The Best Ranch Flavored Snacks You Can Find At The Grocery Store

Ranch may have started out as a popular salad dressing, but it has become a go-to flavor for so much more than just a bowl of lettuce. Ranch has made a rapid shift from a mere dressing to a dip for chips and veggies (and pizza, depending on who you ask), to an obsession that spans generations. It's been known to shove ketchup aside as a sauce for fries, give mayo a run for its money as a sandwich topping, and so much more. These days, you can also find it flavoring some of the greatest snack foods that science has ever dreamed up.

Steve Henson probably never imagined his zesty Hidden Valley Ranch dressing would give rise to a flavor sensation that would sweep the country. The combination of herbs and spices in a buttermilk base that Henson came up with around the 1950s strikes the perfect balance of creamy and tangy. And decades after Henson bestowed his stroke of genius upon the public, ranch has become more than just a flavor; it's a way of life. And with so many savory, ranch-flavored snacks on grocery store shelves, enthusiasts can enjoy their favorite flavor whenever the craving strikes. 

One of the original ancestors of all ranch-flavored snacks, Cool Ranch Doritos appeared on the scene in the mid-1980s and turned the chip world on its ear (via Maxim). This was a totally unique alternative to the Doritos selections available at the time: nacho cheese, taco, and the original flavor, toasted corn. The tortilla triangles stepped away from their traditional flavor set to include a brand new taste that was uniquely American. 

Nearly 40 years after their auspicious debut, Cool Ranch Doritos have established their own place in snack and pop culture history. The growing infatuation with ranch made these crispy treats a staple in the ever-changing Dorito lineup. And as with so many highly popular things, they've been the subject of heated debate among the Reddit crowd. When asked which flavor is better, Nacho Cheese or Cool Ranch, one user proclaimed, "I could literally live off of Cool Ranch for the rest of my life." 

Once flavored Wheat Thins started hitting grocery store shelves, a ranch version was bound to make a debut. After all, ranch is a party staple, perfect for dipping crackers and chips as much as veggie sticks. So adding a light dusting of ranch seasoning to the slightly sweet, nutty flavor of Wheat Thins was a no-brainer. Ranch Wheat Thins are a delicious mash-up of a beloved dip and a popular cracker in a single food product. Perhaps that's why the flavor has remained in the Wheat Thins lineup even as several others have come and gone. 

As a baked treat with 60% less fat than leading potato chip brands, Ranch Wheat Thins give snackers a guilt-free way to indulge their ranch fetish without a glaring lapse in nutrition. For that reason and many more, these tasty crisps garner high praise. One 5-star Influenster review says "the classic taste of ranch in the classic Wheat Thin combined is an unstoppable snack!"

No snack brand does hard sourdough pretzels like Snyder's of Hanover. But even among the tongue-tingling array of flavor selections, their Buttermilk Ranch Pretzel Pieces are a snack food revelation. These crunchy gems are coated in a generous helping of sweet buttermilk powder plus zesty herbs and spices. And because they're bite-sized, they invite snacking by the handful, which is a welcome quality when ranch flavoring is part of the deal. Even if these bits are just Snyder's making use of the broken stock from their other products, it's a brilliant way to repurpose the pretzels, and adding a ranch twist elevates them to a new realm.

And if one tangy, ranch-flavored pretzel treat from Snyder's isn't enough to satisfy your cravings, it's worth noting that the company also offers Jalapeno Ranch Twisted Pretzel Sticks, for an extra fiery blast to challenge the coolness of the buttermilk ranch. 

For all the fitness fanatics out there, be sure to check out Quest Nutrition's ranch-flavored Tortilla Style Protein Chips. With a whopping 19 grams of protein and only 5 grams of carbs, these crispy chips can be a cheat food that doesn't actually cheat, making them a healthy snack lets gym rats with a taste for ranch get their fix, without slacking off on their eating plan. With a nutritional profile like that, we might even argue they could be a contender for the Cool Ranch Dorito crown as top ranch tortilla chip. That is, if health food snacks ever leave the supplements section of the grocery store and hit the chips shelves with their fat and carb-laden brothers.

When it comes to taste and texture, these crisps are a powerhouse. According to Influenster reviewers, Quest's ranch protein chips are "nice, sturdy, and crunchy," "super delicious," and "perfect for those who are low carb or keto." 

