Ready for a great sweet and tangy treat to make the kids this summer? These Kool-aid pickles are fun to make and just as fun to eat!
This recipe was created for Dixie Crystals by BigBear’sWife, post and words written are 100% mine as always.
Kool-Aid Pickles have been around the south for a while now. I don’t know when these actually became a thing but I’ve found articles online going back to at least 2007!
However, I know people were dipping pickles into Kool-aid powder WAY BEFORE that!
While I’m guessing that these Southern Kool-Aid Pickles are going to be a bit more popular with the kids that adults, they’re still a fun sweet and tangy treat to make at home!
As y’all know, I work with Dixie Crystals twice a months to share amazing dessert recipes with y’all. Well, this month they asked me to make this classic southern treat that involves soaking some pickles using Kool-Aid and I jumped at the chance! My mom loves Kool-Aid and not long ago we were talking about these pickles while we were on vacation in Tennessee.
You only need a few items for Kool-Aid Pickles.
- Dill Pickles
- Sugar
- Kool-aid
How to make Kool-Aid Pickles:
- Drain the pickles
First, you’re going to want to drain all of the juice from your pickles. Don’t toss the juice though! Pour it into a bowl because you’re going to mix the Kool-Aid powder with the pickle juice.
When I made these I originally only going to make them with Cherry Kool-Aid. Then when I was at the store, I saw the packets for Grape and Tropical Punch Kool-Aid and thought that it would be neat to try all three flavors with the pickles and see which one was the best.
Anyways, back to making the pickles.
- Mixing the Kool-aid with the pickle juice
Pour the pickle juice from the jar of pickles into a medium bowl. Whisk in the sugar and Kool-Aid flavor of your choice. I just used cherry for the photos but you can use any flavor!
- Pour it back in!
Then pour the Kool-Aid pickle juice back into the pickle jar. You’re going to have some juice leftover but try to pour it all the way to the top. Close the lid very tight and shake.
- Label it!
Label them! I know most of the flavors are probably kind of obvious when it comes to colors matched with flavors but if you’re making a jar of cherry and a jar of Tropical Punch pickles, they’re going to look the same in the jar.
Just snip off the flavor name from the Kool-Aid packet and tape it to the back of the jar. - Let them rest!
Place the pickles in the fridge and leave them there for 1 week. Make sure though that at least once a week you take the jar out and shake it.
- Time to eat!
After a week in the fridge, the Kool-Aid Pickles are ready to eat.
The Cherry Kool-Aid and the Tropical Punch Kool-Aid came out super red.
These sweet and super tangy!
The Grape Kool-Aid Pickles came out as a super dark purple almost black color.
I told Thomas that the Purple Kool-Aid Pickles look like “rotten pickles” and that they would be perfect for Halloween haha.
Just picture those blackish Kool-Aid Pickles out on the table with some “Eye Ball” deviled eggs at your Halloween party! Those would be perfect!
So tell me, have you ever had Kool-Aid Pickles? Have you ever made them?
Give them a try and let me know what you think!
I think the Topical ones were my favorite but I can only handle about half of one. haha
Have you had these pickles before? Have you tried to make them at home? I’d love to hear about your experience with making them and what flavors you decided to try out when you made them.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yep! Just different names.
For me, they taste like SUPER tangy pickles.
Kool-Aid pickles started in the Delta region of Mississippi! Now they’re made all over the south!
Kool-Aid Pickles
I MADE THIS RECIPE FOR DIXIE CRYSTALS AND THEY’VE GOT THE ENTIRE RECIPE POSTED ON THEIR SITE.
If you make this recipe, snap a picture and share it on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #bigbearswife — I love to see what your cooking from the blog
LOVE IT? PIN IT!
We must be from a different part of the south. I have never heard of them and I am quite a bit older than you.
I hear that they are really popular is Mississipi but I just started to hear about them over the last few years around here
Yes they are popular in Mississippi. I’m in my fifties and I had them when I was a kid . My hometown is Mississippi
YOU SHOULD TRY IKES KOOLAID PICKLES..BY FAR THE BEST IVE EVER HAD
Is that a person or a brand?
I am from Texas and this was a staple in my house growing up. I now make these all the time for my own grandkids. ♥️
Have the cherry ones in the fridg now
oooo Let me know how they turn out!
I have moved to SW Tennessee in 1986 and I never heard of this until today.
Can you use whole pickles?
You can but they need to sit longer
I have seen these for years, but have never been brave enough to try them. Maybe this summer will be the year. I wonder if Tang pickles would be good as well?
This article from the New York Times is dated 2007 and talks of their popularity in Mississippi.
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/09/dining/09kool.html
I’m from Texas. These are EXTREMELY popular. I have young kiddos and they LOVE them!
How much sugar? The amount the koolaid packet calls for ?
Hi patty. The full recipe is here: https://www.dixiecrystals.com/recipes/kool-aid-pickles 🙂
I don’t get it the pickles are made so what say the point do they develops a completely different flavour
They do develop a different flavor 🙂