Easy Homemade Refrigerator Pickles – A super-easy recipe for homemade pickles that cure right in your fridge so there’s no need to preserve them in jars. Ready in just a day or two, these classic dill pickles are made with garlic and dill and will be a welcomed addition to your summer time parties and barbecues!
Memorial Day is so close – I can almost smell the charred meats on the grill and the fruit in my sangria. I have absolutely zero plans for that Monday and looking forward to it. I haven’t binge-watched TV since Christmas and I miss it. If that sofa doesn’t have an imprint of my butt by the end of the holiday, I didn’t relax hard enough.
For all you that are planning to celebrate the day with tons of food, today’s recipe is a great addition to your BBQs and Picnics. It also marks the second recipe this week that was inspired by restaurants. First, we talked about this insanely-incredible Avocado & Charred Corn Salad that I recreated based on a salad I ate at a local Tex-Mex spot.
Now, I am bringing to you another easy recipe, but this time, on the snack spectrum. Say hello to my Easy Homemade Refrigerator Pickles!
Never in a MILLION years did I think I’d have the desire to make my own pickles. I was perfectly happy with the pickles I could buy in the store. They were perfectly seasoned and snappy – what could I do differently at home??
But during a visit to a local restaurant, I tried some of their homemade pickles and was BLOWN. AWAY. They were super salty but not as vinegary as your typical pickle. I could tell that they weren’t cured for too long because their skin was super green still and there was tons of crunch in the texture of the pickle. I NEEDED to have more of them. From that encounter alone, I was inspired to make my own at home.
But there was another thing holding me back – the canning process terrified me. Canning is the process of sealing jars to preserve the contents (think: jam, fruits, veggies, anything pickled). Why they call the process “canning,” even though you’re using jars, is beyond my comprehension.
But during my research, I realized that you don’t need to can pickles when making them at home. Instead, you can make refrigerator pickles. These pickles are called refrigerator pickles because they do not need to be preserved in jars by following the intimidating canning steps. Instead, they cure (turn from cucumbers to pickles) in the fridge.
So how exactly does this work? The process is similar to the pickled red onions that I made in this salad:
- Wash and dry some mason jars or jars with a clamp lid (which is what I used)
- Prepare the cucumbers by slicing off the ends and into the shape of your choice
- Add spices and cucumbers to jars
- Boil the brine and add to the jars
- Bring to room temperature and then store in fridge for 2 days
That’s really all there is to it! No fancy supplies or ingredients. But I will say, it was surprisingly annoying to locate the dill seed.
Note: dill seed is NOT the same as dill weed and they should not be interchanged for this recipe – a fact I learned after my third trip to a grocery store turned unsuccessful. I finally gave up the hunt and just purchased them on Amazon. I used the entire package (0.35 ounces) for this recipe so if you plan on making more than that, buy additional packs.
Here are a few more tips to ensure your pickles come out perfectly:
- Make sure to cut the ends off the cucumbers before pickling. The ends have enzymes in them that make them soft during the pickling process. I learned this from my favorite source of random cooking knowledge, The Kitchn.
- Speaking of The Kitchn, if you’re wondering if pickling salt is necessary for these pickles, here’s what they have to say on the matter.
- The best cucumbers to use for pickles are Kirby or Persian cucumbers. I used Kirby because they have a thicker skin so they snap when you bite them. At my local grocery store, they were called salad cucumbers. Regardless of the name, you can identify them by the bumpy skin. See my pictures above for an example.
- If you want a sweeter flavor to your pickles, use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. It has a more mild and less vinegary taste. I love the taste of vinegar so I use white vinegar for my pickles.
- Make sure that you sure glass jars for your pickling. The vinegar is acidic (duh) so it can break down weak plastics and make your pickles taste funny. Also, if you are making two jars of pickles (like I did), use jars that are about 36 ounces. If you want to make smaller jars, you will need 4 pint-sized jars (16 ounces each)
- Make sure the jars are jam-packed with cucumbers before adding liquid. If you have too much space in the jars, you will fill it with too much brine, which will make the pickles too vinegary. I made this mistake my first time. They were still edible and yummy but just slightly too vinegary.
Well that’s all there is to it, folks! Try these out for Memorial Day this weekend. But make sure to give the pickles a couple days to develop their flavor! Come back and let me know how much you love them by commenting below!
