Many people get comfortable purchasing one or two pickle brands and rarely branch out to try something new. Our list of pickle brands below was created to help readers find a new pickle brand that they will love – hopefully, more than their old brand. While you will likely see a few familiar names, we suspect that most readers will find at least one new brand of pickles that they will consider trying sometime soon.
Top Brands of Pickles
Vlasic
Website: vlasic.com
Vlasic is one of the most iconic pickle brands ever. The company started making pickles in 1942 and was at minimum partially responsible for the explosion in pickle consumption over the following decades. The company’s famous stork and baby mascot first appeared in 1974 which was a nod to the belief that many pregnant women love pickles. Vlasic is owned by Pinnacle Foods which is a subsidiary of Conagra Brands.
Mt. Olive
Website: mtolivepickles.com
Mt. Olive is the largest private pickle company in the United States. It was officially established in 1926 after they developed a solid gameplan to pack and sell their own pickles with the capital of 37 shareholders. The company is based out of Mount Olive, North Carolina. Today, its pickles have a dominant market share in the Southeast United States.
Claussen
Website: myfoodandfamily.com
Claussen is a pickle brand of Kraft Heinz. They are known for being canned and uncooked which helps create a nice snap and crunchiness. The brand dates back to 1870 Chicago when C.F. Claussen & Sons began pickling their excess cucumbers. A merger between Claussen and Vlasic was attempted in 2002 but was shot down by the Federal Trade Commission because it would have created “anticompetitive consequences“.
Heinz
Website: heinz.com/products/heinzpicklesrelish
Heinz is best known for its ketchup and maybe even its mustard. However, the company has been making pickles since the 1860s. They are actually responsible for producing the first sweet pickles in 1876. They make bread & butter, sweet & spicy, dill, spicy garlic, and gherkins pickles.
McClure’s
Website: mcclures.com
In regard to pickle brands, McClure’s is one of the new guys in town. It started in 2006 when brothers Bob and Joe launched the pickle business that was centered around an old family recipe. The brothers were living in Detroit and Brooklyn at the time so they started producing pickles in each city. As the company expanded, all business manufacturing operations were brought to Michigan. The pickle products made by McClure’s are garlic dill, spicy dill, sweet & spicy, and bread & butter. Outside of Amazon, you can find these pickles at stores such as Kroger, Cost Plus, Meijer, Murray’s Cheese, and more.
Wickles Pickles
Website: wicklespickles.com
The company uses a 90-year-old recipe to craft its pickles that once was only reserved for family and friends. Wickles Pickles started to sell their pickles in 1998 and has since produced a solid lineup of pickles varities. These pickles include Wickles Pickles Original, Wickles Pickles Chips, Dirty Dill Baby Dills, Dirty Dill Chips, and Dirty Dill Spears.
Bubbies
Website: bubbies.com
Bubbies was once owned by a woman named Leigh Truex who started the pickle business in 1982. Truex’s business struggled financially to take off and was eventually sold to a couple named Kathy and John Gray who had an excellent grasp on how to run a business. After consulting with a few business professionals, they strategically changed their labeling and took on other positive initiatives to catapult the company to success. While Bubbies’ current pickle options are not massive, they produce a few key products that are loved by many. These products include Kosher Dill Pickles, Spicy Dill Pickles, Baby Kosher Dill Pickles, Dill Pickle Relish, and Bread & Butter Pickles.
Suckerpunch
Website: suckerpunchgourmet.com
Suckerpunch was created in 2011 after the founder, David van Alphen, developed the Original Spicy Garlic Pickle. The delayed heat in this pickle recipe was like a “sucker punch”, but of course contributed to the pickle’s amazing taste. Each variety of pickle produced today by Suckerpunch has a 15-spice blend which is at least partially why consumers keep coming back for this pickle brand. The pickles have no high fructose corn syrup, are gluten-free, and non-GMO. Suckerpunch pickles come in the following varieties: Spicy Garlic Original, Spicy Bread N’ Better, Classic Dill Spears, Original Spears, Sweet Onion Spears, 3-Pepper Fire Spears, and Garlic Dill Fire Spears.
Best Maid Pickles
Website: bestmaidpickles.com
Best Maid Pickles started out in Texas in 1926. A woman named Mildred Dalton would make baked goods in her home to sell at her husband’s grocery store. From her baking, she had a lot of leftover egg yolks, which she eventually decided to use to create mayonnaise. The mayonnaise began to be sold in the family grocery store and was a huge success. The Dalton family soon planted a pickle patch at their home and began selling canned pickles at their store. Today, Best Maid makes a nice selection of pickles including Dill, Baby Dills, Sour Pickles, Sweet Pickles, Snappy Garlic Dills, Bread-N-Butter, and more.
