This dairy free dill pickle dip is a delicious version of every pickle lovers dream dip! No sour cream, cream cheese, or dairy needed for a super creamy texture. Perfect for snacking, potlucks, and summer bbq’s. Made with raw cashews, coconut aminos, nutritional yeast, dried spices, fresh dill, and plenty of pickles! Dairy free, vegan, paleo, and Whole30 compatible.
The best dairy free dill pickle dip
If it were socially acceptable to eat dips for every meal of the day I would.
Especially if the dip involves pickles!
I chatted about how so much of my childhood involved every variety of creamy dips in the blog post for this Dairy Free French Onion Dip and this Dairy Free Smoked Salmon Dip, and recreating these classic recipes is a theme that I don’t see going away anytime soon.
Because now that I’ve got some decent knowledge about how to make yummy dairy free versions of childhood-midwest-favorites it’s pretty easy to stay in the game of delicious, nostalgic, FEEL GOOD food.
This pickle dip is made from scratch with plant based ingredients that are also gluten free, paleo, and Whole30 compatible.
Which means it’s made without any sour cream, cream cheese, or dairy on the ingredient list.
We love to make it for potlucks, parties, and get togethers of all kinds.
It’s the perfect thing to set out on the table with cut veggies, chips, or crackers for everyone to enjoy!
Why you’ll love this pickle dip
It is:
- Super creamy
- Easy to make
- Nostalgic
- Full of the perfect amount of pickle-y flavor
- Made with real food ingredients
- Savory
- Vegan, paleo friendly, & Whole30 compatible
- Perfect recipe to share with friends and family
- Super duper delicious!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Raw cashews – The raw cashews stand in for cream cheese / sour cream / mayonnaise and are what makes this dip so creamy. Before you add them to the the rest of the ingredients you’ll blend them with water and some other ingredients until thick and smooth.
- Lemon juice – Lemon juice brightens the dip up, and mimics some of the tartness that you’d typically get from sour cream or mayo.
- Coconut aminos – Coconut aminos add a nice round depth of flavor. You could substitute with tamari or a vegan Worcestershire sauce.
- Nutritional yeast – Nutritional yeast is one of my favorite pantry staples. Perfect for “cheesy” flavor without any added cheese. It can be left out if you don’t have any on hand, but I highly recommend keeping it stocked in your kitchen!
- Dried spices – Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder all boost the savory flavor profile of this dip!
- Pickle juice – Pickle juice helps thin the dip out a bit and of course adds more pickle flavor!
- Diced pickles – Diced pickles are stirred into the cashew cream for the perfect little bites of pickle throughout the dip.
- Green onions – Green onions add a little extra bright, green, savory flavor. They can be omitted.
- Fresh dill – Fresh dill really adds something special to the finished dip, but dried dill works just as well! Just be sure to reduce the amount by about half if using dried.
You can find many of these ingredients on Thrive Market – a membership based natural products store that is like the Whole Foods of Costco but based online and with the BEST wholesale prices.
What does dill pickle dip taste like?
It tastes similar to any other dill pickle dip you’ve had (though maybe better)!
It’s ultra creamy, rich in umami, flecked with bits of green onion, fresh dill, and tiny bites of briny and bright dill pickles. YUM!
Some tasting notes:
- Creamy
- Herbaceous
- Rich
- Slightly tangy
- Savory
- Briny
- Complex
- Flavorful
- Crave worthy
How to make dill pickle dip
The only advance prep you have to think about doing for this dip is soaking the raw cashews.
Ideally you want to give them about 30 minutes in just boiled water, but you can soak them up to overnight as well.
If you’re short on time they can be simmered in enough water to cover on the stove top for 10-15 minutes.
Here’s the step-by-step
- Soak the cashews. In a medium sized heat proof bowl cover raw cashews with just boiled water. Allow to soak at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. While cashews are soaking prep and measure remaining ingredients.
- Make the cashew cream base. Drain cashews and add to blender with kosher salt, lemon juice, coconut aminos, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, and dill pickle juice. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Add more water or pickle juice a tiny bit at a time if the texture is too thick to blend. When done, there should be no pieces of cashews remaining and it should be the texture of sour cream.
