Fried Pickle Dip with Crispy Panko Chip Topping

Close-up of a hand holding a potato chip with chicken pot pie filling.

Fried Pickle Dip with Crispy Panko Chip Topping

Cream cheese and Greek yogurt dip loaded with three kinds of chopped pickles, fresh dill, and green onion, topped with toasted panko and crushed kettle chips for a crispy fried pickle finish. The dip that disappears first every time.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword cream cheese pickle dip, dill dip recipe, dill pickle dip, fried pickle dip, pickle dip recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 72kcal

Author Chef Josh

Equipment

Mixing bowl
Small skillet
Shallow serving dish

Ingredients

Dip Base

1 block 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup plain Greek yogurt full fat or 2%
⅓ cup finely chopped dill pickles
⅓ cup finely chopped sweet pickles
⅓ cup finely chopped spicy pickles
3 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
2 green onions finely sliced
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Splash of pickle brine optional but recommended

Crispy Topping

½ cup panko or Italian breadcrumbs
½ tablespoon olive oil or butter
½ cup crushed kettle chips dill pickle chips if available

To Serve

Extra kettle chips or ruffled chips for scooping

Instructions

Mix the Dip Base: Combine softened cream cheese and Greek yogurt in a bowl and mix until smooth. Fold in the chopped pickles, fresh dill, green onions, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Make the Topping: Heat olive oil or butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add panko and toast for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden and crispy. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Mix with crushed kettle chips.
Assemble: Spread the dip into a shallow serving dish. Add a drizzle of pickle brine over the top if using. Just before serving, top generously with the toasted panko and chip mixture.
Serve: Serve with extra chips on the side and watch it disappear.

Video

Notes

On the Pickle Ratio: Three kinds of pickles sounds like a lot but each one is doing something distinct. Dill brings acidity and brine. Sweet brings balance and rounds out the sharpness. Spicy brings heat that builds in the background. If you only have one kind, go dill — it's the most important. The sweet and spicy are additions that add complexity rather than being load-bearing ingredients.

On the Topping Timing: The topping goes on right before serving, not when you assemble the dish. Panko and chips absorb moisture quickly and will go soft within 30 minutes of hitting the dip. If you're bringing this to a party, transport the dip and topping separately and combine on arrival. The topping takes about 10 seconds to add and makes a significant visual difference.

On the Pickle Brine Drizzle: This is in the original recipe note and worth emphasizing. A tablespoon of pickle brine drizzled over the base before the topping goes on does two things: it cuts through the richness of the cream cheese and it amplifies the pickle flavor throughout the whole dish rather than just in the spots where you hit a pickle chunk. Don't skip it.

On Make-Ahead: The base keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. The flavor is actually at its best on day two after everything has had time to meld together. Make it the night before, refrigerate covered, and add the topping fresh. The topping can be made a few hours ahead and stored in an airtight bag at room temperature until you're ready to serve.

Nutrition