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Pickle Juice and Its Many Uses
Okay you've finished that last pickle and are about to dump the juice down the drain, and either save the jar or throw it away. STOP! Don't dispose or do anything until you read all the great things you can do with the pickle juice. Yes this wonderful pickle juice can be reused in recipes and more.
Frugal Uses For Leftover Pickle Juice
- Do you like Caesars or Bloody Mary's? Put the pickle juice into ice cube trays and freeze. Instead of using plain old regular ice cubes next time you whip up a Bloody Mary or Caesar, use pickled ice cubes for a little bit of a zippier taste.
- Out of vinegar for that marinade? Grab some pickle juice.
- Use it next time you're making a homemade salad dressing.
- I really like pickled beets and hate to pay the price of them because I go threw so many of them. I cook fresh beets and use the left over pickle juice for the beets.
- I've heard that in Texas they make snow cones with pickle juice.
- Do you like dill pickle potato chips but only have plain on hand? Put the potato chips in a bowl and spritz with the pickle juice.
- Pickle juice can be used to add flavor and moisture to potato salad, egg salad, macaroni salad, tuna salad, coleslaw and used in onion dip as well.
- Peel and slice some cucumbers and add them to the pickle juice. Leave for them sitting in the juice for a few hours and serve as a condiment with any meal.
- Asparagus spears are very tasty in pickle juice. Simply blanch them and add them right to the jar. Let them sit for a day before eating.
- Let's not forget pickled eggs. Hard boil eggs, peel and add to the pickle jar with juice.
Is Pickle Juice Healthy?
The Philadelphia Eagles said that they drink pickle juice to avoid leg cramps. There's actually a drink called Pickle Juice Sport, that apparently has more electrolytes in it than Gatorade or Powerade. The way in which this works is: When you exercise and sweat your body loses salt, which are electrolytes, thus causing cramping in the muscles. By drinking pickle juice, Gatorade or Powerade, you're replenishing the body of needed electrolytes. Because pickle juice is high in salt content a healthy person should not drink more than two ounces of this at one time and it should be diluted with water.
Some people have thought that pickle juice can aide in getting rid of a stomach ache or bacteria in the stomach. This is a myth, as the ingredients in pickle juice will not kill the bacteria in the stomach.
It's always best to check with your health care profession first before drinking pickle juice.
Please note that pickle juice has been know to cause Acid Reflux also known as Heartburn.
Ingredients in Pickle Juice
- Vinegar is the main ingredient in pickle juice.
- Salt
- Potassium
- Vitamin C
- Sugar
- Dill
- Garlic
- Onion
- Cloves
- Calcium Chloride
Pickle Juice
Do You Reuse Your Pickle Juice
Recipes for Pickle Juice
- Make Relish and Pickled Cabbage Using Left Over Pickle Juice!
Pickle juice recipes. Make relish and pickled cabbage from pickle juice. Use up your pickle juice, don't throw it away!
© 2012 Susan Zutautas
Comments
- Author
Hi Liz, Yes the pickle juice sure does work great for muscle cramps and spasms.
Thanks so much and have a great day!
My husband has sworn by pickle juice since way before I met him; back into his high school days. He said the coach kept a jar of pickle juice in his office for when the football team, or other athletes would get muscle cramps (anywhere--not just legs)!
I sometimes get a charlie horse in my calf muscles if I stretch wrong, and I have resisted trying this until one day, it was just SO bad; I gave in, and wow--it does work--just about instantly!
As to the other uses, I had not thought of those, but will try it; especially for the beets. I usually keep the jar of juice in the fridge once the pickles are gone, anyway, for the above reason.
Great article! Shared & Pinned
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Always nice to see you Peg.
Reading this one again as I've just finished a huge jar of pickles. I like the idea of using it on beets. And I always wash and keep the jars for storing my dried seeds from watermelon, cantaloupe and other seeds.
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I always have a jar in my fridge :) Always nice to see you Minnetonka!
Well my goodness Susan-I never even thought of saving pickle juice. Thanks for sharing these great tips.
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Thanks for stopping by Thelma.
I am already using the pickle juice for different kinds of salads. I have learned this from my late mother-in-law. Maybe that´s what she did during the 2nd world war. Thanks for reminding me.
