Pickle people do not want a garnish of dill on something else. They want the dill pickle to be the point, the whole point, sitting dead center of the snack table in a bowl that gets scraped clean before the chips do.
Ten versions follow here, from the plain cold classic to the one that tastes like a cheeseburger fell into a jar. Some come together in the time it takes the oven to preheat for nothing at all; others go in hot and come out bubbling, the way a party dip should.
A few notes before the pickles start flying: these recipes lean on cream cheese, sour cream and cheddar, so they are not for anyone avoiding dairy.
The deviled egg version adds eggs, the fried and popper versions add gluten through panko or crackers, and several use bacon, ham or deli meat, so check the list before anyone with a restriction digs in.
Nothing here needs special equipment beyond a mixing bowl and, for the baked ones, a small dish already sitting in the cupboard. Make most of them the morning of the party: pickle dip, it turns out, only gets better once it has sat in its own juices for an hour.
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Table of Contents
Classic Dill Pickle Dip
Someone always says they don’t like pickles, right up until this bowl goes empty. The cream cheese takes the vinegar edge off and leaves just the crunch and the dill, so even the skeptics go back for a second scoop without quite admitting it.
Pat the chopped pickles dry before they go anywhere near the cream cheese. Skip that step and the dip turns watery by the time anyone reaches for a chip; do it the night before if the morning is already full, it only tastes better once the flavors settle.
Scoop it into a wide, shallow bowl so more of the surface stays within reach of a chip, and keep a second bag of ridged potato chips on standby. They disappear fast.
Classic Dill Pickle Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup dill pickles finely chopped and patted dry
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried dill)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Beat the cream cheese and sour cream in a medium bowl with a hand mixer on medium speed for 1 minute, until no lumps remain and the mixture looks like soft frosting.
- Pat the chopped pickles dry between paper towels to pull out excess brine; this keeps the dip from turning watery by the next day.
- Fold the dried pickles, pickle juice, dill, garlic powder and pepper into the cream cheese mixture with a rubber spatula until streaked through evenly.
- Taste and add salt only if needed, pickles vary a lot in saltiness from jar to jar.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface of the dip, and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or until firm enough to hold a line when a spoon drags through it.
- Scrape into a serving bowl, scatter extra chopped pickle and dill on top, and serve with chips, crackers or vegetable sticks within 2 hours of leaving the fridge.
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Fried Pickle Dip
Deep frying a pickle chip for twelve people is not a Tuesday activity. This dip gets the same crunchy, golden coating without a drop of oil hitting the stove, just toasted panko standing in for the batter.
Toast the crumbs low and slow so they turn the color of an actual fried pickle chip, not burnt. Keep that topping separate until serving if the dip has to wait around; otherwise the crunch goes soft against the cream cheese underneath.
Potato chips can barely compete with the crunch already baked into the bowl, so lean into sturdy crackers instead, or thick-cut cucumber rounds for anyone skipping the carbs.
Fried Pickle Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup dill pickles finely diced and patted dry
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
- fresh dill for garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat.
- Add the panko and smoked paprika, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes until the crumbs turn the deep gold of a fried pickle chip, then pull off the heat and stir in the parmesan.
- Beat the cream cheese and sour cream in a bowl until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Fold in the diced pickles, pickle juice, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Spread the dip into a shallow serving dish, cover, and chill 30 minutes until firm.
- Scatter the toasted panko over the top just before serving so it stays crunchy, then add the dill garnish.
- Serve with potato chips or sturdy crackers that can carry the crumb topping.
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Pickle Wrap Dip
Everyone has eaten the rolled version at a potluck: ham, cream cheese and a whole pickle, sliced into little wheels. This is the same flavor without anyone standing at a counter rolling forty of them by hand.
Dice the ham small enough that it loads onto a cracker in one bite, the same size as the pickle pieces, so neither one dominates the spoon.
Rye crackers or pretzel crisps carry the salt of the ham best. Thin cucumber rounds work for a lighter, gluten-free option, if that is the way the room leans.
Pickle Wrap Dip
Ingredients
- 16 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 8 oz deli ham finely diced
- 1 cup dill pickles finely chopped and patted dry
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onion for garnish
Instructions
- Beat the cream cheese and sour cream with a mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Fold in the diced ham, chopped pickles, pickle juice, mustard and pepper until the ham and pickle flecks run evenly through the dip.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, so the ham's salt and the pickle's tang fully blend together.
- Stir once before transferring to a serving dish, and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Top with sliced green onion and serve cold with rye crackers, pretzel crisps or thin cucumber rounds.
Good to Know
Pickle Pizza Dip
Pizza night and pickle jar do not usually share a bowl, but melted mozzarella forgives almost anything underneath it, including a layer of cream cheese streaked through with dill pickle.