Van Holten’s
Website: vanholtenpickles.com
Van Holten’s has a lot of unique pickle products to offer consumers. One of its popular products in the Pickle-In-A-Pouch. As the name implies, a single pickle is packaged in a pouch without the need for refrigeration. These are perfect to take on-the-go for a snack or as a lunch side. These pickles are available in Hearty Dill, Hot and Spicy, Sour, Kosher Garlic, Tapatio, Big Papa, Hot Mama, Sour Sis, and Garlic Joe. The company also makes Pickle Cutz, which are bagged fresh sliced Dill or Spicy pickles (refrigeration required). Interestingly, Van Holten’s also makes Pickle-Ice. This is a freeze pop made with pickle brine and added electrolytes that can help with rehydration and the prevention of cramps.
Grillo’s
Website: grillospickles.com
Grillo’s started with 100-year-old pickle recipe that was first made from the family’s backyard garden crops. The pickles were initially sold by the founder from a cart on the streets of Boston. In 2009, Whole Foods noticed the popularity of these pickles being sold on the street and asked the owner to jar them for sale at one of the Massasschuett Whole Foods locations. The company has since expanded into places such as Target and the iconic Fenway Park.
Here is a cool cartoon made by Grillo’s that covers the birth of the company:
Rick’s Picks
Website: rickspicks.com
Rick Field is the owner of Rick’s Picks who started at a young age making pickles with his family in Vermont. Rick eventually launched Rick’s Pick in 2004 after working as a TV producer and living in Brooklyn. Some of the favorite flavors of pickles of Rick’s Picks are Garlic Dill, Hotties, and Classic Sours.
Maille
Website: us.maille.com
Maille is based out of Marseille, France, which dates back to the early 1700s. They are known for their French mustard brand, oils & vinegar, and cornichons. Cornichons are small gherkin cucumbers that are also known as sour French pickles. They are about the size of a small finger in length with a diameter less than a quarter-inch, according to thekitchn.com. Maille makes three types of cornichons based on their website. These include Mini Cornichons Classique, Cornichons with Caramelized Onions, and Cornichons with Cayenne Peppers. If you are specifically looking for cornichon pickles, Maille is the brand you will likely most often come across in the United States.
Olive My Pickle
Website: olivemypickle.com
Olive My Pickle produces real fermented pickles or “probiotic pickles”. The fermentation process of these pickles is believed to improve gut health. These fermented pickles are not cooked. Rather, they are offered raw to consumers with beneficial bacteria known as microbiome, which helps the immune system, appetite control, and gut support among other healthy things. The popular pickles made by Olive My Pickle are Kosher Dill, Garlic, Spicy Kosher Dill, and The Onion Pickles.
Hengstenberg
Website: hengstenberg.com
Hengstenberg is the pickle brand you will want to explore for authentic German quality. The brand has been trusted for 140 years and continues to grow superb crops in Southern Germany to produce first-rate pickles. The company’s pickle products include Barrel Pickles, Knax Crunchy Gherkins, Knax Crunchy Smaller Gherkins, Cornichons, Sandwich Gherkins, and Burger Gherkin Slices.
Kruegermann
Website: kruegermann.com
Kruegermann began in Germany in 1896 in a region known for its fertile soil that produced excellent cucumbers for pickles. The Kruegermann family eventually emigrated to Los Angles in the 1960s where they began to produce and sell their products to places like restaurants and markets.
Kuhne
Website: kuehne-international.com
Kuhne is Germany’s #1 pickle brand. The company began in the early 1700s in Berlin as a vinegar distillery. The company eventually built a Gherkins production facility in 1905 and has added a long list of other products through the years such as salad dressing, mustard, jarred cabbage, and sauerkraut. The company specializes in making cornichons and gherkins in regard to their pickles.
Pittsburgh Pickle
Website: pittsburghpickle.com
Pennsylvania is home to Pittsburgh Pickle founded in 2011 by three Pittsburgh natives, John Patterson, Will Patterson, and Joe Robl. This top-selling pickle brand in the state features all-natural products with the cucumbers transforming into pickles in just five days. According to the company, the bigger guys do it in 6-12 months. The quick pickling process using high-quality cucumbers allows for a crunchy pickle without the need for chemicals or preservatives.
Harold’s
Website: haroldspickles.com
Harold’s specializes in making hot pickles using ingredients like garlic, red chili peppers, and habanero powder to create the spice. However, the company certainly makes pickles that won’t overpower the mouth such as their Frances Cowley’s Dill Pickles that are made for even toddlers to enjoy. If you’re a person who loves heat, try Harold’s Purdy Hot Pickles or The Original Beer Pickle.
Conclusion
While we certainly did not feature every pickle brand out there, the above represent some of the best pickle brands that consumers can easily find in stores or online. We hope you are able to try some new brands based on this list!
