Pickle Popsicles Are The Perfect Way To Stay Cool During A Heat Wave

Popsicles are pretty good — they're sweet, cold, and fantastic for cooling you down on a summer day — but, honestly, they're a bit one note. Have you ever wished that there was just something more to your sweet treat? Well, there can be if you're brave enough. Pickles, those briny, vinegary snacks usually found in the back of your fridge, and served next to or on top of sandwiches, might just be what you need to level up your popsicle game.

The idea might seem like a stretch to some. Pickles are, after all, a controversial and frankly rather pungent food. However, pickle popsicles are not entirely without merit. Pickles are more adaptable than one might think with recipes like the Kool-Aid-infused Koolickle proving to be a beloved treat across the Delta region of Mississippi.

Combining sweet flavor elements with dill pickles is perhaps not an intuitive choice, but it is a tasty one. Pickle popsicles can be as simple as popping a pickle in the freezer. However, there's more you can do to boost the flavor of your treat. Several recipes call for the addition of ingredients such as sweet and spicy Chamoy sauce to complement the pickle's sour taste. Alternatively, you can add unfrozen freeze-pops to the center of your hollowed-out pickle before freezing, giving a simply sweet edge to your dill. Regardless of your choice of filling or addition, however, pickles might be just what you need to cool down on a summer day.

Of course, turning pickles into a sweet or frozen treat is not exactly a new idea. Pickle juice cocktails have long been an off-kilter (but well-loved) drink for those who love its particularly pickle taste. Restaurants such as the iconic drive-in fast food restaurant Sonic have even keyed into the market of pickle juice drinkers. Occasionally, Sonic releases a (non-alcoholic, of course) pickle juice slush on a seasonal basis, primarily during the summer, as a treat for the restaurant's more adventurous diners. The slush has proven to be a fan favorite item, with many pickle juice enthusiasts flocking to the restaurant whenever the drink is back on the menu.

Adding a sugary element to your jar of dill pickles isn't entirely new either. Koolickles, the Mississippi treat that combines Kool-Aid mix with jarred dill pickles, is an increasingly popular snack and, frozen, a Koolickle can make the perfect popsicle. Other methods for popsicle-ing pickles include freezing the delectable pickle juice usually left over in the bottom of your pickle jar. And of course, if you're not feeling particularly crafty, you can always go with store-bought Pickle-Ice Freeze Pops, which are packaged similarly to your favorite freeze-pop, in a convenient plastic tube. Really, there is no way to go wrong if you want to find a way to use your favorite type of pickle.

But the benefits of pickle popsicles go beyond their delicious if antithetical, flavor profile. In fact, pickle popsicles might just be the exact treat you need to keep you from sweltering in the sun. Pickles, thanks to their sodium, potassium, and magnesium content, contain electrolytes key to keeping you hydrated. In fact, its electrolytes can help you to rehydrate better than water in extreme heat, and certainly better than a regular popsicle.

Popsicles, for all of their ice-cold, sweet goodness, can actually prove to be dehydrating. This is because sugar can actually dehydrate the body, especially if consumed in large quantities. If you want to make the most of your pickle popsicle's electrolyte content, you might want to skip the pickle, and go straight for its juice, and pickle juice contains more electrolytes than pickles themselves. Plus, pouring pickle juice into a popsicle mold is pretty easy, and a great way of making the most of leftover juice.

You'll want to be careful not to overdo your pickle popsicle treat, however. Drinking too much pickle juice can cause stomach pain in some, and those on a low-sodium diet may want to steer clear of the oddly green treat due to its high sodium content. However, if consumed carefully, and perhaps with a splash or two of Chamoy, pickle popsicles (or slushes, or Koolickles) might just be the perfect warm-weather snack.