Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickles
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Refrigerator pickles are quick and easy to make — no sterilizing jars or special equipment required.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
The kids and I discovered a jar of these homemade refrigerator pickles in my parents’ refrigerator door 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 sterilizing jars or special canning equipment required. All you do is slice Kirby cucumbers into spears, cover them with brine, tuck them into the fridge, and they’re ready to eat the next day.
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
Begin by making 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.
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.
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.
Cover the cucumbers with the chilled brine.
Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for about 24 hours, then serve. The pickles will keep in the fridge for up to one month.
These pickles will disappear quickly and you’ll likely get requests for 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
Refrigerator pickles are quick and easy to make — no sterilizing jars or special equipment required.
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 are the best dill pickles I have ever eaten!! I make them every summer with the pickling cucumbers that I plant just to make this recipe. I even used to make them when I was living in France, where you can’t buy dill pickles. The seeds for “cornichons” in France are the same type of cucumber. I just let them get bigger. My cucumbers are just starting to produce, and I can’t wait!
These are amazing! They haven’t even been pickling for 24 hours, and we’ve already down most of a jar. My daughter loves anything pickled, and she was delighted with these. I’m already thinking of what else I can stick in the empty jar of brine (carrots, peppers, radishes…) once I run out of cucumbers!
In my local (Canadian) grocery store, the cukes were called “pickling cucumbers” (no reference to Kirby), and I used black mustard seeds because they were on hand — delicious!!
Absolutely delicious!!! Jenn, you’ve made a pickler of me. I think these are the best pickles I’ve ever eaten.
And I just used your recipe to pickle some onions!
Can you help me? I messed up with too much vinegar in a refrigerator pickle recipe and mine are way too sour. Is there a way I can fix this? It was a different recipe and I can’t wait to try this one – I just didn’t want to throw out the two containers I made last week. Thank you!!!
Hi Rosie, You can add more water to dilute the vinegar (and if your recipe includes sugar, I’d add both sugar and water). Hope that helps!
I make this recipe about five times a summer. I share the with family and we all agree; they are outstanding!!!
what is the equivalent of Kirby cucumbers in Italian? I live in Italy. Grazie
Hi Nancy, I don’t know what name they go by in Italy. I googled it, but came up empty handed. They are small (up to about 6 inches long) and have bumpy skins. I’d ask your grocer what the best pickling cucumbers are and hopefully, they’ll fit this description. I hope you can find them!
Is this a sour dill pickle or a bread and butter pickle?
Hi Debra, It’s more of a dill pickle. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Made these and so far these are my favorite I was able to adapt to what I had on hand but the flavors and amazing thanks
Hi,
I love dill pickles and would like to make these, I’ve only done the boil and seal kind. I don’t like sugar in my dills, can I just leave it out? Or is this an ingredient needed in this method? Thank you in advance, your recipes are always terrific!
Anna Frost
Hi Anna, Instead of omitting the sugar, I’d suggest cutting it in half as it balances out the flavors nicely. If you want to eliminate it completely, the pickles may be lip-puckeringly vinegary. 🙂
Hi Jennifer,
I haven’t made these pickles yet. I’m just wondering if these pickle are sweet or dill & sour?
Thanks!
Mary Nell
Hi Mary, they’re more sour like dill pickles. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Will the Persian cukes work with this recipe?
Yes, you can use Persian or mini cucs but they may not be quite as crisp and crunchy as Kirbys. Please LMK how they turn out if you try them!
I just made these again using Persian cukes and both times they turn out very well. I never use sugar but may use a little in my next batch as I don’t like sweet pickles. I also sliced the garlic into thin slices using the slicer on my mini mandolin. Yummy!
FYI Some white vinegars are made using petroleum as their source. I was horrified to realize white vinegar doesn’t have to say what it’s made from on their label.
Heinz distilled white vinegar says right on its label what it’s made of, mine says corn, just for that reason. Heinz also makes a product they call cleaning vinegar. I haven’t looked at its label so I don’t know what thats made of. If it matters to you, use a vinegar which says what it’s made from.
