The Best Pickle Brands, Ranked & Reviewed

"More than any of the other pickles I tried, these tasted the 'cleanest' because I could pick out and identify each and every ingredient used in their brine. The juiciness that each one packs is also pretty much next-level. If I could only pick one brand of pickles to eat for the rest of my life, I'd choose these in a heartbeat."

BuzzFeed Staff

"Pickles," or pickled foods, are made by soaking vegetables (cucumbers, onions, carrots, cabbage) in saltwater brine or vinegar with various seasonings. The vegetables ferment in a jar for anywhere from a few days to a few months until they've become pickled. What we commonly call a pickle is a pickled cucumber. Another popular form of pickled vegetables is kimchi.

There are plenty of options out there when it comes to pickle varieties, and I'm not one to discriminate. Bread and butter? No sandwich is complete without 'em. Sours? Chef's kiss. But for the purposes of this experiment, I had to go with the classic: kosher dills. They're the ones that likely come to mind when most people think of pickles, and I just so happen to think they're the most delicious to eat on their own as a snack.

Fun fact: Kosher dill pickles, contrary to what the name might suggest, no longer have much to do with the dietary standards of traditional Jewish law. Once a staple food for Jewish people living in Eastern Europe, this particular variety of pickled cucumbers was introduced to Americans by Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s. The "kosher" in the name really just signifies that there's garlic in the brine, which was the traditional way of making them.

(And before you ask, yes, the non-refrigerated pickles all had over 24 hours in the fridge to get nice and cold before I tasted them.)

• Mt. Olive

• McClure's

• Trader Joe's

• Vlasic

• Whole Foods 365

• B&G

• Claussen

• Grillo's

• Boar's Head

If you've read any of my other grocery store taste tests — from ice cream to ranch dressing — you know there's one aspect that's absolutely crucial when it comes to getting the best possible results: conducting a blind taste test.

FWIW, he chose them randomly! Not in this order.

I even took a stab at guessing each brand as I tasted them, but that was mostly for fun since, TBH, I wasn't correct even once.

One final note: I know pickle preferences can be highly subjective, so while I ultimately ranked each brand by taking an average of the crunch and flavor scores, I also included rankings at the bottom of this list based on those metrics separately. So, if you're all about crunch over flavor (or flavor over crunch), you'll be good to go.

These pickle spears may be flavored with "garlic and dill," but TBH, I didn't even taste a hint of those ingredients. All I tasted was a strange, off-putting brine with palpable notes of "old water" and must.

Beyond the off-putting flavor, I found the texture of these pickles to be one of the mushiest I tried. There were a ton of seeds at the center of each spear, which gave it a gelatinous, goopy texture. Yes, food preferences can be subjective, but I can't imagine anybody finding that texture appetizing. I know I sure didn't.

Couple the gloopy texture and puzzlingly-bad brine with the fact that these pickles were actually the most expensive variety I tried, and folks, we, unfortunately, have a loser.

Crunch: 2

Flavor: 1

McClure's pickles have a noticeable "old water" taste to the brine and not much else going on in terms of flavor. They're also undoubtedly expensive, and they had the softest texture of all of the various pickles I tried.

Vlasic pickles were the ones we always kept in our house while growing up. I doubt I'm alone here — they're one of the highest-selling pickles out there for their affordability and that instantly recognizable branding. I just remembered, though: I actually didn't like pickles as a kid. Coincidence? I think not.

For a brand that advertises a "big crunch," I'd say that "crunch" was minimal at best. Seriously, it was mostly just...wet cucumber. Though noticeably less seedy than McClure's, I still found this pickle to be pretty darn soft. There might've been a bit of a snap as I bit through the skin, but in terms of the flesh, nothing.

The brine also didn't impress me. I didn't have the same visceral reaction to it as I had while trying McClure's, but it still wasn't correct in terms of flavor. It tasted like olive brine to me — slightly earthy, and definitely no trace of dill or garlic. There was nothing all that fresh-tasting about these pickles, and that was really a bummer.

