REVIEW: Family Ranks Pickles From Different Brands, Clear Winner

The Vlasic kosher dill baby pickles at my local supermarket cost about $6 for a 16-ounce container, making them the most expensive per ounce of the pickles I tried.

They had a nice crunch to them, and although they initially had a mild and pleasant briny flavor, there was an off-putting aftertaste. As a result, my entire family placed these at the bottom of the list.

In fact, the taste was so unpleasant that I bought a second jar from a different supermarket to see if the first one was an anomaly. It was not.

I grabbed a 16-ounce jar of 365 organic kosher baby dill pickles from Whole Foods for $5.

When I took a bite, however, I didn’t think these pickles were as good as some of the others I tried. They weren’t especially crunchy, and I didn’t love the flavor. I also thought they were heavy on garlic and lacked the crisp, vinegary bite I seek in good pickles.

I’d eat them again if someone served them to me, but I’d opt for other brands if I were shopping for my family.

To be fair, these were my 7-year-old’s favorite, but he’s by far the most averse to spicy foods in our family.

The Trader Joe’s kosher dill pickles were the least expensive of the group, at $3 for a well-stuffed 24-ounce jar.

These pickles had a satisfying snap with each bite but a fairly mild vinegar flavor and some seasoning resembling caraway, which felt unfamiliar. They also didn’t have the palate-cleansing zest I sometimes want.

Overall, they tasted like something you’d serve on a cheese board rather than with a cheeseburger.

I’d buy these again — especially considering the price — if I were shopping at Trader Joe’s and needed pickles. However, they’re not something I’d go out of my way for.

I took home a 24-ounce jar of Mt. Olive dill-pickle spears that was on sale for $4 (about $2 off the supermarket’s usual price).

I wasn’t sure if I’d ever bought a jar of Mt. Olive pickles before, but when I opened it, I recognized the smell immediately — these were the pickles that came with every sandwich at a popular and delicious deli near where I went to college.

They were a touch mushy and didn’t have much crunch, but they won me over with their assertive, classic pickle flavor, which was so tangy it was almost spicy.

I might buy them again if I start feeling nostalgic for that sandwich shop or am looking for a budget-friendly option.

Claussen’s kosher dill pickles cost $7 for a 32-ounce jar at my local supermarket. These pickles were the only of the five brands I tried that came from the grocer’s refrigerated section.

Having to refrigerate the Claussen pickles made them slightly less convenient to store, but they were so much better than the other pickles we tasted. Vibrant with dill, they were crunchy without being heavy and had a bright vinegary tang.

My wife, our 4-year-old, and I all ranked this as the best pickle by far — so far superior to the others that the extra cost was easily justified.

I’ll definitely seek out Claussen whenever I’m buying pickles at the supermarket in the future.

This story was originally published on January 7, 2025, and most recently updated on November 19, 2025.