The 10 Best Store-Bought Ranch Dressings of 2024, According to Our Taste Test
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What do chicken wings, French fries, pizza, salad and crudités have in common? They’re all exponentially more delicious when crowned with ranch dressing, a savory condiment that’s traditionally made from buttermilk, alliums, herbs and spices. Whether it’s mixed into mayo, yogurt, sour cream or another oil emulsion, ranch dressing is meant to be creamy, cooling, tangy and herbaceous. Before you buy the first one you see on the shelf, you should know: They aren’t all created equal. We tasted more than 20 types to find the ten best store-bought ranch dressings on the market for every need, whether you want one that’s shelf-stable, organic or vegan. Read on for our top ten picks, plus a few honorable mentions.
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The Best Store-Bought Ranch Dressings of 2024, at a Glance
How We Chose the Best Store-Bought Ranch Dressings
Taryn Pire
We rounded up 23 varieties from 19 popular brands. We refrigerated them all, then tasted them each by themselves, on Ritz crackers and on sliced cucumber. After sampling, we determined our favorites for every palate by ranking them on the following five factors:
Value: Is the ranch dressing worth its retail price, given its ingredients and taste?
Quality: Is the ranch dressing made with authentic ingredients or weird preservatives? Does it contain herbs?
Flavor: Is the ranch dressing tangy and herbaceous?
Consistency: Is the ranch dressing creamy and thick? Is it excessively watery or clumpy?
Dippability: Does the ranch dressing cling onto fresh veggies and salty snacks alike? Or does it run off?
Read on for the ten best store-bought ranch dressings, according to our taste test.
1. Marzetti Classic Ranch
TOTAL: 95/100
This refrigerated pick checked all our boxes. It has wonderful dippability and thickly clings to dippers without dripping. It’s made with real buttermilk, egg yolk and onion, and boasts both a thick, creamy texture and vinegary, oniony flavor. It’s only slightly herbaceous, but we think that’d make this one especially popular with picky kids. Finally, it’s one of the cheapest options on our list. You’ll likely find it in your grocery store’s produce section by packaged salads and crudités.
Runner Up: It was a close race between Marzetti and Marie’s Creamy Ranch Dressing & Dip. We loved this refrigerated ranch dressing’s punchy, tangy, buttermilk-kissed flavor, but found Marzetti’s to have better dippability.
2. Litehouse Homestyle Ranch Dressing & Dip
TOTAL: 89/100
If you’re seeking an acidic, rich ranch dressing, buttermilk-based ones should be your go-to. Of those we tasted, Litehouse’s refrigerated dressing hit the spot. Made with egg yolk, nonfat sour cream, vinegar and dried garlic, onion and scallions, it has an allium-forward flavor rather than herb-forward, so it’s neutral enough for picky eaters or to pair with spicy, boldly flavored mains. Our one note is that it’s a tad runny, but that’s to be expected because it contains real buttermilk instead of buttermilk powder, which likely thins its consistency. Nevertheless, it clings well to crudité and other dippers.
3. Hidden Valley The Original Ranch
TOTAL: 92/100
Hidden Valley’s ranch dressing is the gold standard. While it wasn’t our top choice flavor-wise, it’s still certainly worth the spend—it has diehard fans for a reason. It’s mostly vegetable oil, water, buttermilk, sugar, salt and egg yolk, plus some spices, garlic and onion. It has a lush, smooth consistency and clings well to wet and dry dippers alike. It’s shelf-stable (meaning you’ll only need to refrigerate it once it’s opened), and pretty darn affordable, despite being a cult-favorite. (BTW, we tried the bottled kind for the sake of fair testing, but many of our editors feel the powdered Hidden Valley ranch seasoning that you mix yourself is tastier.)
4. 365 Whole Foods Market Organic Classic Ranch Dressing & Dip
TOTAL: 93/100
We were impressed by how many varieties of ranch dressing Whole Foods has, even the store brand alone. Its refrigerated Classic Ranch was our favorite, thanks to its simple, high-quality ingredients. We’re talking a mix of soybean, canola and sunflower seed oils, buttermilk, egg yolks and a flurry of spices (onion and garlic powders, black pepper, dried parsley, dill, chives and oregano). If you want a nuanced, allium-forward ranch that makes your guests question if you made it yourself, look no further.