- Add remaining ingredients and chill. Transfer cashew cream mixture to a medium sized bowl and fold in chopped green onions, pickles, and dill. If the dip seems thin at first, don’t worry, it will thicken when chilled. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes or up to overnight. The flavors will deepen as the dip sits. If you’re in a hurry you can stick it in the freezer to chill faster. Take it out to stir every 5 minutes or so for 15-25 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy. Garnish with extra chopped pickles and dill before serving and enjoy!
How to make the dip thicker or thinner
As the recipe is written (and once the dip has chilled in the refrigerator) it is quite thick.
If you want to make it even thicker slightly reduce the amount of water added to the blender for cashew cream base.
To make the dip thinner all you need to do is mix in a small amount of water or pickle juice until desired consistency is reached.
Can you make it in advance?
Yes! This dip is the perfect recipe to make ahead of time since it keeps well in the refrigerator for several days.
And the flavors will actually benefit from sitting for 12-24 hours before digging in!
To make it in advance you’ll want to prep everything according to the recipe and transfer to the refrigerator to chill until ready to serve.
I would recommend waiting to top with extra diced pickles and fresh dill until just before setting it out.
What to serve with dill pickle dip
So what goes with dill pickle dip? Well just about anything you’d normally dip into your favorite dip!
We love potato chips, sweet potato chips, fresh cut veggies, and gluten free crackers.
To make sure this dip is Whole30 compatible you’ll want to serve it with fresh cut veggies or alongside some other Whole30 fare!
How long will it keep in the refrigerator?
This dip should last up 5-6 days in the refrigerator in a covered container.
Want some more delicious dips for your shared table? Try these other yummy recipes!
- Dairy Free Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Dairy Free French Onion Dip
- Sweet Potato Hummus
- 5 Ingredient Cashew Beet Dip
- Dairy Free Queso Fundido with Ground Beef
- Fast and Easy Romesco Sauce
- Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Avocado Herb Green Sauce
- Dairy Free Roasted Red Pepper Tahini Dip
If you enjoyed this recipe we’d love it if you would take 5 seconds to rate and review the recipe below. It’s also super helpful for other readers if you share any changes you made!
Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK! We’re so grateful you’re here.
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Dairy Free Dill Pickle Dip – Made with Cashews
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Dairy free dill pickle dip is a super creamy version of every pickle lovers dream dip! Made without sour cream, cream cheese, or any dairy at all. Perfect for snacking, potlucks, and summer bbq’s. Made with raw cashews, coconut aminos, nutritional yeast, dried spices, fresh dill, and plenty of pickles! Dairy free, vegan, paleo, and Whole30 compatible.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
- 1/2 cup water, plus more to soak cashews
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 cup dill pickle juice
- 5 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup chopped dill pickles, plus more to garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill, plus more to garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak the cashews. In a medium sized heat proof bowl cover raw cashews with just boiled water. Allow to soak at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. While cashews are soaking prep and measure remaining ingredients.
- Make the cashew cream base. Drain cashews and add to blender with kosher salt, lemon juice, coconut aminos, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, and dill pickle juice. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Add more water or pickle juice a tiny bit at a time if the texture is too thick to blend. When done, there should be no pieces of cashews remaining and it should be the texture of sour cream.
- Add remaining ingredients and chill. Transfer cashew cream mixture to a medium sized bowl and fold in chopped green onions, pickles, and dill. If the dip seems thin at first, don’t worry, it will thicken when chilled. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes or up to overnight. The flavors will deepen as the dip sits. If you’re in a hurry you can stick it in the freezer to chill faster. Take it out to stir every 5 minutes or so for 15-25 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy. Garnish with extra chopped pickles and dill before serving and enjoy!
Notes
See the section above labeled “Ingredients and Substitutions” for some substitution suggestions.
This dip should last up to a week (7 days) in the refrigerator in a covered container. If you don’t think it will all be eaten by then you can freeze it until your ready to enjoy again!
Coconut aminos can be substituted with gluten free soy sauce or vegan Worcestershire sauce – however both of those are not considered Whole30 compatible.
To keep this dip Whole30 compatible make sure you serve it with fresh cut veggies or with another Whole30 dipping option, since chips are not included in the program.
Nutrition information is for 6 servings, without any added chips or veggies for dippings.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
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