These pickle cupcakes are soft vanilla cupcakes made with sour cream, ¼ cup of pickle juice, and ½ cup of finely chopped dill pickles, finished with a fluffy dill buttercream. The recipe makes 12 cupcakes. Plan on 20 minutes of prep, 18 to 22 minutes at 350°F, and enough cooling time to bring the whole thing to about 70 minutes.
The first bite tastes like a sweet vanilla cupcake. The briny tang shows up a second later, along with little bits of pickle. A friend once dared me to bake a dessert that would make people stop and stare. This is what I came up with, and I still remember the smell of pickle juice hitting the mixing bowl.
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- Yield: 12 standard cupcakes (one muffin tin)
- Time: 20 minutes prep, 18 to 22 minutes baking, about 70 minutes total including cooling
- Oven: 350°F (175°C), liners filled about ⅔ full
- Pickle in the batter: ¼ cup pickle juice plus ½ cup finely chopped dill pickles
- Pickle in the frosting: 2 tablespoons pickle juice and 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- Storage: airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days
Does Pickle Juice Make Cupcakes Taste Salty?
Not really. A quarter cup of brine spread through 12 cupcakes reads as tang, much like buttermilk or a squeeze of lemon. The acid brightens the batter and keeps the crumb moist. The salt in the brine is the reason the recipe calls for only ¼ teaspoon of added salt.
Where you do taste the pickle is in the chopped pieces and in the frosting. Each cupcake has a few small, crunchy pockets of dill pickle. The buttercream gets its own splash of brine and dried dill, so it tastes sweet first and herby second. Friends who expect a strange clash usually find it is more like a salty sweet snack, and they come back for another.
Sour Cream, Brine, and a Half Cup of Pickles
The batter is a classic creamed cupcake base: 1½ cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ cup softened unsalted butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, ⅓ cup sour cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. The pickle part is ¼ cup juice straight from the jar and ½ cup finely chopped dill pickles.
Use dill pickles, not sweet bread and butter pickles, so the flavor stays bright. The sour cream keeps the crumb tender and works with the brine, and the baking soda reacts with both acids to give the cupcakes a good rise. Have the eggs and sour cream at room temperature so everything blends smoothly without extra mixing.
Mixing the Batter So the Pickles Do Not Sink
Line a muffin tin and heat the oven to 350°F. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set it aside. Keeping the dry ingredients separate until the end prevents lumps. My grandmother always sifted them so the salt and leaveners were evenly spread, and I still follow her advice.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Then stir in the sour cream, pickle juice, and vanilla. The mixture can look a little curdled at this point, and that is fine.
Add the dry ingredients gradually and mix only until no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing makes cupcakes tough and domed. Finally, fold in the chopped pickles by hand.
Chop them small, about the size of a pea. Large chunks are heavy and wet, and they sink to the bottom of the liner. I learned that the hard way after a few batches with soggy bottoms.
How Long to Bake Pickle Cupcakes at 350°F
Fill each liner about ⅔ full and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the tops spring back and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Start checking at 18 minutes. The pickle juice keeps the crumb moist, so they will not look dry even when fully baked.
Cool them completely on a wire rack before frosting, at least 30 minutes. Buttercream on warm cupcakes slides off and turns greasy. That cooling time is why the recipe totals about 70 minutes even though the hands-on work is short.
Dill Buttercream With a Splash of Brine
The frosting is a simple American buttercream with a savory twist. Beat 1 cup softened unsalted butter until smooth, then add 3 cups powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add 2 tablespoons pickle juice and 1 teaspoon dried dill weed, plus a drop of green food coloring if you want a playful pickle color, and beat until light and fluffy.
Pipe it on with a star tip, or swirl it on with a spatula for a rustic look. Top each cupcake with a pickle slice and a small sprig of fresh dill so guests know what they are about to taste. My younger brother called these “the cupcake version of a big question mark,” and the garnish is a big part of that. If you prefer a softer tang, cream cheese frosting with a pinch of dried dill also suits the cupcakes underneath.
When the Pickle Bits Sink or the Frosting Splits
- Pickles sank to the bottom: the pieces were too big or too wet. Chop them finely and pat them dry with a paper towel before folding them in.
- Cupcakes are dense: the batter was overmixed after the flour went in, or the butter was too cold to cream properly.
