This thick cream cheese dill pickle dip chock full of dill pickle and sweet onion is for serious pickle fans! Dunk pretzels, vegetable sticks, crackers or chips in it or spread on a bun for a hamburger that’ll knock your socks off!
Excuse me. Have I told you before that I am a serious pickle maniac? I have never met a dill pickle I didn’t love.
You know Cookie Monster? I’m Pickle Monster. Salty, vinegary, crunchy P-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-ickles!
While we’re at it and I’m confessing things, I should probably mention that I’m also devoted to dip. All dip.
Creamy dips? Yes. Vegetable dips? Uh huh! Cheese dips? Gimme, please.
Normally, I combine these two loves by dunking pickles in dip, and until last week that made me perfectly happy. Then I saw this on Pinterest. Dill Pickle Dip? What WAS this wonder?
I had never heard of dill pickle dip. What was WRONG with me?
How had I never thought of this? As lovely as the pickle dip looked on that link, I knew I’d be formulating my own.
Her recipe called for cashews (soaked) and we have a rule about cashews here in our house. Namely, if they are here, they will be eaten all. by. themselves.
Knowing that there was no way a dip that uses cashews in any form other than cashew shape would get made, I let inspiration take the reigns and went to town. Not literally.
I don’t go to town just to buy dip ingredients.
Well, most of the time I don’t.
This time I didn’t, because in addition to pickles, dip, and pretty socks, I also love cream cheese and that was what I was determined to use as the base for my dip. Why? Because cream cheese dips are the best dips in the world. Full stop.
After whipping together a simple combination of pickles, cream cheese, pickle juice (YES!), sweet onions (because pickles and onions and cream cheese are BFFs), dill and salt (because pickles, while salty, are not salty enough when stirred into cream cheese), the bowl was stashed in the refrigerator for an hour long rest just to let those flavours mingle.
I grabbed a bag of my pumpernickel and onion pretzels and sat down to inspect my handiwork. I dunked a pretzel, took a bite, and then I kind of blacked out a bit. I’m not sure what happened, but when I came to, the entire bowl of dip and bag of pretzels were empty. It’s crazy, isn’t it?
Dill Pickle Dip
Allow me to be Captain Obvious for a moment. This is a dip created by a pickle lover for pickle lovers.
If you don’t like pickles you’re probably not going to love this. Conversely, if you love pickles, you will love this truly, madly and deeply.
You can send me love notes. I’m okay with that. Psst. You should probably also try our Pickle Pizza if you’re a pickle fanatic.
If you chop your pickles finely, you can get more dip on whatever you’re dunking. If you chop your pickles more coarsely, you get bigger bursts of pickle flavour. Chop accordingly.
The more pickle juice you add, the less thick your dip will be.
If you or someone you love is bonkers for pickles, do yourself or them a kindness. Make this dip, lay out a bowl of it alongside some sturdy chips or pretzels or crackers or vegetable sticks or a nice, polished spoon and feel the love.
P.S. If you were to trip and fall and accidentally spread a little dill pickle dip on the bun for that nice hamburger you just made, you should probably go ahead and eat it. Again, I’ll just point out I’m okay with fan mail.
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Dill Pickle Dip
Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 package of cream cheese 8 ounce, softened to room temperature
- 1- 1 1/2 cups chopped dill pickles
- 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
- 2- 4 tablespoons pickle juice use less for thicker dip or more for thinner dip
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Use a wooden spoon to press into the cream cheese then stir until loosened up and smooth. Stir in all of the remaining ingredients until evenly distributed. Transfer to a serving dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
- This dip is good for up to a week when stored tightly covered in the refrigerator. It may become thinner as the week draws to an end.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Originally published on February 16, 2012.
Reader's Thoughts...
chana weisberg says
If you love pickles there’s a place in Brooklyn called “The Pickle Guy”. He has over 10 types of pickles and pickled vegies and fruit.
Jaime says
Sounds delish. May I make a suggestion? I would give an extra step, but I would marinade the chopped sweet onion in the pickle juice or a little cooking sherry for 15 minutes before adding to cream cheese mixture. Just an idea.
Stacy says
Rebecca, I just left you a review over at TK. I love this recipe! I can’t wait to serve it to my guests!!!
