Appetizers

Cheddar Ranch Cheese Spread

November 18, 2011

This is simplest dip to make…which is quite dangerous. I find this Cheddar Ranch Cheese Spread extremely addicting. I may have eaten it with crackers for four meals in a row. Yeah, you read that right. I had this for dinner, breakfast, lunch, and dinner again not too long ago and I’m not afraid to admit it. It’s not the healthiest moment in my life, but sometimes you have a crappy day at work and all that will fix it is a good snack attack…on the couch…watching TV. Mine just happened to last for a 24 hour period. Hey, it was a really obnoxious day at work! Don’t judge!

Cheddar Ranch Cheese Spread

So, how’s it taste?

Obviously I love this stuff. I highly recommend serving it with Triscuits. The creamy cheese spread with crunchy Triscuits is fantastic. I prefer the ranch flavor, but you can also make this with Italian dressing mix. Equally as good and equally as addicting. It’s four ingredients, mix them together, and go. This could also be rolled into a cheeseball and covered with nuts if you want to get fancy. You can make this with low fat cream cheese and sour cream, but why bother? Serious snacking deserves the real stuff. Don’t even think about making this with fat free ingredients. It’s not the same taste at all.

Cheddar Ranch Cheese Spread

source unknown
makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese (do not use fat free), softened
1/2 cup sour cream (do not use fat free)
1 (0.7 oz.) packet ranch* or Italian dressing mix
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

*If you can't find this size packet for ranch, get the 1 oz. size and take a few teaspoons out. Add the mix in increments and taste until you get it to your liking.

Directions:

1. Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sour cream and dressing mix until blended. Stir in cheese. Chill 2 hours. Serve with crackers.

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  • Jessica November 18, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    I love anything with cream cheese, sour cream, and more cheese! 😀

    • Leah November 18, 2011 at 4:52 pm

      Ditto! My kind of girl!

  • Cassie November 18, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    So I don’t really like cream cheese or sour cream on their own but put them in a dip and I will devour it. My family will too. Definitely taking this to Thanksgiving with us next week!

    • Leah November 18, 2011 at 4:52 pm

      I can’t believe you don’t like cream cheese and sour cream! Craziness! The cheddar and ranch/italian are definitely the dominant flavors, so you’ll enjoy it!

  • Lannae November 18, 2011 at 3:11 pm

    Love this! It certainly sounds like comfort food.

    • Leah November 18, 2011 at 4:51 pm

      I’m a big fan of cheese, always makes me feel better, ha!

  • heather November 18, 2011 at 4:32 pm

    HAHA I seriously laughed outloud at your “do not use fat free” references!!! what about lowfat? is that allowed?? I just pinned this recipe & hope to make it soon 🙂

    • Leah November 18, 2011 at 4:50 pm

      I’m telling it like it is! I made it once with fat free and it’s not good, trust me. I guess you could use low fat, lol. Yes, low fat actually works pretty well.

  • Nicole Gamble November 21, 2011 at 4:58 am

    Great recipe! My daughter is in love with cheese!

    • Leah November 21, 2011 at 8:49 am

      Thanks, me too!

  • Dawn November 27, 2011 at 10:14 am

    My batch of dip turned out too salty for my liking, but it made for an amazing mashed potato mix in on Thanksgiving!

    • Leah November 27, 2011 at 7:33 pm

      Awesome idea to stir into mashed potatoes! I’ll have to try that.

  • Aubrey June 22, 2012 at 3:57 pm

    Recently made this and added a small can of chicken. Also can use a large can of chicken, 2 blocks of cream cheese and the entire pkg. of ranch! Addictive! ps Love the mashed potato idea!

    • Leah June 22, 2012 at 4:01 pm

      Yum! That almost reminds me of that dip you can make in the slow cooker with chicken, cream cheese, ranch, and buffalo sauce. I’ll have to try this one with chicken. Thanks for the suggestion!

  • Brenda July 22, 2012 at 9:12 pm

    I make this but I add real bacon bits. Delicious !

  • Lisa in Wisconsin September 24, 2012 at 9:48 am

    When we make this, we leave out the cream cheese, add 1/2 – 3/4 can of beer and chopped red onion.

    • Leah September 24, 2012 at 12:27 pm

      Interesting. Leaving out the cream cheese completely changes this spread. Although I’m intrigued by adding beer!

  • Gina in Ohio September 30, 2012 at 9:09 pm

    I make something very similar to this recipe and it’s really good with the beer in it. 2 8oz packages of cream cheese, 1 hidden valley ranch salad dressing packet, 2 cups of shredded chedder cheese and 1/3 cup of beer (regular or lite). Mix it all up and serve it cold. Pretzel dipping sticks go great with it. Perfect for football game party or tailgating party.

  • Whitney October 9, 2012 at 1:28 pm

    Why no fat free? Does it change the whole make of the dip? Or does ut say do not use fat free because of a difderent taste? With gallbladder disease I cant have anything BUT fat free or low fat……

    • Leah October 9, 2012 at 2:26 pm

      Fat free doesn’t provide the flavor this dip needs to taste good. Low fat works fine, but fat free doesn’t.

  • Magnoliatn October 23, 2012 at 3:15 pm

    Hi…could you tell me the name of the recipe using the chicken, cream cheese, ranch and buffalo sauce (crock pot)?

    Many thanks!

    • Leah October 24, 2012 at 9:51 am

      Hi! There are a lot of variations on that recipe. I’ve eaten it many times, but have never made it. Some bake it and some make it in a slow cooker. I’d suggest doing an Internet search until you find one with the ingredients you like. Good luck!

  • Aline October 24, 2012 at 4:30 pm

    I couldn’t wait to try it and I had almost all the ingredients!
    I had to use yogurt instead of sour cream (I was out), and I made make my own ranch mix, so there was no salt in it.
    I don’t think I can chill it for 2 hours, it’s DELICIOUS!
    Thank you for sharing 😀

    • Leah October 24, 2012 at 5:19 pm

      You’re welcome! Kudos to you on some great subs. Yogurt makes it healthy, right?! 😉

  • Michelle December 13, 2012 at 12:49 pm

    I took this to a baby shower and it was a BIG hit. My daughter and my son’s girlfriend ate what was left on everything from sausage balls to pretzels. Everyone loved it. I used fat free cream cheese and fat free sour cream for a healthier version.

  • Kate October 7, 2013 at 11:57 am

    Love this! I made it with bacon added into it–yum!

    • Leah Short October 7, 2013 at 12:03 pm

      Yum! Great addition!

  • Tammy Gonner October 15, 2013 at 9:26 pm

    This dip is also tasty using fiesta ranch and taco cheese

  • Wanda November 25, 2014 at 11:39 pm

    I used the fat free cream cheese, fat free sour cream and fat free shredded cheddar cheese and it turned out good.

  • Mikayla February 1, 2015 at 12:45 pm

    I used buttermilk ranch dip mix because it was all I could find when I went to the store one time and it has been really popular with some people! My boyfriend liked the flavor that the buttermilk mix gave it better than the original because he likes buttermilk ranch.

  • Karla June 15, 2015 at 11:12 am

    This spread was really good & easy. Made the night before in food processor. Folded in some chives from my garden. A keeper for sure!

  • Linda August 27, 2016 at 4:15 pm

    OMG, on a low carb diet and this may save my sanity. Searching for something to fill my popcorn void. This with celery sticks fits the bill. Can’t wait ti give it a go.