25 foods that you should be putting ranch dressing on (2024)

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You’ve heard of avocado-ranch dressing, right? If so, then putting the condiment on avocado toast isn’t much of a stretch. To kick your toast game up a notch, try this recipe from Kraft, which also calls for cherry tomatoes and turkey bacon... and only takes 10 minutes to make!

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Pass on ketchup, mustard, or BBQ sauce the next time you grill up some burgers, and opt for ranch dressing instead. You could create a concoction like this BLT Ranch Burger from the Food Network (which uses homemade dressing), or even mix the ranch right into the ground beef before grilling, as suggested by Genius Kitchen!

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Save the ketchup for the fries and forget the honey mustard and BBQ sauce, because chicken fingers, tenders, or nuggets taste best when dipped in delicious ranch dressing. After all, why do you think Chick-fil-A offers their incredibly popular buttermilk ranch dressing among the sauce selections? HuffPost can hook you up with a homemade ranch recipe, which they confidently call “The Only Ranch Dressing Recipe You’ll Ever Need.”

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Potato chips and ranch dip have been getting cozy together for decades (and several companies even offer ranch-flavored chip varieties), so simply putting ranch dressing on your sliced spuds isn’t much of a stretch. If you’re feeling creative, try this simple recipe for parmesan ranch potato chips from Life in the Lofthouse.

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Some people swear by substituting a dollop of sour cream for a splash of milk when making scrambled eggs, but substituting ranch? That’s a different ballgame. Still, the idea is the same, and it’s not a habit that’s unheard of. To ease into this alteration in a quick and painless way, head over to Litehouse Foods for an eight-ingredient recipe that contains eggs, milk, melted butter, bacon, chives, salt, pepper, and, of course, ranch.

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This one’s a no-brainer. In fact, you already probably know a friend or two that dips their fries in ranch and swears by it. You might even do it yourself! And even if it seems odd, at least it’s better than dipping fries in mayo! (Okay, we like that sometimes, too.) To double your fun, try this recipe for double-ranch fries from All Recipes...and then also dip them in dressing!

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To be honest, if you’re not dipping your fried pickles in a bit of buttermilk ranch, what exactly are you dipping them in? This may sound a bit strange at first to someone who hasn’t tried it, and especially strange to someone who has never had a fried pickle (although we like to pretend these people don’t exist), but it’s not just an option, it’s the best option.

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We’ve heard of dipping grilled cheese in tomato soup, marinara, ketchup, or BBQ sauce, but ranch takes it in a whole different direction. And the combo totally works! Alternately (or additionally), you could follow this recipe from Genius Kitchen and substitute ranch for butter by spreading the dressing on the outside of the bread before frying it up.

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A squirt of ranch is all you need to top your next hot dog, but you know us, and we won’t simply stop there. Following the lead of 5 Dollar Dinners, you could mix the dressing with a mayo-based coleslaw, because as a general rule: the messier the hot dog, the better it tastes.

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If squirting ranch dressing on mac & cheese puts you off (we don’t really blame you), try using a packet of the mix instead, and combining it before baking, as suggested in this recipe from 12 Tomatoes. If you’re not convinced enough to click the link yet, we should also mention that this recipe calls for three types of cheese!

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Ever add an order of mozzarella sticks to a takeout or delivery order, only to discover that the restaurant forgot the all-important marinara sauce for dipping? Don’t sweat it. If you have a bottle of ranch dressing in your fridge, you can salvage the snack, and maybe even change your entire outlook on eating mozzarella sticks. You can also spice things up with this recipe from Today, which includes instructions on how to make both an avocado ranch dip and a ranch spice mix... because you can never have too many sauces.

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We’re pretty sure it’s a rule of nature that anything that’s okay for french-fry-dipping is also okay for onion-ring-dipping. If not, we’ll still support dunking your rings in ranch – especially if it’s chipotle ranch, like this really simple recipe from Real Simple.