Here are all the kitchen tools and serveware that I used in today’s recipe. For each item sold below, I make a small commission. I only recommend items that I own and love so you can trust that each recommendation is tried and true. Thank you for supporting CPA!
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Easy Homemade Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients
- 2 pounds kirby cucumbers (also called salad cucumbers)
- 8 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 4 teaspoons dill seed (NOT the same as dill weed)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 3 tablespoons pickling salt (or kosher salt)
Instructions
- Prepare the jars by washing them with warm, soapy water. Make sure to rinse them well and dry completely. Set aside.
- Slice the pickles into quarters to make them into spears. If you prefer, you can leave them whole, slice into halves, or slice into chips. Set aside.
- Grab your prepared jars and split the spices and garlic evenly between them. You should have 4 cloves, 2 teaspoons of dill seed, and 1/2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes per jar.
- Divide cucumbers into both jars. Make sure to pack tightly. If you have tons of space between your cucumbers and the top of the jar, add more cucumber pieces to fill the gaps. If there's too much open space in the jar, too much brine will get used. My pickles were all different sizes so I split them up into the jars according to size. This will make sure I have enough brine to cover all of the spears evenly.
- Bring vinegar, water, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once it's boiling, turn off heat and split brine between both jars. Tops the jars with lids and let them sit at room temperature until they've cooled down. Then, place pickles in the fridge for 2 days before trying them. The pickles will keep for a few weeks.
Notes
Pin for later:
More easy snack recipes that you’ll love:
Easy Garlic Parmesan Pretzels
Sage and Browned Butter Pita Chips
Churro Marshmallow Bites
Hi, I will be making these this weekend. What’s the best way to make them SPICY??
Red pepper flakes, or whole jalapeno’s?
This is the best recipe, I’ve used it countless times!!! I’ve started using different veggies—green beans or asparagus, even carrots and cauliflower. The best is with English cucumbers in chunks, but hot house cut really thin are great on sandwiches. I started adding prepared horseradish to it as well. Very zesty! Thank you for this recipe!
Hi! A friend of mine shared your recipe for the garlic dill refrigerator pickles. I am eagerly awaiting the cucumbers from my garden to make homemade pickles. I’m curious as to how long the pickles will stay fresh in the refrigerator?
I followed your recipe. After two days in the fridge, I opened one jar and was kinda disappointed that I saw garlic cloves turned blueish. Does that means it turned mold?
Oh no! I’ve never had that happen before. I have no idea what it could be. Since there is so much salt and vinegar, I’d be surprised that mold could form. But possibly the vinegar was bad? I have no idea. So sorry I can’t be of more help!
Garlic turns blue as a reaction with vinegar due to the sulfur in the garlic. It can depend on the age of the garlic, pH levels and temp but does not effect the taste or ability to eat in any way. I’ve been pickling for years and very often my garlic turns blue. It is kind of cool!
Oh that’s a relief! Thanks for the insight!
Quick question, i made about 10 jars of these. Gave some to my parents and my grandma stuck them in the cabinet. My dad says they look kind of milky, can we just stick them back in the refrigerator or are they ruined? Thank you! Delicious recipe by the way!!!
Hmmm “milky” sounds questionable. I definitely wouldn’t eat them. Sorry!
Are they quart jars in the photos?
I think they are liter jars so almost a quart I believe.
Made them today, can’t wait to taste them. Do you know if it would be okay to run these through a water bath canning process, and not have to refrigerate? Thanks!
I haven’t tried, but I imagine the recipe would not change if you canned these instead.
Thank you so much! I love dill pickles and I’ve tried so many recipes. You’d be surprised how many recipes call for dill weed and not the seeds. Yours is the first recipe I like. Really love. They came out perfect. Just the right amount of spice too. I love that it’s so simple and easy yet tastes the best. Thanks for the tip on cutting the ends, I didn’t know that.
Yay Helen! This made me so happy. I am thrilled that you love the recipe and that it’s helped you. Woohoo! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Just wanted to thank you for this recipe! I have been experimenting with pickle recipes and this one is the winner! My first batch I followed the recipe and made two jars. Two days later my son and I had to sample them! Oh my gosh…the best!!!!! So I ditched all the other recipes I had and this in my go to pickle recipe. And since my garden was productive this year, I have made 16 more jars. So thank you very much.
This makes me so happy, Lea!! I am so honored to have won the family over. I haven’t made my own cucumbers before but so many readers have suggested it that I think I need to get on it for 2018! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Thanks for sharing your recipe! These dills look great and I love that you added garlic to the recipe as well – I’m excited to try making these at home. I’ll report back with how they turn out. Hopefully as good as yours!
