Why Your Taste Buds Love Pizza And Ranch Together

Whenever you have a taste for classic comfort food, there's at least 10 different types of pizza you can choose from, including Detroit deep dish and New York style. That being said, adding a flavorful dipping sauce to the mix only makes sense. More specifically, there's something about ranch dressing that keeps foodies coming back for more.

For many pizza lovers, pairing this creamy dressing with tomato pie is essential. Fortunately, Chef de Cuisine at OLIO E PIÙ, Luca Corazzina, offers Chowhound a potential explanation for why so many people are drawn to the unique combination of pizza and ranch. According to Corazzina, "Ranch adds a creamy, tangy contrast to the richness of the cheese and the saltiness of the toppings."

Whether you make your own or choose from the best and worst store-bought ranch dressings you can buy, this popular condiment includes a variety of flavorful ingredients, including but not limited to mayonnaise, buttermilk, lemon juice, and a variety of dried spices such as dill, chives, parsley, and garlic. Blended together, these ingredients serve as a perfect way to balance both the flavor and mouthfeel of hot and salty pizza slices.

Beyond offering a cooling effect, ranch dressing can also temper the heat of spicy pizza toppings like sliced jalapeños and dried red pepper flakes. If you've been a longtime fan of ranch on pizza, beyond dipping, there are a few tasty ways you can tailor your next pie to better accommodate this creamy condiment.

Besides dipping your next plate of leftover crust in ranch, there are more provocative ways you can take advantage of this flavorful combo. Believe it or not, there are certain ingredients that highlight the flavor of ranch dressing more than others. Knowing this, you can build an entire pie around your love for ranch dressing. Specifically, chef Luca Corazzina confirms that ranch "pairs especially well with proteins like grilled chicken or shrimp."

For your next pie, beyond swapping out pepperoni for chicken, you can also skip the tomato-based marinara and use ranch dressing as your pizza's primary sauce. With additional ingredients like crumbled bacon, shredded mozzarella cheese, and chopped spinach, you'll have a tasty ranch-infused pie in no time.

Speaking of the best sauces to use on pizza besides tomato, once you try a pie smothered in ranch, feel free to make a barbecue chicken pizza or a buffalo ranch pizza. For these two varieties, ranch dressing continues to serve as a perfect dipping sauce. The creaminess of ranch coupled with the bold flavors of hot sauce pair well with one another.

If you don't want to change the ingredients of your pizza to incorporate ranch, you can also infuse this versatile dip with additional ingredients for added flavor. Give your pizza an extra bold taste by using ranch thats been mixed with hot sauce, blue cheese, or avocado and lime juice.