We Tested 21 Different Ranch Dressing Brands to Find the Best

These are the winners worth buying.

Ranch dressing is one of the few condiments that can check all the boxes. What some may see only as salad dressing, its versatility stretches far beyond a coating for lettuce. Ranch dressing can be used as a dip for everything from pizza to wings, a marinade for chicken or salmon, an ingredient in casseroles, a sandwich spread, or the easiest way to get your kid to eat more vegetables. Traditional ranch is made from sour cream, mayonnaise, dried herbs (usually dill, parsley, and chives), garlic powder, and onion powder. Buttermilk versions have, as you guessed, the addition of buttermilk and tend to be a bit thinner. You can easily make ranch dressing from scratch but there are a lot of bottled versions available at the store that you can keep in your fridge whenever you need to fill your ranch craving.

To find the best, we tasted 21 versions and quickly learned that not all ranch is created equal. In general, ranch dressing falls into four categories: 1. shelf-stable ranch, 2. refrigerated ranch (most often found near the produce), 3. flavored ranch, such as Buffalo ranch, and 4. non-dairy/vegan Ranch. We stuck to classic versions of ranch—here are our favorites.

How We Tested

All ranch dressings were tried by multiple testers without them knowing what brands they were tasting. This blind-tasting method allowed the testers not to have any bias on which brand corresponded with each taste. Testers rated each ranch dressing on flavor and texture, then ranked the ranch dressings by overall preference.

Store-Bough Ranch Dressing Taste Test Results

Best Refrigerated Ranch: Marie’s Creamy Ranch Dressing + Dip

Thanks to its placement in the refrigerated section, Marie’s ranch skips fillers and preservatives, making it taste the closest to homemade of all the ranch dressings we tasted. According to tasters, it has the perfect texture of not being too thick or too thin, meaning it can withstand a dip from a wing but also not overwhelm delicate salad greens. Along with having enough herb flavor and tang from the sour cream, this was the clear winner in the refrigerated section. But because it doesn’t have preservatives, it also has the shortest shelf life.

Most Classic Flavor: Hidden Valley Original Ranch

When you think of ranch dressing, it's hard to not think of Hidden Valley. The label is so ubiquitous, you could take the words off and most people would still know that it’s ranch dressing. That said, the unanimous comment from the tasters about the Hidden Valley Ranch was consistently, “this tastes like classic ranch.” It’s hard to argue anything different and impossible to not put this on the top list since it’s the ranch we think of and know of as “ranch.”

Crowd Favorite: Ken’s Steakhouse Ranch

Tangy, creamy, and sour “in the good way,” Ken’s Steakhouse Ranch was the crowd favorite in a sea of 21 ranch dressings. Its thick texture and light use of herbs made it the top pick for many, especially for using as a dip though I think it would be perfect on a hearty salad, like a wedge. Or do I dare say as a dip for steak?

Most Gourmet Bottled: Briannas Classic Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

The addition of buttermilk and garlic helped Brianna's classic ranch take the top place for tasting most like homemade in the shelf-stable category. This slightly thinner dressing makes it ideal for a salad or a marinade, though many didn’t mind it for dipping as well since they liked the garlicky flavor.

Honorable Mention: Best Dairy-Free—Follow Your Heart Vegan Ranch Dressing

Considering the majority of ranch dressing is made from sour cream and mayonnaise, tasting the vegan versions next to the classics was tough. However, the Follow Your Heart vegan dressing was far better than all the others we tasted in terms of texture and flavor. Its thicker consistency means it can hold up to being a dip and the herbs were strong but not overpowering. One nice benefit is the addition of hemp and flaxseed oils, which means this vegan version also gives you a boost of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Read the original article on All Recipes.