I loooove the garlic, too! So glad you’re giving these a try. Can’t wait to hear how they turned out!
I made these today….wait…I should say I used this recipe to to make my pickles. I changed it because I wanted chips instead of spears so I used a large Lock & Lock
container I had instead of glass jars. I was so excited to find this recipe because I had the dill seeds and have never seen a recipe for pickles made with them. So
far they taste delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Yay Gillian! I am so happy you were able to adapt this recipe to make it work for you. Thanks for the feedback!!
My mom made homemade pickles last year and I’ve been wanting to try it myself since then. This is a great recipe post and I’ll keep you updated if I give it a try!
Yay! Thanks so much for the feedback!
This sounds great for the summer.
The recipe calls for white vinegar but the instructions talk about cider. Which is correct? Should it be cider vinegar?
Ahh sorry that isn’t clear. You can use either. If you want a mild vinegar flavor, use the cider vinegar. But it will turn the pickles slightly brown since the cider vinegar is brown. If that bothers you, use the white vinegar. I’ll clear that up in the instructions!
We LOVE pickles!! Can’t wait to try these out this summer!
I love pickles and I’ve always wanted to try to make them myself. Definitely saving this to try later!
Molly // Miss Molly Moon
I cant wait to try these! I am always looking for new pickle recipes!!
We’re growing our own cucumbers this year and your recipe is so simple that I can’t NOT try it! Thanks for specifying there’s a difference between dill seed and weed too. Non cheffy ppl like myself would have totally mixed it up!
http://www.totallymommedit.com
i didn’t know this was possible! i’m growing cucumbers and can’t wait to try this
OOH I’ve been saying all year that I want to learn to make pickles – and here you are, giving me a recipe! I don’t have any Memorial Day plans either (YAY) so looks like I’ll be trying this out 😉
I have always wanted to try making pickles!
I’m with you, why make my own when grocery store is so good! But yum, I want to try and make my own!
I am planting my first cucumbers this year and can’t wait to make my own pickles! I will have to try your recipe, sounds delicious!
I’ve been on a quick pickling kick lately and am going to try these out, too!
I had no idea making pickles didn’t have to be a chore! These look so yummy AND easy!
What a great share! I had no clue homemade pickles could be so easy.
I remember my mother and grandmother spending a weekend slaving over a hot stove every summer preparing countless jars of sweet and dilled picked for the pantry.
sarriewebdesigns.com/blog
Yum! These remind me of the pickles my grandmother used to make!
This looks like a fun and easy recipe to try! I am also looking forward to a relaxing weekend! No plans are the best plans! 🙂
I love pickles, and these look amazing. I’ve never made pickles before, but this recipe looks easy enough, I’ll give it a try.
i’ve actually never tried this but my coworkers & i are pickle addicts so this would be a perfect thing to make & bring into the salon to share
Yeah exactly! Perfect for sharing and super simple to make!
Pinned this to try later when my garden is ready to harvest! They look so good and easy!
Yay! Let me know how they turn out!
Yum I love pickles and these looks so simple and amazing!
I’ve never mad refrigerator pickles but they seem right up my alley. My parents do a lot of canning but I’m just not ready for that commitment. HAHA.
Haha me either! Refrigerator pickles are much simpler
Yum! I love pickles and never thought to make them myself. I have a few glass jars that need to be used.
Perfect!
YUM! I love me some pickles, my friends mom used to make home made pickles with BIG CUCUMBERS and they always reminded me of summer. Except she used a large glass mayo jar (like from costco or something) and she pickled those bad boys for weeks!
Ina egards to the other comment, can i just use a regular ol mason jar with this with a screw top and not a clamp top?
Yup, sure can! I just love the look of the clamp jars for photos haha. I have used mason jars before and they work just as good! Just make sure they are glass because some cheap plastics will make the pickles task a little weird.
Have you tried this with fresh dill? I have a ton I need to use 😉 My kids and husband would LOVE homemade pickles!
Can you use any kind of jar with this?
Good question! You can, to an extent. You will want to definitely use glass jars since the acidity in the vinegar can break down some poor-quality plastics. Also, make sure to use jars that are not larger than 36 oz. Otherwise, you won’t have enough brine to split into two jars. I’ll add this detail to the post, in case other readers have the same question! Thank you!