Yeah, I still owe everyone a Steelers post mortem. Go read The Grinches Whole Stole Football and Roadhouse Blues while you wait for it be posted.

Spicy Pickle Dip

I know what you’re thinking. “But Sarah, you don’t look Canadian.”

It’s true, pickle dip is generally considered one of the more Canadian-centric snacks of North America, like poutine and, um, poutine, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t one the most perfect chip dips for football. Canadians and the CFL get many things right — overtime rules, letting teams with better records in one division bump out weaker teams from another division in the playoffs, one year split of paternity and maternity leave for new parents — so we shouldn’t be so quick to judge this potato adornment from the north.

Crunchy pickles, crushed red pepper, garlic and cooling dill make for a rather addicting dip.

You will need:

Generous 1 cup of sour cream
4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
3/4-1 cup of chopped pickles, preferably a spicy or garlic variety (About 4-5 whole pickles depending on size.)
3 tablespoons of pickle brine from the jar
1-2 teaspoons of crushed red peppers
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1-2 tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped (optional, but highly recommended)

Many pickle dip recipes call for a mixture of sour cream and mayonnaise. While that combination works for many taco dips and the like, I’ve found that cream cheese provides better consistency for the dip, especially when you need to add pickle juice to the mix.

As we’ve said many times on this site, we’re big fans of Rick’s Picks NYC around this joint. Unfortunately when we made this batch, my local store had sold out of the Rick’s garlic pickles I wanted. Fortunately Los Angeles is home to another pickle producer I really like, Kruergermann who brought their pickle recipes over from Germany. Both their garlic pickles and their Hungarian spicy uborka pickles work great in this recipe.

Don’t have access to specialty pickles or don’t live in an area with a large Eastern European population? Add a little more garlic and crushed pepper to the recipe.

Chop up a few whole pickles.

Decide you want even more pickles in your dip, so chop up another one.

Mix everything in bowl.

Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours. This gives the dip a chance to firm back up, absorb the pickle brine and let garlic, dill and pepper flakes open up and permeate the cheese and sour cream.

Garnish with a little more dill and serve with chips.

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5.0 from 1 reviews
Spicy Pickle Dip: 28 Days of Super Bowl Recipes
Author: 
Recipe type: dip
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8
 
Ingredients
  • Generous 1 cup of sour cream
  • 4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
  • ¾-1 cup of chopped pickles, preferably a spicy or garlic variety (About 4-5 whole pickles depending on size.)
  • 3 tablespoons of pickle brine from the jar
  • 1-2 teaspoons of crushed red peppers
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1-2 tablespoons of fresh dill, chopped (optional, but highly recommended)
Instructions
  1. Chop up a few whole pickles.
  2. Decide you want even more pickles in your dip, so chop up another one.
  3. Mix everything in bowl.
  4. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours. This gives the dip a chance to firm back up, absorb the pickle brine and let garlic, dill and pepper flakes open up and permeate the cheese and sour cream.
  5. Garnish with a little more dill and serve with chips.
Notes
Many pickle dip recipes call for a mixture of sour cream and mayonnaise. While that combination works for many taco dips and the like, I've found that cream cheese provides better consistency for the dip, especially when you need to add pickle juice to the mix. As we've said many times on this site, we're big fans of Rick's Picks NYC around this joint. Unfortunately when we made this batch, my local store had sold out of the Rick's garlic pickles I wanted. Fortunately Los Angeles is home to another pickle producer I really like, Kruergermann, who brought their pickle recipes over from Germany. Both their garlic pickles and their Hungarian spicy uborka pickles work great in this recipe. Don't have access to specialty pickles or don't live in an area with a large Eastern European population? Add a little more garlic and crushed pepper to the recipe.

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9 Responses to Spicy Pickle Dip: 28 Days of Super Bowl Recipes

  1. Amanda says:

    Looks yummmmmy! I’m going to have to use vegan sour cream and cream cheese due to my toddler having allergies to dairy, but I think it should work out well! Also, you have the same name as one of my good friends, and at first I thought she had made a secret site. But, she is Canadian. ;)

    Thanks for the recipe!

    • sarah sprague says:

      A Canadian me! I like it!

      I have a few vegan friends who prefer the vegan sour cream over regular sour cream for texture, so you should get a good dip out of it.

      Thanks for stopping by!

  2. TB says:

    Just finished making the dip – sitting in the fridge now in preparation for the big game tomorrow. I’m from MN and had no idea Pickle Dip was a “thing” let alone popular up North of here. Can’t wait to try it tomorrow, enjoy your site.

    One question – have you ever tried the dip with spicy pickles/Zingers? I couldn’t decide at the store whether to get spicy or non-spicy.

    • sarah sprague says:

      Oh yeah, it really works with whatever type of type is your preference, even sweet.

  3. Dena says:

    Hi Sarah, cant wait to try the PICKLE dip,love fried pickles. Maybe even for breakfast? lol. I am new to this blogging and want to try to set one up for myself too.When I find time.Happy Easter and good luck to you on all your endeavors.

  4. Dena says:

    PS. I live in Michigan near the US and Canadian border.

  5. Thanks for your version of this dip and adding the red pepper flakes. I linked back to your recipe.

    http://highlandsranchfoodie.com/2014/01/dill-pickle-dip/#.UuUu-aUQHw4

  6. […] loving Sarah Sprague’s spiced up version using red pepper […]

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