I Tried All the Ranch Dressings Aldi Has to Offer — This One Was My Favorite
If you read the title of this post and wondered to yourself How many ranch dressings could there possibly be at Aldi? I have the answer for you: a lot. At least five different ones! (And one comes in a regular size and a family size.) For a smaller grocery store, the shelves boast a shocking number of ranch options. (Aldi stores average 10,000 square feet of aisles, compared to the 40,000 square feet at traditional grocery stores.) I got my hands on every bottle I could find and held an official taste test with my husband.
Note: I did not include the powder mix because that felt different, but it’s worth pointing out that Aldi also has a pouch of ranch dressing seasoning mix for 55 cents.
How We Tested Aldi’s Ranch Dressings
Since my husband and I love all things ranch, you did not have to twist our arms to do this test. We did a blind taste test of all five dressings … three different times. First, we dipped our pizza crusts into all five. (Because we’re those kinds of pizza eaters!) We also tried the dressings with lettuce and with french fries. (Because we’re those kinds of fry eaters!) During the pizza crust test, my husband said the dressings at 10, 12, and 2 all tasted exactly the same. I did kind of agree with him, but a clear winner started to emerge.
The Best Ranch Dressing at Aldi: Tuscan Garden Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
The dressing positioned in the 12 o’clock spot ended up being our favorite, but it was a close call. The winner: Tuscan Garden Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, which retails for $1.59. It was slightly creamier and tangier than the regular Tuscan Garden Ranch Dressing (shown at 10 o’clock), which also has buttermilk in it — only less. The Buttermilk Ranch was evenly balanced, herby, and performed well in all three of our tests. If you’re wondering, the 2 o’clock spot shows the Tuscan Garden Light Ranch Dressing, and we could barely even tell that it was a lightened-up version!
Find it: Tuscan Garden Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, $1.59 at Aldi
We actually really liked all the dressings we tried — we just felt some weren’t as versatile as the winner. For example, the Simply Nature Organic Chipotle Ranch Dressing ($1.99; shown at 4 o’clock ) was best when paired with fries, and the Little Salad Bar Avocado Ranch Dressing ($3.49; shown at 8 o’clock and found in the refrigerator section) really only worked with the lettuce.
My recommendation: If you have room in the fridge for multiple bottles of ranch, go with Buttermilk, Chipotle, and Avocado. If you really only have space in your life for one ranch, it’s gotta be the Buttermilk.
Do you a favorite ranch dressing? At Aldi or somewhere else? Tell us in the comments below!