Review: Cup Noodles Dill Pickle Is All Sour Notes

Pickle and dill-flavored foods aren't just having a moment — it feels like we're in the midst of a pickle renaissance. Everything has been touched by the sourness of the classic pickle, from potato chips and popcorn to Goldfish and candy. Popeyes even launched an incredible pickle menu, which included an astounding pickle lemonade. Now, the fine folks at Nissin, which has a lovely budget snack in its repertoire known by the self-explanatory name of Cup Noodles, have joined the fun.

The company has experimented with wild flavors in the past, including Campfire S'mores and even the pancake-flavored Cup Noodles Breakfast. Its latest innovation is, of course, Cup Noodles Dill Pickle. The idea of soupy noodles tasting like pickles instantly reminded me of an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" where Guy Fieri visited a Polish restaurant in Michigan and begrudgingly tried its famous dill pickle soup. After doing so, he was so surprised by its fullness of flavor that he claimed he would literally drink it.

Despite being a pickle lover, I had some doubts whether I would be equally passionate about the Cup Noodles Dill Pickle. Regardless, I dove in with an open mind and mouth. So, where does the truth lie with Cup Noodles Dill Pickle? Is there power in the sour, or is this cup filled with nothing but sour notes? The Takeout pulled back the lid to find out what kind of pickle we're getting ourselves into.

Recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Momofuku Ando forever changed the culinary world when he took ramen and made it a heck of a lot easier to prepare by simply adding hot water to dried noodles. His revolutionary idea came into practice in Japan with the launch of Chikin Ramen in 1958. Ando took the idea global in a much more portable form called Cup Noodles over a decade later. A long list of permanent flavors has followed ever since, and, in more recent years, the release of limited-time offerings – including Everything Bagel with Cream Cheese and Pumpkin Spice — have, well, spiced things up.

Cup Noodles Dill Pickle is the latest limited-time flavor to launch in stores. The flavor capitalizes on the dill pickle trend that has permeated so many other food products and found huge popularity on social media. Nissin seemingly hopes to capture some of that magic in its signature cup, which only requires a splash of water, a few minutes in the microwave, and a minute of waiting before embarking upon this new flavor innovation. In a statement, Priscila Stanton, senior vice president of marketing at Nissin Foods USA, said, "Cup Noodles Dill Pickle brings the perfect balance of tangy and bold, and this twist is sure to catch noodle and pickle enthusiasts by surprise — in the best way possible."

Cup Noodles Dill Pickle is a new limited-time offering that launches just in time for summer. It will be available for consumers to purchase starting June 21 and will remain on shelves for an unspecified time while supplies last. You will be able to find Cup Noodles Dill Pickle at nationwide retailers like Walmart, Albertsons, and more. In-store, it can be found in the same aisles where other flavors of Cup Noodles are typically shelved. It will also be sold by retailers online.

The cups are sold at room temperature and can be stored as such. The only things required to make Cup Noodles are room-temperature water and a microwave. A spoon, fork, or chopsticks are recommended but optional. The suggested retail price of a single Cup Noodles Dill Pickle is $1.17, although price and availability may vary per store. Based on the printed expiration date on the bottom of the cup, these noodles will remain good, if unused, for up to 11 months.

Cup Noodles Dill Pickle is composed of ingredients such as enriched flour, vegetable oil, tapioca starch, and salt, and less than 2% of the likes of beta carotene color, dill weed, dried cucumber powder, egg white, garlic powder, hydrolyzed corn protein, lactose, onion powder, potato powder, soy lecithin, spice, sugar, turmeric oleoresin, and white distilled vinegar. When it comes to allergens, it contains wheat, soybean, egg, and milk, and was manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, crustacean shellfish, and fish products.

The serving size of Cup Noodles Dill Pickle is the entire cup, which weighs in at 78 grams. That one serving nets an eater 360 calories, 13 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, a whopping 1,030 milligrams of sodium, 52 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 3 grams of total sugars — including 1 of added sugars — and 7 grams of protein. It also contains 40 milligrams of calcium, 5.3 milligrams of iron, and 140 milligrams of potassium. It has no added MSG or artificial flavors.

It's not easy being green — unless you're the packaging of Cup Noodles Dill Pickle, which is dressed in an abundance of green hues. Peeling back the easy-to-pull lid, my gaze soon fell upon the signature dry noodles, doused in a seasoned sandstorm of even more green. Leaning in for a whiff, I realized that there was no overpowering pickle smell. Instead, it primarily had the aroma of a chicken soup swimming in dill. After adding water, microwaving, and stirring, the noodles started to look like linguine covered in a pesto dressing. In its ready-to-eat form, the dill essence was no longer as strong in smell, allowing the chicken broth to dominate.

The noodles had their usual soft, wiggly texture. At first bite, no discernible flavor popped out, but it was quickly followed by a bitter, super-sour aftertaste. It wasn't sour in a positive, typical pickle way. Instead, it tasted more bitter. As I pressed on with subsequent nibbles, the tasting experience sadly remained the same. While the texture of the noodles was the first thing my mouth noticed, it was wiped out in seconds with each round by the rush of what I can best describe as oddly seasoned vinegar.

I truly believed that the magical flavors of dill pickle would blend well with the dried ramen that resides inside Cup Noodles. The elements were all there to make it work, including the typical ingredients needed in pickling. Unfortunately, Cup Noodles Dill Pickle just didn't work as something my mouth — and, perhaps, yours — could fully get behind.

There's an overriding pungency that just spoils the whole affair. Once you experience it, it's hard to press on. I gave these noodles more tries than they warranted, but I eventually had to give up and try to wash the taste from my mouth. It was so off as a flavor that it even elevated my opinion of the overly gimmicky Campfire S'mores flavor to new heights. My wife, who originally hails from the eastern parts of Europe, said that the concoction reminded her of a pickle soup of her childhood that went by the name rassolnik. This recollection wasn't a positive food memory, but quite the opposite.

Before calling it quits on this taste test, I reached for a cooled jar of pickles and poured some of its tasty and hydrating juices into the cup that held my now room-temperature noodles. The end result actually tasted delicious, which means such a product could work. I guess you just have to go it alone from here and provide your own pickle juice to dill and chill your Cup Noodles.

Cup Noodles sent over two samples of its latest flavor innovation, Cup Noodles Dill Pickle, for sampling. I followed the simple microwaving instructions on the side of the cup and taste-tested the contents at the height of its warmth, then again when the warmth had dissipated.

The noodles were consumed by me, as well as my beautiful wife, for a strong second opinion. While her descriptions were duly noted, ultimately, this review is based on my own personal tastes, my past experiences with Cup Noodles and dill pickles, and my present experience with Cup Noodles Dill Pickle. The criteria taken into consideration to reach my final conclusions of its worthiness included flavor, appearance, texture, aroma, value, Cup Noodle-ness, dill pickle-ocity, overall lovability, and whether I'd buy and try this again. The short answer is: This is one pickle I don't want to "dill" with.