Crunch: 3

Flavor: 2

The good? That price point. The bad? The texture and flavor. If you like your pickles soft and mushy — and with the flavor profile of a literal olive — Vlasic pickles are for you! If not, let's move right along.

Whole Foods' generic brand of dill pickle spears was one of only two brands I tried that were labeled organic. Sadly, I think this contender was bonafide proof that "organic" doesn't always mean better — at least when it comes to taste.

The initial taste was OK. Not a lot of dill or garlicky goodness going on, but bright, punchy, and pleasantly acidic. As soon as the flavors lingered on my tastebuds, however, I was punched with a pretty awful aftertaste. I described it as "floral" and "soapy" — almost perfume-like. It's definitely not a gross flavor, but it's certainly one that I've never tasted in any pickle that I've tried in my lifetime.

Crunch: 7

Flavor: 2

Texturally, I don't really have any complaints here! Especially for a non-refrigerated variety, these pickles were pleasantly crunchy and had a nice snap to them. That said, for the perfume-like, aggressively-floral aftertaste (without much of any dill or garlic flavor), these definitely weren't my favorite in the flavor category.

While the texture of these pickles was more or less OK, I sadly can't say the same about the flavor. Like Vlasic's pickles, I was hit over the head with the taste of olive brine, which gave these pickles a murky, unappetizing taste overall. Great for olives, yes, but weird for cucumbers.

Flavor aside, these were just snappy enough. I would've enjoyed a more pronounced crunch as I bit into them, though they certainly weren't as soft and mushy as some of the other contenders. Their middle-of-the-road ranking definitely proves that these pickles aren't bad, but for a jar of pickles that are pushing $5 (and certainly one of the pricier brands of the non-refrigerated varieties), I wouldn't recommend these to most pickle lovers.

Crunch: 6

Flavor: 4

They're on the pricier side for a non-refrigerated pickle, their brine tastes like a dirty martini (not ideal for a pickle), and they just didn't wow me in any way.

As the only other organic option on this list besides Whole Foods 365, I found this one to be the superior choice for multiple reasons. IMO, this was the first of the bunch to actually taste a little bit like dill (though just a little bit), and though I wasn't a major fan of the brine itself, it was definitely passable.

Flavor-wise, I noted that these had a "dirty water" taste to them in terms of the brine. No, I don't literally mean they tasted like dirt — the flavors were just a bit murky and not all that distinct. I will note that these are the first pickles I tested where I could taste a hint of actual dill and garlic, but both flavors were unfortunately overpowered by the slightly funky brine.

Crunch: 7

Flavor: 5

Considering the two organic options on this list, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, Trader Joe's pickles were definitely the better pick. They offer relatively similar texture but better flavor overall, and they also ring in at over a dollar cheaper.

How they got these pickles so crunchy, I'm genuinely unsure. All I know is that I audibly gasped when I bit into this one because it was one of the crunchiest pickles I've chomped down on in my life. To be clear: The flavor of these bad boys didn't even come close to the remarkable crunch factor, but considering these were the best of the bunch, texturally, they still scored pretty darn high.

Then there's the texture. The crunch as I bit into this pickle was noticeably loud, and it was firm and crunchy all the way through. The skin was tender but crisp, and the flesh was super snappy. For non-refrigerated pickles, which are apparently less crunchy than their refrigerated counterparts, I was genuinely shocked and incredibly impressed. The only thing I genuinely didn't like about these pickles was the neon Yellow 5-ified hue that I noticed after the fact, but hey, blind taste test, right?

Crunch: 10

Flavor: 4

Though the flavors here were certainly nothing special, the crunch factor absolutely blew me away. If you can ignore some of the "meh"-ness of the pickle brine, you'll be rewarded with a seriously crunchy pickle.

