New Goldfish flavors don’t come around every day, so we were stoked to discover that Spicy Dill Pickle Goldfish would be swimming into stores for a limited time this summer. Granted, we’ve tried some other spicy pickle products that didn’t exactly hit (seriously, take heed when microwaving spicy pickle popcorn), but we needed to find out whether dill pickle would rank among the best Goldfish flavors. Here’s our honest review.
When I did a full taste test of every Goldfish flavor we could find, flavor-blasted fish reigned supreme. But I’ve always been a Parmesan Goldfish purist at heart. There’s something about the simplicity of salty, nutty cheese baked into a small, toasty fish-shaped cracker that really hits the spot—no big, bold flavors needed. That’s where these new Goldfish falter. They’re flavor blasted, sure, but they’re sorely missing that baked-in flavor.
Pros: Spicy Dill Pickle Goldfish are very pickle-y. Upon first bite, they slap you in the face with briny, salty flavor and a modest pop of heat. If you’re a true pickle lover, it’s a good first impression!
Cons: Once you’ve gotten past that initial burst of flavor, Spicy Dill Pickle Goldfish are a little disappointing, mostly because the crackers themselves are so blah without any cheesy flavor baked in. The best pickle flavored snacks have something to counteract or complement the briny tang of pickle flavoring. The best pickle potato chips (the top four, in fact) are kettle chips. Know why? The oily nature of the chip works with the pickle seasoning to create a well-rounded snack. A plain Goldfish cracker doesn’t really bring anything to the table here. However, if they’d put this seasoning on Cheddar or Parm Goldfish, this would be a much better snack.
Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks.
Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction.
Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home.
Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!
I just love these. I think they are perfect and delicious. I am already worried when the end of “limited time” is. I ate a whole bag and want more. Picklely, hot deliciousness.
First bite I was hooked, I sure hope they continue making them i love that spicey tangy taste, I can eat 1 bag aday or more if I just let myself hears to praying I get to continue eating them, I like them just the way they are don’t change anything about them.
Gwynedd Stuart
Jordan Myrick
Griffin Parker
I just love these. I think they are perfect and delicious. I am already worried when the end of “limited time” is. I ate a whole bag and want more. Picklely, hot deliciousness.
First bite I was hooked, I sure hope they continue making them i love that spicey tangy taste, I can eat 1 bag aday or more if I just let myself hears to praying I get to continue eating them, I like them just the way they are don’t change anything about them.