“Dressing” is a limiting moniker for ranch. It’s built for salads, sure, but ranch dressing is also, crucially, a dip, ideal for dunking chicken wings and tofu nuggets. You can drizzle ranch on pizza, spread it on a sandwich, and generally deploy a dollop anywhere creamy, tangy goodness is welcome. That’s what we in the biz call a multihyphenate.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that you can make your own ranch dressing—we’ve got a classic buttermilk ranch recipe, as well as versions made with tahini and lavender. But sometimes, homemade just isn’t in the cards. That’s when bottled ranch dressing comes in handy. After tasting 16 bottles, we identified the best ranch dressings for dipping, drizzling, and everything in between.
A brief history of ranch
Ranch has been making the rounds for nearly three-quarters of a century. It was developed by Steve Henson, a plumber by trade who cooked for work crews while contracting in Alaska in the 1940s. By the mid-’50s, Henson and his wife had purchased a dude ranch in Santa Barbara County, California, and renamed it Hidden Valley Ranch. There, he continued to serve the dressing as a catch-all sauce—on roasted vegetables, grilled meat, and, yes, as a salad dressing. When guests asked to take it home, Henson got the idea to sell dried seasoning packets by mail order: just mix in buttermilk and mayonnaise, and you’ve got ranch dressing. Clorox acquired the brand in the early ’70s and the dressing’s popularity skyrocketed in the US.
The best ranch dressing has flavor you can see.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
How we picked the products
We started by compiling a comprehensive list of ranch dressing brands available at grocery stores nationwide. This means power players like Hidden Valley and Ken’s, and relative newcomers such as Olive Garden and Chick-fil-A. To round out our list, we consulted past taste tests (specifically our best Caesar dressing taste test) as well as ranch taste tests across the web and Reddit threads populated by ranch superfans.
How we set up our taste test
Was the idea of tasting 16 ranch dressings straight at one o’clock in the afternoon a popular one around the Bon Appétit office? Not particularly. Nevertheless, that’s what we did. We poured each contender into an anonymized bowl, and our panel tasted it both on its own and with sliced carrots.
How we evaluated the dressings
An exemplary ranch dressing is a balancing act. Our tasters said the winner should have robust flavor; dill, garlic, onion, and other herbs should be prominent. The tanginess should be restrained—enough to cut through the richness of the dairy, but not so sharp that it makes you pucker. As should the black pepper—we want a warm prickle, not overpowering spice. The best ranch also has to be creamy, not gloopy. It shouldn’t be so thick that it retains its shape when poured; rather, it should settle into a pool that undulates, not jiggles, when shaken.
The best classic ranch: Ken’s Steak House
Photo by Travis Rainey, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
Ken’s line of ranch dressings is among the most popular on the market. While the brand offers seven variations, including “lite” versions and peppercorn ranch, we tested only the three most closely aligned with a classic ranch dressing profile. Of these, Ken’s Steak House Ranch Dressing took the lead. Though not designated “buttermilk ranch,” its ingredients showcase a strong mix of dairy, including buttermilk, buttermilk solids, cream, and milk.
Why it won us over: It’s rare that our panel agrees right off the bat, but Ken’s Steakhouse Ranch earned an immediate and unanimous thumbs up from our tasters. “When I think of bottled ranch dressing,” said Test Kitchen editor Rebecca Firkser, “that’s what I think of.” Associate Test Kitchen manager Inés Anguiano pointed to bold onion and garlic flavors, while senior culinary producer Mallary Santucci noted a pleasant crack of black pepper. Senior cooking and SEO editor Joe Sevier praised the dressing’s versatility: thick enough for dipping, he said, but fluid enough to toss into a salad.
We’d love it with: A fresh take on the wedge salad—or better yet, drizzled over an Incredibly Good Cheese Pizza. Treat yourself.
The dipper’s ranch: Olive Garden
Photo by Travis Rainey, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
Olive Garden is not selling run-of-the-mill ranch dressing. In addition to all the usual suspects (buttermilk, garlic, and onion), there is Parmesan. Exciting! Nontraditional addition aside, it ranks as a bestseller on Amazon, which we felt made it worth including.
Why it won us over: Tasters clocked that this ranch was different from the jump. “There’s cheese in this,” Joe said after his first taste, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. But the salty nubbins of parm only enhanced the overall effect of this dressing, which also included a freshness from the “herb medley,” as Rebecca dubbed it, and a snap of black pepper heat. Its extra-creamy texture and sharp tang make it a superior ranch for dipping.
We’d love it in: A little ramekin beside a big platter of french fries for dipping, thank you very much.
The herby upgrade: Trader Joe’s
Photo by Travis Rainey, Prop Styling by Alexandra Massillon, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
Whereas many of the ranch dressings we sampled list soybean oil as their first ingredient, Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Ranch stands apart. Its first ingredient is sour cream—likely why it’s kept in the market’s refrigerated section. Trader Joe’s ranch also contains mayonnaise, salted egg yolks, garlic, parsley, chive, shallot, granulated onion, granulated garlic, and black pepper.
Why it won us over: Tasters agreed that Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Ranch was the most herb-forward dressing they tasted, with dill being the most apparent. That freshness made it our go-to bottled ranch for salads. Instead of dried seasoning flavors, it tasted lively, as if we’d just snipped a bunch of fresh dill from our garden. That, plus distinct green (herbs) and black (pepper) flecks, made this contender feel higher-end, inspiring us to declare Trader Joe’s the best ranch dressing overall.
We’d love it in: A crisp salad, where all those zingy herbal notes can shine. Try it in a spring salad with crispy chicken and bacony croutons.
- Amazon Grocery Buttermilk Ranch: An overt sweetness had our tasters craving something more savory.
- Briannas Classic Buttermilk Ranch: Without much tang and a distinct lack of dill and garlic notes, Briannas didn’t make our top picks.
- Chick-fil-A Garden Herb Ranch: A strong mustard flavor and sharp acidity gave this ranch an unbalanced quality.
- Hidden Valley Ranch: Although it tasted pleasantly of dill, this classic skewed a bit too sour for our liking.
- Ken’s Steak House Buttermilk Ranch: Nice flavor, but tasters found this dressing so thick it coated their mouths.
- Ken’s Steak House Chef’s Reserve Ranch: This dressing had a strong tarragon note, which took it too far from the realm of ranch for our panel.
- Kraft Buttermilk Ranch: Some tasters found the dressing’s sourness overwhelming.
- Kraft Classic Ranch: Tasters liked the flavors here, but found it too thick to use as a dressing. If you’re looking for a ranch dip, however, it’s a solid option.
- Marie’s Classic Ranch: Its overwhelmingly milky flavor made it taste unbalanced to our panel.
- Market Pantry Ranch: Although it had a lot of flavor, like notes of vegetal bell pepper, this Target brand ranch was light on herbs.
- Marzetti Classic Ranch: Consider Marzetti an honorable mention. While we liked almost every aspect of this ranch dressing, it just lost out to competitors with more distinct dill, garlic, and onion flavors.
- Newman’s Own Ranch: Another ranch we deemed too sweet.
- Wish-Bone Ranch: While the flavors were pleasant, they were too tame when compared with higher-rated contenders.
Anybody want a wing?:
Skip the hot oil and make these spiced chicken wings in your air fryer. Cornstarch and baking powder ensure a crisped exterior.
