What's the Best Ranch Dressing You Can Buy? I Tried 13 To Find Out

$2.79 from Target

I promise I went into this taste test with an open mind. I really did, but I don’t know what you want me to say. No other ranch dressing I’ve ever tasted is even close to this good. The balance of Hidden Valley’s signature spices and dried herbs alongside the garlic — combined with the perfect consistency — make this the best ranch dressing in the game.

There are just so many foods that shine with the addition of Hidden Valley’s magical salad dressing. Crudité, mac and cheese, chicken wings, pizza crust, and about a trillion other things can reach new heights when the Valley gets introduced. It's the holy grail of ranch. Nobody has ever come for Hidden Valley's belt. I doubt anybody ever will.

2. Ken’s Steak House Ranch Dressing

$3.49 from Target

I like this a lot. This is a black-pepper soaked ranch that at no point feels like it’s trying to copy Hidden Valley. Ken’s got his own thing going on, and I’m absolutely OK with that. I’d use this in a salad or spread it on a fried chicken sandwich any time.

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3. Wish-Bone Ranch Dressing

$2.58 from Walmart

Wish-Bone is smart. This dressing tastes like a Hidden Valley dupe, and that’s the best possible choice Wish-Bone could have made. If this ranch shortage gets serious and you can’t grab any of the good stuff, this is a fine-enough replacement for the time being.

4. Olive Garden Parmesan Ranch Dressing & Dip

$4.49 from Target

This was a perfect opportunity for Olive Garden to do the thing it does best: take something everybody loves and ruin it. They actually didn’t do that here, and though I fully expected a parmesan flavored blast based on the name, it was actually a lot more like a garlic powder blast.

This sort of tastes like somebody made a Caesar dressing and then realized they were supposed to make ranch, so instead they dumped a bunch of mayo and dill flavor in there and mixed it together. I don’t hate it at all.

5. Kraft Classic Ranch Dressing

$3.19 from Target

I have never made ranch dressing at home, but I assume this is what it would taste like. We’re just dealing with globby mayo and very moderate seasoning, and the result doesn’t taste like store-bought ranch. I bet if this was on a sandwich instead of mayo, you’d never know. True ranch lovers might want to look for more depth of flavor.

6. Hidden Valley Plant-Powered Ranch Dressing

$3.68 from Walmart

This is the best plant-based creamy dressing I’ve ever had. It reminds me of Hidden Valley’s original ranch, just a little watered down. Consistency-wise, this is as gloopy as a creamy ranch dressing, and for that alone, Hidden Valley should be proud. I don’t see anybody else defeating them in the dairy-free ranch game.

7. Chosen Foods Ranch Dressing and Marinade

$4.84 from Walmart

So many things happened with this one. I gave it a little shake, like the packaging says to do, and when I opened it, it exploded. Everywhere. A big eruption that continued to overflow with foam, like one of those Mentos-Diet Coke volcanos.

That said, it’s pretty tasty. The extreme garlic almost reminds me more of Caesar dressing than ranch, but I don’t mind it. Just be careful opening it.

8. Bolthouse Farms Classic Ranch Yogurt Dressing and Dip

$3.78 from Walmart

This is just as globby and creamy as Hidden Valley’s version, but a little more like sour cream and mayonnaise combined. I scoured the ingredient list, but couldn't really figure out why this is. Either way, as far as yogurt-based dressings go, this is a pretty decent alternative.

9. Tessemae's Pantry Classic Ranch

Buy from Amazon

$8.90 from Amazon

There are two kinds of people: those who love the Valley's garlic-style ranch, and those who prefer restaurant ranch or homemade ranch dressing. Usually, these dressings are an explosion of dill flavor, which isn’t my thing. If it’s yours, reach for Tessemae.

10. Newman’s Own Ranch Dressing

$8.99 from Walmart

Meh. Usually Newman’s Own does a pretty bang-up job, but this does nothing for me. It’s pretty mild and lacks any sort of dill or onion powder punch that I’m looking for in my ranch. This is the "Cars" of Paul Newman's salad dressing career.

11. Briannas Home Style Classic Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

$11.99 from Walmart

Wowie, this is rich. I’d use this sparingly, and maybe only if I was trying to be incredibly cheffy with my dinner. I’d drizzle it gently along the inside of an endive or something, but there’s no universe where I’m tossing this into a classic lettuce-tomato-cucumber situation. Way too much decadence in this one.

12. Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing

$6.29 from Target

Here’s the thing, gang. Ranch dressing is best left non-vegan. I get that people need alternatives, but this particular thing might have to be one you let go of. This is very strange to me. I can’t put my finger on what it reminds me of, but I don’t like it one bit.

Maybe in a salad some of these funkier flavors can get lost, but if you’re dipping a veggie stick in there, best of luck to you.

13. Skinnygirl Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

$2.38 from Walmart