I've been a fan of Grillo's pickles for a while now. Back in the days when I had a Costco membership (The Good Times™), they were always on my list of club-size goodies to grab when I was there. While they weren't the outright winners here — tasting them in tandem with the others definitely revealed a not-so-great quality about them — they're still a great option when you consider their complex flavor and inherent quality for the price.

These pickles definitely had a subpar aftertaste. It didn't ruin the entire experience by any means, but it did mean I had to dock a few points from what would otherwise be a pretty near-perfect flavor score. For a flavor profile that starts off deliciously bright and acidic, it ends up turning a bit...well, funky. Almost a fermented kind of taste, which I usually love, but since these pickles aren't fermented, I found it out of place. While that certainly wouldn't deter me from buying a batch of Grillo's pickles again, it definitely wasn't ideal.

Crunch: 9

Flavor: 6

Less-than-ideal aftertaste aside, Grillo's pickles are certainly a great purchase when it comes to flavor complexity and incredible texture. You can taste every last bit of the fresh dill and garlic they use in their pickle brine — I just wish the taste that lingers in your mouth afterward was a hair less funky.

Ya know, considering they're the deli meat people, I guess I can't be surprised that Boar's Head's pickles also happen to be ridiculously delicious. I looked through a lot of online pickle forums in preparation for this taste test — they exist, and they're amazing — and just about everyone had nothing but great things to say about Boar's Head pickles. After my blind taste test, I'm firmly adding my name to the list of folks that are obsessed with these, and for a couple of distinct reasons.

While they weren't the crunchiest pickles I tried, they were crunchy enough. I did find the skins on the pickles to be a bit on the tough side, but at this point, I'm probably just looking for criticism wherever I can find it. The flesh was snappy and flavorful, which more than made up for the fact that they weren't the crunchiest of the bunch.

Crunch: 7

Flavor: 9

They might not be the crunchiest of all the pickle varieties I tried, but they were certainly one of the most flavorful. The brine's subtle sweetness beautifully highlights all the various flavors present, and it made for one seriously delightful pickle-eating experience.

When I tasted this pickle, it brought a literal tear to my eye. They're everything you want a good dill pickle to be — incredibly crunchy, packed with fresh, herbaceous flavor, and their brine is just bright and punchy enough without making you pucker. IMO, it is the perfect pickle.

I also gave these pickles a flavor score of 10 because they really deserved it. More than any of the other pickles I tried, these tasted the "cleanest." Not in an "eat clean" way (gross), but because I could pick out and identify each and every flavoring agent they use in their brine. The dill itself comes through beautifully and makes these pickles extra refreshing, and the juiciness that each one packs is pretty much next-level.

If I could only pick one brand of pickles to eat for the rest of my life, I'd choose these in a heartbeat. And at less than $5 for a truly packed jar, I also think you're getting great value alongside that remarkable flavor and quality.

Crunch: 9

Flavor: 10

Claussen pickles really are perfect. They're the ideal blend of flavor, texture, quality, and value, and for all those reasons I'd whole-heartedly urge any pickle lover to grab a jar during your next grocery run.

#2: Claussen (9/10)

#3: Grillo's (9/10)

#4: Boar's Head (7/10)

#5: Whole Foods 365 (7/10)

#6: Trader Joe's (7/10)

#7: Mt. Olive (6/10)

#8: Vlasic (3/10)

#9: McClure's (2/10)

#2: Boar's Head (9/10)

#3: Grillo's (6/10)

#4: Trader Joe's (5/10)

#5: B&G (4/10)

#6: Mt. Olive (4/10)

#7: Whole Foods 365 (2/10)

#8: Vlasic (2/10)

#9: McClure's (1/10)

• Best Boxed Cake Mix

• Best Instant Ramen

• Best Ranch Dressing

• Best Frozen Chicken Nuggets

• Best Microwave Popcorn

• Best Ice Cream

• Best Jarred Salsa

• Best Boxed Mac 'N' Cheese

• Best Frozen Pizza

• Best Marinara Sauce