Easy Cheesy Bacon Ranch Dip
I’m a sucker for a good dip. It’s why I married my husband. BA-DUM-TSH! I kid, I kid. But I do really love dip. Anything that is creamy and savory is okay by me. I LOVE crab dip, as it’s hot and spicy and sweet and just yummy. But for a nice cold dip, I LOVE this super simple Easy Cheesy Bacon Ranch Dip.
Here’s what you need.
16 oz. sour cream
1 packet ranch dip mix (make sure to use the DIP mix and not the DRESSING mix)
3 oz bag of pre-cooked bacon pieces
1 C cheddar cheese, shredded
Now, feel free to cook your bacon yourself. But I find the pre-cooked bits just perfect for this dip. They are already perfectly chopped and a uniform crispness. I burn my bacon as often as I get it right, so I’d much rather grab a little bag of the pieces when they’re on sale than ruin perfectly good bacon in my quest for perfection. Also, you don’t have to use cheddar. You can use any cheese you fancy. But bacon and cheddar is a classic.
Now here comes the complicated part – throw all the ingredients in a bowl and stir.
Yep, that’s it.
It really could NOT be easier. Just combine everything and then stick it in the fridge. The longer it sits in there, the better it gets. Though the sour cream may go off, so make sure you have noted the expiration date or you might kick yourself. That said, this dip does NOT stick around long. It basically disappears quick. Especially if you have a husband and three boys like I do.
Seriously, though, this is so good with your favorite potato chips. Or spread it on some bread. Or a cracker. Or dip in some of your favorite veggies. The possibilities are ENDLESS I TELL YOU!
Katie Reed is a passionate writer and mother of four vivacious boys from Salt Lake City, Utah. Drawing from her own journey through TTC, pregnancy, and the joys of raising children, she offers a wealth of insight into the world of motherhood. Beyond her heartfelt tales, Katie delights her readers with family-friendly recipes, engaging crafts, and a curated library of printables for both kids and adults. When she’s not penning her experiences, you’ll find her crafting memories with her husband and sons—Dexter, Daniel, Chester, and Wilder.
Hi Katie,
Just wanted to give you a final update. I finally pinpointed my mistake and made a perfect batch!! Turns out I was using the wrong ranch seasoning. I accidentally purchased and used the ranch dressing mix instead of the ranch dip mix. I fixed my mistake and made an incredible batch!! The flavor and consistency were totally different and the dip was completely gone within a matter of minutes. Thanks for sticking with me through the process. I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Ahhhh! I’m so glad you figured out the problem! I love this dip and was really confused as to why it wasn’t working for you. I hadn’t even thought about the seasoning being the problem!
Thank you so much for updating this. I will make a note in the post to remind people to be sure to use the dip and not the dressing mix! 🙂
Have a great day!
Hi! I came across the recipe randomly on Facebook a few days ago and decided to give it a try. I’m one of those people that can follow a recipe to a T and it still turn out horribly! I was looking for some suggestions on where I went wrong. I purchased all of the above ingredients (brands did differ a little), made sure I had all of the right measurements, mixed, and let sit for as long as possible. Unfortunately, mine turned out too salty tasty to eat….and that’s saying a lot because I LOVE salty foods. My husband and I theorized that maybe I should have bought name brand bacon instead of generic? Or should I add less bacon? Thanks in advance for any advice!
Hi Stephany. I definitely think there can be differences based on brands, but I’m surprised it came out quite so salty.
That said, bacon is very salty, cheddar cheese can be quite salty and ranch seasoning can be salty. So any one of them could be the culprit.
Did you make your own bacon or buy already cooked/crumbled bacon? If you made your own, you need to be sure to drain it well and soak up all the grease, as that holds a TON of salt.
The only other thing I can think of is that possibly you need to mix it more? Because the ranch mix is a powder going into a liquid (sour cream), it can get clumpy if you don’t mix really really well. Those clumps would be extra salty, while other bits may have no flavor.
Other than that, I’m not sure why it wouldn’t work perfectly! If you end up trying it again, let me know how it works out, as I am really curious now!
Hi Katie,
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I purchased the bacon crumbles (Kroger brand) and have a feeling they might be the culprit. I just made the dip last night so it is still sitting in my fridge. When my daughter wakes up (she’s napping in my lap) I will go stir it up some more and see if maybe that was the issue as I was in a hurry when preparing it last night. If that doesn’t work I will try the recipe again using name brand bacon crumbles on our next grocery shopping trip. I’ll be sure to let you know the outcome!
Ah yes, I have used Kroger brand before, and they ARE extra salty! Do try stirring it up again, but if that doesn’t work, you can try adding a little more sour cream. It might help disperse the salt a little if you don’t want to throw it away. 🙂
Hi Katie,
Just wanted to give you an update. I did try stirring it more, but that did not help. I planned on adding more sour cream but my back up sour cream was expired and I wasn’t planning on making another grocery trip for a while. I did, however, find the perfect use for my salty disaster!! My husband and I topped (unsalted) baked potatoes with my would-be mistake of a dip and it was heavenly!! I will be giving the dip another shot with better bacon crumbles and found several other recipes here I plan to try soon. Thanks for all your help!
While I’m sad you didn’t get the result we were hoping for, I am so glad it didn’t go to waste!! What a great use for it! Thanks for the update. 🙂