These pickle boats are whole dill pickles cut in half, hollowed out, and filled with cream cheese, cheddar, and a mix of dried dill, parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder, then wrapped in bacon and baked until the bacon is crisp. If you like jalapeño poppers, this is the same idea with a salty, tangy pickle in place of the pepper. I serve them with a quick homemade ranch for dipping. They are a fun change from the usual bacon-wrapped appetizer at a party or on game day. Six pickles make twelve boats, and they are ready in about 50 minutes.
If you like my Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts and Bacon-Wrapped Mini Peppers, these are the same bacon-wrapped idea with a stuffed pickle in the middle.
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 them, I’m asked to share the recipe!
They are bite-sized, easy to pass around at a party, and go well with cold drinks like strawberry basil smash, sugar-free lemonade, raspberry sorbet wine spritzer, or spiked frozen Coke.
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💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to put together: slice, hollow out, stuff, and wrap.
- Made with simple ingredients you may already have on hand.
- Naturally low in carbs, since it is mostly pickles, cheese, and bacon.
- The salty, tangy pickle balances the rich cream cheese and bacon.
- Something different to put out at a party or on game day.
- Ready in about 50 minutes.
➡️ 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 and wrap each one tightly with bacon so the filling stays in. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F until the bacon is just crispy, about 25 to 30 minutes, flipping each pickle over after 15 minutes so the bacon crisps 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 as crisp as you like it, about 1 to 3 minutes. Watch closely so it does not burn.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the pickles to cool slightly before serving with your homemade ranch.
🍴 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. Leave the seeds in for more heat or scrape them out for less. 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 use zucchini instead of pickles.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Shredded mozzarella, Colby-Jack, or Monterey Jack are good options.
- Mayonnaise: Greek yogurt works well 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 jalapeños 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
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Bacon Pickle Boats Stuffed With Cream Cheese
Ingredients
Pickle Boats:
- 6 whole dill pickles, ~210g
- ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons, 3 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup + 3 Tablespoons, 49g shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 12 small bacon slices, ~275g
Ranch:
- ½ cup 120g mayonnaise
- ¼ cup 60g sour cream
- 2 Tablespoons 30mL heavy whipping cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons 7g apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pickle Boats: Slice dill pickles in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds of each pickle half with small spoon or teaspoon measuring spoon.
- 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.
- Ranch: While pickles bake, in a mixing bowl, mix together all ranch ingredients. Set aside.
- 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.
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