Fried Pickle and Ranch Dip

Name: Fried Pickle and Ranch Dip
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter; 1/2 cup unseasoned Panko Breadcrumbs; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon black pepper; 1 cup sour cream; 8 ounces cream cheese (softened to room temperature); .4 ounce packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix; 2 tablespoons pickle juice (from the jar); 1 cup chopped dill pickles; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives; 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill; 1 garlic clove (minced)

Complete with crunchy dill pickles, creamy ranch, and a crispy breadcrumb topping, this easy Fried Pickle and Ranch Dip appetizer takes just 15 minutes of prep time and zero deep-frying to make. Frickles have never been easier!

Ranch dip with dill pickles and panko topping.

If you’ve ever visited the South, chances are you’ve sampled fried pickle chips. Made by battering and deep-frying coins of dill pickles until they’re hot and golden, these tasty little beauties are served with ranch dipping sauce for a true flavor explosion.

Table of Contents

Why We Love This Recipe
Ingredients For Fried Pickle and Ranch Dip
How To Make Fried Pickle and Ranch Dip
FAQs
Serving Suggestions + Pairs Well With
Variations
Storage
Expert Tips
More Delectable Dip Recipes
Fried Pickle and Ranch Dip Recipe

Why We Love This Recipe

This fried pickle ranch dip has all the flavors I love, but without any of the fuss! This easy appetizer recipe is:

Quick & Easy. Takes just 15 minutes worth of prep time to make this easy cream cheese ranch dip. The hardest part is waiting for it to chill in the fridge!
Budget-Friendly. Depending on where you do your shopping, you should be able to make a full batch of this fried pickle dip for less than $5.
Crowd-Pleasing. Pretty much everyone I know — kid or adult — loves both ranch dressing and dill pickles. Combine the two in one obscenely delicious dip and you’ll have a room full of admirers!

Ingredients For Fried Pickle and Ranch Dip

As you might imagine, you don’t need any fancy ingredients to make this fried pickle ranch dip. Here’s your whole shopping list:

Dill Pickles – I prefer refrigerated brands like Claussen because they have more of an al dente bite than their shelf-stable counterparts, but feel free to use whichever brand you prefer.
Sour Cream – Full-fat sour cream is preferred, but you can swap in full-fat Greek yogurt if you’d like a slightly lighter version of this dip.
Cream Cheese – Any brick style cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese should do. Full fat is preferable.
Pickle Juice – This isn’t a separate ingredient you need to buy; just use the brine from the pickle jar!
Ranch Dip Mix – Hidden Valley is my ranch seasoning mix, but you can use whatever brand you have on hand.
Fresh Chives & Dill – Adding fresh herbs boosts the flavor and is highly recommended. If you can’t get your hands on fresh, swap in about ½ as much dried.
Garlic – I love the pungency of fresh garlic here, but you can use ¼ teaspoon of ground garlic powder for each clove if needed.
Butter – Salted or unsalted is fine. Unsalted may require a pinch of salt to be added.
Unseasoned Panko Breadcrumbs – These Japanese-style breadcrumbs are crispier and lighter than regular breadcrumbs, making them my preferred option.

How To Make Fried Pickle and Ranch Dip

Be sure to check the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions.

Drain Pickles. Set the chopped pickles out on paper towels to drain as much liquid as possible. Pat dry with a paper towel.
Mix Dip Base. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the sour cream, cream cheese, pickle juice, and Ranch mix using a hand mixer or a wooden spoon. Stir in the pickles, fresh herbs, and garlic.
Chill. Cover tightly and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
Pan-Fry Breadcrumb Topping. For the topping, melt butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, gently stirring to completely coat with the butter. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until breadcrumbs are toasted and browned. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool completely.
Garnish & Serve. Just before serving, garnish the dip with the breadcrumbs, a few dill pickle slices, and fresh herbs. Serve with potato chips, crackers, or veggies.

Chopped pickles on a paper towel draining.

Ingredients for dill pickle dip in a bowl.

Mixed together dill pickle and ranch dip.

FAQs

What is good to serve with fried pickle and ranch dip?

Honestly, the question is what ISN’T good to serve with this pickle dip! I love serving it with crackers and crostini, pretzel thins, and even spread on a burger. It also goes great with anything BBQ’d, so it’s a mainstay at our summer gatherings.

Are the pickles fried in this homemade ranch dip?

Nope! The closest you get to frying anything in this tasty dip recipe is toasting up the panko with some butter in a pan. Easy peasy!

Serving Suggestions + Pairs Well With

Frickles are a Southern tradition, so I tend to pair this fried pickle ranch dip with other Southern-inspired dishes like:

Also, make sure you have plenty of things to dip in your creamy, pickle-y ranch like crackers, tortilla chips, pretzels, and crudites!

Variations

It’s hard to improve on the perfection of fried pickles and ranch dip, but there are a few possible customizations that I endorse. Make your pickle ranch dip:

Spicy. Use spicy ranch seasoning mix, spicy pickles (maybe even a few pickled jalapeños if you’re feeling adventurous!), and a dash of cayenne pepper to amp up the heat.
Dairy-Free/Vegan. Use your favorite plant-based sour cream, cream cheese, and butter, and be sure to use a dairy-free ranch seasoning like Farrell brand. Vegan pickle ranch dip FTW!
Cajun. Swap out half of the sour cream for an equal amount of mayo, add a 1.5 teaspoons of cajun seasoning (like Tony Chachere’s), a squeeze of fresh lemon, a few shakes of hot sauce, some minced red onion, and a teaspoon of ketchup to the mix for a Creole-approved twist to this delicious pickle dip. Bonus points for adding some blue cheese crumbles into the mix.

Storage

Once the pickle ranch dip is mixed up, it will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If possible, store the breadcrumbs and dip separately (breadcrumbs in an airtight container at room temp) to ensure they stay nice and crispy for the topping.
Due to the high dairy content, I don’t recommend freezing this dip.

Fried pickle and ranch dip with breadcrumbs.

Expert Tips

Making this ranch & pickle dip is much easier than making actual fried pickles. That said, there are a few things to keep in mind:

Only add the breadcrumbs when you’re ready to serve. The appeal of the breadcrumb topping is that it helps to mimic the crunchy fried batter you’d find on regular fried pickles. However, the breadcrumbs can’t possibly stay crispy forever once they’re surrounded by all the moisture in the dip! Keep the two separate until your guests begin to arrive.
Refrigerator pickles have a better crunch than shelf-stable ones. Most refrigerator pickles haven’t been cooked, which means they retain more of their fresh cucumber crunch. I prefer having the extra texture in my dip, but use whatever pickles your family prefers.
Chop your own pickles instead of using relish. Yes, relish is made from chopped pickles, but those pickles are super finely chopped and they’re pretty much impossible to dry off. To get the right textural balance, I suggest you chop your own from spears or whole pickles.

More Delectable Dip Recipes

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