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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I made these yesterday and couldn’t wait for today to come. It was SO worth the wait! So, so good. I added a little more garlic and a little more red pepper flakes because I like my dills garlicky and spicy.
To be honest I knew ahead of time this recipe would be awesome. I’ve made many of Jenn’s recipes and none have ever disappointed!
These pickles are delicious! I will never be able to eat commercial pickles again! I added extra garlic, but that’s me. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
Best pickles we have ever tasted! We gave two jars to our neighbors and they raved about them! Thank you so much!
These are delicious!
I made them 2 weeks ago. Can I reuse the brine for a second batch?
Sure, you can use the brine up to 2 times (and glad you like them)!
This is the second refrigerator pickle recipe I’ve tried. First one was fine but a touch sweet and not enough brine. I only had six Kirby pickles but I doubled this recipe too and I’m glad I did. Recipe mentioned topping off the jars with water if there was room but I feel that would have watered them down. I used 1 part 5% vinegar and 1 part apple cider vinegar and this added a really nice flavor to the pickles. I also used only 3 tablespoons of sugar instead of doubling to 4. Added peppercorns and some chunks of onion as well. Made both chips and spears. Came out perfect. Try apple cider vinegar folks. It’ll bring them to the next level.
For intentionally sweeter pickles, what’s a good multiplier on the recipe’s sugar?
It really depends on how sweet you want them. I may start by increasing the sugar by 1 tablespoon and see what you think. You can always increase or decrease it on your next batch.
i used only pickling cucumbers and this year my pickles are a little yellowish in color and not much crunch. any thoughts on what might have caused this. we made so may jars last year and loved them.
Sorry you had a problem with them! Are you certain they were Kirby cucumbers?
Hello! Anyone make these with cucumelons?
Saturday had our first homemade pickle. They are fabulous. My husband loves them, as do I.
Thank you for a terrific recipe. Hopefully I will be able to find Kirby cucs for the next batch.
Made these yesterday with my daughter – couldn’t wait for 24 hours to try them. They are awesome. We both like a tarter pickle though, so next time will adjust the sugar just a bit. We added half a Thai chili to each jar along with the crushed chilies but I didn’t notice any extra heat. As the brine is cool when added to the jar, I don’t think much of the heat from the chili was released. Maybe next time we will add the Thai chili pepper to the hot brine before adding the cold water.
We made these pickles and they are now a staple favorite in our fridge. We do them in pint jars. They are delicious. My family will look forward to every summer when we can begin to make new batches! Thank you for sharing your family’s recipe it is now one of our family’s recipes to pass down.