Pickle Sandwich
Published June 4, 2025 • Updated March 5, 2026
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I make this pickle sandwich with just two ingredients: sliced pickles and shredded cheese. Baked until crispy, they fuse into a low carb 'bread' that's briny, cheesy, and holds up to real fillings.
It sounds crazy, but it works. I’ve tried plenty of bread swaps over the years (bell pepper buns, portobello mushroom caps, even inside-out turkey wraps) and this one caught me off guard. You take sliced pickles and shredded cheese, bake them together, and the cheese crisps into this sturdy, briny base that actually holds sandwich fillings. No complicated steps, no weird ingredients, no soggy substitutes.
Here’s how it works
You layer pickle slices between shredded cheese on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 375 until the edges go golden. As it cools, everything fuses together into something you can pick up and eat like bread. I keep the fillings simple most of the time: a few slices of turkey, mustard, maybe lettuce. But you can load it up with ham, avocado, spicy mayo, whatever sounds good. The keto ‘bread’ holds up.
When I first made this, I used 2 cups of cheese because that’s what the TikTok videos recommended. That’s close to 1,000 calories of cheese. Way too much. I’ve dialed it down to 1 cup, which gives you a crispy base without turning the whole thing into a cheese brick.
One discovery I didn’t expect: colby jack outperforms cheddar here. A reader tried it and found the edges get lacier, almost caramelized, and the pickle brine interacts with it differently. I’ve tested it since and she’s right. If you want that crispier, more delicate edge, go with colby jack.
If you’re always hunting for low carb lunch ideas, this one belongs in your rotation. Pair it with pickle wraps on the side or serve it alongside cauliflower tots. A little chaotic, a little unexpected, but after one bite you stop missing the bread.
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Ingredients
1 cup packed shredded cheddar cheese -
6 - 8 pickle slices
-
6 slices of turkey, optional
-
1 slices of cheese, optional
-
2 romaine lettuce leaves, optional
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4 roma tomato slices, optional
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2 slices cooked bacon, optional
-
mayonnaise or mustard, optional
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Dry the pickles
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Start by lining your baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. Pat your pickle slices dry with paper towels.
- 6-8 pickle slices
First cheese and pickle layer
Using half of your shredded cheese, make two rectangles on your parchment paper. Lay three to four pickle slices across the top of each cheese square. Make sure the pickle slices touch each other side by side, not like in the image. The pickles will spread further apart as they bake.
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Another cheese layer
Cover your pickles with the remaining cheese and press down gently with your hand to pack it together.
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Bake the pickle breadwich
Place in the oven at 375°F for about 10 minutes, until the edges are crispy and golden.
Build your pickle sandwich
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Top one slice with turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and bacon or whatever toppings you are using. Spread mayo on the other slice and sandwich together. Slice and enjoy!
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use bread and butter pickles instead of dill?
I've only tested this with dill pickles, and that's what I'd recommend. Bread and butter pickles have added sugar, which can burn and caramelize unevenly under the cheese. The sweetness also clashes with savory fillings like turkey and mustard. If you want to try it, go for it, but expect a very different flavor.
What's the best cheese for a crispier result?
I started with cheddar and it works great, but I've since tried colby jack and sharp white cheddar based on reader feedback. Colby jack gets lacier around the edges with an almost caramelized texture. Sharp white cheddar adds depth. Both outperform pre-shredded cheese from a bag. Avoid fresh mozzarella, though. It's too wet and won't crisp.
Why is my pickle sandwich soft in the middle?
Nine times out of ten, it's the pickles. I press mine between two paper towels and lean on them hard, not just a light blot. Pickles carry a lot of water and any moisture left behind keeps the cheese from crisping. More bake time helps a little at the edges but won't fix wet pickles underneath.
Can I make this in an air fryer?
I've done it at 375 for about 5 minutes and it works. Check it early because it crisps faster than the oven and the edges can go from golden to burnt in a hurry. Pull it before the edges get too dark. The result is slightly crispier than oven-baked, which I actually prefer.
How do I keep the pickle bread from being greasy?
It's going to be a little greasy. That's just what happens when you bake cheese until it crisps. I let mine cool on a paper towel-lined plate for a minute, which absorbs some of the oil. Parchment paper on the baking sheet helps too so you can lift the whole thing off and let excess grease drain. Have napkins ready.
What fillings work best?
I usually go with turkey, mustard, and lettuce because it's fast. But I've also loaded it with ham, spicy mayo, avocado, and crisp veggies. For something different, try chicken salad or tuna salad. Keep the layers thin because the base is cheese and pickles, not sourdough. If you pile on too much, it falls apart.
Can I make this on the stovetop instead of the oven?
I haven't built one entirely on the stovetop, but I've re-crisped leftover pieces in a nonstick skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes per side. Works great for bringing back that crunch. If you wanted to try from scratch, you'd melt cheese in the pan, lay pickles in, add more cheese on top, and let it crisp. I want to test a full stovetop version and I'll update when I do.
How do I keep the cheese from sticking to the pan?
I always use parchment paper and never have sticking issues. A silicone baking mat works too. If you're worried, a light spray of cooking oil on the parchment gives you extra insurance, but I've never needed it.
Swapped cheddar for pepper jack and now cheddar feels like a downgrade. Heat against brine is freaking electric. Four stars until I try it with colby jack.
Colby jack gets lacier around the edges when it bakes, almost caramelized looking. Worth doing both side by side.
