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These Ranch Ritz Bits are the perfect way to upgrade your favorite cheese stuffed snack crackers! These make the perfect part food or movie night snack.
You know how some snacks are so hard to stop eating? I mean pretty much every good snack should be that way, but let’s be real…some are better than others at sucking you in so much that you wind up eating way too many. Like the whole box too many.
That’s me with a box of Cheese Ritz Bits! They just had to go and stuff “cheese” between a couple of Ritz crackers like those weren’t already addictive enough.
Cheese is in quotes, because…is it really cheese? I’m doubtful, but also I don’t care. It’s tasty, whatever it is.
Well it turns out it’s possible to make them even more irresistible! Obviously, the way to do this involves every Midwestern mama’s favorite seasoning blend – ranch seasoning.
We’re going to use it to turn these snack crackers into snack crack!
These are similar to our Firecrackers, a totally addictive little cracker snack, but they use Ritz Bits instead of saltines. So fun and perfect for a movie night.
These would be great piled on our board full of movie night snacks or just piled high in a bowl at your next get together!
Ingredient Notes:
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Cheese Ritz Bits – Easy to find in just about any grocery store! You’ll want two boxes.
Dried Ranch Seasoning – You can use either homemade or store bought ranch seasoning. Don’t use ranch dip mix as it will be too salty. See below for more on making a homemade blend!
Red Pepper Flakes – We love the spicy kick that this adds to the crackers! It’s totally optional if you don’t like it and you can use more or less to make it as spicy as you like! Alternatively, use spicy ranch seasoning instead!
Vegetable Oil – For tossing the crackers with the seasoning. It’ll help keep the seasoning in place while the crackers bake. Any neutral flavored oil should work here.
What We Love About This Recipe:
- It’s so simple! These are quick and easy to prepare in no time at all in large quantities which makes it perfect for parties or the big game.
- We love that ranch flavor and it is such a great way to take an already good snack and make it even better!
- You can easily make these as spicy or as mild as you like. As it’s written, these have just a little kick.
Homemade Ranch Seasoning:
If you’d like to skip the pre-mixed ranch seasoning and prepare your own it’s easy to do with a few simple ingredients.
Garlic Powder & Onion Powder – Two teaspoons of each.
Dried Dill, Chives, & Parsley – One teaspoon of each.
Salt – One teaspoon.
Mix all those together until well combined to prepare a quick and easy homemade ranch seasoning mixture.
How To Make Ranch Ritz Bits:
Preheat: Heat your oven to 250 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
Season: Add the cheese Ritz Bits to a large bowl and then drizzle the vegetable oil over the top. Toss the crackers in the bowl quickly to coat them in the oil and then sprinkle on the seasoning. Toss again to coat.
Bake: Bake the ranch Ritz bits for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Finish: Let the ranch Ritz Bits cool completely before serving. I could eat them all myself but they are also great to share! They’re perfect for parties or sports gatherings. Or pack them for lunch or as a snack!
NO BAKE RANCH RITZ BITS
No oven? No problem!
If you don’t have access to an oven or if you just don’t want to heat up the house you can skip the bake!
Prepare the crackers as instructed until they are coated in the seasoning then seal the bowl up and refrigerate overnight.
Be sure to toss the bowl or stir gently every now and then so that the seasoning mix can distribute evenly while it chills in the fridge. In the morning, the oil will have soaked in and the crackers will be ready to eat.
These cheesy ranch crackers are great for serving with some homemade chili and they’ll go well with just about any soup recipe too!
Too Salty?
Cheese Ritz Bits are already a bit salty, so adding ranch seasoning can easily make these too salty. We are always careful to use ranch seasoning and NOT ranch dip mix. The dip mix is much saltier.
If you’re sensitive to salt, you might consider making our homemade blend of ranch seasoning (listed above and it’s so easy) and cutting down the salt to suit your tastes. You can even leave the salt out entirely!
More Ranch Favorites:
FAQ’s:
These crackers are good to enjoy for up to a few weeks if you keep them stored in an airtight container at room temperature!
I like to add red pepper flakes for a little spicy kick but if you don’t like the spice they are optional. You can add as much or as little as you like. As is, these just have a little kick.
MORE FAVORITE SNACK RECIPES!
You can check out all of my snack recipes or try a few of my favorites below:
- Onion Straws
- Grape Jelly Meatballs
- Lil Smokies Pigs in a Blanket
- Air Fryer Potato Skins
- Chili Cheese Dip
- Marinated Cheese and Olives
Ranch Ritz Bits
Ingredients
- 2 boxes Cheese Ritz Bits 8.8 oz boxes
- 1 ounce dried ranch seasoning 1 packet
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional, see notes
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- Add the crackers to a large bowl. Drizzle the oil over the crackers and toss quickly to coat. Pour the ranch seasoning and red pepper flakes (optional) over the crackers and stir again to coat the crackers in the seasoning.
- Pour crackers onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving.
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