What You Should Know About Pickle Milkshakes

It may sound like madness, but pickle milkshakes have become a bit of a thing in the world of edgy snacks. Maybe the usual flavors are too vanilla to excite surly sippers, so adding a salty tingle helps reignite the magic. Maybe deli fans who know everything about pickles thought they needed a spot on the menu of unlikely food combinations that actually work. Whatever the reason, it appears that after getting off to a squishy start, this sweet tart of a tongue tickler is finally making waves in the world.

Before adding this questionable quaff to your list of pickle hacks, you should know the background of what you're getting mixed up with. We opened the lid on as much information as we could find about what would possess someone to create such an unlikely combination and convince others to get in on the fun. Surprisingly, there's been a great deal of buzz surrounding this taste bud-tingling treat over the years, including a bit of love from the Magic Kingdom itself. Whether you're eager to try a pickle milkshake or wondering if you should avoid it at all costs, we've got the rill dill.

Pickles with ice cream is nothing new. The combination has been recognized as a craving for pregnant women for years. According to WebMD, the strange mix may be due to the common yearning for salty and fatty foods while the baby develops. Even famous television shows like "I Love Lucy" used the trope to show the strange shape pregnancy cravings are prone to taking. These two seemingly unblendable foods became inextricably linked, not because they taste great together — that's a matter of opinion — but because they symbolized the wild ride of eating to create a human being.

Pickle and ice cream pregnancy cravings never seem to last beyond delivery, if they even make it that far. Yet somehow, the pairing has crept into the easily bored brains of internet food explorers who ran out of things to experiment with after the Grimace shake went south. Maybe the deeper meaning to be found in putting pickles and ice cream together is that against all odds, entirely unexpected elements can coalesce to become something as profound as a new life ... or as unappealing as a sour milkshake.

Not unexpectedly, even a pickle milkshake served with all the enchantment Disney can muster is a tough pill to swallow. One Instagram reviewer described in detail exactly how pickle-y the concoction tastes, calling out flavor notes like a true connoisseur ... just before revealing they didn't actually like it. Give them points for trying, plus bonus points for unflinching honesty, and bonus-bonus points for helping pickle fans find their way to a new quaff when they visit Mickeytown. Considering the cost is shown at $5.75 as of August 2023, it could be one of the more affordable experiments to engage in during a trip to the park.

The folks at Disney Food Blog report similar ups and downs when it comes to giving this novelty nosh a fair shake. Though there seems to be no denying the unusual qualities offered by the blend, whether or not "unusual" means "fantastic" requires highly individualized interpretation. For parkgoers who are game to give it a go, they can minimally say they tried it, even if they didn't like it. And if they do end up liking it, there's more where that came from. Everybody wins. Especially the Disney corporation.

Leave it to Chick-Fil-A, a chain known for its judicious use of pickles, to pull a puckerific prank on its devoted audience. When April 1 rolls around, folks at franchise locations load their socials with humorous references to a brand new flavor in the shake family: the frosted pickle milkshake. The outlet's quintessential soft serve is inundated with tangy pickles and topped with a blast of whipped cream, garnished with more pickle slices, of course. It's quaint enough to fool the most dedicated diners. But it's all a clever ruse; there's no Chick-Fil-A pickle shake to be had.

Search the internet for this mythical dessert, however, and you'd swear this unwise blend of sugar and brine was the real deal. More cleverly faked photos and enthusiastic descriptions show up every year. The idea of a sweet and sour combination at this popular chain may extend into the imaginary with the pickle shake, but everyone who's eaten there knows the real pucker power belongs to its irreplaceable lemonade. Now that concoction is a real punch in the taste buds. No foolin', April or otherwise.

There's no reason to combine pickles and milk, other than an uncontrolled sense of gustatory adventure or absolute boredom with literally anything else in your fridge. And yet, pickle milk has made an appearance on the beverage landscape, and it's no mere mirage wavering in the distance ... or maybe it is. Bearing the repulsive name Pilk, this unnecessary beverage seems to have appeared in dairy cases out of nowhere, much to the shock of consumers who never asked for this kind of trouble. 

As happens frequently in the age of AI, some commenters on Reddit cried foul when they saw this meme-ready bottle. "That's a Photoshop of fairlife milk packaging," says one user, which is a fair assessment. Further research reveals no viable evidence that pickle-based milk in any form or flavor actually exists as anything more than a troubling internet meme. This leaves Pilk free to be used as the name for the TikTok trend of blending Pepsi with milk, a rehash of the old Laverne & Shirley staple milk and Pepsi. Have drinks always been this confusing, or did we just enter an alternate dimension?

Because one fast-food outlet can't seem to get in on a trend without the rest following suit, Sonic had its own entry in the pickle-flavored frozen treat race with a pickle slush. It was the grooviest green you've ever seen, and it made a quick return for late summer 2022 before evaporating in the lingering heat. The fast turnaround on this nuclear green oddity may have been for the best.

Anyone interested in trying a version at home, where it's possible for weird food trends to live on forever, can crack the lid on Slushie Machine Guide's pucker-worthy recipe. According to the recipe, all it takes are ice cubes and leftover pickle juice, which you should never throw out because then you would be unprepared for opportunities like this. This is an eat-immediately-if-at-all creation, so be prepared to sip right away. What will be worse, the brain freeze or the permanent pucker as you devour your slush? Maybe it'll be a tie.

After you've had a chance to track down your favorite store-bought pickles, you might find yourself interested in blending them into a smoothie with peanut butter instead of munching on them solo. This combination consists of your favorite peanut butter, a packet of protein powder, and pickle juice. It may take a little trial and error to come up with a consistency that works best for your sensibilities. Then again, you're making a pickle and peanut butter beverage, so it may take a lot of trial and error to get the balance right.

Think of this mash-up as a green drink with extra green and sodium to spare, something your body needs in controlled doses. Even having protein, healthy fats, electrolytes, and wild flavor in every sip, this one-of-a-kind concoction may be a once-in-a-lifetime idea to test out. But what's not to love about that? Perhaps the flavor ... and even that may grow on you over time. If not, there's bound to be a new and exciting taste trend coming down the pike to replace pickle beverages any minute now.