Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickles
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Refrigerator pickles are quick and easy to make—no sterilizing jars or special equipment required. Perfect with burgers, sandwiches, or straight from the jar.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
The kids and I discovered a jar of these homemade refrigerator pickles in my parents’ fridge one day, and since then, no deli or store-bought pickles have ever come close. They were made by one of my mom’s oldest and dearest friends, Joanne Biltekoff, who is like an aunt to me.
The best thing about Joanne’s pickles is that they’re quick and easy—no canning supplies or sterilized jars needed. Simply slice Kirby cucumbers into spears, cover them with brine, tuck them into the fridge, and they’re ready to eat the next day.
“For the first time, I grew pickling cucumbers and found your recipe to make pickles. I can’t believe how wonderful they are!”
What You’ll Need To Make Refrigerator Pickles
The most important part of the recipe is to start with Kirby or pickling cucumbers. They’re short, squat and sometimes full of warts, but they make deliciously crisp pickles. Don’t be tempted to substitute another kind of cucumber or you’ll end up with soggy pickles.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the brine. Combine the vinegar, salt and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat and stir until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. Whisk in the cold water, then chill.
Pro tip: When cooking high-acid foods, be sure to use a cooking vessel made of a nonreactive material such as stainless steel, glass, ceramic or Teflon. Pots made from metals like aluminum, copper or cast iron will react with the acid and give your food a metallic taste.
Step 2: Fill the jars. Next, stuff the cucumbers into two 1-quart jars. Add the coriander and mustard seeds, garlic, red pepper flakes, dill sprigs to the jars, dividing evenly.
Step 3: Add the brine. Cover the cucumbers with the chilled brine. If needed, you can add a bit of cold water to the jars until the brine covers the cucumbers.
Step 4: Refrigerate. Cover the jars and let sit in the refrigerator for about 24 hours, then serve. The pickles will keep in the fridge for up to one month. Enjoy!
Pro tip: These pickles disappear quickly. If you’d like to make more, you don’t have to start from scratch. You can use the pickle brine more than once—it should last for another batch or two of pickles!
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Quick & Easy Refrigerator Pickles
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Ingredients
- 1¼ cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups cold water
- 1¾ to 2 pounds Kirby cucumbers (about 6), cut into halves or spears
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 16 dill sprigs
Instructions
- Combine the vinegar, salt and sugar in a small non-reactive saucepan (such as stainless steel, glass, ceramic or teflon) over high heat. Whisk until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Transfer the liquid into a bowl and whisk in the cold water. Refrigerate brine until ready to use.
- Stuff the cucumbers into two clean 1-quart jars. Add the coriander seeds, garlic cloves, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, dill sprigs, and chilled brine into jars, dividing evenly. If necessary, add a bit of cold water to the jars until the brine covers the cucumbers. Cover and refrigerate about 24 hours, then serve. The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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These pickles were awesome! Quick, crisp and loaded with flavor.
These pickles were a hit! Very easy to make and a wonderful use of cucumbers from my summer garden.
I chose to omit the pepper flakes, and reduce the vinegar by 1/4 cup. The result is near perfection.
This recipe is AMAZING! All the ingredients were available from my neighborhood grocery store. Recipe was clear and concise-easy to follow.
And the result-delicious crunchy better than store bought!
This recipe is artisanal and I felt like a real chef!
These are delicious and so easy. On a whim, I added peeled carrot sticks to the jar along with the cucumbers and they were equally good. The liquid can be reused easily too which is a bonus. Thanks for another great recipe!
wow! This is a gem. I made them this summer after growing cucumbers for the first time. I continue to make them with grocery-store cucumbers. I add extra garlic cloves and when I have dill in the garden, I add any seed heads from older dill. My family adores these and they are so much better than commercial pickles. I reuse the brine in a jar for about 3-4 weeks before starting over, adding fresh cucumbers when they have been completely eaten from the jar. ( i.e. I don’t add new cucumbers when there are already-pickled cucumbers in the jar).
Once you make these amazing pickles, you will never go back to store-bought! So easy and foolproof!
I have tried and tried to make good refrigerator pickles. The recipes I found never had the right water to vinegar ratio or the right seasonings. I had almost given up but saw this recipe and thought “its a rare recipe of Jenn’s I don’t find to be fantastic” and decided to give it one last try. OMG will make these over and over and over.
These pickles are amazing! So crisp and just a nice level of sweet and heat!
Absolutely loved these pickles! So tasty. Was able to use cucumbers from my garden. My neighbors asked me to make some for them–even offered to pay me for them! Ha!
I love making refrigerator pickles. But I HATE soggy pickles. One thing I do to make sure my pickles stay crunchy for a long time is blanch and shock my pickles before brining them. Add whole pickles to boiling water for one to two minutes until BRIGHT green. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Once the pickles are cold, stuff them in the jar and add the brine per the recipe and enjoy crunchy pickles for a long time!
Great balance of flavors.