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 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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Absolutely great! Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
We LOVE this recipe!
I made this recipe on Tuesday with a of two jars (one of spears and one of halves) My wife said they were the best pickles she had ever had and our 6 and 9 year old granddaughters loved them. One jar had already been enjoyed and I made a new batch reusing the brine.
These are delicious and so easy to make and there are no weird dyes or preservatives to be concerned with.
I love this recipe. I’ve made it at least 5 times and everyone goes nuts for our pickles! We add Serrano peppers rather than red pepper flakes. Delish!
I used this recipe to use up what I thought were the final cucumbers from my garden…these pickles are delicious!! I’m definitely going to make them again.
My family said these pickles are delicious! I love that they are so easy to make and use up cucumbers when you only have a small number and not enough to can.
Absolutely delicious—I don’t know if I can ever buy store-bought again!
Thank you for your recipe! A quick question-Would it work if I don’t cut the cucumbers? I’m sure it would hinder absorption but my nephew wanted whole pickles. Thanks!
Yep, just keep in mind that it may take a bit longer for them to pickle if left whole, but it will work. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jennifer,
I made these pickles yesterday and had two spears with lunch today. I’m so glad I made them, they are really the best pickles ever. Thank you so much for your great recipes.
Linda
Part of me has the niggling suspicion that I’m not the first to comment on tnis recipe…
I made these using Pico cukes, which worked reasonably well, having just a few too many seeds for my liking. I used what I had organic access to. I also added 4 oak leaves from the backyard, supposedly to enhance/preserve the crunch. There are differences of opinion as to whether that addition (as well as grape leaves or horseradish leaves) is useful, or just an old frontier tale.
Will make them again, cutting back on the sugar by half. The pickles were’t quite sweet(ish), but they lacked the acid bite that I like in my dill pickles.
Many thanks for sharing this.
Joe
Oh why did I wait so long to make these pickles? So good. I hope I’ll be able to get the little cucs year round.