I make bread and butter pickles a lot using white vinegar which is how I happen to have researched this. I can’t wait to make these pickles!
Can you can these in a hot water bath so they don’t need to be refrigerated.
Hi Tony, Unfortunately this recipe was not made for canning. Sorry!
Quick question Jennifer
Mustard seed comes both brown and yellow. I am guessing we should use yellow, since it’s spicier?
Hi Sunny, I use the yellow ones. Enjoy!
Great Jennifer. That is what I am ordering from Spice House.
Can wait to make them.
My favorite pickles ever! I’m too spoiled to eat store bought anymore.
These pickles are so awesome! My family waits all year for the cukes to come in. They are so easy and full of flavor be sure to try them.
Thanks , Jen for another great recipe.
Hi Jenn! Every year I can (water bath process) 50 pounds worth of both Dill & Bread/Butter pickles. Would there be any special steps for me to take with this recipe so that I could process them for a longer shelf life without refrigerating before opening? Thanks!
Hi Cherie, Wow, that’s a lot of pickles!! I didn’t design this recipe with canning in mind, so I don’t know for sure that it would be safe. Sorry!
They were so delicious! I actually added other raw vegetables in the next batch- red pepper, celery, cauliflower. Good low cal snacks.
Simple and easy but one of my favorite recipes. I use cucumbers and peppers from my garden- family and friends love them!
These pickles are fantastic! My husband and Dad request these on a regular basis!!!!! And super easy….a fun summertime hostess gift also!!!
Excellent! Excellent!! & Excellent!!!
Been making pickles for a number of years now and this instruction is the easiest and tastiest we’ve tried!
Did I mention how Excellent they are? The pickles…?
Outstanding!
These were delicious! Stayed crispy! I’m doubling the recipe this year
Memories of my childhood…every autumn my dad and a friend used to put up an entire barrel of whole pickles, yes, that’s correct, a whole barrel of those that was taller than me. Half-sours were always my fave. This recipe is as good if not better.
Last year, when Kirby cucs were no longer available, out of desperation I tried making it with the Lebanese ones. Unfortunately, they turned mushy almost immediately.
Enjoy these while you can find pickling cucs. Farmers’ markets have the freshest ones. The pickles may keep in the fridge for a month, but in my house, they don’t last – they’re too delicious!
Thank you Jenn!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I’m a big pickle fan, and these are by far the best I’ve ever had, despite not being able to follow the recipe exactly. I went to two stores, and neither carried whole coriander seeds. I decided to use the pickling spices I already had, which contain coriander seed, and just cut back on the mustard seed, which is also in the pickling spices. I doubled the amount of garlic, because we are all huge garlic fans, and OMG! BEST PICKLES EVER!!! It’s all I can do to not eat a whole jar in one sitting! You just earned a big follow from me!
I loved it but I think I would cut the salt down.
Couldn’t find Kirby cucumbers anywhere! I ended up purchasing some mini seedless cucumbers that come in a bag of eight 1. Do you think they’ll work or come out mushy 2. Where to buy Kirby’s (I tried giant foods, Safeway, weis and wegmans) thanks Jenn!
Hi Abbie, It might be a bit early to find Kirby cucumbers – summer is prime time – but I usually find them at Whole Foods or Harris Teeter.
Can be found at your farmers market.
Can the sugar be eliminated in this recipe?
Hi Marte, Instead of omitting the sugar, I’d suggest cutting it in half as it balances out the flavors nicely. If you want to eliminate it completely, the pickles may be lip-puckeringly vinegary. 🙂
Great recipe. Grandkids expect a gallon in the refrigerator for after school and Shabbos dinner. Only downside is the hunt for Kirby cucumbers
I never leave a comment, but the amount of flavor after 24 hours is so good. Awesome recipe thank you so much for sharing.
I cannot find dill sprigs in any of my grocery stores. Can I use dill weed spice instead? if so, how much?
Thank you,
Sure, Cathy, you can get away with dried. You’ll need 2 teaspoons. Enjoy!
