It just seems odd that someone hasn't invented pickle balls already. Everyone I know seems to be playing pickleball. It's the fastest-growing sport in America, with staggering statistics: About 36 million people will play pickleball in 2024.
Maybe I'm odd. Okay, I admit I am, and I think about food constantly. But don't pickleball players have parties? Don't they eat snacks? This was an idea that was just too much fun to let it go.
I searched everywhere for pickle ball recipes and found nothing! Meatballs, cheeseballs, fried pickles, pickle dip, and even sauerkraut balls, but not a pickle ball in sight. Something had to be done!
You'll love pickle balls if, for no other reason, it's fun to say, "Here, have a pickle ball!" They are crisp, tasty, and amazing when you dunk them in ranch dressing, mustard, or your favorite dipping sauce.
Around our family, we call food like this "snackage," and snackage is a fun food group of its own!
They require only four ingredients and are a snap, especially if you have a food processor. They will be a fun new treat for a little while, but I bet it won't be long before they're on the menu at your favorite sports bar!
I'm sure there are endless ways to make pickle balls, and I thought of several variations as I made my first-ever batch! This recipe is so simple: You'll need ham, dill pickles, Ritz cracker crumbs, and an egg to hold everything together.
I used my favorite, a small unsliced Cure 81 ham. It is great ham and so versatile! I used my food processor to chop it fairly fine, but wanted to retain some texture. In future pickle ball iterations, I may use ground roast beef or corned beef!
I chose to use whole dill pickles so it would be "nothin' but pickle." I suppose you could use pickle relish, but most have added ingredients.
I cut them into chunks and gave them a ride in my food processor, too. Be sure to squeeze out as much moisture as you can.
Ritz crackers have the perfect buttery sweetness to form this mixture into balls, and I added one egg as a binder. In future pickle ball experiments, Cheeze-its might be pretty yummy, too!
Stir all the ingredients together until well-blended and is thick enough to form a ball. If it seems too loose, gradually add some cracker crumbs until the texture is right.
Use a cookie scoop to make uniform size pickle balls. Mine holds a little bit over a tablespoon. It makes a pickle ball a little over an inch in size.
Next, I lined them up in rows so they were all ready to cook. This recipe made about 30 pickle balls.
I made some in my air fryer and some in my electric deep fryer. I think you could also bake these in the oven, and I will try that next time.
Here's how the air-fried ones looked. I had a little trouble with them sticking to the surface, and I had to turn them to brown them evenly, but they tasted great and had a good texture.
I liked them best deep-fried in my little electric fryer set to 375 degrees. They cooked quickly, only about three minutes, and browned evenly. I liked this method better.
Here's what the pickle balls look like inside. They're crispy on the outside and soft and flavorful in the middle. They're great for dipping!
I can't wait to have our family all here for Christmas when I'll have them join me in making another batch. I'm sure they will all have suggestions and ideas for making the best pickle balls yet!
A two-bite treat that's crisp on the outside and filled with flavor inside, this tasty snack features ham, dill pickles, and Ritz cracker crumbs.
Our family really, really loves to snack!! Sweet or salty, we love 'em all! I polled all the girls, and here are some of our favorite "snackage" items! Cheese Ring, Dried Beef Dip, Bruschetta, Cheese Ball, and Pretzel Hugs. Me? I don't think you can beat guacamole!
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Love, GB (Betty Streff)
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