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Real Balanced

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Home Recipes Bacon Pickle Boats Stuffed With Cream Cheese

Bacon Pickle Boats Stuffed With Cream Cheese

Net Carbs:1.6g
Published:08/11/22Updated:08/11/22
6 Comments This post contains affiliate links.
Jump to Recipe·★★★★★5 from 6 reviews
Bacon Pickle Boats Stuffed With Cream Cheese WordPress Pin. At the top, there’s an avocado-green box with text that reads: “gluten-free · nut-free · coconut-free.” Below the avocado-green box, there’s text that reads: “Bacon Pickle Boats Stuffed With Cream Cheese.” The photo shows a plate with the Bacon Pickle Boats Stuffed With Cream Cheese and a bowl of ranch sprinkled with dill. Below the photo, there’s text that reads: “realbalanced.com.”
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These Bacon Pickle Boats Stuffed With Cream Cheese (aka pickle poppers) are a perfect party or game day appetizer that can be made in under 1 hour. If you love jalapeño poppers, this low-carb and gluten-free pickle-based variation is sure to be a winner!

Prepared Bacon Pickle Boats Stuffed With Cream Cheese on a plate garnished with fresh dill.
Dunk each stuffed pickle boat in homemade ranch for a delicious and filling appetizer!

What goes good on pickles? Bacon!

This pickle appetizer is the perfect addition to your party table or to enjoy as a low-carb snack!

Each pickle half is turned into a hollow boat that is then stuffed with a mixture of cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and spices then wrapped in bacon and served with homemade ranch.

Every time I’ve served it, I’m asked to share the recipe!

Each pickle boat contains just 1.6 grams of net carbs so, if you’re looking for a low-carb appetizer recipe, try this one!

keto pickle poppers dipped in a bowl of ranch on a plate atop a marble kitchen counter
Serve these pickle boats as an appetizer on their own or garnish with some fresh dill!

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Jump To... hide
💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
➡️ Ingredients
⏲ How to make bacon pickle boats stuffed with cream cheese
🍴 Net carbs
👉 Ingredient substitution suggestions
✨ Variations of pickle boats
💬 FAQs for bacon pickle boats
📚 More savory appetizers
🍽 Recipe

💛 Why you’ll love this recipe

  • Very easy to prepare!
  • Includes straightforward ingredients you may already have on-hand.
  • Low in carbs, perfect for a keto diet, and gluten-free.
  • Stuffed with cream cheese AND wrapped in bacon!
  • Different and fun recipe for serving at parties.
  • Can be made in less than 1 hour.

➡️ Ingredients

  • Dill pickles
  • Cream cheese
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Dried dill
  • Dried parsley
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Bacon
  • Mayo
  • Sour cream
  • Heavy whipping cream
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Pepper
  • Salt

⏲ How to make bacon pickle boats stuffed with cream cheese

This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full oven instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

  • Slice the pickles in half lengthwise then scoop out the seeds from the center of the pickles.
  • Mix together the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, and spices then spoon that into the pickle halves, wrap with bacon, and place on a baking sheet before baking until the bacon is just crispy. Then, flip each pickle over after 15 minutes to ensure the bacon crisps up on all sides.
  • While the pickles bake, mix together all of the ranch ingredients.
  • With the pan of pickles still in the oven, turn the oven broiler on and broil until the bacon is crispy.
  • Remove the pan from the oven and allow the pickles to cool slightly before serving with your homemade ranch.
The step-by-step process of making pickle boats with homemade ranch.
Bacon-wrapped pickles with a bowl of ranch on a plate atop a marble kitchen counter.

🍴 Net carbs

Each serving contains 1.6 grams of net carbs. 1 pickle boat + ~1 Tablespoon ranch is equivalent to 1 serving and the recipe yields 12 servings.

Net carbs are calculated by taking total carbs, subtracting fiber, and subtracting sugar alcohols.

You can find the full nutrition information, including calories, total carbs, protein, and fat content, in the nutrition label below the recipe instructions within the recipe card.

👉 Ingredient substitution suggestions

  • Dill Pickles: Jalapeños can be used here at a 1:1 ratio. You will need to de-seed them based on your spice preference. Note that baking time will likely be different than what is written in the original recipe, so be sure to watch them carefully to avoid burning. You could also even use zucchini instead of pickles!
  • Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Shredded mozzarella, Colby-Jack, or Monterey Jack are good options.
  • Mayonnaise: Greek Yogurt works great here at a 1:1 ratio. Or, sour cream can be used in place of mayonnaise. Note that since the recipe already calls for sour cream, you will need to use the originally written amount of sour cream (¼ cup) plus an additional ½ cup to substitute for the mayonnaise.
  • Sour Cream: Mayonnaise can be used in place of sour cream. Since the recipe already calls for mayonnaise though, you will need to use the originally written amount of mayonnaise (½ cup) plus an additional ¼ cup to substitute for the sour cream.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar: White wine vinegar or lemon juice can be substituted here at a 1:1 ratio.

