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 last year, and this year, with slicing cucumbers. Tastes great, and actually last more like two or three months.
You must not be packing the cucumbers in enough. I had some leftover brine.
Not even close to enough liquid for the amount of cucumbers.
WOW WOW WOW!!!! These refrigerator pickles are a-ma-zing. I’ve canned garden produce for years, including many different types of pickles and I have some really great canning recipes. Sometimes you just want a quick, refrigerator pickle recipe for the unexpected free white cucumbers (white cucumbers are quite popular where I live.)
I had 3 pounds of white cucumbers w hich yielded 2 quarts of spears and 1 pint of small slices. I ended up having to add a little bit of cold water to each jar. I didn’t have kosher salt so I used 2 TBSP plus a pinch of canning salt, Splenda instead of sugar, only 1 TBSP coriander seed (because that’s all I had on hand), 1 head of dill and a few fronds (again, because that’s all I had on hand-I just divided them up evenly), and added a few peppercorns to each jar.
This is going to be my GO-TO refrigerator pickle recipe from now on.
Thank you so much for sharing this with the world!
I cannot believe how great these pickles taste or how easy they are to make! I have given this recipe to almost everyone who has tried them. Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Made these last week; delicious! Husband is obsessed. He is a pickle fan and he is sooo enjoying these. About to make a second batch of two quarts (one with some Serrano pepper slices added to try it out and I have to do something with that bumper crop).
Note: I did add a couple of black peppercorns and two allspice berries to the mix but the rest was done exactly as described. So easy. *I’m not going to have to worry about being able to keep them in the fridge for four weeks, they’ll be gone well before then.* Thanks for providing this recipe. I just signed up for your updates.
The ABSOLUTE, hands down, best pickles, fricken ever. I have had tons of varieties of pickles in my day, always searching for the ones from when I was a kid. Eventually realized they were probably homemade, so started trying dozens of recipes online. Nope, none of them were correct, until this one, it isn’t exactly the same, but just as good, maybe better. No need for a canner at all, just jars and the recipe, works amazingly for onions and green beans as well. Try it! Planning a future attempt at asparagus spears and artichoke hearts and adding just a hit of olive oil for those.
Hi,
Just curious if I can use dried Coriander rather than coriander seeds? And if so, how much? Thank you!
Sure, I’d use 1 teaspoon of ground coriander. Enjoy!
I’d like to reuse the brine to fill with more cucumbers. Will those new pickles last a new 4 weeks or do I need to count the expiration time from when I first made the brine?
They should be fine for the 4 weeks.
These pickles are so delicious and super easy to make . Hubby loves them also.😋
Is this recipe for pickles considered fermented? I trust, love your recipes 100% and was looking for a fermented recipe for the health benefits.
Thank You!
No, they aren’t considered fermented.
Can you use red wine vinegar?
The pickles may be a bit of a different color, but it should work. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Absolutely the best dill pickles I have ever eaten. They are also so easy to make.