Thanks for checking that out. It was something I remembered from my childhood and just never questioned it. Thanks again, have a great day.
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azrestoexp, I had to go and do some research about dumping pickle juice down a drain and here's what I found. If you have a clogged drain take pickle juice and put it into a pot. Boil it on your stove and then pour it down the drain. It is supposed to unclog the drain. I'll have to try this, and if it works I'll add it to this hub.
Nice to meet you!
I too am at the end of a jar so I'm glad I found your hub. I had heard somewhere that you shouldn't dump the jucie down the drain. Don't remember why, but I never have. Will definitely give some of your suggestions a try.
- Author
Thanks so much Debby and Happy Halloween!
Hey Susan. Magnesium is the element and also potassium. There is a lovely little Schussler cell salt called Mag-phos for those cramps (menses). It is a combination of magnesium and phosphorus. However, there are a number of other remedies specifically for leg cramps. The bananas are good! Blessings, Debby
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Debby, I find if I eat bananas every single day I don't get the cramps as often. I suppose it is a potassium thing. I'll have to try the soap. Thanks for telling me about this.
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Lisa, My sons think I'm coo coo too whenever I grab the bottle of pickle of juice out of the fridge.
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Those might be good on a hot day :)
Susan - great tips for using the pickle juice. Regarding the leg cramps, my aunt puts a bar of soap in her socks when going to bed at night and says this helps. Of course, there are a number of excellent homeopathic remedies to address leg cramps, that may clear up the problem. Wondering if your body craves an element that is missing or can be found in the pickle juice? Blessings, Debby
My brother (who has passed) always used to drink pickle juice! He loved it! I thought he was coo-coo! But come to think of it.. he never got a leg cramp! LOL I had no idea that pickle juice was good for that! Not to mention all the other wonderful ideas.. Never throwing out my pickle juice again! Love this hub... MUCHO! Thumbs up and shared!
My cousin used to eat pickled popsicles. That's basically popsicles made from the pickle juice.
- Author
SilverGenes, It really does work for the leg and foot cramps. I asked my son to get me the pickle juice out of the fridge the other night and he gave me the strangest look :)
I never thought of freezing it for ice cubes. What a great idea! I have stuffed thawed frozen veggies in it though...yum! I'm going to try a bit for those nasty foot and leg cramps, too! Thanks for these creative ideas :)
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I drink it when I get foot or leg cramps. It really works great to get rid of them. Thanks so much Kelley.
Thanks for these fantastic ideas. I grew up drinking pickle juice at the movie theater here in Oklahoma. Yuck!!!! But we loved it then. I can't imagine how much sodium I drank... Voted up and shared! Kelley
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Wesman, It would probably be great! Thanks for the idea :)
Yes the juice would DEFINITELY be hot - it would be ....pickled jalapeno juice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey, that might really go good for a dash of spice in the Bloody Mary!!!!
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Wesman, I've been tempted to try the juice in the jalapeno pepper jars :) Do you think it would be hot? I grew jalapeno peppers one year and boy were they ever good!
I can picture you in J.H. throwing pickle juice :)
I don't just like Jalapeno peppers....I REALLY like Jalapeno peppers. I prefer them pickled, but they are plenty good fresh too.
I sometimes put the fresh ones into pickle juice - its sort of a compromise!
When I was in Jr. High there was a theater in town - we're in a small town, so it was a really small theater...I think they have church in there now.
In the theater they sold cups of pickle juice for eleven cents...and you know how bad Jr. High kids are...we'd buy it just to toss at each other. :-/
- Author
Dia, Nice to meet you and glad that you liked my pickle juice tips. Thanks for stopping by and for your comments.
Every time I buy a jar of pickle, I would just drain off the water and never had much thought about it. I never would have come up with brilliant ideas to use the juice to make a dressing or ice cubes! My next pickle juice will be made into a dressing with some herbs and olive oil!
Thank you for the tips! (I'm saving it for future use!)
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JamaGenee, So glad you liked the hub. The ice cubes would be good in V-8.
Funniest thing...I'm nearly at the end of a jar of dill slices and was wondering if there was something I could do with the juice instead of pouring it down the drain!
