Not all ranch is created equal

Chipotle - Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Thiccck, spicy, and maybe having an identity crisis. Chipotle’s ranch-adjacent dressing is more sour cream with a smoky attitude than a true delicious ole faithful. It’ll do in a pinch (especially if mixed with the vinaigrette), but don’t expect to be wow'ed

RANCH REVIEWCHAIN RESTAURANTIT'LL DO

Okay, so I gave Chipotle’s ranch a shot. And… I have questions. First of all: why is it so thick? Like, not “creamy and dreamy” thick. More like, “did someone just hand me a tub of spicy sour cream?” It refused to spread across my salad like it was personally offended by romaine.

The flavor? Very adobo-forward. Bold, smoky, and spicy in that way that hits hard if your palate lives in the land of mild salsa (hi, it’s me), my husband didn't think it was spicy at all, which had me questioning my tastebuds. I wasn’t mad at the taste, but it was a lot for what I thought was going to be a ranch moment.

Now, the real surprise was when I mixed a little of it with the honey vinaigrette. Sweet-ish plus spicy? Kind of worked. Gave the salad a little personality without overpowering everything. But would I reach for it again solo? Mmm… not unless I was in a weird mood. The It'll Do rating is generous in my opinion, but it didn't quite taste store-bought, so it narrowly escaped that category.

Food I ate with the ranch

Full Review