Key Takeaways
- Hidden Valley launched Spooky Ranch, a limited-edition black version of Original Ranch in a glow-in-the-dark bottle and the brand’s first seasonal product.
- Cocoa powder and fruit juice create the black color without changing the familiar buttermilk, herb and spice flavor, according to Hidden Valley.
- The cocoa sparked disgust and purple-ketchup nostalgia online, while Dairy Queen also plans to debut its first Halloween menu on Sept. 28.
Earlier this week, Hidden Valley unveiled Spooky Ranch, a limited-edition version of its Original Ranch that is completely black and comes inside a glow-in-the-dark bottle. It also marks the brand’s first-ever seasonal product, more than 70 years after Steve Henson whipped up the recipe to feed his work crews in Alaska.
“Spooky Ranch takes everything fans love about Original Ranch and adds a little Halloween magic,” Stacy Stokes, vice president of marketing for Hidden Valley Ranch, said in the Thursday, Sept. 24 announcement.
Part of that Halloween magic comes from an unexpected ingredient: cocoa powder. According to Hidden Valley, a combination of cocoa and fruit juice gives the dressing its black color without changing its familiar buttermilk, herb and spice flavor.
As weird as cocoa in ranch sounds, coloring food with other foods isn't anything new. Fruit juice, for one, has been listed by the FDA for use as a color additive since 1966. But that didn't stop the internet from reacting like it had seen a ghost. When ABC News posted about the launch on TikTok, the comments section zeroed right in on the cocoa.
"Fruity cocoa ranch… yum 🤮," one person wrote.
"Cocoa? Charcoal wasn't an option?" another asked.
"I think id rather it be artificial cause wym fruit & coco in ranch 🤢," a third chimed in.
"We quit using cocoa to make American chocolate bars but are using it in ranch? Cmon," someone else added.
Others were transported straight back to another era of questionably colored condiments. "anyone remember purple ketchup from the 90s," one person asked.
Technically, it was a 2001 thing. Heinz launched its EZ Squirt Blastin' Green ketchup on July 10, 2000 and followed it with Funky Purple a year later. The brand sold more than 25 million bottles of the colorful stuff before pulling it from shelves by January 2006.
Anyone brave enough to try Spooky Ranch can find it exclusively at Walmart for $3.97, while supplies last. Hidden Valley isn't the only brand getting in on the Halloween fun, either. Dairy Queen is rolling out its first-ever Halloween collection on Sept. 28.
