15 Store-Bought Ranch Dressings, Ranked Worst To Best

If your local diner only has two salad dressings, ranch is one of them. The creamy, tangy dressing has been an American staple since the 1950s and has never lost its fanbase. America rarely has a recipe all of its own, but ranch dressing holds that place as the country's most popular salad dressing by a landslide. Whipping up homemade buttermilk ranch dressing is ideal, but when the sink is full of dishes and chopping anything seems like a headache, thankfully there are plenty of pre-made options. 

As a self-proclaimed ranch connoisseur, I thought I had a solid grasp on the best ranch dressings out there. I always gravitated towards my old standby, so even taking stock of the possibilities was an exciting start to this quest. I hunted down the most widespread pre-packaged ranch dressings to officially determine the best option, once and for all.

When shopping for bottled ranch, there are two avenues to consider: The condiment aisle and the refrigerated dressings and dips section. Contrary to popular belief, refrigeration doesn't mean better, and it doesn't necessarily mean more expensive. There were many factors to consider to determine the best store-bought ranches. There's consistency, acidity, herbiness, and spice, but the most important factor is how it will be consumed. While ranch was originally labeled a salad dressing, it's become a designated dip, spread, and even a marinade. I started with a small spoonful to note the true taste, then sampled each brand on a chicken tender (naturally).

Kraft made a name for itself with American processed cheese during World War I and has been a household name for generations since. As much as I appreciate the gift of gooey mac and cheese, Kraft's ranch just doesn't measure up. Aside from the convenient squeeze bottle, I was left unimpressed. The first bite offers a little zing, but once that fades you're left with a funky aftertaste. It hardly has any of the potent seasonings you'd expect in a ranch dressing like garlic, parsley, or dill. Kraft did nail the consistency — superbly creamy — and ranch's signature tangy bite, but was lacking in overall flavor.

This is definitely one that lends itself better to chicken tenders or the crudités table, as it's thicker with no spices to distract from whatever is being dunked. It just doesn't compare to the other mid-grade brands of ranch dressing.

As one of New York's leading grocery distributors, Krasdale will commonly be the "off-brand," more affordable option on the shelf, but that shouldn't disparage its ranch dressing. At first pour, I was taken aback by the thinness of this one. With ranch so often being used as a dipping agent I've found its consistency is generally somewhere in between, perfectly balanced in density, but Krasdale is much lighter and better suited as a dressing.

For the price point, Krasdale's ranch is hard to deny. Despite its thinness, this ranch is super creamy — living up to its label — and the 16-ounce bottle should last a while depending on the consumer's preferred ranch ratio. That being said, if you're looking for pre-made ranch dressing that checks all the boxes, Krasdale isn't going to make the cut. It lacks any garlicky or herbaceous notes and the faint sour bite takes a few too many seconds to surface.

I've always loved Briannas' dressings, and ranch is clearly my go-to choice, but it's not my favorite of the brand's product line. It was hard to pinpoint at first, but after a few nibbles I could pick up the real standout characteristic: The pronounced sweetness. I have yet to find another bottled ranch that meets this level of creamy sweetness, but I'm not too eager to find one. The added sugar complements other bold ingredients, but it's startling for anyone who prefers ranch on the savory side like myself.

While sugary, Briannas is densely flavored with buttermilk, robust onion, and dill, making it ideal for bringing out amazing flavor in egg salad and mixing into dishes that desperately need some oomph. It's one of the thicker options by far, taking some serious muscle to shake out of the bottle, which tells me it would make for a unique dip suited to anyone with more of a sweet tooth.

