We taste-tested 19 ranch dressings you’re likely to find at your local supermarket or online. To find the very best ones, we sampled each without knowing which was which. Our winner is 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Classic Ranch Dip and Dressing, but we also crowned two worthy runners-up.
In the 1950s, Nebraskan plumber Steve Henson changed the course of American condiment history. While working as a contractor in Anchorage, he served his crew a creamy, tangy dressing made with dehydrated buttermilk, garlic and onion powders, and dried herbs. When Henson and his wife, Gayle, moved to California and opened their ranch and steakhouse, Hidden Valley, they served and sold the sauce as a souvenir. It was an instant hit—so much so that Henson eventually sold his recipe and brand to Clorox in 1972 for $8 million, roughly $63 million in today’s dollars.
Today, ranch is one of the most popular salad dressings in America, sold in bottles nationwide. Though homemade ranch is easy to make, it’s probably the last thing you want to do when you’re grabbing a quick snack or are hosting a Super Bowl party for 20. That’s where the store-bought stuff comes in. The question is: Which ones are actually worth buying? To find the best bottled ranch, we tried 19 different brands you’re likely to find in your local grocery store or online.
The Criteria
Great ranch should be creamy and herbaceous, with a pronounced tang from buttermilk. “There should be a balance between mayo richness and lactic dairy creaminess,” our editorial director, Daniel, says. Its texture is also paramount, as it’s used as both a dip and a dressing. It should not be too thin or too thick, but have a medium body that’s thick enough to cling to raw vegetables or a pizza slice without being gloppy. Its flavor should also be herb-forward: Our editors wanted to taste and see the aromatics typically used to prepare ranch dressing, including dill, parsley, and/or chives.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Overall Winner
365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Ranch Dressing
This ranch dressing had visible flecks of green herbs—dried parsley, dill, chives, and oregano—throughout. Our associate visuals director, Amanda, loved the herbs’ prominent flavor, noting, “It’s definitely the most seasoned of the bunch.” Our associate editorial director, Megan, enjoyed its “nice, herby, tangy flavor.” Its texture wasn’t gloopy or oily—just thick enough to “pleasantly coat a carrot or celery piece,” Megan said.
Though all the tasters thought it struck a good balance of creaminess and tang, some wished it were even richer. Overall, this ranch was the freshest-tasting dressing we tried, with clear herb notes that stood out against its buttermilk tang—and the one our editors would be happiest to reach for again.
Runners-Up
Wegmans Creamy Ranch Dressing
While this ranch was creamier than our winner, it was milder, less refreshing, and not as herb-forward. Though this ranch dressing didn’t wow us the way our winner did, our tasters still thought it was a very serviceable ranch, with Megan describing it as “pleasantly tangy with a nice amount of salt.”
Amazon Grocery Buttermilk Ranch
Our testers noted a distinct buttermilk tang in this dressing, with Amanda noting it as “very sour cream-forward.” Daniel thought this was one of the few samples that tasted like real ranch and praised its creamy, thick texture. Like Daniel, I found it very rich, with a slight tang on the finish. Still, I wanted more depth of flavor and wished it had more herbs. The dressing’s onion flavor reminded Megan of onion dip, which she enjoyed.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
The Contenders
- 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Classic Ranch Dressing
- 365 by Whole Foods Organic Classic Ranch Dressing and Dip
- Amazon Grocery Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- Bolthouse Farms Classic Ranch Yogurt Dressing & Dip
- Bowl & Basket Ranch Dressing
- Chick-fil-A Garden Herb Ranch Dressing
- Hidden Valley Ranch Original Ranch Organic
- Ken’s Steak House Ranch Dressing
- Kraft Classic Ranch Dressing
- Marie’s Creamy Ranch Dressing
- Market Pantry Ranch Dressing
- Marzetti Classic Ranch
- Nature’s Promise Organic Ranch Dressing and Dip
- Olive Garden Parmesan Ranch Dressing & Dip
- Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing and Marinade
- Stop & Shop Ranch Dressing
- Trader Joe’s Organic Ranch Dressing
- Wegmans Creamy Ranch Dressing
- Wish-Bone Ranch Dressing
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Key Takeaways and Conclusion
Our winner, 365 Organic Classic Ranch Dressing & Dip, stood out to tasters for its prominent herbaceous notes and refreshing tang. Some brands keep their ingredient lists vague by simply listing “spices”—a broad umbrella term that, according to the FDA, can include ground spices like black pepper and cumin, seeds like caraway or cardamom, or herbs like basil and oregano. While that vagueness could be protecting a proprietary blend, it also prevents consumers from predicting the dressing’s flavor until they try it. Our winner, by contrast, was transparent about the dried herbs their dressing contained: parsley, dill, chives, and oregano. These gave the dressing and dip a distinct herb-forward flavor that stood out from the other brands we tried.
Though some brands rely solely on buttermilk powder for its creaminess and tang, our winner used cultured buttermilk instead, providing a more pronounced lactic creaminess and tang. It also contained egg yolks for added richness.
Our runners-up stood out in different ways. The Wegmans dressing was creamy and well-seasoned; it included monosodium glutamate (also known as MSG), disodium guanylate, and disodium inosinate—sodium salts typically made via fermentation and a process called neutralization—to “up” the dressing’s savory, umami flavor. Like our winner, it also used egg yolks for extra richness, along with lactic acid for balance and tang.
Amazon Grocery Buttermilk Ranch’s incredibly thick, creamy texture reminded us of sour cream. Like our winner, Amazon’s product uses real buttermilk—but it also includes whey, a byproduct of cheese and yogurt production that can provide a hint of sweetness and acidity. This dressing also incorporates egg yolk, which adds a velvety texture, and MSG, which contributes to the savory depth our testers detected.
All of our favorite ranch dressings list oil as the first ingredient. Tasters found that brands with water listed first were too thin, and those with sugar high up on the ingredient list were too sweet. Our winners generally used real dairy products—such as buttermilk, whey, and/or sour cream—and highlighted specific herbs like dill, parsley, and oregano to deliver the classic ranch flavor we sought.
Our Testing Methodology
All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.
