THE SPLIT PLATE / RECIPE

High-Protein Grillo's Pickle Dip

Viral Grillo's pickle dip, rebuilt protein-style. 10 servings, 110 cal / 16g protein per scoop. Packed back into the pickle tub for serving.

YIELD10 servings
TOTAL TIME15 min
COOK METHODSee method
EST. / SERVING~110 cal | ~16g protein

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 450g Mulu High Protein Cottage Cheese, Small Curd 4% (1 tub, blended smooth)
  • 1/2 cup Siggi's 0% Plain Skyr
  • 4 Laughing Cow Light cheese wedges
  • 5 tbsp Build the Body Protein Ranch Seasoning

Ingredients — continued

  • 3 oz Epic Hickory Smoked Uncured Bacon Bits (1 bag)
  • 8 Grillo's Pickles Classic Dill Pickle Chips (from the tub — save the rest for snacking)
  • 2 tbsp Grillo's pickle brine (from the tub)
  • A few pieces of garlic + sprigs of dill from the Grillo's tub

You saw the viral Grillo's pickle dip and want the protein version. 15 min, no cook, 10 servings of dip at 110 cal / 16g protein per scoop. Eats out of the original Grillo's tub — same pickle-tub serving moment, ~5x the protein vs the regular cream-cheese version. Pair with Wilde Protein Chips for the macro combo (see [Grillo's Pickle Dip + Wilde Chips Combo](/cookbook/grillos-pickle-dip-wilde-combo)).

Method

  1. 1.DRAIN + RESERVE. Open the Grillo's tub. Pour off the brine into a small measuring cup (reserve 2 tbsp for the dip — the rest can go back in or be saved for other uses). Save the empty tub — that's the serving vessel.
  2. 2.BLEND COTTAGE CHEESE. 450g Mulu cottage cheese into a food processor. Blend 30-45 sec until completely smooth — no curds visible. This is the move that turns the dip from chunky into creamy.
  3. 3.TO BOWL. Transfer the blended cottage cheese to a mixing bowl. Should look like thick yogurt at this point.
  4. 4.BUILD THE PICKLE-RANCH MIX. Back into the (now-empty) food processor — 1/2 cup Siggi's 0% Plain Skyr + 4 Laughing Cow Light wedges + 2 tbsp reserved Grillo's brine + 8 pickle chips + a few pieces of garlic + sprigs of dill from the tub + 5 tbsp Build the Body Ranch Protein Seasoning. Blend until creamy but still pickle-forward (~30 sec). Should have visible pickle flecks but read as a sauce, not a chunky relish.
  5. 5.COMBINE. Pour the blended pickle-ranch mix into the bowl with the cottage cheese base. Fold gently with a spatula until fully combined and uniform.
  6. 6.FOLD IN BACON. 3 oz Epic Hickory Smoked Bacon Bits into the bowl. Fold gently — visible chunks should remain (don't pulverize). Bacon is the salt + smoke + crunch finish.
  7. 7.PACK BACK INTO TUB. Spoon the finished dip back into the empty Grillo's tub. This is the visual hook — the dip lives in the original pickle tub. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
  8. 8.SERVE. Straight from the Grillo's tub. Pair with Wilde Protein Chips for the high-protein combo (270 cal / 27g protein per serving), or use regular tortilla chips, carrots, celery, cucumber slices, or any crunchy dipper. Refrigerate leftovers in the tub with the lid back on; eat within 3-4 days.

If something fails

Dip is too thick / spoon won't pull through it: Add 1-2 tbsp more reserved Grillo's brine + stir. Brine = flavor AND thinning agent. Don't add water — it dilutes the flavor without the pickle hit.

Dip is too thin / runs off the chip: You over-blended the pickle-ranch mix (more liquid releases from the pickle chips) OR added too much brine. Fold in 1-2 tbsp more Build the Body ranch seasoning — soaks up the excess + boosts the ranch flavor.

Tastes flat / not pickle-y enough: Add 1 tbsp more brine + 2-3 more pickle chips chopped fine. The pickle flavor is the foreground — don't be shy. Also confirm you used Grillo's Classic Dill (not the sweet variety or another brand).

Macros came in higher than 110 cal / serving: Most likely cause: (1) used Epic bacon bits + chopped real bacon strips (3 oz is the budget — extra strips add 100+ cal per ounce), (2) heavier scoops than 1/10 the batch (the serving spec is 10 generous scoops, not 8). Stick to the 450g cottage cheese + 3 oz bacon ratio.

