Dairy Free Dill Pickle Dip With Just 4 Ingredients (Vegan)

Make your own creamy dairy free pickle dip in 5 minutes with just a few ingredients. This easy dip recipe is free from dairy, eggs, nuts and gluten and is vegan friendly too. It’s perfect for sharing at parties, watching the game or for just for snacking, and makes a really delicious pickle sandwich filling too.

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Common allergens in dill pickle dip

Dill pickle dip is a quick and easy ‘cheat’ dip recipe that’s super easy to make and tastes delicious. Most pickle dips are made with cream cheese, which is of course dairy based and contains cows milk. This puts it on the no-go list for people with milk allergy or dairy intolerances.

An allergy to the cucumbers used to make dill pickles is rare, but some people do have allergies to ingredients used to pickle them. This includes additives, preservatives or spices, which may include mustard seeds. Make sure you read the ingredient labels carefully to check for any of your potential allergens.

Fish is another potential allergen in dill pickle dip. It may sound strange, but some recipes use Worcestershire sauce to add flavour, which usually contains anchovies.

Dairy free pickle dip ingredients

To make this allergy-friendly, gluten and dairy free dill pickle dip, you’ll need just 3 basic ingredients:

• 3/4 cup (6oz) dairy free cream cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped dill pickles or cornichons
• 1/4 cup pickle juice from the pickle jar
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• Extra dill to garnish

Dairy free cream cheese

Thanks to the increasing popularity of plant based diets, we now have a few different dairy free cream cheese options at our local supermarket. When choosing your dairy free substitutes, make sure you check the labels carefully for any of your allergens.

Be aware that just because something is labelled “vegan”, doesn’t guarantee that it is dairy free. You can read more in our post Is vegan food always dairy and egg free?

If you have nut allergy, also make sure to check that your dairy substitute doesn’t contain nuts. Cashew nuts and almonds are often used to make a creamy vegan dairy substitutes.

And if you need to avoid soy, you may find it harder to find suitable products at the store. Common brands like Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, Sheese, Bio Cheese and the Australian brand Dairy Free Down Under (that we used in this recipe) all contain soy.

Method

It’s easiest to work with dairy free cream cheese that has been allowed to soften slightly, so take it out of the fridge to soften before you start.

Finely chop the dill pickles (or cornichons – mini pickles). Chop the fresh dill, reserving some dill fronds for garnish.

Decant 1/4 cup of pickle juice from the jar of pickles. Make sure to capture some of the spices from the liquid.

Place softened cream cheese, chopped pickles and dill in a medium bowl. Add the pickle juice a small amount at a time and mix the ingredients together with a fork.

If you find the dip too thick, adjust the consistency by adding some extra pickle juice, a little at a time.

Scoop the dip into your choice of serving bowl and garnish with extra dill to serve.

Recipe makes approximately 1 and a 1/4 cups of dip (about 10 serves of 2 Tablespoons each).

Pickle dip flavour variations

Don’t be afraid to experiment with other flavours for your pickle dip. Add some grated lemon zest or juice, or some minced garlic for extra flavour. You can even add some chili pepper for an extra kick.

Making ahead and storage

This quick and easy dip can definitely be made ahead of time. In fact, leaving it the fridge gives the cream cheese time to absorb more flavour from the pickles and spices.

Dip will keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Not suitable to freeze.

How to enjoy dill pickle dip

We love this dairy free pickle dip with plain salted potato chips/crisps (most brands we buy are just made with potatoes, vegetable oil and salt, with no major allergens). It’s also a great dip to share with friends and family as part of a dips platter. Serve it with crunchy gluten free crackers or fresh vegetable crudités.

Another great way to enjoy pickle dip is as a sandwich filling. Spread a thick amount of dip on some crunchy bread (gluten free if needed), or even in toasted sandwich.

More allergy-friendly recipes

For more delicious creamy dairy free dips, try our recipes for dairy free French onion dip or dairy free Tzatziki. You’ll find these and a lots more quick and easy dip ideas in our allergy friendly dip recipe collection.

And there are many more dairy free and allergy-friendly recipes on our recipe page.