5. Good & Gather Organic Ranch Dressing
TOTAL: 92/100
For an organic, shelf-stable ranch dressing that’s shockingly affordable, opt for this pick from Target. While we didn’t enjoy the store’s Market Pantry ranch dressing, Good & Gather’s was rich, smooth, dippable and vinegary, albeit a tad sweet compared to others on this list. A mix of soybean oil, vinegar, cane sugar, egg yolk, onion powder, garlic powder and lemon juice concentrate make for a savory, tangy dressing that’ll pair with just about everything.
6. Toby’s Ranch Dressing & Dip
TOTAL: 94/100
If you’re looking for a super thick store-bought ranch dressing for dunking everything from kettle-cooked potato chips to chicken wings, this refrigerated, small-batch number is your best bet. Its ingredient list is the simplest of them all: cultured milk, canola oil, vinegar, eggs, onion, garlic, dill, salt, mustard flower and live milk cultures—and no stabilizers, preservatives or weird thickeners. Despite this, it’s still super rich, almost like sour cream or French onion dip, so be careful not to break your chips when dunking. It may cost a few dollars more than your usual, but we promise you’ll taste the difference.
7. Tessemae’s Organic Creamy Ranch
TOTAL: 90/100
With lemon juice, mustard, onion powder and garlic powder in the mix, it’s no wonder this refrigerated, organic pick tastes so lip-smackingly tangy and bright. A generous dose of dill and parsley makes this dairy-free option taste grassy, peppery and earthy. Decent dippability and a semi-smooth consistency (courtesy of black peppercorns and herbs) make this milkless spin on ranch a tasty substitute. While it’s a few dollars more than the standard, it’s worth it for those who are allergic to dairy or cutting back.
8. Trader Joe’s Organic Ranch Dressing
TOTAL: 92/100
Another organic dressing that will only cost you $3, TJ’s shelf-stable iteration is smooth, mild and oniony. Made with organic soybean oil, cane sugar, vinegar, egg yolk and a buttermilk blend, as well as onion and garlic powders, onion and garlic purées, ground mustard seed, lemon juice, parsley and oregano, its flavor is balanced, mellow and approachable without being bland. Its consistency is super smooth, and it clings well to dippers.
$3 at Trader Joe’s (In-Store Only)
9. Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing & Marinade
TOTAL: 87/100
This shelf-stable gem is made without dairy, but still contains eggs, which are the key to its rich, thick consistency and decent dippability. It’s very vinegary and garlicky; dried parsley, chives and dill drive home that signature ranch flavor you crave, while nutritional yeast plays up its cheesy notes without the help of milk. We did detect a unique flavor at first taste that was slightly sweet and unexpected, which we’re guessing is the avocado oil and potato starch. The biggest con is its price, but a slight splurge is expected when you’re shopping for a dairy-free ranch dressing.
10. Follow Your Heart Vegan Ranch
TOTAL: 90/100
A veganaise base (made from canola oil, brown rice syrup, apple cider vinegar and soy protein) makes this plant-based delight dippable and creamy. This refrigerated dressing’s texture a bit less smooth than classic ranch, but its flavor is on point: vinegary, punchy and acidic, thanks to lemon juice concentrate, garlic and mustard flour. Hemp seeds help thicken the dressing in egg’s absence.
Runner Up: We were also *very* impressed with JUST Ranch, a refrigerated, plant-based dressing that tastes shockingly like the O.G. Its flavor was a bit milder than Follow Your Heart, but it had a smoother, creamier texture. If you’re seeking plant-based ranch, you can’t go wrong with either.
Honorable Mentions
We tested many more store-bought ranch dressings than those listed above. While the aforementioned brands are our top picks, here are some honorable mentions that are also worth adding to your cart, in alphabetical order:
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The PureWow100 is a scale our editors use to vet new products and services, so you know what’s worth the spend and what’s total hype. Learn more about our process here.
