Health Benefits of Drinking Pickle Juice

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Is pickle juice good for you?

“I love pickle juice,” says Kim Shapira, MS, RD, a registered dietician, functional nutritional therapist, and author of This is What You’re Really Hungry For. “It’s packed with sodium, potassium, and magnesium, making it great for rehydrating.”

Pickle juice also contains vitamins C and E, which can aid in a healthy immune system, says Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, a registered dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic Center for Human Nutrition. “Depending on how it’s made, it can also contain probiotics.” 

Beyond these vitamins and minerals, the nutritional content of pickle juice will vary depending on the pickling process, whether that’s at home or by a manufacturer. Basic pickle juice—using just vinegar or a fermentation salt-water brine—will have next to no calories, fat, carbohydrates, or protein. However, if ingredients like sugar are added to the mix, this will increase the amount of calories and carbohydrates in a serving (but not significantly so).

Zumpano warns that pickle juice is high in sodium, however. While this can be great for relieving muscle cramps and replenishing electrolytes after a tough workout, sodium in excess can lead to high blood pressure and kidney problems, she explains. 

“Values vary with the brand and amount of sodium added,” but a third cup of pickle juice contains about 275 milligrams (mg) of sodium, she says. “It’s recommended to keep your daily sodium intake under 2,4000 mg per day.” 

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Pickle juice benefits

From immune system support to rehydrating in the summer heat, pickle juice can be a low-cost health booster that’s also easily accessible. “Half to a third cup of pickle juice is all you need, after a workout, before a meal, or any time of the day, depending on why you are taking it,” Zumpano says. 

But if you’re turned off by the idea of tossing back pickle juice, Shapira ensures that a little bit goes a long way. “[Even] the juice in a single pickle is really enough,” she says. 

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1. It can ease muscle cramps

Researchers have continued to investigate how pickle juice soothes muscle cramping since BYU’s 2010 study, such as 2022 research published in Applied Research in Coaching and Athletics Annual confirming that pickle juice has been shown to reduce muscle cramp duration and intensity compared to drinking water. 

“Athletes will report that pickle juice has helped alleviate their muscle cramps from physical activity,” says Brett Singer, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, a sports dietician at Memorial Hermann Rockets Sports Medicine Institute. “[The cramp relief effect] seems to be less related to the electrolyte or salt content of pickle juice and more related to the acetic acid.”

An analysis published in 2020 in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research explains that acetic acid in pickle juice is thought to decrease activity of neurons that control muscle contraction—essentially allowing muscles to relax instead of tightening up. 

However, Singer says to keep in mind that exercise-associated muscle cramps can be related to a number of factors, including fatigue, poor training status, over-exertion, illness, poor sleep, excess caffeine, hydration status, poor carbohydrate intake, and more. “If individuals are experiencing cramping and have addressed other factors, pickle juice may be worth considering.” 

Pickle juice is effective in relieving some non-exercise-related cramps as well. For example, 2023 research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that pickle juice helped alleviate cramps in people with cirrhosis (cramps are a common symptom). 

There’s no evidence pickle juice can help with period cramps, unfortunately. “The acetic acid that helps relieve muscle cramps might not have the same effect on the smooth muscle of the uterus,” Shapira says.