5 Ingenious Ways to Use Leftover Pickle Brine

Whether you’ve made your own pickles or polished off a store-bought jar, don’t toss the juice. Pickle brine is worth its weight in gold, and the reason why is quite simple. “A pickle brine is acid and salt, plus whatever spices you have in there, and acid is in almost every single recipe to balance things out,” explains April McGreger, a fermenter and chef at The People’s Kitchen of Philadelphia and author of Jam On! Everything You Need to Know About Canning and Preserving. That means you can essentially use pickle brine almost anywhere you’d use an acidic ingredient like vinegar or citrus juice.

Of course, not every brine is interchangeable, but McGreger notes that you can use sweet or bread-and-butter pickle brine much the same way you’d use a classic dill pickle brine, adding more seasoning to taste. “It’s no less versatile, really. You just have to think about whether you want that flavor profile in your dishes,” she says. Whatever brine you have on hand, here are five ways to use every last drop. 

Make another batch of pickles 

Yes, you can simply make quick pickles again by using the leftover brine as your pickling liquid instead of vinegar (do not use the brine for canned pickles, as this practice is unsafe and can lead to botulism). However, McGreger notes that the acidity in the brine will be more diluted, so you’ll want to taste after 24 hours and season again with salt, vinegar, and spices to your liking. She’ll usually reuse the brine once or twice until it loses its luster — she uses it once for cucumbers, which are naturally watery and will dilute it, and twice for heartier vegetables like carrots. 

Whisk it into a tangy dressing 

For years, McGreger tried to reverse-engineer the sweet, tangy dressing her mom made for a corn salad, and eventually learned the secret: pickled red pepper brine combined with a little mayonnaise. Dill pickle brine is even more versatile. “You can literally use pickle brine the way that you would use lemon juice or vinegar in a dressing and it’ll make for a garlicky, slightly herb-y vinaigrette,” says McGreger, adding that you’ll want to hold back on adding salt until tasting it, since the brine is already salty.

She suggests adding a splash of dill pickle brine to the dressing for coleslaw, potato salad, or tuna salad. You can also simply combine the brine with melted butter to make an easy topping for roasted or boiled potatoes. 

Use it like hot sauce

Think of pickle brine like a vinegar-based hot sauce, says McGreger. “It has that seasoned acid but it’s not spicy,” she notes. Add a dash to soups or stews that need a little boost of flavor; the acidity will brighten and enhance the existing flavors. Use it as a seasoning for scrambled eggs and tacos, drizzle over greens, or use in place of lemon juice in dips or spreads like hummus and mayonnaise. McGreger’s favorite shortcut dip is equal parts tahini and pickle brine. “It makes a really delicious easy dip for veggies, and you can throw some herbs in there,” she says. 

Use it to brine meat 

McGreger will often use pickle juice to brine poultry like chicken thighs or turkey breasts. “I sometimes cut the brine with buttermilk if I don’t want it to be as vinegar-tangy,” she says, adding that buttermilk has a tenderizing quality and can also help with browning. Place the meat in a gallon ziplock bag, and add your brine to cover; if you’d like, season with herbs, a pinch of salt, black pepper, and a little sugar (this can also help with browning) to taste.

If you’re just using pickle juice, McGreger suggests you keep your meat in the brine for at least two hours but no longer than 12 hours; if you use equal parts pickle juice and buttermilk, you can keep it in the fridge overnight or up to two days. You can also use a pickle-buttermilk brine to make irresistibly crispy Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken.

Add it to a cocktail 

Pickle brine is here for all your savory cocktail needs. “For a Bloody Mary, I usually substitute almost all of the lemon juice with pickle brine, and then I’ll finish it with a wedge of citrus at the end to give it a little fresh citrus flavor,” says McGreger. “The brine is really doing a lot of the work of seasoning and adding that acidic punch.” Naturally, pickle brine also works well in a Dirty Martini. Instead of using olive juice, replace some or all of your dry vermouth with your favorite pickle brine — McGreger loves a spicy green tomato brine. And if you don’t want to dirty a shaker, picklebacks are always a good idea.