Smoked Dill Pickle Dip

Aug 11, 2023 • Tom Jackson

Just in time for tailgate season comes this Smoked Dill Pickle Dip. Cream cheese is smoked on the Yoder Smokers YS480s then blended with sour cream, fried panko, dill and chopped pickles for this irresistible side dish. Serve it up with a dill potato chip and it will be the hit of your next summer party.

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE

A full hour of smoke, not a shortcut. Smoking the whole block of cream cheese for an hour over hickory builds real smoke flavor all the way through, not just a light dusting on top.
Crunch built in, not sprinkled on after. Toasting the panko in seasoned olive oil before folding it in gives every bite texture, instead of a purely smooth dip.
No second cook required. Once the cream cheese is smoked, everything else is just mixing — there's no additional baking or heating after that.
A genuine use for extra smoked cream cheese. If you're already smoking a block for another recipe, doubling up makes this dip essentially free extra effort.

Smoked Dill Pickle Dip

Tom Jackson

Rated 3.9 stars by 35 users

Cuisine

American

Servings

8

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Calories

130

Grab the chips! Chef Tom whips up a party-worthy Smoked Dill Pickle Dip. It’s creamy, smoky and briny, flecked with fresh dill and chopped pickles, and 100 percent delicious.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

8 oz smoked cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup KC Canning Co. Cucumber Dilly Pickles, minced
2 tbsp KC Canning Co. Cucumber Dilly Pickle juice
1 tbsp fresh dill, minced
1/4 cup panko
1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Potato chips, pork rinds, veggies, etc., for dipping

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Directions

Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet Grill to 250ºF, set up for smoking.
Fill an AMAZE-N Tube Smoker with hickory pellets. Place on the bottom grate on the left side of the grill. Light with a torch. Let flame burn for about 30 seconds before blowing it out.
Place the block of cream cheese on a FrogMat and place on the second shelf of the grill, near the smoke stack.
Smoke the cream cheese for 1 hour. Remove and let cool slightly.
Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a Lodge 8” Steel Skillet, over medium heat. When the oil is hot add Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning and panko. Cook gently, stirring frequently until toasted. Add the fried panko to the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
Combine the smoked cream cheese, sour cream, KC Canning Co. Cucumber Dilly Pickles, chopped dill, and pickle juice in a medium sized bowl.
Serve with chips, pork rinds and/or veggies for dipping.

Recipe Note

Recipe FAQ

Why smoke the cream cheese for a full hour?
An hour over hickory gives the smoke enough time to penetrate the whole block, not just the surface — a shorter smoke would leave the flavor thin and uneven.

Why toast the panko separately instead of adding it raw?
Cooking the panko in seasoned olive oil until golden gives the dip a crunchy topping texture — raw panko would just turn soggy once mixed in.

Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes — it holds well in the fridge for a few days, and the flavor often deepens slightly overnight as the pickle and dill continue to mingle with the cream cheese.

Can I use regular cream cheese instead of smoking it myself?
You can, but you'll lose the smoky depth that gives this dip its name — a bit of liquid smoke can approximate it in a pinch.

What's the best way to serve this?
Potato chips and pork rinds hold up well to the dip's thickness, and fresh veggies like celery or carrots work for a lighter option.

How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — works indoors with adjustments, but the grill is recommended. Everything after the smoking step is simple stovetop and mixing work; it's the tube-smoker step that needs an actual grill or smoker.

Recipe Highlights

Cold-smoked with a tube smoker: Direction Steps 2–4 use an A-Maze-N tube smoker loaded with hickory pellets to smoke the cream cheese for a full hour — that extended, indirect smoke is what gives the dip its signature depth.
Panko toasted in seasoned oil: Step 5 cooks the panko in olive oil with Trail Dust seasoning until toasted before it ever touches the dip — that step is what turns a plain breadcrumb into a flavorful, crunchy topping.
Mixed cold, no second cook: Step 6 combines the cooled smoked cream cheese with the rest of the ingredients directly — nothing gets baked or reheated after the initial smoke.
Built to double as a versatile base: The smoked cream cheese technique here is the same base used across several other dip and popper recipes on the site, so mastering this one step unlocks multiple other dishes.