Ranch dressing is a popular condiment found in many refrigerators and restaurants across America. The creamy, tangy flavor pairs well with salads, chicken wings, french fries, and more. While there are numerous brands of ranch dressing on the market, Hidden Valley Ranch reigns supreme as the most popular brand. With its distinctive fluffy texture and zesty taste, Hidden Valley Ranch has been a staple in kitchens and on tables for decades. But what exactly is in this iconic creamy dressing? How many ingredients go into making the Hidden Valley Ranch flavor we all know and love?
Original Hidden Valley Ranch Ingredients
The original Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning and salad dressing mix contains relatively few ingredients, allowing the fresh flavors of buttermilk and herbs to really shine. The original dry Hidden Valley Ranch mix contains the following ingredients:
- Monosodium glutamate
- Buttermilk solids
- Salt
- Dextrose
- Garlic
- Onion
- Monopotassium glutamate
- Dried parsley
- Dried dill
- Lactic acid
- Disodium inosinate
- Disodium guanylate
- Citric acid
- Acetic acid
- Calcium stearate
- Sugar
- Natural flavor
That’s a total of 17 ingredients that go into the classic Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix. To turn the dry seasoning into the thick, creamy dressing that Ranch fans love, you simply combine the packet with mayonnaise and buttermilk. So the total ingredients of prepared Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dip & Dressing are:
- Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dry Mix (17 ingredients)
- Mayonnaise
- Buttermilk
That brings the total ingredients in original Hidden Valley Ranch up to 19. It’s impressive that such a simple combination of herbs, spices, dairy, and other flavors comes together to create the tasty Ranch dressing we all know.
Ingredients in Other Hidden Valley Ranch Products
In addition to the original dry seasoning mix and prepared dressing, Hidden Valley Ranch offers a wide variety of ranch-flavored products. These additional items contain most of the same base ingredients as the original mix, along with some extra ingredients depending on the specific product. Here are some examples of other Hidden Valley Ranch products and their ingredients:
Hidden Valley The Original Ranch Bottled Dressing
- Cultured Pasteurized Grade A Lowfat Milk and Skim Milk
- Soybean Oil
- Water
- Egg Yolks
- Distilled Vinegar
- Corn Syrup
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Natural Flavor
- Salt
- Monosodium Glutamate
- Spice
- Parsley
- Dextrose
- Lemon Juice Concentrate
- Disodium Inosinate
- Disodium Guanylate
- Potassium Sorbate
- Propylene Glycol Alginate
- Calcium Disodium EDTA
That’s a total of 19 ingredients in the ready-to-use Hidden Valley Original Ranch bottle dressing.
Hidden Valley Ranch Dips
- Sour cream (cultured cream, skim milk)
- Buttermilk
- Soybean oil
- Water
- Corn syrup solids
- Distilled vinegar
- Food starch-modified
- Salt
- Egg yolks
- Monosodium glutamate
- Garlic
- Onion
- Natural flavor
- Potassium sorbate
- Sodium benzoate
- Lactic acid
- Calcium disodium EDTA
The total ingredients in Hidden Valley Ranch dips is 18.
Hidden Valley Ranch Blasts
- Milk
- Water
- Soybean oil
- Corn syrup solids
- Vinegar
- Egg yolks
- Natural flavors
- Potassium sorbate
- Sodium benzoate
- Salt
- Garlic juice
- Onion juice
- Xanthan gum
- Yeast extract
- Lactic acid
- Annatto extract
Hidden Valley Blasts contain 16 ingredients according to the product packaging.
Hidden Valley The Original Ranch Seasoning
As mentioned previously, the dry Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix contains:
- Monosodium glutamate
- Buttermilk powder
- Salt
- Dextrose
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Monopotasium glutamate
- Dried parsley
- Dried dill
- Lactic acid
- Disodium inosinate
- Disodium guanylate
- Citric acid
- Acetic acid
- Calcium stearate
- Sugar
- Natural flavors
17 total ingredients in the Original Ranch dry seasoning mix.