Honestly, went in skeptical. Pickles and cheese as bread sounded like one of those keto tricks that technically works but tastes like a compromise. Made it for lunch on a whim and the crunch when I bit into it actually surprised me. The brine bakes into the cheese and it doesn't taste like two separate things stacked together, it becomes its own thing. Did the full build with turkey, bacon, and romaine and it held together better than I thought (edges get genuinely crispy, not just firm). Keeping it at four stars because the pickle flavor can run strong depending on your slices, so dry them really well. Making this again for sure.
The brine fusing with the cheese is the whole point. Some pickles run a lot brinier than others though. I've found Claussen tends to be milder if it's getting too strong.
My husband watched me press cheese around pickle slices and told me he wasn't touching it. Pulled them out of the oven and he ate mine before I could even plate them. Double batch this weekend.
Brought these to my sister's spring get-together and watched people pick them up trying to figure out what they were looking at. One of her friends spent a solid minute examining the 'bread' before asking what kind of cracker it was. When I explained it was just cheddar and pickles baked at 375, she looked genuinely baffled. Four stars. Made them an hour ahead and they softened on the drive over, so I'll bake on-site next time, but the flavor held.
I was skeptical that shredded cheddar and pickle slices could hold up as actual bread, but I was out of lettuce wraps and needed something that wouldn't fall apart in my hands. The moment I pulled the pan out, the edges had this golden, lacy crisp I wasn't prepared for from something so simple. Let it cool maybe two minutes (barely) and built mine with turkey, bacon, and mustard. The briny punch from the pickles fused into the cheese in a way that made the whole thing taste like something I'd pay for at a lunch counter. I've been doing keto for about a year and I've had plenty of recipes that promised 'just like the real thing' and delivered sadness. This one doesn't pretend to be bread. It's its own extremely good thing, and I'm already planning a double batch before the week gets away from me.
Turkey, bacon, and mustard is my usual on this one too. And yeah, 'its own extremely good thing' is exactly how I'd describe it. Double batch is smart, they go fast.
So my son (13, extremely suspicious of anything I label 'keto') watched me pull these out of the oven and immediately asked what they were, not in a bad way, like curious about what the cheese was doing to the pickles, and then he just ate one before I could even build my sandwich. Said the edges tasted like the bottom of a grilled cheese, which is exactly it, that's the only way to describe it. I had to make a second batch to get my own lunch, which is both annoying and the biggest endorsement I've gotten from him since I started eating this way in January. The briny-cheesy fused thing is hard to explain until you actually eat one and it just clicks. Four stars for me because mine got a little soft by the time I finished assembling, so eat these fast, but the flavor is there and I'll figure out the timing next time.
'Bottom of a grilled cheese' is exactly it. The soft problem is pickle moisture. Really lean on them between paper towels before they go in, more than feels necessary. Still eat fast though, they don't hold long once the fillings are on.
Swapped half the cheddar for pepper jack and the brine flavor got way more pronounced, which I wasn't expecting. Still crisped up right at 10 minutes but you have to really dry those pickles first or the pepper jack gets greasy. Good swap, small caveat.
Greasy pepper jack is usually the pickles. Press them harder than you think you need to, paper towel on both sides. The extra brine punch is worth it.
Making this for a little spring lunch with my sister so I want to do four at once - will they all fit on one sheet pan without affecting how crispy the edges get?
Four fit on a half sheet pan. I'd leave a couple inches between each one though, edges need airflow or they steam instead of crisp.
My daughter looked at me like I'd lost it when I said we were using pickle slices as bread. One bite and she was back at the counter making another.
Ha. Second one is always the honest review. That briny cheese crunch gets people every time.
Tried this convinced the pickles would steam everything into a wet mess, but the edges came out crispy at exactly 10 minutes. Genuinely surprised. Do you think swiss would brown the same way, or is cheddar essential to getting that crunch?
Swiss won't get that edge, it just melts soft. Colby jack goes even lacier than cheddar if you want to branch out.
Does the type of pickle matter here? I only have bread and butter slices and wasn't sure if the sweetness would be weird with cheddar. Dill seems like the obvious pick but I don't want to make a special trip if it's not necessary.
I'd make the trip. Bread and butter pickles have sugar that scorches under the cheese. Sweet plus turkey plus mustard is also just a bad combo. Dill matters here.
Ran out of cheddar so I grabbed colby jack from the back of the fridge (figured it'd work about the same), and now I'm questioning every decision that led me to ever use cheddar. The colby jack gets lacier around the edges, more of that crispy almost caramelized texture. Does something with the pickle brine too. Making a double batch Thursday.
Colby jack does that caramelized edge better than cheddar, no contest. The brine thing is real too, I noticed it early on. Double batch Thursday tracks.
Six batches in and the sharp white cheddar is the only swap that matters, even if the center still softens once you load on toppings.
Sharp white cheddar was a reader discovery I tested and kept. Center softness is almost always the pickles. Press them between paper towels before they go down, harder than you think necessary.
Just got a new air fryer and want to run everything through it, but will the pickles actually dry out the same way they do in the oven at 375?
Air fryer at 375 works, check at 5 minutes. It crisps faster than oven so pull it before the edges go too dark.
My son picks every pickle off every sandwich he's ever eaten but inhaled two of these without realizing the 'bread' is just pickles and cheese melted together.
Ha. Don't tell him until after his third one.