Karen B says
Ok…made this for “girls weekend at the lake” and I used my homemade pickles (also your recipe) and it was a hit. I even bought the pumpernickel and onion pretzels….FANTASTIC!!! I came home yesterday and my husband ate almost a whole quart of the homemade pickles himself. I will be making these every year….thanks!!!
Suzanne says
What brand of pickles did you use?
Leslie says
I am licking the bowl as I type. I served with the pumpernickel pretzels as pictured and also cubed fresh pumpernickel bread and the bread was my favorite! It really was delicious
Lorraine Ferguson says
I made this for a reception last night. I added garlic powder and that was the only change I made. This was a HUGE hit! Thank you for the recipe.
Stacey says
I was shocked when I read that you had never heard of dill pickle dip!! My son and myself LOVE dill pickle dip with Ripple chips. We generally buy the Philadelphia brand, but he will be so excited he can make it for himself! Thanks!
The gold digger says
I had to be dragged kicking and screaming to fried dill pickles in Memphis. Once I was converted, trying the dill pickle soup at Polish Fest in Milwaukee was a piece of cake. I am a full pickle convert now and will try this dip. I have decided you cannot go wrong with pickles + fat.
jmposti4 says
well you convinced me! Great post
Danae says
I think you could be my new best friend!! Pickles and Smartwool!! Maybe we were separated at birth? I have book club tomorrow night (Plan B by Pete Wilson). The book is green – it will match the dip! Thanks!
Danae says
It is chilling as we speak. If I eat it with a spoon, can I call it Dill Pickle Pudding? Major YUM!
China says
BLESS YOU for making a pickle dip!!!! I have a deep love for pickles and I am salivating as I type this. My husband on the other hand will not bless you, he actually gets irritated at the amount of pickles I eat. ha! So thank you for this recipe. I can’t wait to try it out!
Llamabean says
I made this for a potluck at work this week, everyone loved it, my husband has been eating the leftovers on pumpernickel bread, thanks for a great dip, I can’t wait to try it on burgers this summer!
Jess-ThatJessGal says
I make a very similar dip with green olives and pimentos. Just swap the pickles for the olives and lose the onions. Yum!
Kareema Griest says
My grandmother used to make that, too! I love making it & eating it on triscuts or wheat thins or toasted bagels! Yum yum 😋
Virtually Homemade - Liz says
Pumpernickel/Onion pretzels – I must look for those in the store. As a native New Yorker, I fancy myself a pickle connoisseur – if you can put in Thousand Island why not cream cheese!
Kareema Griest says
Try going to the Snyder’s of Hanover website. You should be able to order them if you cannot find them in your local stores. We have their outlet here in Hanover, PA…great selection of flavors & the broken ones are sometimes discounted.
Julia {The Roasted Root} says
Did somebody say “dill?” I’m a dill pickle lover too! Strange, because I can’t stand sweet pickles (sugar pickles as I like to call them). The dip looks awesome and even if I try to stay away from cream cheese, there’s NO way I could stay away from it if there’s pickle nestled inside!
Tim says
Perfect for finger sandwiches as a thick spread. I will make this with some corned beef and serve on cocktail rye and pumpernickel breads.
Rebecca says
Oh my. That just sounds incredible! I think that might just have a lovely place on the St. Patrick’s buffet table!
Kristi says
I just ran out of “Homemade Claussen Knock-Off Pickles” last week. I made 2.5 gallons of them last year, next year I am going to have to double that especially if you are going to keep giving more pickle uses.
Rebecca says
Double it. I’ll keep ’em coming! (I mean, we ARE talking pickles here.)
sippitysup says
I see this as a great bagel schmear too! GREG
Rebecca says
YES! I see that happening very soon, indeed!
P to the D says
1. I feel that you are holding out on me with the pumpernickel pretzels.
2. However, I find that I am feeling VERY forgiving with the advent of this pickle-cream cheese crack.
3. Supposing I was feeling lazy, would the dill pickle relish I made this summer be a suitable substitute for the chopped pickles?
4. (last one) in the absence of pretzels (I know!) will a spoon suffice?
Rebecca says
Holding out? HOW? And I’m glad you forgave me, because otherwise I wouldn’t share. 🙂 As for pickle relish, I think in a pinch, that would work, but there’s something nice about the bigger pieces of pickle in there like buried treasure (can you tell that I vote for the more coarsely chopped pickle option?)that makes it so texturally happy. And as for #4? YES.