I’ve been wanting to write up this product review for a while now, but life’s been a bit busy, you know?  Either way, I finally found some time to write about my new favorite ranch dressing.  That’s right everyone, I said it – this is my new favorite ranch dressing.  Creamy, flavorful, lower-calorie, and perfect for anything from salads to pizza – the new Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Ranch Dressing certainly deserves a spot in your fridge this summer!

When I tell you that I could drink this stuff, just know that it’s true.  Have I actually done so – no, but I do make an effort to get every last drop off of my plate with every salad leaf I have while eating.  Much unlike its vegan counterpart (the Trader Joe’s Creamy Vegan Dill Dressing), this Buttermilk Ranch Dressing is dairy based, with sour cream and buttermilk making up the bulk of this dressing.  The dressing is rounded out with a touch of mayo for richness, lemon juice, red and white wine vinegars for acidity, and a blend of herbs and spices (garlic, onion, shallots, parsley, dill, chives, black pepper, and sea salt) to give it that perfect ranch profile.  Upon purchasing this at my local Trader Joe’s, the cashier warned me that it is very dill-forward in flavor, and to be honest, he was not wrong!  I love dill so this was not an actual problem for me, but if dill is not your favorite flavor, still try it but be aware.  I do think the other flavors balance the dill out nicely and the overall profile reads as a nice, creamy ranch – but I do agree that it’s a dill-forward ranch.

This dressing has 70 calories for a 2 tbsp serving size, along with 7g of fat.  The fat amount is a little on the high side, but generally I would consider this a healthier version of ranch compared to Hidden Valley Ranch (130 cals with 13g fat per 2 tbsp serving) and other conventional ranch dressings available on the market.  Also, in all honesty, the fat is what helps make dressing taste good, so I’m okay with a little bit of fat if it makes me eat a giant bowl of veggies in the process. 

So far, I’ve paired this ranch dressing with various salads (groundbreaking!) and used it as a dip for chopped veggies like carrots and cucumbers (again, so original!).  I also used this as a dipper for a batch of zucchini fries that I made over the weekend, and I think this dressing would hold up well with pizza, fries, or chips if ranch with those foods are your style.  Use this dressing wherever you would use any other ranch dressing, and you’ll be happy and satisfied, as long as you like the flavor of a little dill.

If you see this at your next Trader Joe’s run and you’re a fan of a dilly ranch, give it a try!  I found this for $3.99 for an 11 oz container in the refrigerated section along with the salad kits, where they keep their collection of refrigerated dressings like the Vegan Caesar and afore-mentioned Creamy Vegan Dill.  This post was not sponsored by Trader Joe’s or their dressings in any way, just some words from a fan!  Enjoy!