Comparing Hidden Valley Ranch Ingredients by Product
To summarize and compare the number of ingredients across Hidden Valley’s ranch products:
| Hidden Valley Product | Total Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Original Dry Seasoning Mix | 17 |
| Original Dressing (prepared) | 19 |
| Bottled Dressing | 19 |
| Ranch Dips | 18 |
| Ranch Blasts | 16 |
| Original Seasoning | 17 |
As you can see, most Hidden Valley Ranch products contain between 16-19 ingredients. The Original dry seasoning mix and dip have the least with 17 and 18 ingredients respectively. The prepared dressing and bottled dressing contain 19 ingredients each.
Considering how flavorful Hidden Valley Ranch is, it’s surprising that the recipe contains less than 20 ingredients. Hidden Valley is able to pack big ranch taste into each product using thoughtful ingredient blends focused on herbs, dairy, oil, and seasonings.
The Most Important Hidden Valley Ranch Ingredients
While Hidden Valley Ranch contains 16-19 ingredients depending on the specific product, some ingredients play a bigger role than others in creating that crave-worthy ranch flavor. Here are some of the most essential ingredients in Hidden Valley Ranch:
Dairy
What would ranch be without cool, creamy dairy? Hidden Valley uses a blend of milk, buttermilk, and sour cream in products like the Original dressing and dips. These provide the characteristic thick, smooth texture of ranch dressing as well as a tangy, creamy base for the other flavors.
Oil
Hidden Valley Ranch contains soybean oil or a soybean/cottonseed oil blend. The oil brings additional creaminess and helps blend and mellow out the other strong seasonings.
Herbs and Spices
The distinctive Hidden Valley ranch flavor comes from its blend of herbs and spices. Ingredients like garlic, onion, black pepper, parsley, and dill give it that signature zing. A “natural flavor” ingredient also likely contains additional herbs and spices to round out the ranch profile.
Acids
To balance out the richness of the dairy and oils, Hidden Valley Ranch contains acids like vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, and lactic acid. These provide a tangy counterpoint to the herbs and dairy. That combination of rich, creamy, and zesty is what makes ranch dressing so crave-worthy.
Salt
Salt plays an important role in enhancing and unifying the other flavors. The salty taste helps make all the other herbs, dairy, and acids pop.
Preservatives
Hidden Valley Ranch contains preservatives like potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate. These shelf-stable ingredients prevent microbial growth and maintain safety and freshness.
Unique Ingredients in Hidden Valley Ranch
In addition to core ingredients like dairy, oil and herbs, Hidden Valley Ranch contains a few special ingredients you may not expect:
MSG
Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is perhaps the most surprising ingredient in Hidden Valley Ranch recipes. MSG is a common flavor enhancer that boosts umami or savory taste. Adding a dash of MSG allows Hidden Valley to use less salt while still making the flavors pop.
Disodium Inosinate and Guanylate
These lengthy chemical names refer to flavor enhancers similar to MSG. They contain ribonucleotides that work synergistically with glutamates like MSG to amplify umami taste.
Buttermilk Powder
In addition to liquid buttermilk, Hidden Valley Ranch mixes contain buttermilk powder. This adds even more tangy, creamy dairy flavor compared to buttermilk alone.
Natural Flavors
Hidden Valley Ranch ingredients list “natural flavors” rather than calling out each individual seasoning. This likely refers to a proprietary blend of herbs, spices, and extracts that gives Hidden Valley its signature profile.
Xanthan Gum
This emulsifier and thickener helps give Hidden Valley Ranch products their thick, creamy texture and keep the ingredients blended smoothly.
Annatto Extract
Natural annatto extract adds a yellow-orange color to some Hidden Valley Ranch products.
Quality Ingredients Make Quality Ranch
Hidden Valley Ranch has remained America’s favorite ranch dressing for decades thanks to its carefully crafted recipe. While some “gourmet” ranch dressings boast about having 10 or fewer ingredients, more isn’t always worse when it comes to processed foods. Hidden Valley strikes the right balance of using enough real, high-quality ingredients like dairy, herbs, and oils to create an incredibly flavorful dressing without unnecessary additives. So while the ingredient list may seem long at first glance, each item serves an important purpose.
Next time you pour Hidden Valley Ranch on a salad or dip an artichoke in the creamy white dressing, remember that 16-19 thoughtfully selected ingredients go into making this top-selling, crave-worthy ranch flavor. Ranch lovers wouldn’t have it any other way!