Except for an occasional margarita, I don't drink, so pickle juice ice cubes will go into plain tomato juice or V-8 for extra "zip"!
Thanks for all these great tips! Voted up, useful and interesting! ;D
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celebritie, Me too :)
I like to have pickle juice in my potatoe salad, yummo.
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HawaiiHeart, Nice to meet you, and thanks.
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Brian, It's the juice that's left over in the pickle jars. Thanks.
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Jennifer, Thank you.
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Susan, I was so surprised at how well the pickle juice worked one night when I was having foot cramps. Thank you so much!
Great ideas! There's always so much juice left it's such a waste to throw it out...but now I have some ideas on what to do with it!
Great idea Susan. I have not heard of pickle juice before but this really easy to do and I bet they taste great. Voted up :)
I didn't know pickle juice had so many uses! Thanks for sharing : ) Voted up and useful
I love pickles and pickle juice. I hadn't thought of using the juice in recipes or as substitutions. I have used it for cramps, though. Works like a miracle!! I may have to try the Pickle Juice Sport drink! Thanks for sharing!! Votes and shares. :-)
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Ardie, It works quite nicely with the cucumbers as well as cauliflower too.
I am going to have to try this with cucumbers! I don't like pickles but all three of my kids do so I always have plenty of extra pickle juice on hand :) Great Hub!
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Audrey, I was sure glad to have the pickle juice last night when my feet were cramping up.
I love pickles but have never thought about using the juice--I will now! Thank you!
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Don, Quite often I get cramps in my feet at night. Last night I decided to try the pickle juice and I'm happy to say that it worked. A couple of swigs and about two minutes later the cramps in my feet were gone.
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Jennifer, Pickle juice is pretty cool stuff :)
A Really good Hub. And I am trying out some of these uses soon. Thanks fro an interesting Hub.
This is very interesting. I had not idea there were so many uses. Awesome job. Thanks for sharing.
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Just_Rodney, I've never made homemade mayo, but something I'll have to try making.
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Prasetio, Thank you for stopping by to learn about pickle juice. Always nice to see you.
After a bit of frugal thinking, you can, after straining it use it to make homemade Mayo. The residual dill would add a certain something to the mayo's taste, especially to Mercy's dvelilled eggs.
I had never heard about pickle juice and this is the first time I hear about this juice. Susan, thank you very much for share complete information about pickle juice. Good job and rated up!
Prasetio
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Ruchira, Glad that you stopped by and that you learned something. Thanks.
I am not much of a pickle person 'cause our indian food has spices already...lol
but, I sure did learn something today...Thanks!
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alifeofdesign, Thank you so much. Glad you liked it.
It's good to know that I'm not alone! Other's re-purpose pickle juice...Yah! Great suggestions and FUN hub. Nicely done, Just Ask Susan!
Best Regards-
- Author
Marcy, Dill pickles are my favorite with lots of garlic. Thanks so much :)
I wished I had seen this list of ideas years ago - I use pickle juice in potato salad and a tiny bit in deviled eggs now and then, but I've been missing out on some of these ideas! I love pickles - especially dill. Thanks for sharing this information with us! Voted up, useful and awesome.
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Just_Rodney, Straining it would help :) Thanks LOL
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RH, Danielle said tequila, and it sounds like a good chaser to me. Shall we try one :)
Great hub, only I strain the juice before reusing it as often there are little bitty pieces of spices which get into your drinks. LOL
Did you say tequila?!
- Author
mvaivata, Thank you, glad you like it. Always nice to meet another pickle fan :)
Danielle, Oh sweet, will try that next time I have tequila. Good excuse to go buy a bottle :)
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alphagirl, Thanks you. I like all kinds of pickles :)
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Ruby, Glad to hear that you too use your pickle juice :)
wow! incredible. I love pickles...especially kosher, not the sweet pickles.
This is great Susan. I always use my pickle juice, esp. making cole slaw. You listed some new ideas..Thank you..Smiles
- Author
Pamela, Peg, drbj, and Melovy, Thanks everyone. Glad everyone found this hub useful. I think I too would pass on the snow cone :)
Hi Susan,
I answered “ I had no idea there were so many uses for pickle juice” because I had no idea! I particularly like the idea of marinading asparagus spears.