Cottage cheese stays chunky after blending: Blend longer — 60-90 sec total. Small-curd cottage cheese takes longer to fully break down than yogurt. If still chunky after 90 sec, add 1 tbsp Siggi's skyr to the processor + blend again.

Storage and reheating

Store: Pack the finished dip back into the empty Grillo's tub with the lid on. Fridge. Stir before serving (the brine can separate slightly overnight).

Reheat: N/A — serve cold, never reheat.

Lasts: 3-4 days fridge. Eats best on days 1-2 when the pickle crunch is most pronounced; by day 3-4 the bacon softens slightly but flavor still works.

Estimated nutrition

~110 cal | ~16g protein.

Per scoop (1/10 of the batch, ~110 cal / 16g protein) tracked in MacroFactor. Batch math: 450g Mulu cottage cheese (480 cal / 64P) + 1/2 cup Siggi's 0% Plain Skyr (60 cal / 12P) + 4 Laughing Cow Light wedges (100 cal / 8P / 6F / 4C) + 5 tbsp Build the Body Ranch Seasoning (175 cal / 50P) + 3 oz Epic bacon bits (270 cal / 54P / 18F) + 8 Grillo's pickle chips + 2 tbsp brine + garlic/dill (~15 cal / 0P) = ~1100 cal / 188P / 35F / ~14C for the batch. Divided by 10 servings = 110 cal / 18.8P / 3.5F / 1.4C per scoop. Tushar's MacroFactor anchor is 110 cal / 16g protein — the 2-3g protein gap from my back-of-envelope calc is likely from Build the Body lot variance (the seasoning blend's protein content swings 30-50g per pack depending on the run). Flagged estimated because (1) exact wedge flavor (Original Creamy Swiss Light vs Original Creamy Light) shifts macros slightly, (2) bacon bits density varies. The 110 / 16 anchor holds for the full Mulu + Siggi's + Laughing Cow + Build the Body + Epic stack.

thesplitplate.com/cookbook/grillos-pickle-dip-protein-style

High-Protein Grillo's Pickle Dip
Sauce

High-Protein Grillo's Pickle Dip

Viral Grillo's pickle dip, rebuilt protein-style. 10 servings, 110 cal / 16g protein per scoop. Packed back into the pickle tub for serving.

Make this when

You saw the viral Grillo's pickle dip and want the protein version. 15 min, no cook, 10 servings of dip at 110 cal / 16g protein per scoop. Eats out of the original Grillo's tub — same pickle-tub serving moment, ~5x the protein vs the regular cream-cheese version. Pair with Wilde Protein Chips for the macro combo (see [Grillo's Pickle Dip + Wilde Chips Combo](/cookbook/grillos-pickle-dip-wilde-combo)).

Total time
15 min
Yield
10 servings
Protein / serving
~16g
Cal / serving
~110
Core ratio — locked

450g Mulu cottage cheese (blended) + 1/2 cup Siggi's 0% plain skyr + 4 Laughing Cow Light wedges + 5 tbsp Build the Body Protein Ranch Seasoning + 3 oz Epic bacon bits + 8 Grillo's pickle chips + 2 tbsp brine + garlic/dill from the tub. Yields 10 generous scoops.

Flavor target

Pickle-forward + creamy + ranchy. Should taste like ranch dip with strong dill + tang from the brine, not like seasoned cottage cheese. The blended base disappears into background creaminess; the pickles + brine + ranch seasoning are the foreground flavors. Bacon bits add salt + smoke + crunch.

Ingredients

Batch cookYields 10 servings — quantities below are the full batch.

Ingredients

Method

  1. 1
    DRAIN + RESERVE

    Open the Grillo's tub. Pour off the brine into a small measuring cup (reserve 2 tbsp for the dip — the rest can go back in or be saved for other uses). Save the empty tub — that's the serving vessel.

  2. 2
    BLEND COTTAGE CHEESE

    450g Mulu cottage cheese into a food processor. Blend 30-45 sec until completely smooth — no curds visible. This is the move that turns the dip from chunky into creamy.

  3. 3
    TO BOWL

    Transfer the blended cottage cheese to a mixing bowl. Should look like thick yogurt at this point.

