I told y’all I’d be back for another Jersey Pickles review at some point. I fell head over heels for their Hot Pickled Tomatoes (see the review here!) and couldn’t wait to try other varieties from their site. This review might be a bit surprising, and I want to make one thing abundantly clear: I. Do. Not. Like. Sweet. Pickles. And I never will. So why did I order an entire quart of the Jersey Pickles Sweet Horseradish Chips?
Have I lost my ever-loving mind? Maybe.
But after reading and watching a few other reviews, many folks mentioned that despite the tinge of sweetness, these pickles pack a huge spicy punch with the lingering horseradish flavor. And, as someone who ate horseradish on smoked sausage growing up (anyone else?), this was right up my alley. So, yet again, I took the plunge, ordered a quart, and eagerly awaited my package.
Order Details + Shipping
In the interest of full transparency, I’m going to go over my order details and shipping info just in case there are any questions.
I placed my order on December 16, 2024 – smack dab in the middle of Christmas chaos season, after being bribed by the countless Jersey Pickles emails reminding me of their mega-Christmas sale. The horseradish chips were actually the top item on my list, but I couldn’t resist adding a quart of their garlic stuffed olives, too. Not only were the pickles and the olives on sale, but their promotion also included a free quart of pickle juice. After taxes and shipping ($11.44), my total came to $37.91.
I received a shipping notification on 12/20, and my order was delivered on 12/27. I didn’t need these for anyone other than myself – these were my own Christmas present to me, to moi. Who cares if it took a little more time than usual? Big kudos to Jersey Pickles for cranking out all the orders and getting them shipped during the holiday season.
The Taste Test – Will the Jersey Pickles Horseradish Chips Live Up to the Hype?
Once again, I tore into this package like it was actual Christmas morning. I think there’s a note somewhere in the box to refrigerate these before tasting, but who has time for that?
Before tasting, I popped off the lid and took a quick whiff and immediately got a nose-full of that pleasant, spicy horseradish-y bite. A good sign – I was hoping the horseradish flavor was present enough to drown out some of the sweetness, and I’m pleased to share that it did just that.
I recoiled a bit at first bite – the first thing I tasted was the sweetness. But the rest of my reaction looked a little something like this:
The sweetness doesn’t last too long before the horseradish swoops in and tickles the taste buds. It’s an odd flavor pairing that seems to work pretty well, honestly.
For someone who doesn’t like sweet pickles, I ended up eating the whole jar. So can I really continue to claim to be a sweet pickle hater? I guess that’s up for debate.
The Verdict
Here we go, y’all. Here’s my final breakdown.
Value: 9/10 – Like I said above, my order contained two quarts of goodies, plus a free quart of pickle juice. Being that this was right in the middle of the holiday rush, I’m not too upset with the price tag, or the extended delivery. I deducted a point because if I had wanted these for Christmas, they wouldn’t have made it in time. For me, though? Another couple days didn’t bother me.
Taste: 6.8/10 – For me, this is a high ranking – please keep that in mind. Any and all other sweet pickles get zeros, even negative scores sometimes. These are, truly, the best sweet pickles I’ve ever had. The horseradish bite is the key component in this mixture. Would I have felt the same about a sweet and spicy blend? No. The horseradish can stand up to the sweetness on it’s own – it’s kinda like having two separate flavors in one jar. But, the brine went down the drain (sorry, y’all). I gave it a lil’ sip and couldn’t do it. I was brave and courageous eating the whole jar, but the brine was too sweet for me to enjoy.
Crunch: 7/10 – The crunch was a bit inconsistent throughout the jar – some chips were a little soggy, and some were bold and crunchy. The soggy ones were my least favorite (I still ate them), but I did love the different chip sizes swimming throughout the jar.
Offerings: 10/10 – Like in my last review, I could have a field day working my way through their website. And not only can you order directly from the Jersey Pickles site, they also have an Amazon Storefront as well 🙂
Overall Rating: 8.2/10
Now, don’t think this means we’re cool, sweet pickles. I took a chance on ya this one time, and it ended up working out pretty well. If anyone else has tried these, let me know what you think!
Until next time,
Megan
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