The only one I use, so easy
I am a pickle fanatic, literally so obsessed I get tagged in pickle-related things all the time from people who know me. A coworker’s husband makes them and his wife brings me a gallon about every month or so. No idea why I never even thought to make them myself. First recipe was a total dud. Yours, however, is incredible!!! I’m currently making a gallon batch. I did add one thing which I hate to comment on a recipe and then add a change to it, but I’ve been on an umami kick so I added 1 Tb of dried umami seasoning to the recipe. My kids say these taste like Grillo’s 😁
Danielle, did you make your umami seasoning or buy it?
Sunny
Hi! I was curious about pickling some cukes and your recipe came up first on the ever so trustworthy Google! So, it must be great right? Question, I have a container of pickling spice. Will that work instead of the separate measurements of mustard seed and coriander? If so, how much would I use?
Hi Bart, I’m not familiar with pickling spice mixes so I’m not sure how the taste will compare to this recipe, but I’m sure it will work. I’d estimate that you’d need 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon to account for the measurements of the coriander and mustard seeds. Please LMK how they turn out!
I couldn’t find whole coriander seed, so I used 2T pickling spice and about a third of the mustard seed. Came out AMAZING! Did you try it?
I’ve been using the pickling spice mixture but I do add more black peppercorns and several cloves of garlic. The pickles are amazing. I use a heaping teaspoon of the pickling spice per quart and about half a tsp of black peppercorns. I can’t make these pickles fast enough.
I’ll never buy pickles from the grocery store again so easy and delicious
I’ve been making these fabulous garlic pickles since I first saw the recipe on your site. And I’ve wanted to write to you ever since to tell you how much my family and friends love them! I did tweak the recipe a little – more garlic, less sugar and dill – and it brings me back to my childhood deli pickles in Brooklyn. Thank you!
This was so easy! I had bought one of those “pickling” packets and if seemed a little complicated. Found your recipe and it was so easy to follow! I hope to have pickles in a couple weeks!!!
Hey Jenny,
Can I replace the white vinegar with Apple Cider Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar?
Also, are there replacements to the mustard seed you can suggest?
Trying to use what I have. Thanks!
Hi Patty, Apple cider vinegar should work here. And you can just leave the mustard seed out – enjoy!
i didn’t have mustard seed, but I had ground mustard powder. I added it to the vinegar,sugar , salt solution, worked just fine for me!!
These are amazing..my family LOVED them!
My husband and I made your pickles exactly according to the recipe, and they are delicious! Our question is: can we make them safely without salt? My husband is on a low sodium diet, so we really need to make refrigerator pickles with NO added salt. Many thanks! Martha
Hi Martha, Glad you like them. technically they will work without the salt, but will definitely taste different. Please LMK how they turn out!
Hi Jenn, we made the refrigerator pickles with no salt, and they still taste delicious! The differences we noticed are: 1) it has taken the pickles much longer to turn into dill pickles… about 4-5 days rather than 24 hours; and 2) the intensity of the flavour is just a bit less… so next time we make them, we may add a few more red pepper flakes~ Again, thanks so much for this recipe!
Good to know and so glad to hear they were still tasty — thanks for reporting back! 🙂
‘NoSalt Original Sodium-Free Salt Alternative’ is available on Amazon and is a great way to keep the saltiness you need in recipes without all the added sodium! Hope this helps 🙂
Is the recipe for one or two quarts?
Two. Enjoy!
I started making these last year. Now I get orders from my family members to make them. I made pint jars as Christmas gifts this year!!
Hi Jenn! I just tried this recipe with cucumbers… AMAZING. I was thinking about attempting it with other veggies like carrots and green beans, do you think this would work?
Glad you liked them! I haven’t tried it with other veggies but I think it would work. Please LMK How they turn out if you try it!
I am having a hard time finding dill weed can I use dried dill weed instead
Sure, David — you’ll need 2 teaspoons. Enjoy!
These are amazingly easy to make, crunchy and delicious – better than any store-bought pickle that I’ve had. I took a chance making them with powdered coriander, because I couldn’t find whole, and was worried that it might not work out well, but they came out great. The powdered spice simply settles at the bottom of the jar. Not as pretty, but that doesn’t really matter. Thanks Jenn!