Watch the edges, not the center: the dip is ready once the rim against the dish turns golden and starts to pull slightly away, even if the middle still looks soft and glossy.
Breadsticks do the heavy lifting here, sturdy enough for the cheese pull. Crostini or thick-cut crackers work too, if breadsticks are not sitting in the pantry.
Pickle Pizza Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup dill pickles finely chopped and patted dry
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 24 slices mini pepperoni or regular pepperoni chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra chopped pickle for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9-inch round or square baking dish.
- Beat the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder and oregano together until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Fold in the chopped pickles, then spread the mixture in an even layer across the bottom of the prepared dish.
- Scatter the mozzarella evenly over the cream cheese layer, right to the edges, then sprinkle the parmesan on top.
- Arrange the pepperoni slices over the cheese in a single layer, slightly overlapping.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and the edges bubble and turn golden at the rim of the dish.
- Let the dip rest for 5 minutes out of the oven; it firms up just enough to scoop without sliding off a chip.
- Scatter the reserved chopped pickle over the top for a fresh bite against the melted cheese, and serve warm with breadsticks, crostini or thick-cut crackers.
Good to Know
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Pickle Ranch Dip
Ranch and pickles already taste like they were made for each other, so this one barely needs convincing. It is the fastest bowl on the table and the first one back in the fridge empty.
Give the ranch seasoning its half hour in the fridge before serving. Straight out of the packet it tastes mostly of onion powder, and thirty minutes softens that into something closer to actual dressing.
Celery and baby carrots do double duty as both dipper and palate cleanser between handfuls of chips.
Pickle Ranch Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup dill pickles finely chopped and patted dry
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- 1 oz packet ranch seasoning mix about 3 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk the sour cream and mayonnaise together in a bowl until completely smooth.
- Stir in the ranch seasoning mix until fully dissolved, with no dry streaks remaining.
- Fold in the chopped pickles, pickle juice, chives and pepper.
- Cover and chill at least 30 minutes, long enough for the seasoning to lose its raw, packet-mix edge.
- Stir once, transfer to a bowl, and serve with crinkle-cut chips, celery sticks or baby carrots for scooping.
Good to Know
Hot Pickle and Bacon Dip
Cold pickle dip is for a Tuesday. This one is for the night the oven is already on anyway, bacon and sharp cheddar turning the bowl into something closer to a loaded baked potato than a snack.
Pull it at the first sign of deep golden spots across the top, not later. Cheddar on high oven heat goes from bubbling to burnt in under two minutes, so stand nearby for the last stretch.
Tortilla chips or pretzel rods hold up to the weight of this one better than anything delicate.
Hot Pickle and Bacon Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar divided
- 3/4 cup dill pickles finely chopped and patted dry
- 6 slices bacon cooked crisp and crumbled, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a small, about 1-quart, baking dish.
- Beat the cream cheese and sour cream together until smooth, with no lumps remaining, about 1 minute.
- Fold in 3/4 cup of the cheddar, half the bacon, the chopped pickles, pickle juice, garlic powder and cayenne.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared dish in an even layer.
- Scatter the remaining cheddar and bacon over the top.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the dip bubbles at the edges and the cheese on top turns deep golden in spots.
- Rest 5 minutes before serving; this lets the dip set enough to scoop cleanly.
- Serve warm with sturdy tortilla chips, pretzel rods or toasted baguette slices.
Good to Know
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Dill Pickle Jalapeño Popper Dip
The popper gets its whole personality from the contrast: cool cream cheese against a jalapeño that still bites back. Pickle brine does the job here that lime usually does, cutting through the heat instead of adding more of it.
Seed the jalapeños all the way if the crowd skews mild, leave a few seeds in if it does not. Taste the raw mix before it goes in the oven, since heat only gets more noticeable once baked.
Celery sticks earn their keep here, something cold and crisp to reset the mouth between scoops.
Dill Pickle Jalapeño Popper Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 jalapeños seeded and finely diced
- 3/4 cup dill pickles finely chopped and patted dry
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack divided
- 4 slices bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a small baking dish.
- Beat the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Fold in the jalapeños, pickles, 3/4 cup of the Monterey Jack, half the bacon and the garlic powder.
- Spread the mixture evenly into the dish.
- Toss the panko with the melted butter, then scatter it over the top along with the remaining cheese and bacon.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the topping turns golden and the dip bubbles around the edge.
- Rest 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm with tortilla chips or celery sticks for the cooling crunch against the heat.
Good to Know
Dill Pickle Cheeseburger Dip
This is the dip for the table that wants dinner disguised as an appetizer. Ground beef, melted cheddar and a fast hit of pickle and mustard taste exactly like the inside of a good cheeseburger, scooped instead of stacked.