  4. 4
    BUILD THE PICKLE-RANCH MIX

    Back into the (now-empty) food processor — 1/2 cup Siggi's 0% Plain Skyr + 4 Laughing Cow Light wedges + 2 tbsp reserved Grillo's brine + 8 pickle chips + a few pieces of garlic + sprigs of dill from the tub + 5 tbsp Build the Body Ranch Protein Seasoning. Blend until creamy but still pickle-forward (~30 sec). Should have visible pickle flecks but read as a sauce, not a chunky relish.

  5. 5
    COMBINE

    Pour the blended pickle-ranch mix into the bowl with the cottage cheese base. Fold gently with a spatula until fully combined and uniform.

  6. 6
    FOLD IN BACON

    3 oz Epic Hickory Smoked Bacon Bits into the bowl. Fold gently — visible chunks should remain (don't pulverize). Bacon is the salt + smoke + crunch finish.

  7. 7
    PACK BACK INTO TUB

    Spoon the finished dip back into the empty Grillo's tub. This is the visual hook — the dip lives in the original pickle tub. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon.

  8. 8
    SERVE

    Straight from the Grillo's tub. Pair with Wilde Protein Chips for the high-protein combo (270 cal / 27g protein per serving), or use regular tortilla chips, carrots, celery, cucumber slices, or any crunchy dipper. Refrigerate leftovers in the tub with the lid back on; eat within 3-4 days.

Go deeper

Storage and nutrition

Storage: Pack the finished dip back into the empty Grillo's tub with the lid on. Fridge. Stir before serving (the brine can separate slightly overnight).

Reheat: N/A — serve cold, never reheat.

Lasts: 3-4 days fridge. Eats best on days 1-2 when the pickle crunch is most pronounced; by day 3-4 the bacon softens slightly but flavor still works.

Watch the full cook

Brands I use

Mulu
Mulu
High Protein Cottage Cheese, Small Curd 4% (16 oz / 453g tub — 18g protein / 120 cal / 5g fat per 1/2 cup serving)
The protein base of the dip. Two-layer whey + casein formula = highest-protein cottage cheese on the market (33% more than Good Culture, the previous leader). Blended smooth, it disappears into background creaminess and lets the pickle + ranch flavors lead. Sub Good Culture or Daisy Low-Fat — slightly lower protein but works.
Siggi's
Siggi's
0% Plain Skyr (5.3 oz cup or 24 oz tub — 12g protein / 60 cal per 5.3 oz, no sugar added)
Sour-cream-like tang + extra protein bump. The 1/2 cup portion thins the cottage cheese into a dippable consistency + adds Icelandic-skyr tang that reads ranchy. Must be PLAIN (not vanilla — vanilla wrecks the savory profile).
Laughing Cow
Laughing Cow
Light Spreadable Cheese Wedges (4 wedges — 100 cal / 8g protein / 6g fat total)
Adds creaminess + a French-cheese aromatic that smooths the cottage-cheese-skyr base. Cross-recipe with id 39 (cowboy butter) + id 41 (beef bacon pasta).
Build the Body
Build the Body
Protein Ranch Seasoning (9 oz canister — 5 tbsp portion ≈ 175 cal / 50P with the buttermilk-sour-cream-whey-protein-isolate blend)
The ranch flavor + protein multiplier. Sprinkles in like dry seasoning but mixes with the cottage cheese into a real ranch dressing texture. 5 tbsp is the load that pushes the dip from 'protein blob' to 'ranch dip.'
Epic Provisions
Epic Provisions
Hickory Smoked Uncured Bacon Bits (3 oz bag — 90 cal / 9g protein / 6g fat per 0.5 oz serving)
Real pastured pork bacon, hickory-smoked, antibiotic-free + Whole 30 approved. The salt + smoke + crunch finish. 3 oz folded into the dip = visible bacon throughout every scoop. Sub Hormel Real Bacon Bits if Epic is unavailable (cheaper, still works, slightly less smoky depth).
Grillo's Pickles
Grillo's Pickles
Classic Dill Pickle Chips (16 fl oz tub, crinkle cut — 5 cal per serving, the chips + brine + garlic + dill go IN the dip and the empty tub becomes the serving vessel)
The viral hook — recipe started as a riff on the Grillo's tub-as-serving-vessel TikTok format. Classic Dill is the only variant that works (sweet or spicy variants throw the flavor balance). 8 chips + 2 tbsp brine + a few garlic/dill pieces from the tub.
#Dip#Snack#Powerup#Party food#Meal prep#No-cook#High protein