Taco Bell's New Hidden Valley Diablo Ranch Is The Creamy, Spicy Dip Your Nuggets Need

Taco Bell is skilled at always staying at the forefront of everyone's fast food habits. Just when the cult-classic chain starts fading out of the spotlight, it does something bold enough to pique the curiosity of its loyal fan base. Simply put, Taco Bell is no stranger to going viral, and lately, it's been making waves in the fast food community with something it's always ahead of the curve on: sauce.

It started with a mash-up of Frank's RedHot and Taco Bell's famous Diablo Sauce. I had the pleasure of getting a taste of this spicy collab on launch day, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't one of the better fast food collaborations that I've had the pleasure of drizzling over a taco. Now, Taco Bell is at it again, with another spicy sauce mash-up that features fan-favorite Diablo. This time, it's going the creamy route, with the king of ranch: Hidden Valley.

Taco Bell's Hidden Valley Diablo Ranch Sauce combines the two iconic condiments into one dip-ready packet. The sauce is timed perfectly with the return of the chain's nuggets, but I don't think anyone would fault you for slathering a burrito or dunking a quesadilla when it comes time to give this unique duo a try. I got my hands on the new sauce, plus some hot and fresh chicken nuggets for dunking, so I can divulge whether this sauce marriage is worthy of viral status, or if the two legendary condiments are better off as friends.

To put together this tell-all review of Taco Bell's new Hidden Valley Diablo Ranch Sauce, I tried the sauce and its chicken pairing fresh and in-store. Since the two items are intended for one another, I taste-tested them as a pair, but I also focused closely on the flavor and texture of the sauce itself. I paid particular attention to the heat level, how prominent the ranch element is, and whether or not either component overwhelms the other.

To get a clearer sense of consistency, I tried both heavily sauced and lightly dressed bites. I also tried the sauce on its own, and compared it to Taco Bell's existing sauce lineup — particularly Diablo — in terms of spice level and overall balance. I focused primarily on the sauce's flavor, with a lesser focus on its texture, value, versatility, and how it compares to other Taco Bell sauces.

Please note that your experience may vary and that all prices are based on those at a northeastern Pennsylvania Taco Bell location. They are accurate at the time of publication. Availability and (nugget) preparation can also vary by location, which may affect both flavor and overall value.

I snagged an order of five-piece nuggets from my local Taco Bell, which automatically comes with one sauce. I also opted for two extra sides of Hidden Valley Diablo Ranch — one sauce container for every two nuggets is standard, right? The five-piece chicken nuggets with one sauce came out to $4.99, and each additional condiment was 50 cents. With Pennsylvania sales tax, the entire order was a mere $5.82. Five nuggets may not sound like a lot, but these crispy morsels were huge for fast food nuggets; roughly the width of a golf ball and about 2 inches long. They also come in a 10-piece size for roughly $7.50, or you can make it a combo meal with 10 nuggets, two sauces, fries, and a drink for about $9.50.

The new sauce — and the return of Taco Bell's beloved chicken nuggets — launched on Thursday, January 22nd, 2026. It's not entirely clear if the Hidden Valley Diablo Ranch and nuggets will be available long-term, or if we're looking at limited-time-only items here, so don't dilly-dally if you want to get a taste of this new collab, just in case.

The first thing that struck me was the consistency of this sauce. The Hidden Valley Diablo Ranch is incredibly thick, but not in a gelatinous way; it's more sour cream-like. It's also speckled green and red in a — dare I say — beautiful pinkish-red, creamy base that's certainly implies spiciness.

My first bite let me know that balance was definitely achieved after, likely, many iterations and taste-tests by the Taco Bell team. The ranch isn't drowned out whatsoever. There's the same potent, tangy kick that Hidden Valley Ranch is known for, and it's made even more prominent by a slight undertone of smokiness. The ranch is slightly more apparent than the Diablo sauce, but I imagine this was by design. Too much punch from Diablo would mask the subtle flavors and zestiness of ranch. Instead, Diablo sauce offered just the right amount of heat; not so much to prevent you from tearing through three sauce packets in one go, but not so little that the sauce is more like plain ranch with spicy characteristics.

The nuggets don't have a ton of flavor to them, so the zesty, spicy sauce does all the heavy lifting in this regard. However, the crunchy breading and moist, tender chicken make these some of the best fast food nuggets out there. The thick consistency of the sauce holds fast to the nugget breading, like the two were meant to be.

I'll be honest: I don't care much for ranch — unless, however, it has a spicy element. The Hidden Valley Diablo Ranch is like my dream nugget sauce; zesty, herbaceous, spicy, and thick enough to stack on top of chicken nuggets without making the crispy breading soggy. Ranch fans — of which there are many in the U.S. (looking at you, Midwest) — and hot sauce lovers alike are sure to be pleased with this unlikely collab that does justice to both sauces. Diablo's classic smokey-heat flavor profile is blatantly apparent. However, the spiciness is tamed by Hidden Valley's classic creamy condiment enough that even those who can't handle much heat are sure to love it.

Cooling, creamy ranch and smokey, fiery Diablo come together in a classic case of opposites attracting beautifully. Taco Bell couldn't have timed this launch better by pairing it with the return of its chicken nuggets, since most Taco Bell items likely won't be a great match with this tangy sauce. It was undoubtedly destined to be a chicken nugget dip, but it still could be worth trying on a burrito or taco. Taco Bell is already the brain behind our favorite fast food ranch sauce, but the Hidden Valley Diablo Ranch will certainly give the classic a run for its money.