Multigrain chips are a unicorn in the snack world, arguable outliers that can often be found with the healthy, vegan, and otherwise marginalized alternative snacks in the chip aisle. A notable exception are Late July Garden Ranch Tortilla Chips. With bright garlic, onion, and dill notes, they're not only a tasty member of the ranch-flavored snacks club, but also non-GMO, kosher, and certified 100% whole grain. With a scant half-gram of saturated fat, plus a healthy dose of calcium and iron, these chips are one of the more nutrition-friendly options on the rack. And you can usually find them handily positioned near the general population of the corn chip section.

They're a popular stand in for the less healthy ranch-flavored snacks they share shelf space with. One shopper mentions in their review, "I don't think I've witnessed a big bag of chips disappear so quickly in my house." In the world of snack foods, compliments don't get any better than that.

It was only a matter of time before the big boss of the potato chip world added a ranch variant to its ever-expanding list of fun flavors. Lay's Wavy Ranch potato chips have a bold ranch taste thanks to the chips' crispy ruffles, which are designed to hold even more flavor. These heavy-duty potato chips are practically begging for a dive in the dip bowl for an added dollop of real ranch to ramp up the zesty flavor. 

These salty, seasoned chips are so tasty, they've even been known to win over total potato chip skeptics. One hungry snacker went so far as to say, "I have never been a big fan of potato chips until I tasted these chips. I ate an entire bag within a few hours of purchasing." For fans of wavy chips with something more to offer than just jazzy texture, Lay's Wavy Ranch are the ultimate snack choice. 

Throughout the last several decades, the iconic scoop-shaped potato chips known as Pringles have been made available in every flavor under the sun, from pizza to dill pickle to cheeseburger, and pretty much everything in between (via Snack History). So of course, Ranch Pringles were bound to make an appearance eventually, and now they are considered one of the brand's classic flavors. 

Ranch Pringles are tasty enough for one Influenster reviewer to admit, "Between me, my husband, and two children, one can lasts about thirty seconds after I get home from the grocery store." And yet there are even greater heights for this snack to reach. In a tasty scientific twist, a reporter for The Week discovered the flavor of Ranch Pringles gets even better when you put them in the freezer. As writer Jeva Lange deduced, this may be because "the otherwise overwhelming ranchiness of the Pringles was toned down a notch or two, with the remaining zestiness coming off as refreshing, rather than artificial." Ranchy, zesty, chilly Pringles: The snack food discovery we've been waiting for!

Veggie straws occupy a precarious space in the snack world. They're reminiscent of a cheese puff (but without the cheese), infused with vegetables like potatoes and spinach that are added to a base primarily consisting of starch (via Healthline). The result is an incredibly light, crispy, easy-to-munch-on snack. And when loaded with ranch flavor, like Sensible Portions Zesty Ranch Garden Veggie Straws, they become a snack food to be seriously reckoned with. Think of these as hollowed-out French fries that never get soggy and are packed with a powerful ranch-flavored punch. And did we mention they're organic, too?

These ambitious snacks boast a 4.6-star rating from hundreds of Target shoppers. So if pretzel bits and potato chips in all shapes and textures have worn out their welcome in the world of ranch-flavored snacks, Sensible Portions Zesty Ranch Garden Veggie Straws should substitute nicely. They would no doubt make a great addition to a spread of ranch-flavored treats at your next party — even if that party is a party of one, and the celebration turns out to be a midnight trip to the pantry. 

Siete Foods offers a unique spin on ranch-flavored tortilla chip with a version that is fully dairy and grain-free. As if that weren't game-changing enough, this crunchy snack is also non-GMO, soy-free, and completely vegan. How great can one snack get? Chip lovers with dietary restrictions are free to indulge in these mindful treats without feeling the effects of so many other ranch-style snacks loaded with artificial flavors and ingredients. 

So what is in these chips if all the weird stuff has been taken out? Siete says they are made of cassava flour, coconut flour, and avocado oil, and instead of using dairy milk for the ranch seasoning, Siete substitutes with coconut milk powder. The results are what one shopper calls "a fantastic option for people who are consciously needing to think about good quality food!" When a snack food gets that kind of praise, it must be doing something right.

Kettle-style chips are notoriously crunchy and a can be a bit of a menace to the roof of snackers' mouths. But if you prefer the sturdier bite, then you'll find a lot to love with Kettle Brand Farmstand Ranch Potato Chips. The extra texture makes a keen companion for the ranch seasoning blend, which seems to inspire some considerable taste breakdowns. The food blog Brand Eating gives these chips high marks for flavor, thoughtfully stating, "There's a noticeable tang to the seasoning that hits the palate first before it smooths into the creamy mid-note." And another review points outs that "Kettle's ranch powder has a heavy onion bouquet, complemented by generous parsley flakes."

