19 Fun Recipes Every Pickle Lover Will Want To Try

If you’ve scrolled social media lately, you’ve seen the pickle-shaped necklace pendants, the pickle socks, the pickle hair clips. If you’ve visited a state fair, you may have encountered pickle soda, pickle beer, Korean corn dog pickles, etc, etc. If you’ve visited just about any restaurant, you may have noticed (or even ordered) the pickle-forward apps that abound, from fried pickles to pickle poppers to pickle slaws. We read you loud and clear. For those who wouldn’t dream of holding the pickles, let’s lean right in to those bright and bracing, briny cukes that add an air of fun to any dish.

There are lots of ways to fry a pickle, whether breaded or battered, or here, as Molly Yeh puts her spin on them, wrapped inside egg rolls. Ranch dressing for dipping is a popular accompaniment. Here, the ranch is tucked right inside the roll, along with some sriracha for heat.

These chops will punch in your mouth with explosions of flavor, from the pickle brine to the sweet pickled hot pepper juice that they’re marinated in. Those same pickled peppers, along with bell peppers and onions, roast in the oven to be served over the pounded and breaded chops. A squeeze of lemon makes sure that those flavors remain bright and pronounced even after cooking.

This dip has the same pickle flavor and crispy crunch without deep frying! And since both the dip and topping are laced with ranch seasoning, you get the perfect ranch-y flavor in every bite. Serve with cucumber spears and wavy potato chips for dipping.

There’s so much to take away from this recipe. It’s outrageous just the way it’s written, but you might also use the stuffed crust technique in the future for other pizzas, and you truly will be using that pickle oil recipe in the future for everything, because why doesn’t pickle oil exist as a thing? The combination of cheeses might be rich and salty on their own, but adding the pickles really balances everything out in a way that makes sure you’ll need yet another slice, and another…

I mean, just look at them. Do we need to say more? Okay. These pickles are hollowed into tiny boats, then filled with creamy-spicy pimiento cheese. A wrap-around strip of bacon keeps everything in place, but more importantly contributes an element of crisp smokiness to every bite.

This is a super easy, super unforgettable twist on potato salad that will win the barbecue. Chopped pickles feature in many potato, egg and macaroni salads, but this one ups the ante with pickle juice as well. If there happens to be any leftovers, it just keeps getting better in the fridge.

As a matter of practicality, we wanted to offer a frying alternative for those times you desperately crave fried pickles but couldn’t be bothered to get out the deep-fry thermometer. Here, pickles are coated in panko, then air fried to utter crispness. Apologies in advance if you find yourself going through jars of pickles faster than ever before.

This is a real holy-smoke moment for anyone who wishes more things in life tasted like pickle. Valerie Bertinelli brines the chicken in pickle juice for ultimate tenderness and juiciness and of course, pickleness. It’s fried to crispy perfection, then layered on a bun with slaw that also has been brined in pickle juice, and has pickle in it, to boot.

Look, we’ll level with you — this is a weird one. But it’s also weirdly delicious. A little pickle juice enhances a cold, frosty beer — and the garnish, a skewer composed of several different kinds of pickles, renders it positively high-end.

It’s not a pickle-forward recipe at first glance, just a deeply satisfying braised short rib dish. But Michael Symon takes a page from the great pungent garnishes of the world. Chopped pickles on top, with some sour cream, adds so much to this dish; you have to try it.

Does your pickle-loving kid think she hates hummus? Well put this one out and watch her eyes widen. There’s pickle juice blended right into the hummus itself, but it’s the diced pickle topping that will really have the pitas scooping again and again.

A little dried dill and garlic powder already makes your bowl of popcorn taste pickley. But Trisha Yearwood brings this to the next level by mixing in crushed sour cream and onion potato chips. We love the contrast of those chips plus the dilly popcorn, but if you want to pump up the pickle, go ahead and use dill pickle potato chips in place of or in addition to.

This combination isn’t as zany as it might seem at first glance. Plenty of home cooks have enhanced their chicken soup with dill throughout the ages. This version just takes it a step farther and tosses some pickles in there, too. You’ll love the gentle crunch in the mix with the rotisserie chicken and leeks.

Pickles and bacon are a yes combination (what pickle lover hasn’t snuck a few onto their BLT?). Here, they’re both folded into a pasta salad that sings of both their respective flavors. Some chopped cucumbers in the mix add another reinforcing dimension.

Chicken piccata typically combines lemon and caper for that bright sour-salty combo. This one is your pantry hero, because it brings that same combination but from pickles. Serve with buttered noodles or crusty bread, because this is one whose sauce you’ll want to swipe all the way down to an empty plate.

This isn’t the kind of pizza you could serve to just anyone. But if you have a pickle lover in your life (or if you are the pickle lover), this pizza might ruin you for other pizza. Turns out, pickles go incredibly well with alfredo sauce. A little ranch on the side is a pretty great idea, too.

Try not to laugh when serving — or eating! — a banana split, but make it a pickle. It’s not just the curiosity of serving ice cream with a split pickle; the ice cream itself, too, is pickle flavored! Which, weirdly, works. Green sprinkles really make it a pickley dessert feast. Also noteworthy: No ice cream machine is needed to make this ice cream. Just blend everything up and freeze. The inclusion of cream cheese will keep this creamy and scoopable.

You’ve certainly heard of a dirty martini, but who knew you could dirty it with things other than olives? Just as the saltiness of olives complements a martini well, so does the sour saltiness of a pickle. Guy Fieri deals a real wild card and garnishes these with pickled okra, which also add a funky bite.