking for,” said one person, with someone else simply saying, “Enough.” Another pointed out that if you make a ranch dressing out of plain yogurt and a seasoning blend, then you’ll basically end up with the exact same protein content – hey, you might even get more than that, if you use a Greek yogurt. It all feels a little bit pointless, Marzetti, we’re not gonna lie. 

And… Will It Taste Protein-y?

We actually don’t know yet. These ranch dressings and dips have just hit shelves, so there’s not been much response to them just yet. We can only hope they don’t have that weird, chalky, protein taste, though. It looks as though Marzetti’s adding its protein through milk protein concentrate and whey, which can sometimes change the flavor of things, so here’s hoping they haven’t put in too much – especially because we generally like Marzetti’s ranch (our taste-test of the best ranch dressings proves as much). 

Amazingly, this is far from the wildest new protein-focused option we’ve covered on Sporked – that might have to go to Papa John’s for its protein pizza crust – but it definitely feels like one of the more…redundant. Tried it? Let us know your thoughts.