6 Pickle Brands That Are Made With The Highest Quality Ingredients
Pickles are one of the most versatile foodstuffs out there. They're delicious on burgers and sandwiches, work well as a snack, and serve as an excellent garnish to all kinds of dishes. That said, not all pickles are created equal. Some brands don't deliver the kind of flavor we're looking for, some fall short of textural expectations, and some are oddly bland. It all depends on the quality of the ingredients used. Distinguishing between brands can be tough, but the good news is, there are plenty of pickles made with high quality ingredients available in your local grocery store. All you need to do is learn their names.
That's where we come in. The pickle brands we've selected for this list use the best possible ingredients and deliver consistently delicious results. If you're a pickle fan on a quest for some of the best that money can buy, then you're in luck. These brands are sure to impress.
1. Grillo's
We've named Grillo's Pickles as a pickle brand to buy before, and we stand by this opinion. In part, this is because these pickles have only five ingredients: cucumbers, brine, garlic, dill, and grape leaves. Compared to a lot of other brands' pickles, this results in much fresher flavor that feels closer to that of cucumbers. Garlic is also quite pronounced. Notably, the brine in Grillo's pickle jars is surprisingly clear with very little coloring. Perhaps relatedly, the pickles taste less salty and more vinegary.
Grillo's doesn't just use high quality ingredients — it ensures high quality shipping and handling. The brand reports that it maintains its remarkable freshness and crispness by keeping its pickles cold every step of the way. These pickles are made, shipped, and sold cold. That means that unlike many other pickle brands that are sold at room temperature with the other canned goods, Grillo's are stored in the refrigerated section of grocery stores. This results in fantastically tasty and crispy pickles, making Grillo's one of the best pickle brands available.
2. Cleveland Kitchen
Cleveland Kitchen specializes in fermented foods, producing kimchi, sauerkraut, and a variety of pickles. The pickles are particularly superb. They come with whole cloves of fresh garlic that bring a ton of flavor to the brine; this taste seeps deliciously into every cucumber spear. There are also fresh sprigs of dill in the jar that impart a lot of herbaceous flavor. Everything is vividly colored, garden fresh, and very well preserved. A small amount of turmeric is added to keep the pickles nice and fresh.
Notably, the brine in Cleveland Kitchen's pickles has a brighter flavor compared to that of other brands. These pickles' texture also really stands out: Cleveland Kitchen's spears have a nice crunch and snap to them. Out of all the store-bought pickles we've ever tried, Cleveland Kitchen's are some of the best. If you haven't scored a jar of these yet, it's time to see what you've been missing out on.
3. Boar's Head
As a company primarily known for its high-quality deli meats, Boar's Head has made a major mark; it sells more than 14 different varieties of ham alone. It was only a matter of time before the company expanded into pickle territory to round out its sandwich offerings.
Boar's Head's dill pickle chips have a ridged, wavy cut that gives each slice some extra texture. But even if the slices weren't cut this way, these pickles would still have exceptional snap — there's a very nice, distinct crunch to each one. These pickles are also perfectly sliced: not too thick, but not too thin. These are clearly cucumbers picked at the height of quality.
There are slices of carrots in the brine that not only offer some appetizing visual appeal, but also impart some natural sweetness. This sweetness matches the brine's sourness, so that neither one feels overpowering. The end result is a brine that's amazingly well-balanced and pickles that can create a sandwich worthy of the dinner table.
4. Bubbies
Bubbies Pickles are fermented. This creates a cloudier brine and extra funky pickles. If you enjoy strong, pungent flavors, like the kind typically found in sauerkraut and kimchi, then you're going to dig these in a major way. Don't throw the brine away, either — there are all kinds of things you can do with leftover pickle juice.
The brand has quite a few different pickles to pick from: There are classic kosher dills, bread and butter chips, horseradish pickles, and spicy pickles made with slices of hot chili peppers, just to name a few. They don't contain any GMOs or preservatives, but they are all bursting with high quality spices and herbs. One of the company's most unique offerings is its ginger apple bread and butter pickles. Made with apples, ginger, red bell peppers, celery seed, and mustard seed, these are easily some of the most inventive and delicious pickles on the market. Bubbies use of fermentation and creative twists on flavor produce true greatness.
5. 365
Whole Foods' in-house brand 365 has an extensive product line that includes everything from some of the best store-bought salsa around to pickles. It's all high quality; the pickles are a particularly great example of this. Each jar includes a wealth of organic ingredients, including organic cucumbers, vinegar, dehydrated garlic, and turmeric.
The garlic is diced into small pieces, which allows the flavor to deeply infuse the brine. The texture of these pickles is also very balanced: The outside is still crunchy, but the inside is soft and juicy. These pickles are in fact a bit softer inside compared to some other brands, but there's still some noticeable snap to their exteriors. Between the organic ingredients, tasty flavor, and balanced texture, 365's pickles are some of the best that you can buy.
6. Vlasic
Vlasic is a popular pickle brand that can be found in many grocery stores across the country. Initially, the company specialized in cheese, but around World War II, the business began to offer pickles. Vlasic achieved so much success selling them that it decided to ditch the dairy and devote all of its focus to pickles. This success' source is no mystery: It's all down to excellent ingredients.
Vlasic has an extensive product line with a wide variety of different pickles to choose from. These include spicy pickles flavored with Frank's RedHot, zesty dill pickle spears, and sliced pickle chips that work wonders on sandwiches. What really makes Vlasic exceptional is the level of sourness in its pickles, though. The tasty brine — made with water, vinegar, salt, and little else — soaks very deeply into the pickles, creating a juicy bite that still has some subtle crunch and oodles of intense flavor. These pickles aren't as crunchy as other deli-style pickles, but they have a uniquely bright and tangy flavor, thanks to high quality ingredients.