Fried Pickle Dip

We’re officially heading into one of my favorite times of the year… football season!!

In this household we’re HUGE Bengals fans (Who Dey!), and we never miss a game. But for away games, we gather with our friends and neighbors and have a party.

This dip is one I can’t wait to bring to one of those game day gatherings, because I know everyone will absolutely love it!

It has all the delicious flavors of fried pickles dipped in a cool and creamy ranch sauce… but in one fantastic dip.

Plus it’s a natural make-ahead recipe, and so easy to put together!

What do I need to make this recipe?

• Sour cream – I prefer to use full fat sour cream, so the dip stays nice and creamy, as well as not being watery.
• Mayonnaise – if you’d like to use a low-fat mayo, you can, but I typically use full-fat for a richer flavor.
• Pickles – dill pickles are the standard here, but you can use your favorite brand.
• Fresh dill – if you don’t have fresh, you can use dried dill instead, but I would use about 1/3 of the amount, since dried herbs are more potent than fresh.
• Ranch seasoning – you can use homemade ranch seasoning mix, or use a packet.
• Panko – regular breadcrumbs won’t have the same crunch, so be sure to pick up some plain panko.
• Butter – I use unsalted butter, but you can use salted if you prefer.
• Salt/pepper – these accentuate the other flavors.

How to make fried pickle dip:

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Make dip. You don’t need any fancy tools for this; a rubber spatula or spoon will work just fine.
2. Chill. This dip needs at least 1 hour to chill to allow it to set up a bit.
3. Make topping. This requires constant stirring as the panko and pickles are toasting in the skillet.
4. Add to dip. I like to let the topping cool a bit before adding it to the top of the chilled dip.
5. Garnish and serve. Garnishes are always optional, but add a nice touch.

Variations of this recipe

• Greek yogurt – if you’d prefer to lighten this recipe up a bit, feel free to use plain Greek yogurt in place of all or some of the sour cream.
• Sour cream/mayo – please feel free to play around with the ratio of sour cream to mayo.
• Thicker dip – if you’d like to make your dip thicker, you can replace the mayonnaise with softened cream cheese.
• Pickles – if I’m not using my homemade pickles, my favorite dill pickles to use are Grillo’s.
• More pickle flavor – if you’d like, you can add a splash of pickle juice to the dip.
• Spicy – to add some spice to this dip, you can use spicy dill pickles, hot sauce, or add some cayenne pepper.
• Add-ins – feel free to add some extra things to this dip, such as diced jalapeños, cooked and crumbled bacon, or some finely shredded cheddar cheese.

Making pickle dip ahead of time

This dip is great because it’s a natural semi-make ahead recipe! The creamy base needs to chill a bit to set up, and for all the flavors to really meld together.

Then you just add the topping when you’re ready to serve!

Storage

Leftover dip should be refrigerated (without the topping) in an airtight container and enjoyed within 3-4 days.