I Tried 5 New Hidden Valley Ranch Flavors—and Here’s My Honest Review
These bold new ranch flavors and seasonings might just change how you cook forever
It may be time to reconsider if you thought ranch only existed as a salad dressing. Hidden Valley Ranch, the globally beloved brand, has been busy reinventing itself with bold new flavors, unexpected pairings and limited-edition collaborations that take ranch far beyond the salad bowl. Even the bottle got a makeover! Ready to embrace Hidden Valley Ranch as a condiment, a dipping sauce and a dressing? I recently got to try the new flavors and seasonings, which will likely become kitchen staples. Keep reading for all the details and my honest review.
Hidden Valley Ranch elevates the condiment game
Of course, classic Hidden Valley Ranch is delicious on its own, but the brand wanted to kick things up a notch. That’s why they launched five bold new flavors, introduced two new ranch seasoning packet options and even teamed up with DiGiorno for a ranch-inspired pizza.
“As the creators of ranch, Hidden Valley Ranch is uniquely positioned to continue to take ranch to the next level,” said CC Ciafone, Marketing Director at Hidden Valley Ranch in a press release. “Our newest flavor creations are all about pushing the boundaries and delivering that irresistible, crave-worthy ranch flavor people love, but with a unique twist.”
In addition to the new flavors, Hidden Valley Ranch also changed its packaging. The upside-down, easy-squeeze bottle offers people a mess-free, easy-to-use experience, whether dipping or drizzling.
What are Hidden Valley Ranch’s new flavors?
Not only are fans getting five new ranch flavors for dipping, salads and more, but the brand also unveiled two exciting ranch seasoning flavors that you can cook with, make your own dressing or add on top of your favorite dish for garnish. The flavors include:
- Blue Cheese Ranch: The ultimate condiment for wing dipping is a combo of the classic dressings
- Kickin’ Cajun Blackened Ranch: A ranch with a Cajun kick and bold spices.
- Cilantro Lime Ranch: A light citrusy choice perfect for drizzling on nachos and tacos.
- Cracked Pepper Ranch: This creamy, peppery ranch is ideal for salads or grain bowls.
- Sweet BBQ Ranch: A sweet and smoky ranch that goes great with fried chicken and other BBQ favorites
- Garlic Ranch Seasoning: This is a bold garlic twist to level up the flavor for any protein, potato or vegetable.
- Creamy Jalapeño Ranch Seasoning: Add a spicy jalapeño kick with this seasoning made with jalapeño, herbs and spices.
All the new Hidden Valley products are available at stores nationwide. However, the Kickin’ Cajun Blackened Ranch will be sold exclusively at Kroger, and the Blue Cheese Ranch, Sweet BBQ Ranch and Cracked Pepper Ranch will be on shelves exclusively at Walmart.
My honest review: Which ranch flavors are worth it?
If ranch dressing or dipping sauce is on the menu, I’m automatically in. So when Hidden Valley Ranch invited me to taste these new flavors, I jumped at the chance.
Each of the five ranches, plus the seasoning packets, had a signature dish. The blue cheese ranch was paired with buffalo wings, the blackened ranch accompanied chicken strips and crispy fries, the cilantro lime was drizzled on top of nachos, the cracked pepper was poured on top of rare steak and the sweet BBQ was the perfect dipping sauce for chicken nuggets. As for the seasoning packets, Hidden Valley used the garlic ranch for baked chicken and the jalapeño for a garnish on the nachos.
I tried the blue cheese ranch first, even though I’m not typically a fan. However, the combination of the two dressings tamped down the harsh, tangy flavor blue cheese usually brings to the table, and I actually really enjoyed this one.
All the dressings were delicious, but my two stand-out flavors were the Sweet BBQ Ranch and the Kickin Cajun Blackened Ranch. Contrary to its name, the Sweet BBQ wasn’t super sweet, but it perfectly melded the BBQ and ranch flavors. It was great with the chicken nuggets, and I could see it working well with fried pickles or other quick appetizers. The Kickin Cajun Blackened Ranch was also paired with chicken, and I would honestly dip anything into that sauce. It had a bit of a kick but wasn’t inedible, and the peppery spices balanced nicely with the creamy ranch.
I was also surprised at how nicely the cracked pepper flavor worked on a steak. While I love ranch, I’d never thought of putting it on anything but chicken, fries or a burger until now. This one has whole cracked peppercorns, which felt extra fresh and flavorful, and I’m excited to try these with other recipes.
If you love ranch like I do, definitely add these new flavors to your kitchen ASAP!
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