Fried pickle dip actually isn’t fried at all! This easy, 15-minute appetizer is creamy, full of tangy dill flavor, and a total crowd pleaser. Perfect for game days, parties, or any social gathering!
Why you’ll love this easy recipe:
Craving fried pickles but don’t want to go through the hassle of making them at home? Make this quick and easy fried pickle dip instead! It has all the zesty, savory flavors of traditional fried pickles and ranch without any frying required.
Crispy panko breadcrumbs are great in this recipe because they really give that crunch factor! I feel like they get crispier than other breadcrumbs and when you serve this alongside other crunchy dippers like potato chips, crackers, or raw vegetables, you get a great variety of textures!
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Butter
- Panko breadcrumbs- toasted
- Cream cheese- softened
- Sour cream- feel free to substitute with plain Greek yogurt for a similar tangy flavor.
- Pickle juice
- Lemon juice
- Ranch seasoning
- Fresh dill- chopped
- Dill pickles- chopped
If you’ve been around for a while, you know I love creating fun twists on classic dishes! Fried pickles with ranch have to be one of my favorite bar snacks, so when I found out I could turn it into a dip, I was on it! The combination of sour cream with ranch seasoning and the chopped pickles with crispy panko tastes just like dipping a fried pickle into ranch.
How to make the best fried pickle dip:
- Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add in the panko breadcrumbs and toast until they’re deeply golden in color.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, pickle juice, lemon juice, ranch seasoning and fresh dill.
- Fold in chopped pickles and toasted breadcrumbs then transfer the dip to your serving bowl.
- Optionally garnish with more pickles, dill, and toasted breadcrumbs. Enjoy immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
My top tips:
- When toasting your breadcrumbs, be sure to stir constantly so they don’t burn! You’ll want to toast them until they are extra crispy and reach a deep golden color (this takes about 5 minutes).
- It’s important to use softened cream cheese in this recipe to ensure this dip has a smooth and creamy texture. If you don’t have time to soften cream cheese, you can substitute for whipped cream cheese which doesn’t require softening.
- If you don’t have a ranch seasoning packet, you can substitute with a couple teaspoons of garlic powder, a teaspoon of onion powder and dried herbs like dill and basil.
- I like using an electric hand mixer to combine the cream cheese, sour cream, pickle juice, lemon juice, and seasonings, but then I recommend switching to a spatula to fold in the pickles and toasted breadcrumbs to avoid crushing them too much.
- If you plan on making this ahead of time, I recommend mixing all the dip ingredients together except for the toasted breadcrumbs. Wait until you’re ready to serve to fold in the breadcrumbs to prevent them from becoming soggy.
Looking for more easy dip recipes? Try these out!
Fried Pickle Dip
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 8 oz softened cream cheese 1 block
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp pickle juice
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 (1 oz) packet ranch seasoning mix
- 1 tbsp fresh dill chopped
- 1 cup dill pickles chopped
Instructions
- Melt butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add in the panko breadcrumbs and toast until they’re deeply golden in color.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, pickle juice, lemon juice, ranch seasoning and fresh dill.
- Fold in chopped pickles and toasted breadcrumbs then transfer the dip to your serving bowl.
- Optionally garnish with more pickles, dill, and toasted breadcrumbs. Enjoy immediately or chill in the fridge until serving.
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What pickles do you like to use?
Hi Stacy! Any pickle shape will do as long as they’re cut into bite sized pieces. If you want extra crunchy pickles, I recommend chopping up cocktail pickles. I also recommend sticking with dill pickles rather than sweet pickles for this recipe. Hope this helps!
Is there a particular brand pickle that works really good with this recipe ?
Hi Sherry, I like using baby dill pickles specifically because I find them to be extra crunchy! Mt. Olive makes really great ones that are widely available. Hope this helps!
Can you leave out the dill and use gluten free panko in this recipe?