Yes — both Fast Pickle and Bob's Pickle Potion #9 Sport Shot are real, legitimate pickle-juice shots designed for hydration and recovery. They're built around the same core idea: real pickle brine delivers sodium fast, and athletes have been using it for decades. The difference is what each brand adds on top of the brine — and how they choose to color, preserve, and electrolyte-load the bottle.
This is an honest, label-by-label comparison. We're a pickle-juice brand, so we have a horse in this race. But we're not going to pretend Bob's hasn't earned its spot — they've been making pickle products in Dripping Springs, Texas since 2007, and a lot of athletes keep them stocked for good reason. We're going to tell you what's on each label, and let you decide which fits the way you want to recover.
What's in Bob's Pickle Potion #9 Sport Shot
Bob's Pickle Potion #9 Sport Shot is a 3oz pickle-flavored shot with 750mg of sodium per serving. The full ingredient list, pulled from Bob's published label:
- Filtered water
- Vinegar
- Salt
- Natural flavoring
- Citric acid
- Magnesium lactate
- Calcium lactate
- Potassium chloride
- Polysorbate 80 (emulsifier)
- Beta carotene (color)
- Benzoate of soda & potassium sorbate (preservatives)
That's 11 line items. The first four are the same as Fast Pickle. The next four (citric acid plus the lactate/chloride salts) are added electrolytes — that's how Bob's gets the panel to 750mg of sodium plus 60mg of potassium, 25mg of calcium, and 20mg of magnesium per 3oz shot. The last three are functional: an emulsifier to keep the formula uniform, a natural color, and two shelf-life preservatives.
None of those ingredients are unsafe. Polysorbate 80 is FDA-approved as an emulsifier. Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate are standard food-safety preservatives. Beta carotene is a plant pigment that the body converts to vitamin A. All of that is true. It's also true that Bob's chose to put them in the bottle — and Fast Pickle chose not to.
What's in Fast Pickle
Here's the entire Fast Pickle Performance Shot ingredient list, in the order it appears on every label:
- Water
- Vinegar
- Salt
- Natural pickle flavor
Four ingredients. 570mg of sodium per 3oz shot, 0g of added sugar, no emulsifiers, no preservatives, no added color (natural or synthetic). The sodium comes from concentrated cucumber brine and sea salt — the same source athletes have been pulling from straight pickle jars for decades.
Why a shorter list? Two reasons. First, real brine plus salt gets you to a sodium concentration that already does the work — we didn't need extra lactate salts to pad the panel. Second, a small-batch shelf-stable shot doesn't need polysorbate 80 to stay mixed or sodium benzoate to stay fresh on the shelf.
The Food Dye Question
You asked, so we'll answer plainly: Bob's Pickle Potion #9 Sport Shot does not contain FD&C Yellow #5. The shot uses beta carotene, which is a natural color from carrots and orange vegetables. That's a real reformulation choice and Bob's deserves credit for it.
Where the dye still lives is in Bob's flagship product — the Original Pickle Pops frozen pouch. That ingredient list, pulled from current retail listings, includes "FD&C Yellow #5 (Colors)" alongside polysorbate 80 and sodium benzoate. The Original Pops have been on shelves at Walmart, Kroger, H-E-B, and Brookshire's for years with that exact formulation.
FD&C Yellow #5 (also called tartrazine) is FDA-approved and used in thousands of products, but it's also one of the synthetic dyes that major US brands have been voluntarily phasing out in 2025–2027. We made the choice to never put it in any Fast Pickle product to begin with. No yellow shots, no yellow pops, no yellow anything.
Side-By-Side Spec Sheet
| Spec | Fast Pickle Shot | Bob's Pickle Potion #9 Sport Shot |
|---|---|---|
| Serving size | 3 oz | 3 oz |
| Sodium | 570 mg | 750 mg |
| Added sugar | 0 g | 0 g |
| Ingredient count | 4 | 11 |
| Added color | None | Beta carotene (natural) |
| Emulsifier | None | Polysorbate 80 |
| Preservatives | None | Benzoate of soda, potassium sorbate |
| Added electrolytes | None (brine + salt only) | Magnesium lactate, calcium lactate, potassium chloride |
| Made in | USA | Dripping Springs, TX |
| Brand founded | 2024 | 2007 |
Which One Is Right For You?
Pick Bob's Pickle Potion #9 Sport Shot if you want the highest possible sodium number on the label (750mg vs 570mg), and you're comfortable with added lactate salts, an emulsifier, and shelf-life preservatives in exchange. Bob's is widely available in Texas grocery stores and works for athletes who like a more "sports drink" ingredient panel.
Think of it this way: 570mg matches the sodium most adults sweat out during about 30 minutes of hard output — a 5K, a sweaty pickleball match, the back half of a hot shift. 750mg+ overshoots that window. It's better suited for ultra-distance efforts, double-shifts in summer heat, or athletes who already know they're heavy sweaters. For the everyday hard 30 minutes, 570mg is the calibrated dose.
Pick Fast Pickle if you want the shortest possible label, no preservatives, no emulsifiers, and no added color of any kind. 570mg of sodium is still about 25% of the daily recommended sodium intake in a single 3oz shot — plenty of fast-acting hydration support* for most athletes — and it's coming from real pickle brine, not lab salts. Plus, at $28.99 for a 12-pack ($2.42 per shot), Fast Pickle is competitive on per-shot price.
You can also start with our 3-pack sampler — it's free, just pay shipping — if you've never tried a pickle juice shot before and want to see whether your stomach is on board.
How To Use a Pickle Juice Shot
Both products work the same way: 3oz, one gulp, no mixing. Athletes typically take a shot 10–15 minutes before activity, mid-effort when they feel a cramp coming on, or right after they finish to begin replenishing the sodium they sweat out. Pickle juice is not a sipping drink — it's a tool. Drink water alongside it.
Related Reads
Related read: If you're comparing Fast Pickle to other electrolyte options, see Fast Pickle vs. Liquid I.V. for heavy sweaters and Fast Pickle vs. LMNT.