Lost of useful ideas here, thanks for the hub.
Well, Susan, you saved my pickle juice from an early extermination. Who knew there were so many intriguing uses for this stuff? I think I'll skip one though - the snow cone with pickle juice! Uh-uh!
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Phyllis, I didn't know that the eggs would keep that long. They usually don't last much past a few days at my house. The asparagus is quite good, and you can use either the white or green.
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Sue, Thanks for stopping by to read this, even though you're not a pickle fan.:)
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RH, I love deep fried pickles.
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Brett, Really? Fruit flies. I will defiantly try this as I've tried so many ways to get rid of fruit flies. I've used beer in a bowl, made a garlic paste and let that sit out on a plate, and many other ways. Thanks :)
Who would have thought of using pickle juice in so many different ways? Well, you, of course! Great ideas and I will definitely be using the pickle juice cure for leg cramps.
I never knew pickle juice could be used in so many ways. I love dill pickles and will try out some of your suggestions. A very useful hub.
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cebutouristspot, Every little bit helps when it comes to saving money.
A.A. Store bought pickles themselves will keep in the frige I believe for about a year. They never last much longer than two weeks in my house :). The juice itself I would imagine the same amount of time, but personally I wouldn't keep it more than a few months.
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NMLady, Thank you, glad you found more useful ideas.
cloverleaffarm, I'll have to try the juice with the baking soda. Thanks.
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tsmog, Thanks :)
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sgbrown, The next time I slice the cucumbers I'll add some sliced onions too. Thank you!
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Rebecca, It is quite good in salad dressings, and thank you.
moonlake, Glad you enjoyed the hub and thanks.
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lady rain & Dear God, Thank you both for stopping by and for your comments.
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mrslagibb, Nice to meet you. On fish and chips, great idea. Wastes not, want not is my motto too :)
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missolive, Thank you. I would love to know how your Grandmother made her mustard dressing as I use quite a bit of mustard when I make potato salad.
Honestly, it also makes a great shot chaser. Chase tequila with pickle juice and its called either a "Border Hopper" or a "mexican hooker". Up north its just called a "pickle back".
I have an unnatural love for pickles, so this is great! I also kind of wondered if you could reasonably place fresh cucumbers in pickle juice and get a similar-ish result. Thank you for putting this together. I will certainly be sharing this groovy hub!
Hi Susan. This is a great informative hub. Pickle juice is one of the things I use a lot in my kitchen. Boiled eggs will keep for three months or more in pickle juice. I like the juice of bread and butter pickles for the eggs and vegetables. There was a huge discussion on this in a frugal forum on another site I write for and the ideas that came up were awesome. One thing we did not think about was the asparagus. I bet that would be really good.
Up Useful and Interesting
Hi Susan,
I am not a big fan of pickles but I am very impressed with the many uses of pickle juice that you have shared with us.
Voted up and interesting
Take Care :)
I do reuse pickle juice! I did not know there were so many more uses - like the ice cube idea is genius! I buy breaded pickle chips and deep fry them on occasion...and I reuse the juice to make pickled mushrooms too!
Fun and up and everything!
You can also use pickle juice to catch fruit flies!
I never considered using it for salad dressing. I love the bread and butter juice. How long can you keep it in a fridge? Thank you as always for sharing.
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Victoria, When I saw the question, I said out loud, "Oh, Oh, I know the answer to this one."
I was so excited that my fingers just got busy. A win would be nice for either one of us. Glad you liked the answer to your question and thanks so much for prompting me to answer a question :)
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Rochelle, Pickled asparagus is yummy. Many times when I don't have any pickle juice I use straight vinegar for the cucumbers.
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DzyMsLizzy, Thanks for the votes and shares. My husband played football and he too knew about this trick.
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Frank, Thanks, and now you can stop throwing out that pickle juice :)
Interesting idea that will surely save some money. :) Thanks for sharing
I grow and pickle my own. I save the juice for many of the things you said. I hate to throw anything away. I actually used it with baking soda to clean out the drain. There are so many uses!
Great hub! Voted up!
Excellent hub...I re-use pickle juice BUT learned SO much more/many more ideas! Thanks!
A very informative hub JustAskSusan. A recommended read for the innovative learner seeking ideas. Thanks
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