Even if you don't pick up on that kind of complexity, you will most likely still appreciate these chips' cravable flavor. As one snacker declares, "These chips are dangerous. I seriously almost ate the whole bag in one serving." Any chip that tempts treat lovers into that kind of serial snacking is one worth trying.

Almond giant Blue Diamond brings a nutty dimension to the ranch-flavored snack family tree with its Country Ranch Almond Nut-Thins. These diabolically crispy crunchers are neither chips nor crackers, but something in between. A blend of rice flour and ground almonds creates a perfectly brittle platform for a vibrant buttermilk ranch seasoning powder. 

For ranch snackers who like to walk on the lighter side, they're another healthy alternative to some of the heavier chips and crackers out there. The health food blog Nutritionicity praises these nut-thins for being "much, much lower in total fat than their chip or cracker counterparts" and notes that they are "gluten-free and have a nice amount of protein at 3 grams per 30-gram serving size," which is about 16 crackers. So if you're looking for a ranch snack that doesn't derail your healthful eating lifestyle, these crisps a winner.

As if Corn Nuts weren't enough of a breath-changer to stop a conversation cold, the addition of ranch to the crunchy roasted nuggets makes the prospect of successful social interaction while enjoying a bag even less likely. But given the flavor and crunch of these crispy jewels, the enjoyment is worth a little isolation. 

These crackly ranch snacks hold a remarkable 4.6-star rating based on hundreds of reviews on Influenster. The noisy nature of Corn Nuts can be a problem for some snackers, however. One 3-star review declares, "They're good, but if someone walks in on me eating them at work, I will swallow them whole." Probably still worth it for this tasty snack, but chewing is highly recommended at all times.

And because one variant apparently isn't enough to satisfy the cry for tangy ranch goodness on a Corn Nut, the company also makes a Buffalo Ranch Crunch Mix. In addition to Corn Nuts, this snack mix contains corn puffs, corn sticks, and corn chips, completing the full suite of corn food groups — at least as far as snackers are concerned.

At the more elegant end of the ranch snack spectrum, we have ParmCrisps Ranch Snack Mix. This well-considered blend of almonds, cashews, pistachios, and baked cheese rounds is a keto-friendly treat for snackers with a more refined palate. The mix of nuts gives this snack a higher fat and protein content, and makes it a low-carb indulgence that doesn't go off the deep end with weird ingredients or crazy fortifications.

Anyone on a low-carb diet with an undeniable craving for ranch-flavored munchies should put these little packs of snack mix on their shopping list. As fitness blog Crossing Colorado testifies, "the ranch flavoring is spot on" in ParmCrisps Ranch Snack Mix, calling it "easily among my favorite ranch snacks to date." With a profile that lies somewhere between nutritious and delicious, you could search the snack aisle forever and may never find anything as simultaneously tempting and guilt-free as this snack.

Another contender among delicious vegan ranch snacks, Spudsy makes sweet potato fries dusted with ranch seasoning. The base for these crispy, puffed strips is made with potato starch and sweet potato powder, and the ranch coating is free of dairy, which may be surprising for a snack that tastes so buttery and tangy. These fries are also grain-free, non-GMO, allergen-free, and kosher, so more snackers can enjoy the pleasure of ranch without risk. The nutritional profile is similar to Sensible Portions' Zesty Ranch Garden Veggie Straws, which makes sense since the ingredients and overall profiles of these two snacks are pretty similar. 

Reviewers on abillion offer mostly high marks for the blend of sweet potato and ranch. One commenter admits, "These took a minute to get [used] to the taste, but once we did we ate the whole bag." A treat that can win over a skeptical snacker this quickly is worth a shot.

Ah, Bugles – the delicious, old-school snack as well as America's favorite finger hat, no matter how old a snacker gets. The crispy corn crunch gets a tangy kick from ranch in a flavor variant that feels nostalgic and futuristic all at once. While the seasoning might mean eager snackers get a bit of ranch under their fingernails, it isn't likely to deter the hardcore ranch, or Bugles, fans. And with a nutrition profile that's a bit healthier than chips, it might settle your conscience a bit to have these as an option in the snack aisle when the ranch pangs set in.

One Influenster reviewer describes these crunchy Bugles with a contemporary twist as "light and airy with a yummy ranch flavor and light buttery finish!" If a description like that doesn't get you scurrying to the store to pick up a bag, you might want to reconsider your ranch snack devotion.