Wish-bone has been around since the mid-1940s, kicking off its reputation with the signature Italian dressing. It took years for the brand to introduce a ranch dressing, but eventually, they caved to keep up with the masses and it was an instant hit. I have to admit, I looked past Wish-bone on the condiment shelf countless times with no good reason. Once we enter this price bracket, between $2 and $4, it's tough to choose between all the similar-looking options. But Wish-bone easily trumps Kraft's ranch dressing and was a close runner-up to the higher-ranked brands. While the overall flavors are relatively mild, it tastes much more like an authentic ranch dressing than its unbalanced competitors. There are no surprises with Wish-bone, and that's a comforting plus.

I found this ranch dressing much thicker than the other unrefrigerated options, while still presenting a reasonable dressing-like consistency, and I was pleasantly surprised by its instant peppery taste. This was when I realized what many of the lower-tier ranches were lacking: peppercorns. For what I would assume is one of the easiest additions to a packaged product, it's often absent. Wish-bone balances the pepper perfectly with lemon and just a hint of sweetness to deliver that traditional ranch flavor, unlike Briannas' slap-in-the-face level of sweetness.

I went into this taste putting any preconceived notions aside (Scout's honor) but Ken's has always been my personal favorite. That was until I opened my eyes to the refrigerated section. As an extremely accessible option at a reasonable price, Ken's will always be a superior pre-made ranch dressing and even food vendors would agree. It's a popular wholesale option that outshines the majority by a long shot. If you love your local dive's ranch dressing, there's a pretty good chance it's Ken's. My years working in the industry and considering what makes ranch dressing at restaurants so much better can attest to it.

What makes this ranch dressing special is the generous amount of peppercorns — real, whole peppercorns. I've touched on the frustrating absence of pepper in many bottled ranches, so this is a welcome change. Wish-bone had a refreshing essence of pepper, but Ken's is the real deal with a full range of flavors. The tangy savoriness is perfectly balanced with onion and just the right amount of garlic. It all blends together into a creamy, velvety texture with a sharp finish. I'm always shocked when reminded that Ken's ranch comes from a bottle.

Marie's is another refrigerated dressing I hadn't explored and was seriously impressed with. It's one of the several here that's categorized as a dressing and dip which is evident as soon as a spoon hits the surface. Compared to Toby's it's practically drinkable, but overall it's a fairly thick dressing with a hint of sweetness that's ideal for every occasion.

It's far less tangy than its rivals but still has that hint of zest I'm always looking for and tons of parsley. Rather than being pulverized by a blender, the herbs are coarsely chopped to bring that homemade feeling forward. These are all winning qualities, but what takes Marie's ranch to the top is its incredible velvety texture. I thought I had tried creamy ranch dressing before, but I was mistaken — Marie's consistency is incomparable. It's light enough to toss with just about anything and doesn't have any overpowering spices to take control of a dish.

This ranch dressing hit me right in the nostalgia. It satisfied every tasting note I was hoping for and brought me back to the crudités platters I used to hover over during "grown-up" gatherings as a kid. My first thought when tasting Litehouse's ranch was, "This is from a jar?" The bold, familiar flavors had me convinced it was homemade, but thankfully the delicious chilled dressing can be purchased from the refrigerated section for around $5.

This is another multi-use dressing through and through, with the perfect texture for all snacking purposes. Considering I'm doing this taste test with chicken tenders, I have to make a clear differentiation. I believe Litehouse Homestyle Ranch is number one for dipping. Whether that be fried chicken or raw broccoli, Litehouse is the ideal saucy option, but I can't deny the freshness and flavor of the number one spot to follow.

The 15 dressings on this list were chosen based on brand recognition, accessibility, and affordability. I picked traditional ranch dressings and original versions available widely in grocery stores, as opposed to any limited edition or flavored varieties.

I tasted each of these 15 dressings to determine the ranking. I did so by first tasting a small amount of dressing on its own to fully focus on the tasting notes, and then as a dip for chicken tenders. The highest-ranked dressings are far more flavorful with fresh ingredients that add texture, while the weaker ones lack the traditional ranch flavorings and taste artificial. I also factored in price and shelf life into the evaluation to make sure value is part of the overall ranking on this list.