Keep in mind that any changes you make to this recipe may modify the carb content.

✨ Variations of pickle boats

  • Mix finely chopped pickled or fresh jalapenos into the cream cheese mixture.
  • Mix some air fryer roasted garlic into the cream cheese mixture.
  • Stir in some honey or syrup (I like Lakanto’s Maple-Flavored Syrup) into the cream cheese mixture.
  • Sprinkle Golden Monk Fruit Sweetener or brown sugar atop the bacon before baking.
  • Use a basting brush to spread some syrup atop the bacon before baking.

💬 FAQs for bacon pickle boats

Does it matter what kind of bacon I use?

Not necessarily, but I would suggest using thin slices, if possible. This will ensure the bacon cooks evenly.

What can I do with the scooped-out pickle centers?

You can chop up the centers and add them to tuna salad or egg salad. Or, you could even really finely chop them up and add them to the cream cheese mixture and put them right back into the pickle boats!

Can I make these in the air fryer?

I would think so, yes! I would suggest cooking them in batches at 400 degrees until the bacon is crispy. You will need to flip them over halfway through cooking.

How should the leftovers of the pickle boats be stored?

Store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

📚 More savory appetizers

  • Cheesy Chicken Fritters
  • Golden Jicama Fries
  • Oven Roasted Radishes
  • Keto Stuffed Mushroom
  • Baked Feta Recipe

🍽 Recipe

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Prepared Bacon Pickle Boats Stuffed With Cream Cheese on a plate garnished with fresh dill.

Bacon Pickle Boats Stuffed With Cream Cheese


★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews

  • Author: Sara Nelson
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 12 pickle boats 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

These Bacon Pickle Boats Stuffed With Cream Cheese (aka pickle poppers) are a perfect party or game day appetizer that can be made in under 1 hour. If you love jalapeño poppers, this low-carb and gluten-free pickle-based variation is sure to be a winner!


Ingredients

Pickle Boats:

  • 6 whole dill pickles (~210g)
  • 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup + 3 Tablespoons (49g) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 12 small bacon slices (~275g)

Ranch:

  • 1/2 cup (120g) mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream
  • 2 Tablespoons (30mL) heavy whipping cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (7g) apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp dried dill
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Pickle Boats: Slice large dill pickles in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds of each pickle half with small spoon or teaspoon measuring spoon.
  3. In a mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, shredded cheddar, and spices. Spoon mixture into dill pickle halves, wrap each with bacon as tightly as possible to avoid mixture spilling out, and transfer each to prepared baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to oven to bake until bacon is just crispy, about 25-30 minutes, flipping each over after 15 minutes to ensure bacon crisps up on all sides.
  4. Ranch: While pickles bake, in a mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients. Set aside.
  5. Final Steps: With pan of pickles still in oven, turn oven broiler on and broil until desired crispiness of bacon is reached, about 1-3 minutes, watching carefully to ensure they do not burn. Remove pan from oven, allow pickles to cool slightly, before serving with prepared ranch.

Recipe Notes:

Net Carbs: Each serving contains 1.6 grams of net carbs. 1 pickle boat + ~1 Tablespoon ranch is equivalent to 1 serving and the recipe yields 12 servings.

Storage: Store the pickle boats in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Keywords: pickle boats, stuffed pickle boats, keto pickle poppers, bacon pickles cream cheese

Did you make this recipe?

Tag me on Instagram at @realbalanced or leave me a comment & rating below.

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6 Comments

  1. Lisa says

    February 15, 2023 at 8:31 am

    Made these for a weekend get together and everyone loved them. The flavor combo is very good.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Shelby says

    February 15, 2023 at 8:25 am

    There is everything I love in these haha I used them for an app on the weekend but honestly now I’m just going to make them for snacks, they’re so tasty!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Gina says

    February 15, 2023 at 6:53 am

    These were amazing.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Kate says

    February 15, 2023 at 5:12 am

    Our pickle poppers turned out delicious! I can’t wait to make them again

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Karen Kelly says

    February 14, 2023 at 4:37 pm

    I am not on the keto diet but I loved these. They were packed with flavor and easy to make

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Linda says

    August 11, 2022 at 8:33 am

    We really liked these. I didnt have all of the ingredients for the ranch so i subbed a few and it still turned out. Will make again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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My name is Sara Nelson, and I am the face behind Real Balanced. I am a Mom to two and a proud Wisconsinite. Here, you will find easy and delicious tried-and-true recipes that can often be made in minimal time. Read More
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