Fabulous
I wanted to add to my review of August 12- between my hubby and my neighbor’s pickle-loving son, I can’t keep these in the house!. At this point I’m recycling the brine and just adding kirby cuke slices to the jars weekly. I never thought I would find a pickle recipe that would retain its crispness and taste so good! Another home run Jenn!
These are wonderful! Just made them again a couple of weeks ago. A request from a Facebook group I belong to, Cape Cod Gardeners, was for a great refrigerator pickle recipe. Guess whose recipe I directed her to? And your site!
Super easy and great tasting recipe. Good “as is” or you can easily tailor to your taste. In my second batch, I added a bay leaf and some fresh pickling dill. Maybe replace a 1/4 cup distilled vinegar with white wine vinegar? So many ways to try and you can taste the results in days.
What I learned was to taste the brine and adjust the salt/sugar ratio to your liking (keeping the water-to-vinegar ratio intact). This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks!
Just made this recipe and loved it! One question. I have a bunch of green tomatoes. Can I use this recipe for them, and if so, how long will they take to pickle?
Hi Brian, I think it should work. I’m not sure how long they’ll take — if you cut them into wedges, they will pickle a bit faster than if you put them in the brine whole. Please LMK how they turn out!
They actually turned out great! I tried them after about 5 days. I’m sure another week will make them better!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Between the garlic and the red pepper flakes, do the pickles come out spicy at all? I don’t mind, but some members of my household would be sensitive to it.
No, these really aren’t spicy, Dan. Hope you enjoy!
Hi – I was wondering if I could use cucamelons instead of cucumber for this recipe? I have an abundance of them. Thank you
Hi Kimberly, I’d never heard of a cucamelons and just googled it. While it may work for this recipe, I see that they have a tart taste so it could be that they turn out to be too tart once they’ve pickled. If you go ahead and try it, please LMK how they turn out!
Great! my hardcore pickle lovers were impressed.
These came SO salty! Jenn, I never change a thing on your recipes because they are perfect. This one was a fail for me. Even after I dumped out half the brine and refilled it with vinegar, they were salty. The salt had permeated into the cucumbers, so it was too late. Dang. Otherwise, they were crisp and delicious!
I wonder what kind of salt you used. I use Kosher. If you used table salt, they are definitely going to be too salty. So, try Kosher or granular sea salt. Hope that helps.
I made these pickles and brought them to a couple of picnics during the summer and everyone LOVED them! Thanks for the recipe…it’s a keeper @onceuponachef
Hi Jenn! It’s the peak of pickling season and I can’t find mustard seed or coriander seed. Can I sub dry mustard and ground coriander? I’ve read about substitutions online and there are a wide range of suggestions. Please help. ♥️ I already bought the pickling cukes from my local farmers market!!
Hi Kathy, I’d suggest just a pinch or 2 of the dry mustard and 1 teaspoon of ground coriander. If you have cilantro on hand, feel free to throw a little of that in there instead of the ground coriander. Hope that helps!
Thanks Jenn! They turned out great!
My go-to pickle recipe for 2 years now! The BEST. However, I have a question about the dill weed: how much is 16 sprigs? I grow my own dill here in the blazing 100-degree Idaho sun and my dill plants are huge! Sometimes the sprigs are the size of a tennis ball. Mostly I’ve been estimating but sometimes a batch comes out yucky due to too much/not enough dill. Any suggestions for a more precise measurement, like 1/3 cup packed, 20 gms weight, or 3 oz? “Sprigs” can be so variable! Thank you, and thank you for the BEST pickle recipe ever, Jenn!
Hi Deb, So glad you like them!! I’ve never weighed or measured the dill in the way that you’re describing but I’d estimate that a sprig of dill is about 5-1/2 inches long and 1-1/2 inches wide if that helps. BTW, if you’re concerned about using too much, I’d err on the side of using a little less. I’ve made the pickles with just a pinch of dried dill and they still taste good. Hope that helps at least a bit!