If you know me, you know my love for pickles runs DEEP. I am a firm believer that pickles are one of the best and most convenient and satisfying snacks. They’re crunchy, cold, salty, tangy, dilly, all of the things. At just about *any* fair, you will find me at the end of the 1/2 mile long line patiently waiting for fried pickles. But, it’s not every day that I’m attending a summertime fair. So, I introduce to you, my lightened up, not-fried, fried pickle dip.

This recipe went viral on both Instagram and TikTok, so I’m thrilled to hear there’s a population out there that loves pickles as much as myself. This dish is what I call “the star of the show” – anywhere she goes she gets all of the attention. This fried pickle dip is different, it’s creative, and it’s damn delicious.

The cream cheese and Greek yogurt base is paired with tangy pickles and fresh dill, a subtle hint of garlic and onion, and crunchy breadcrumbs on top. The mix of those flavors and textures works so well together.

It’s fried pickle dip, but where’s the fried pickles?

Believe it or not, this was a very common complaint and comment that I saw on social media. The uproar that I called this “fried pickle dip” but didn’t actually have fried pickles in the dip was entertaining. Simply put, if I were to have fried pickles, and then put them into Greek yogurt and cream cheese, they would have instantly become soggy and broken apart.

The toasted Panko bread crumbs is supposed to give you the “fried” part of fried pickles. I thought that was clear, but apparently not!

What is best to use for dipping?

Short answer – whatever you damn well please.

Long answer –

• Pretzel thins – I got these Trader Joe’s. I liked them because they’re really crunchy and sturdy. Nothing makes me more mad than a chip that keeps breaking in a THICK dip.
• Pita chips – I love how sturdy these are, a great dipping option.
• Cucumber – a great lightened up option.
• Toasted baguette – if you want to put a little more effort into what you’re serving with it, a baguette with some olive oil and toasted would be delicious!
• Any chip or cracker of your choice! Really can’t go wrong here.

Fried Pickle Dip ingredients – let’s dive into them!

Greek yogurt

a few of my favorite brands to use are Siggi’s, Fage, and Chobani. Fage has a great range of different fat content options so if you’re looking for something lower in fat, I know they have options and is a good way to make this dipper a little bit lighter in calories if that’s your thing.

Cream cheese

This gives the dip it’s thicker and creamy texture. Make sure the cream cheese you’re using is fully softened at room temperature. This will make it much easier for you to mix it with the Greek yogurt and will leave it less clumpy.

Dill pickles

You can really use whichever dill pickle is your favorite here. I personally love Grillo’s pickles – they are crunchy and taste homemade. They also have a spicy dill pickle which is what I used for this recipe to give it a slight kick.

Breadcrumbs

For this recipe specifically, I used Panko breadcrumbs. I find that they get crispier than other breadcrumbs and I really wanted that CRUNCH factor to mimic the “fried” pickle aspect.

As always, let me know if you make this recipe in the comments!