You never know what may show up in the middle aisle at Aldi. Sometimes the grocer stocks practical products such as cookware or home furniture. Other times, Aldi sells products that are purely fun or have a certain novelty or quirkiness to them. Not long ago, I wrote a post about some of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen Aldi sell. Contenders included a toilet bowl nightlight, a giant inflatable sprinkler, a piñata cake, green bean casserole pizza, dessert hummus, and more. Another item that made the list — but which I had yet to sample — was dill pickle flavored popcorn.
Aldi sells plenty of more standard types of popcorn that my family enjoys. Options include microwave popcorn, white cheddar popcorn, a roasted sweet corn flavored popcorn that is a fun limited-time special, those big multi-flavor popcorn tins during the Christmas holidays, and sometimes even plain kernels that you pop on the stovetop at home (this last type is quickly becoming my family’s go-to when we want popcorn to eat with a movie or as a snack).
It seems like dill pickle popcorn makes regular appearances in the middle aisle at Aldi, usually showing up several times a year. I guess that speaks to the fact that it must sell fairly well. Dill pickle popcorn does seem to have a bit of a cult following at Aldi. Yes, it sounds like a strange flavor combination, but many people who have tried it say it is actually pretty good. So when I saw the popcorn pop up on store shelves this week, I figured it was finally time to try it.
Clancy’s Dill Pickle Flavor Popcorn cost $2.29 for a 7.5-ounce bag at the time of publication.
This is an Aldi Find, which means it’s only in stores for a short time. Each store receives one shipment, and after that sells out, it’s gone until the next time Aldi decides to sell it. Aldi does not offer online ordering for products that aren’t in stock at your local store. Fortunately, as mentioned above, Aldi seems to sell this every few months, so if you don’t see it at your area store, just wait a little while and it’s likely to come back around.
This is sold under the Clancy’s brand, which is not a company. It’s the private label Aldi uses for various snack foods such as cheese dip, “onion” rings, peanut butter pretzels, and potato chips.
Nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
If you’re looking out for allergens, this popcorn contains milk.
Other ingredients are popcorn, soybean oil, whey, lactose, salt, maltodextrin, yeast extract, white distilled vinegar, and 2% or less of spices, garlic powder, natural flavors, lactic acid, onion powder, citric acid, and turmeric extract (color).
It would be helpful if Aldi specified what spices go into this popcorn. I’m guessing/hoping that dill is one of those spices, and it does look like there are small visible pieces of dried dill on this popcorn.
One bag has about eight one-ounce or two-cup servings. One serving has 160 calories, 11 grams of total fat (14% DV), 2 grams of saturated fat (10% DV), 250 mg of sodium (11% DV), 14 grams of total carbohydrates (5% DV), 2 grams of total sugars, and no added sugars.
This popcorn has a milder dill flavor than I expected. It has a dill flavor and a faint salty taste, but it’s not as strongly seasoned as other flavored popcorns I’ve had such as cheddar popcorn or even regular buttered, salted popcorn. I’ve also tried dill pickle flavored cashews that had a lot more seasoning, and I was expecting a similar flavor burst with this popcorn. I got a couple of pieces that had more punch, but it really did seem to be a mixed bag, with overall more milder flavored pieces than strongly flavored pieces.
I had a cold when I first sampled this dill pickle popcorn, so I wondered if my congestion was affecting my ability to fully smell and/or taste the popcorn seasoning. Then I had other healthy family members in my household try the popcorn. Some people thought it tasted as advertised with noticeable dill flavor, while others confirmed my impression that it’s not all that strongly flavored. If you think dill pickle flavored popcorn is strange, perhaps you’ll find it to be a good thing that this doesn’t have a lot of dill flavor. On the other hand, if you really like dill seasoning, you might be a little disappointed with this popcorn.
This isn’t a bad popcorn, although some people might consider it a bit underwhelming. If you’re looking to change up your regular popcorn game, this still might be worth a look. If nothing else, try it for the novelty.
The Verdict:
Clancy’s Dill Pickle Flavor Popcorn is probably the most unusual popcorn flavor we’ve ever seen Aldi sell, and it’s one of the stranger products overall that we’ve seen at Aldi. This popcorn isn’t the most strongly seasoned, and it doesn’t even taste all that salty, although we got a few pieces that had more flavor. However, if you’re a big fan of dill-flavored foods or dill pickles, this might be less than what you hoped for. Nevertheless, if you are a dedicated Aldi super fan, this is a classic snack food that repeatedly shows up on Aldi shelves, so it might be worth trying if you’re on a mission to sample a variety of iconic Aldi foods.
