Kool-Aid Pickles - Big Bear's Wife - A Southern Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

Are Kool-Aid pickles a Southern thing? ›

The History of Kool-Aid Pickles

The Koolickle supposedly got its start somewhere in the Mississippi Delta, that riverside region of the state that roughly stretches from Vicksburg in the south almost all the way up to Memphis, Tenn. in the north.

Cherry, tropical punch, grape, blue raspberry, lime and orange are among the most popular flavors of Kool-Aid, but any flavor you prefer or have on hand is fair game for these pickles.

While the South is known for their pickling (everything from okra to peaches), it's the Mississippi Delta region that takes credit for inventing Kool-Aid pickles, just as they are behind deep-frying them.

Mississippi is the birthplace of Kool-Aid pickles, which people have nicknamed “Koolickles.” The colorful and crunchy products are a combination of dill pickles and Kool-Aid powder, and fit the pickling culture of the American South quite well.

One hypothesis: “I can't help but think that the prominence of barbecue joints and county fairs play into the popularity of pickles in the South,” says Brad Sorenson, the Austin-based executive chef of Alamo Drafthouse, one of the biggest movie theater franchises in the Lone Star State.

Storage: Kool-Aid pickles will stay good in the fridge for up to 2 months.

Kool-Aid posted on Twitter about the mystery flavor, and turns out it was cotton candy all along.

Sometimes called a Koolickle or Pickoola, they're especially popular in the Mississippi Delta region. Especially among Black people. Sethethel Watson, founder of Seth's Flavor of Pickles in Ankeny, tasted her first Kool-Aid pickle as a young girl about three years after moving from Missouri to Texas.

To start, remove all of the pickles from your store-bought jar and place them aside. Then, add one packet of Kool-Aid powder to your pickle juice (we used sugar-free Kool-Aid for our recipe, but it's better with the real thing). Next, add a half-cup of sugar to your juice and place the pickles back in the jar.

McDonald's uses dill pickles in their burgers including in the Big Mac®.

Does Walmart sell Kool-Aid pickles? ›

Walmart is now selling fruit punch-flavored pickles that no one asked for. If you grew up in the South, you've probably heard of Kool-Aid pickles, aka Koolickles. Now, Walmart has taken the fruit punch pickle concept and run with it, introducing Tropickles in 1,200 of its stores on July 14.

"Giving pickles a different color has been around in Southern culture." Though there isn't much definitive literature pointing this way, it is entirely possible that kids or even adults started making their own versions of fancier colored pickles with Kool-Aid.

Hastings Nebraska is the birthplace of Nebraska's soft drink, Kool-Aid.

Kool-Aid is an American brand of flavored drink mix owned by Kraft Heinz based in Chicago, Illinois. The powder form was created by Edwin Perkins in 1927 based upon a liquid concentrate named Fruit Smack.

There are few summer aromas that match that of cucumbers steeping in vinegar and herbs, on their way to becoming sweet pickle. And once made, of course, there are few things that equal the taste of a good, crisp sweet pickle slice. I can never stop at eating one.

Biting into one of these fascinating Kool-Aid Pickles (aka "koolickles") is a fruity adventure for pickle lovers! This outrageous Mississippi Delta creation with vibrant hues and sweet-and-sour flavors may not be for everyone, but they sure are fun to make!