Pip's and Cleveland Kitchen Made Gluten-Free Pickle Balls. They're at Whole Foods.
Pip's Heirloom Snacks and Cleveland Kitchen made Pickle Balls, certified gluten-free dill pickle corn puffs, and they're at Whole Foods nationwide now.
Remember when pickle flavor was something you only ate on a dare?
Then it took over. There were pickle chips, pickle popcorn and that one friend who drinks the brine straight from the jar. At this point, pickle is basically a personality.
What actually happened
Pip’s, the heirloom corn snack brand, teamed up with Cleveland Kitchen, the brand behind those refrigerated krauts and pickles, on a snack called Pickle Balls. They’re in the salty snack aisle at Whole Foods Market nationwide now, according to the companies’ Nov 9 announcement. No store price was announced, so you’ll find out at the shelf.
Think Pip’s cheese balls, but dill. They’re made with heirloom corn and avocado oil, and the companies say they’re certified gluten-free and Non-GMO, with a “Non Ultra Processed Verified” label too. The back of the bag lists 140 calories and 210 milligrams of sodium per one-ounce serving, and calls Pickle Balls a limited-edition snack. More stores and online sales are planned for early 2027.
“Fermentation is what we do, and pickles are among the things we do best,” said Drew Anderson, co-founder and CEO of Cleveland Kitchen.
Fermentation is what we do, and pickles are among the things we do best.The WellWham perspective
Our read: the pickle era is not slowing down
This is our read. Pickle is the flavor every snack brand wants a piece of, and the companies point to Circana data showing pickle-flavored sales up 30% from last year. Pairing a pickle brand with a corn snack brand is the grocery version of a celebrity collab. For anyone who avoids gluten, a certified gluten-free option at Whole Foods is the part that actually matters.
The reality check
Certified gluten-free is a real plus if you need it. “Non Ultra Processed Verified” is a third-party label, not a nutrition score, and a puffed corn snack is still a snack. The dill flavor comes from a vinegar-based seasoning, so don’t count these as fermented food.
The close
You don’t have to drink the brine to be on the pickle train anymore. Now there’s a bag for that in the snack aisle.
Sources
Disclosure: WellWham has no affiliate links in this story.
Brand information: Pip's Heirloom Snacks via NOSH