- Frosting looks curdled: the butter was cold, or the brine went in all at once. Keep beating for a minute or two, and add the pickle juice a little at a time.
- Frosting is too soft: chill the bowl for 10 to 15 minutes, then beat again before piping.
- Too much pickle flavor for your crowd: skip the pickle slice garnish and use just a dill sprig on top.
A Pickle Themed Dessert Table
These cupcakes are made for potlucks, game nights, and baby showers where people like a quirky treat. My cousin once built a whole pickle dessert table around them. She served them with my sweet and salty pickle cookies, and I tried a slice of pickle pound cake at that same party. It turned out to be a great match for the cupcakes.
If you are looking for a dill pickle cake for a bigger crowd, the pound cake or the sweet and savory pickle dump cake are easier than baking cupcakes by the dozen. For more sweet and savory cupcakes, try maple bacon cupcakes or triple chocolate chili cupcakes. The green frosting also fits right in with my St. Patrick’s Day dessert ideas.
Keeping Frosted Pickle Cupcakes Fresh
Because of the butter frosting, store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Let them sit at room temperature for a while before serving. The frosting softens, and the dill and tang come through much better than straight from the fridge.
To get ahead, bake the cupcakes a day early, cool them, and keep them covered at room temperature. Then frost them on the day of the party. If you like this tangy, moist crumb, my lemon cupcakes from scratch are a sweeter way to get the same bright flavor. You can find more ideas in my cupcake recipes collection.
Pickle Cupcake Questions
What do pickle cupcakes taste like?
Like a moist vanilla cupcake with a light tang from the brine, small crunchy bits of dill pickle, and a sweet buttercream with a gentle dill finish.
Can I use sweet pickles instead of dill pickles?
You can, but the cupcakes will taste much sweeter and lose the dill flavor. This recipe is written for dill pickles and dill pickle juice.
Can I use fresh dill in the frosting?
The recipe uses 1 teaspoon dried dill weed in the frosting. Fresh dill is used here as a garnish on top of each cupcake.
How many cupcakes does this recipe make?
It makes 12 standard cupcakes, enough for one muffin tin. The frosting recipe covers all 12 with generous piped swirls.
Do pickle cupcakes need to be refrigerated?
Yes, once frosted. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and bring them to room temperature before serving.
Pickle Cupcakes with Creamy Dill Frosting
These pickle cupcakes are soft vanilla sour cream cupcakes made with pickle juice and finely chopped dill pickles, topped with a fluffy dill buttercream flavored with more pickle juice and dried dill weed. The recipe makes 12 cupcakes in about 70 minutes: 20 minutes of prep, 18 to 22 minutes at 350°F, and cooling time before frosting. Pickle juice keeps the crumb moist and adds a gentle tang, and chopping the pickles finely stops them from sinking. Serve these dill pickle cupcakes at pickle themed parties, game nights, potlucks, or St. Patrick's Day, or next to pickle cookies on a pickle dessert table. Tint the frosting green if you like, and keep frosted cupcakes airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup pickle juice (from the jar)
- ½ cup finely chopped dill pickles
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Dill Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp pickle juice
- 1 tsp dried dill weed
- Green food coloring (optional)
For Garnish
- Dill sprigs
- Pickle slices
Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat the Oven
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. - Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. - Step 3: Prepare the Wet Ingredients
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together with a hand or stand mixer until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the sour cream, pickle juice, and vanilla extract. - Step 4: Combine and Add Pickles
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Gently fold in the finely chopped dill pickles. - Step 5: Bake the Cupcakes
Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners, filling each about ⅔ full. Bake for 18–22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. - Step 6: Make the Dill Frosting
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating until well combined. Add the pickle juice, dried dill, and green food coloring (if using) and mix until the frosting is light and fluffy. - Step 7: Frost the Cupcakes
Using a piping bag with a star tip (or just a spatula for a rustic look), frost the cooled cupcakes. Top each one with a slice of pickle and a sprig of dill for garnish.
Notes
Chop the dill pickles finely and pat them dry so they stay suspended in the batter instead of sinking. Use room temperature eggs and sour cream, and mix only until the flour disappears. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. Add the pickle juice to the frosting a little at a time so the buttercream stays smooth. Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and let them come to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 280