Drain the beef well before it meets the cream cheese. Skip that and the fat pools at the bottom of the dish instead of staying mixed through.
Serve it with chips sturdy enough to hold real weight, or split dinner rolls into pieces for something closer to a slider.
Dill Pickle Cheeseburger Dip
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 small onion finely diced
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar divided
- 3/4 cup dill pickles finely chopped and patted dry
- 2 tablespoons ketchup plus more for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard plus more for drizzling
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a small baking dish.
- Cook the ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat, breaking up the meat, for 7 to 8 minutes until no pink remains, then drain off the fat.
- Beat the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.
- Stir in the cooked beef, 3/4 cup of the cheddar, chopped pickles, ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared dish.
- Top with the remaining cheddar.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cheese melts and bubbles at the edges.
- Rest 5 minutes, then drizzle extra ketchup and mustard in thin lines across the top if desired.
- Serve warm with chips or pieces of toasted burger bun.
Good to Know
Dill Pickle Reuben Dip
A Reuben sandwich already leans on pickles for its crunch, so folding dill pickle straight into the dip only makes the connection more obvious. Corned beef and Swiss carry the rest of the flavor.
Squeeze the sauerkraut hard before it goes in, wring it out like a wet cloth, or the dip turns thin and sour instead of rich.
Toasted rye bread, cut into small triangles, is the correct dipper here; rye crackers are the fallback if bread is not on hand.
Dill Pickle Reuben Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup chopped corned beef deli sliced, chopped
- 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese divided
- 3/4 cup dill pickles finely chopped and patted dry
- 1/3 cup sauerkraut well drained and squeezed dry
- 2 tablespoons Thousand Island dressing plus more for drizzling
- 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a small baking dish.
- Beat the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.
- Fold in the corned beef, 3/4 cup of the Swiss cheese, chopped pickles, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing and caraway seeds.
- Spread the mixture into the dish and top with the remaining Swiss cheese.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until the cheese melts and the edges turn golden brown.
- Rest 5 minutes before serving.
- Drizzle extra Thousand Island dressing over the top in thin lines.
- Serve warm with rye crackers or toasted rye bread triangles.
Good to Know
Dill Pickle Deviled Egg Dip
Deviled eggs are wonderful and also a chore to pipe one at a time for a crowd. This dip takes the same yolk, mustard and pickle flavor and skips the piping bag entirely.
Mash the eggs while they are still faintly warm from peeling; the mixture turns smoother than if they go in straight from a cold fridge.
A dusting of smoked paprika on top is not just decoration, it is the first flavor the nose catches before the fork even moves.
Dill Pickle Deviled Egg Dip
Ingredients
- 8 hard-boiled eggs peeled
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 3/4 cup dill pickles finely chopped and patted dry
- 2 tablespoons pickle juice
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika plus more for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mash the hard-boiled eggs in a bowl with a fork until crumbly, with no large chunks remaining.
- Stir in the mayonnaise and mustard until the mixture turns pale yellow and creamy.
- Fold in the chopped pickles, pickle juice, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
- Cover and chill 30 minutes, long enough for the paprika and mustard to settle into the eggs.
- Spoon into a shallow bowl, smooth the top, and dust with extra paprika.
- Serve cold with saltine crackers, potato chips or celery sticks for scooping.
Good to Know
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does dill pickle dip last in the fridge?
Stored in an airtight container, dill pickle dip keeps for 3 to 4 days in the fridge; dips with ham or bacon are best eaten within 3. Stir before serving since the brine separates.
Can I make dill pickle dip ahead of time?
Yes, dill pickle dip is a true make-ahead food, most versions taste better the next day once the flavors have had time to blend. Mix it up to 24 hours ahead and add any crunchy topping just before serving.
How do I keep pickle dip from getting watery?
Pat the chopped pickles dry with paper towels before mixing, since trapped brine is the main reason pickle dip turns thin. Letting the dip chill covered, rather than sitting out, also keeps it from weeping liquid.
What should I serve with dill pickle dip?
Ridged potato chips, pretzel crisps, rye crackers and raw vegetables like celery, carrots or cucumber all work well as dippers. The choice mostly comes down to which version of the dip is on the table.
Can I freeze dill pickle dip?
Freezing is not recommended for any cream cheese or sour cream based pickle dip, since both separate and turn grainy once thawed. Make the dip fresh within a day or two of serving instead.
What’s the best pickle to use for pickle dip?
Refrigerated dill pickles, like deli-style or Claussen-style spears, give the crispest texture and brightest flavor, though any jarred dill pickle works in a pinch. Sweet or bread-and-butter pickles change the flavor entirely.
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