The best brands of pickles with probiotics are raw and naturally fermented kinds. When buying pickles for their probiotic benefits pick brands that have no vinegar and no sugar added. Bubbies, Olive My Pickle, and Kreugermann Pickles are some of my absolute favorite brand pickles. You can find them at the grocery store and others you can order online.
There are lots of pickles in the market. However, few manufacturers understand the art and benefits of fermenting. Here is a definitive list of the best brands of pickles with gut-healthy probiotics in the supermarket and online.
Olive My Pickle
Olive My Pickle sells pickles in a Fermented Pickle Bundle that includes Garlic, Kosher Dill, and Spicy Dill (Amazon link). It says right on the label “Lab Verified Probiotic”. Olive My Pickle packs its products in a bag which makes it easier to store in the pantry and fridge since they’re not bulky.
Bubbies Pickles
Bubbies makes naturally fermented Kosher Dill Pickles (Amazon link) and Kosher Dill Relish. It says so right on the jar, no sugar, no vinegar, all-natural. Their ingredients include cucumbers, water, salt, garlic, dill, spices, mustard seed, and calcium chloride. This brand of pickles is delicious and a great source of naturally fermented probiotic bacteria that foster the good gut bacteria in our bodies.
However, Bubbies Bread & Butter Chips are not fermented. Their Bread & Butter Chips are pasteurized and shelf-stable but equally delicious. Bubbies also make sauerkraut.(Amazon link)
Kreugermann Pickle
Kreugermann (Amazon link) takes pride in its line of pickled products that come from traditional family recipes. For fermenting, Kreugermann uses locally sourced ingredients such as dill and cucumbers and a mild salt solution, which doesn’t have chemical agents. The result is the natural production of probiotics. Kreugermann says it all on their label “In Cloudy Brine, Naturally Fermented Dills“.
Kreugermann tastes naturally sour without vinegar which is great for pickle-lovers who are suffering from hyperacidity.
Oregon Brineworks
Oregon Brineworks is a brand that is so popular their products are flying off the shelves. Beyond the Garlic Dills and Spicy Dills they also make sauerkraut, Beet Kvass (Amazon link), Pickled Beets, and Ginger Roots (Amazon link) which are made with golden beets, carrots, and ginger. A unique trait of Oregon Brineworks is that it doesn’t pasteurize its pickles, and it only sources ingredients from organic farms. These pickles are so good they are often sold out; you can buy their line of fermented foods here.
What kind of pickles have probiotics?
Read the label; if it says “probiotic” or “fermented,” you’ve found the right pickles.
There’s nothing wrong with a vinegar pickle if you like the taste, just know you won’t be getting the gut health benefits that the fermented version offers. And while the vinegar was once a living fermenting food, the jarred pickles have since been heated and pasteurized so it’s no longer alive and active culture.
When buying pickles full of good bacteria, choose naturally fermented kinds, where they did not use vinegar in the pickling process. Fermented pickles are made with sea salt and water solution that feeds the growth of good bacteria, and it may make sour pickles help with your digestion.
Where to find probiotic pickles in the grocery store?
Probiotic pickles will be in the refrigerated section of the health food aisle. The pickles found in the middle aisles are not fermented.
A fermented food, including pickles, will always be found in the refrigerated section of the produce aisle or health food aisle. The cooler temperatures halt the fermentation process without harming the fragile beneficial strains of bacteria present in fermented food.
Fermented pickles are considered a probiotic food, which means they contain beneficial strains of bacteria that, if consumed often, can contribute to the population and diversity of our gut microbiome.
Fermented foods are full of probiotics and help your body fight disease more effectively by supporting your immune system. Eating more fermented foods also reduces gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Fermented pickles are excellent sources of these mighty microbes.
The difference between pickling and fermenting pickles
Canning pickles is the process of submerging the sliced or speared cucumbers in a brine made of vinegar, water, salt, and a variety of spices or herbs. The brine is to preserve the pickles by creating an acidic environment that prevents harmful bacteria, yeast, mold, and other contaminants from growing.
Pickling foods is a great way to preserve foods for a long period of time.
When you ferment pickles, you also make a brine. But this brine which includes water, salt, spices, and herbs, promotes the growth of good bacteria, i.e., probiotics. The vegetables are kept below the brine to remove the oxygen, which allows the probiotics to grow.
What are brands of pickles are not fermented?
Shelf-stable brands of pickles that are marinated in vinegar and sugar don’t have probiotics. This method of pickling is called fresh-pack. These pickles don’t offer the same probiotic benefits that fermented pickles offer. That doesn’t mean they are bad for you, they just don’t have gut-healthy bacteria.
The most common pickle brands such as Vlasic, Mt. Olive, and Nalley are not fermented.
Did I cover everything you wanted to know about probiotic pickles?
In this article, we went over which brands of pickles have probiotics. How to find them while shopping in the grocery store. We also discussed why eating fermented pickles is good for you.
Aside from providing you with a constant supply of probiotics, fermented dill pickles excel in boosting your body’s supply of vitamin K and vitamin A.
Fermented pickles are better than typical pickles because they promote a healthier gut. It’s easy to know which pickles are fermented by reading the label. You can also go for the refrigerated pickles because most of these are fermented.
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