Exactly what the name says: a sorbet made with pickled cucumbers and Kool-Aid drink mix. An ice cream flavor born from my quest to create “the most American ice cream flavor”.
Why Kool-Aid Pickles?
For the uninitiated, Kool-Aid pickles are exactly what they sound like: pickles infused with Kool-Aid drink mix. They’re not totally ubiquitous in the US, certainly not common where I currently reside in California at least. The Kool-Aid pickle or koolickle originates from the Mississippi Delta region and is most popular in the American South.
The most common recipe involves adding half a cup of sugar and a packet of Kool-Aid to a jar of large whole pickles. The pickles slowly take on the flavor and color of the drink mix packet with time.
The ingredients
Pickles: In my video I opted to make my own pickles, but I’d argue the batch made off camera with store bought pickles was just as good and required far less effort. Any shape of pickle works for this— spears, chips, whole, we don’t discriminate— they all get blended in the end.
Cucumbers: The English variety or the regular variety will work fine in this recipe. Straining the pulp prevents any unintended graininess in the final product. Feel free to swap this for an equal amount of water to make the recipe one step simpler.
Kool-Aid: I opted for cherry Kool-Aid, since it is the most popular flavor for making Kool-Aid pickles. Use any Kool-Aid flavor you like here, I hear blue is also highly regarded.
Sucrose: This is plain old white sugar, the regular stuff from the store. It adds necessary sweetness to the recipe and has moderate anti-freezing properties to prevent the sorbet from freezing into a chunk of ice.
Dextrose: This is another sugar that is comprised of glucose. It’s a simple sugar that is less sweet than sucrose with strong anti-freezing properties, necessary for a smooth sorbet that’s not too sweet. Don’t skip it or the recipe will not have the intended perceived sweetness.
Cellulose Gum: AKA carboxymethylcellulose, this is critical for a scoopable texture and thickens the mixture for a better mouthfeel. Don’t skip this either!
Kool-Aid Pickle Sorbet
Ingredients
- 700 g cucumber washed and rough chopped, see note 1
- 200 g pickles any jarred variety
- 75 mL pickle juice
- 110 g dextrose
- 75 g sucrose
- 2.5 g cellulose gum
- 2 g Kool-Aid mix any flavor, see note 2
Instructions
- Set a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl. In a blender, add 700 g cucumber and blend on high speed for 1 minute, or until fully pulverized. Pour mixture into the cheesecloth lined strainer. Measure 550mL of cucumber juice from yield. Rinse the blender with water.
- To the blender, add 550mL cucumber juice, 200 g pickles, 75 mL pickle juice, 110 g dextrose, 75 g sucrose, and 2.5 g cellulose gum. Blend on high speed for at least 1 minute, until pickles are fully pulverized and mixture is smooth.
- Divide the mixture evenly into two containers. Stir 2 g Kool-Aid mix into one half of the mixture until well combined. Chill both mixtures in an ice bath or refrigerator until very cold.
- Spin one mixture at a time in an ice cream machine according to machine directions. Remove the first half and reserve in a container in the freezer while the second half spins.Once the second half is done churning, spoon alternating layers of the two sorbets into a airtight final container. Use a spatula to swirl just once or twice for a marble effect. Place it in the freezer for at least 4 hours to fully set.
Notes
Want more ice cream recipes?
Check out the three most popular ice cream recipes on my blog:
