Clover Valley Classic Ranch Dressing (Dollar General)

Dollar General sells some surprisingly good and inexpensive foods under its Clover Valley private label. The store carries several types of macaroni and cheese that rival name-brand Kraft. They also sell some decent breakfast cereals. So I decided recently to try Dollar General’s own take on ranch dressing.

Ranch dressing is a staple in just about any refrigerator. It’s good not only for eating with salads, but it also makes a fantastic dip for everything from veggies to chicken nuggets.

Clover Valley Classic Ranch Dressing cost $1.00 for a 16-ounce bottle at Dollar General at the time of publication, which comes out to about 6 cents per ounce. Whether this is a good deal depends on what ranch dressing you usually buy. It’s pretty comparable in price to Aldi house brand ranch or Great Value Walmart ranch dressing, while it’s a good deal cheaper than name-brand Hidden Valley or Kraft ranch dressings that ranged from around 11-20 cents per ounce at Walmart at the time of publication.

The Clover Valley ranch is kosher and was packed in the U.S.

If you’re watching out for allergens, this contains eggs and milk.

One bottle contains about 16 two-tablespoon servings. One serving has 130 calories, 14 grams of total fat (17% DV), 2 grams of saturated fat (11% DV), 5 mg of cholesterol (2% DV), 240 mg of sodium (11% DV), 1 gram of total carbohydrates (0% DV), no dietary fiber, and less than 1 gram of added sugars (2% DV).

Clover Valley Classic Ranch Dressing nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

My family sampled this ranch dressing on a salad. We all thought this was not the best ranch salad dressing we’ve eaten, but it’s also not the worst. We’ve certainly had ranch dressings that we liked less. One family member remarked that if you really want ranch but don’t have a regular grocery store nearby and can only go to Dollar General, this Clover Valley option is all right. I’ve noticed that our Aldi Tuscan Valley private label ranch dressing still gets the most use, while the dollar store ranch tends to remain in the fridge. Still, this dollar store version is not bad if you don’t have anything better.

The Verdict:

Clover Valley Classic Ranch Dressing is okay if you don’t have name brand Hidden Valley or Kraft ranch dressings — or comparable substitutes — on hand. The price is comparable to store brands at other retailers such as Aldi or Walmart, and it’s cheaper than buying name brand. It’s not the greatest ranch I’ve had, but it’s also not the worst.