DILL PICKLES

Information updated September 2023

Ah, Pickles . . . they’re delicious to snack on and are also the perfect accompaniment for sandwiches + burgers + salads. Crunchy, zingy and refreshing. And made from a real vegetable!

HOMEMADE DILL PICKLES: Ingredients for homemade Dill Pickles are simple: Cucumbers, Water, Dill Seeds, Dill Weed, Salt and possibly Vinegar and/or Sugar. We’ll use these ingredients as a reference to look at manufactured Dill Pickles to see what’s different vs. homemade; ingredients which are not in homemade Dill Pickles are designated as Not In Kitchen™.

VLASIC DILL PICKLES The #1 Brand of Dill Pickles in the U.S. is Vlasic Brand from Conagra. (Source for Brand ranking: Statista 2023)

Vlasic Kosher Dill Spears and Kosher Dill Wholes contain the same 8 ingredients, four of which are Not In Kitchen when making homemade Dill Pickles. These include Calcium Chloride which is a chemical Firming Agent which is added to keep the cucumbers from getting mushy, Polysorbate 80 which is a man-made Emulsifying Agent, added Natural Flavor and Turmeric Extract for Color. Although Turmeric is derived from a natural source — Turmeric is a deep yellow-colored spice from the rhizome of a plant — it is designated as Not In Kitchen when making homemade Dill Pickles because we do not add Coloring to homemade Pickles. (Source for ingredients: Conagra Vlasic Web site 9/23)

DILL PICKLE COMPARISON: Here’s a comparison of #1 Conagra’s Vlasic vs. Real Pickles which are Closest To Homemade® >> the ingredients are closest to those we would use at home to make Dill Pickles from scratch. (Source: Real Pickles Web site 9/23)

MANY DILL PICKLES HAVE INGREDIENTS NOT IN KITCHEN: These include Woodstock Organic Kosher Baby Dill Pickles, Claussen and Bubbies. (Sources: Brand Web sites 9/23; Amazon Whole Foods Web site 9/23)

ONCE UPON A TIME, HEINZ PICKLES WERE CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE: The care and commitment to quality which The H.J. Heinz Company had for their pickles is evident in this historical print advertisement for Heinz Sweet Mixed Pickles:

Heinz was once committed to the highest standards of quality for their pickles which today are all banned at Whole Foods

TODAY, THESE AND OTHER HEINZ PICKLES ARE ALL BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS: In addition to multiple ingredients Not In Kitchen, these three varieties of Heinz Pickles all contain 1-3 ingredients which are banned at Whole Foods. (Sources: Kraft Heinz Heinz Web site 9/23; Amazon Whole Foods Web site 9/23)

Seen below, THESE WICKLES PICKLES CONTAIN CALCIUM CHLORIDE AND ADDED NATURAL FLAVORS. (Sources: Sims Foods Wickles Web site 9/23)

CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE UNSWEETENED DILL PICKLES: Seen below, these Pickles have no added Sweeteners, Firming Agents, Chemicals, Corn Syrups, Polysorbates, Colors or Flavors. (Sources: Brand Web sites 9/23).

These Closest To Homemade products include Yee-Haw Pickle Co. No Frills Dills and Giddy-Up Garlic Dills with no added sweeteners; Grillo’s Pickles Classic Dill with no added sweeteners; Real Pickles Organic Dill Pickles which are Fermented & Raw with no added sweeteners and no Vinegar; and McClure’s Pickles Garlic & Dill.

*Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list*

CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE SWEETENED PICKLES: Seen below, these Pickles have no added Firming Agents, Chemicals, Corn Syrups, Polysorbates, Colors or Flavors. (Sources: Brand Web sites 9/23).

These Closest To Homemade products include Crisp & Co. Pint Pickles made with Pilsner Beer and Dill Pickles and The Real Dill Jalapeño Honey Dills with Colorado Honey and Caraway Garlic Dills with Sugar as the last ingredient.

CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE SPICY PICKLES: Seen below, these Pickles have no added Firming Agents, Chemicals, Corn Syrups, Polysorbates, Colors or Flavors. (Sources: Brand Web sites 9/23).

These Closest To Homemade products include Yee-Haw Pickle Co. Hot Damn Dills with no added sweeteners; McClure’s Spicy Pickles with no added sweeteners and The Real Dill Habanero Horseradish Dill with a tiny amount of added Sugar.

Discover more food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories. Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list.

Closest To Homemade® Master List

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