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This recipe from My Recipesconfidently claims that “your whole life has been leading up to buttermilk ranch pancakes.” After all, buttermilk pancakes are a thing, and so is buttermilk ranch. Plus, we’ve heard about some people who shamelessly slap some ranch on regular pancakes (with syrup!), so at least the aforementioned recipe contains a little finesse. And also bacon; delicious, delicious bacon.

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Despite a surprising amount of support for it, we can’t say we totally support putting ranch on pasta – especially if it’s already covered in tomato sauce – but still won’t judge or tattle on all the people who enjoy this culinary concoction. (We even once heard of a dude who enjoyed making ramen noodles, draining out the broth, and simply mixing the ramen with ranch. Yikes!) If you’re new or hesitant to the concept, you might want to first try this recipe for ranch pasta salad from Together As a Family.

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Apparently, putting ranch on pizza has become increasingly popular in recent years... at least according to numerous articles from websites like Buzzfeed. Plus, we personally know a handful of folks who swear by it. They say it can go on classics like plain cheese, pepperoni, or bacon, as well as more creative pies like this garlic-ranch chicken pizza (with homemade dressing!) via Tastes Better From Scratch.

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Potatoes need not be fried to be friends with ranch (although we’re not opposed to frying almost anything), as the dressing can be added to the top of a baked potato in lieu of sour cream, for example. In fact, you don’t even need to serve the potatoes hot, as evidenced by this loaded potato salad recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen.

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The hot, melty cheese of a quesadilla pairs perfectly with the cool taste of ranch, especially if this classic app has a bit of spice thrown into it. Ranch also goes well with barbecue sauce, which you can experience for yourself with this BBQ ranch chicken quesadilla recipe from Center Cut Cook.

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Remember what we just said about pairing BBQ sauce and ranch? (It was literally one slide ago.) Well that makes ranch and ribs a match made in some kind of smoky heaven. Just dip and enjoy, or mix the ranch in prior to cooking/grilling. If you’re looking for some recipe reassurance, check out this baby from Six Sister Stuff, which can be made entirely in your slow cooker.

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Looking for a simple way to add some more flavor from your rice? Dollop some ranch on top. But if white ranch on white rice seems too vanilla for you, try this recipe from Diethood, which also includes chicken, broccoli, peppers and onion.

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Another no-brainer here: ranch is a solid sandwich condiment, especially if you’re including chicken, turkey, bacon, and/or veggies... like this turkey bacon ranch sandwich suggested by The Spruce, which also features tomatoes, avocado, a pretzel bun, and easy-to-make, made-from-scratch buttermilk ranch.

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Like quesadillas, ranch can also be added to tacos in lieu of sour cream or other condiments for a cool way to balance out the spice. For a reliable recipe, we head right to the source of ranch, Hidden Valley.

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Again, almost any fried food can be dunked into delicious ranch. We already touched on fries, fried pickles, and onion rings, so tater tots are the next logical step. If you’re not down to dip, try this cheesy bacon ranch tater tot recipe from This Grandma is Fun.

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Of course we wouldn’t judge you for dipping various veggies into ranch, as aside from salad, that’s the most logical use of the dressing. Feel free to serve up carrots, celery, cucumber, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, or any other vegetable with some ranch dip in the middle, and you likely won’t hear complaints from anyone. You could also add a chipotle ranch, like this homemade chipotle cilantro lime version from Salt and Lavender, for some extra excitement.

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Vegetables and ranch might be BFFs, but fruits (other than tomatoes, of course) are a different story. Yet we’ve heard from numerous sources that ranch can be added to watermelon for a surprisingly satisfying snack. If you end up digging this pairing and want to sneakily turn others on to it, try this watermelon wedge salad recipe from Inspiralized that uses a Greek yogurt ranch dressing.

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We’ll end with an old favorite, hot wings and cool ranch. Most restaurants will serve buffalo wings with a side of blue cheese, but many recognize the widespread existence of ranch-lovers and add a side of this dressing/dip too. If you’re dining out at a pub or sports bar and ask for ranch, your server likely won’t bat an eye. And if they do, get out of there! Who has time for haters? Besides, with just three ingredients, you can make your own ranch wings at home with this recipe from Pillsbury.