The Promising Target Good & Gather Snacking Nut Flavor That Was A Total Letdown

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Everybody loves a trip to Target. Whether you're after a new TV, some makeup, or just want to go for an aimless, Starbucks-fueled wander, it really is one of the best department stores around. Its grocery range has also been vastly improving over the years, with more options available than ever before. The in-house Good & Gather brand is particularly booming, and it has a lot of fans. They include one of our experts here at Tasting Table, who stumbled upon the huge variety of Good & Gather snacking nuts on offer. Intrigued, she put 14 different types to the test, and found that there was one that ended up being a total letdown: the Smooth Ranch Cashews.

The cashews, which are seasoned with promising flavors like garlic, sour cream, and onion, are meant to taste like a delicious buttermilk ranch dressing. But, unfortunately, they missed the mark entirely. Our tester found the seasonings to be too overpowering, causing the natural taste of the cashew itself to be completely masked. The strong scent from the bag was also a turnoff, as was the powdery coating on the nuts, which impacted the texture. Overall, they were just too hard to eat, especially when compared to something like the Himalayan Salted Dark Chocolate Almonds, which topped the list by a long shot.

That being said, there are some people who like the Smooth Ranch Cashews, so it could just be down to preference. One Target customer called them "absolutely delicious" and complimented their "perfect" seasoning in an online review, while others compared them to Cool Ranch Doritos. However, other reviewers called the cashews "weird," "too powerful," and said the flavorings were off.

You can always try them for yourself, but there are other ranch-inspired snacks out there that might fare better. Trader Joe's sells Ranch Seasoned Cashews that customers love, and Fleet Farm offers Spicy Ranch Cashews. Other variations of the flavor are Giants Bacon Ranch Cashews and the Sriracha Ranch Cashews by Walgreen's Nice! brand. Or you can make your own by roasting raw cashews with some oil and homemade ranch powder. The easy seasoning tastes amazing on popcorn, too, and you can experiment with using it on other types of nuts or chips.

If convenience and something savory is what you're looking for, we suggest just opting for a different Good & Gather snacking nut flavor, like the Everything Seasoned Cashews. They might not fulfill that specific ranch craving you might have, but they do have a better all-around flavor — and they smell a lot more pleasant, too.