Pickle juice is considered to be an amazing source of good antioxidants and electrolytes. It is a detoxifying agent loved by many people around the world and has become a staple in their diet due to its great health benefits.
You might have wondered if there is a substitute for pickle juice that will give a somewhat similar taste.
What can substitute pickle juice?
White vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice are the three best substitutes for pickle juice. They can’t bring the exact same flavor but have a lot of similarities when it comes to taste and health benefits. Similar to pickle juice, you can add these elements to your diet in moderation.
Pickle juice is popular for the wonderful flavor it adds to a lot of recipes. But if you don’t have access to pickle juice and need to add something similar to it in a recipe or your diet, the following substitutes may help.
White vinegar:
Since pickle juice is mostly a combination of water and vinegar, the element that replicates the taste of pickle juice the most perfectly has to be white vinegar. It’s because of vinegar that pickle juice tastes so sour. Then again, vinegar is the reason for its exquisite taste.
Most recipes that require pickle juice as an ingredient can be replaced with white vinegar when pickle juice is not available. Add the vinegar depending on the sourness you wish to achieve.
Alongside bringing good flavor to the recipes, vinegar has a good number of health benefits as well.
Apple cider vinegar:
Just like white vinegar, apple cider vinegar can substitute most pickle juices as well. It is a detoxifying agent, similar to pickle juice. Also, apple cider vinegar is known for its strong scent and lightly fruity flavor that go very well with pickle spices.
If you are planning to use apple cider vinegar as a substitute for pickle juice for your pickles, keep in mind that apple cider vinegar can darken some fruits and vegetables. If you don’t have a problem with that, you can use it without any worries.
Lemon juice:
You can substitute pickle juice with lemon juice. Though it won’t bring the same flavor, it is still quite useful. Also, lemon juice can work as a great substitute for vinegar, one of the main ingredients of pickle juice.
Lime juice:
There’s not much difference between lemon and lime juice. Both add an extra level of freshness to your food. So in recipes where you can use lemon juice as a substitute for pickle juice, you can also go for lime juice if you have access to limes.
What are the substitutes for these pickle juices?
The following can be considered as good substitutes for these pickle juices –
Sweet pickle juice:
The sweetness of the sweet pickle comes from sweet onion and sugar used along with other herbs and spices. While you can easily substitute sweet pickle juice with apple cider vinegar or plain white vinegar, you may need to add something sweet to get a similar sweetness.
If you have sweet onions at your reach, you can try adding them to the recipe.
Sour pickle juice:
The best substitute for sour pickle juice is vinegar. It can bring the sour taste well. The primary ingredient of pickle juice is vinegar that is mixed with water so no wonder pickle juice tastes incredibly sour.
Since pickle juice contains water and other herbs and spices along with vinegar to balance the sourness a little, if you substitute it with plain vinegar your food can become too sour. So be careful while adding it to your recipes.
Dill pickle juice:
You can substitute dill pickle juice with vinegar but you won’t get the same taste. Dill pickle juice is packed with the beautiful flavor of dill. The pungent taste of dill is hard to replicate with plain vinegar.
If you are looking for a substitute to go with your dill pickles that are left with no juice, vinegar will do a great job. You can boil the vinegar with water and pour it over the pickles. But it is wise that you refrigerate the pickles afterward.
Pickle juice for marinade:
The best way to substitute pickle juice for marination is by using plain white vinegar or lemon juice. Pickle juice is a great meat tenderizer and it works so well because of the vinegar. Hence vinegar can do a great job in absence of pickle juice.
Lemon juice adds an extra flavor to your food.
Pickle juice in deviled eggs:
Pickle juice is an important element in preparing the yolk mixture for deviled eggs. But if you don’t have access to pickle juice or don’t like the taste of it in eggs, you can easily replace it with either plain white vinegar or red wine vinegar.
Both go wonderfully well with deviled eggs and work as great substitutes. Make sure to not add too much to avoid changing the taste of the yolk filling. One good tip is to use an extra pinch of salt in the mixture whenever you’re using any of these two as a substitute.
Pickle juice for cramps:
If you don’t quite like the taste of pickle juice for cramps, you can substitute it with white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or even lemon juice. All of these ingredients are filled with elements that are good for your health. But you have to take them in moderation.
Pickle juice is used by a lot of people for relieving cramps. It is said to help rehydrate your body after an intense workout or a tiring journey. The electrolytes of pickle juice come from the vinegar that is the main ingredient of the juice.
Alongside cramps, it also helps in stabilizing blood sugar and improving digestion.
What is pickle juice made of?
Pickle juice is mostly made of vinegar and water combined with pickle spices and herbs. The ratio of water and vinegar is 2:1 in most cases, but in some recipes, you may find them used in equal amounts.
The common herbs and spices that are used in the juice are garlic, dill, mustard, black peppers, and sea salt.
You can purchase pickles submerged in pickle juice or you can buy only pickle juice without the pickles. Also, pickle juice is not hard to make at home. With some very easily available herbs and spices, you can make it all by yourself at home.
Usually, a pickle is made by adding fruits or vegetables to the juice to pickle them up. Even after you finish up all the pickled fruits or vegetables, you should not throw away the juice that’s left.
This juice is the real thing. It is filled with great health benefits and rehydrating potential. You can add it to your recipes or you can use it to make pickles again.
Can you buy pickle juice without the pickles?
Fortunately yes, you can buy pickle juice without pickles.
This wasn’t a thing before, but ever since people started to know about the great health benefits that pickle juice has to offer, they started looking for it separately and hence manufacturers focused on coming up with high-quality pickle juice.
The making process of pure pickle juice is nothing different. The brine is prepared in the same way as pickles and sold in gallons or bottles. These juices are jam-packed with great pickle flavors and hydrating components.
You can add this juice to your diet as a healthy drink and dressing or you can use it for creating different recipes. The store-bought pickle juice can also be used with pickles from your last batch that are left with no juice.
What kind of pickle juice is good for you?
While the health benefits of pickle juice vary with the type of juice you are drinking, the best pickle juice would be the one that contains vinegar. Both plain white vinegar and apple cider vinegar are good for health.
The electrolytes of vinegar-based pickle juice are good for people with a deficiency of sodium.
It works well for relieving cramps because of the electrolytes coming from the vinegar. The vinegar content of pickle juice helps control blood sugar levels. Also, it can be a great element for improving digestion and regulating weight loss.
Another great one can be with dills. Dill is a great herb known for its beautiful pungent flavor and nutritional value. Dill pickle juice is very good for your digestive system and diabetic health.
So if you’re looking for a good quality pickle juice, the right one to go for will be anything that is vinegar-based. If it comes with dill it’s a bonus.
Final thoughts
You can substitute pickle juice with white vinegar, cider vinegar, or lemon juice. All these ingredients are similar in taste and work great as a substitute for pickle juice. Since pickle juice is mainly a combination of vinegar, vinegar would be the best substitute to go for.