Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickles
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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!
You May Also Like
- Pickled Red Onions
- Cucumber Salad with Mint
- Tzatziki (Cucumber & Yogurt Dip)
- Israeli Salad with Feta
- Panzanella Salad
- Blistered Shishito Peppers with Aioli
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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This is on my to-do list now! I am still tweaking my own pickle recipe. I do prefer to use rice wine vinegar but it gets expensive quickly. Thanks for this one!
KD-
We buy rice wine vinegar by the gallon from Amazon- much cheaper than the small containers!
I finally got around to making these two days ago and had my first one today, all I can say is OMG! These are wonderful! I have never made pickles and I am just shocked at how simple this recipe is. Thank you soooo much. This will satisfy my crunchy salty craving! Much better for you than a bag of chips!
Yummy! These are DELICIOUS!
I made these the other night and OMG – absolutely addictive, easy & delish. I used chipotle pepper flakes (I was out of the regular ones), which added a slightly smoky flavor, and recommend that as a variation if you like chipotle. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe – it’ll be in regular rotation here.
Love that idea. Thank you!
Since receiving this recipe by e-mail from Once Upon a Chef, I have made 12 jars of these pickles. They disappear as fast as I make them!!! I sent some to both my mother and my brother, and then sent back their jars with a request for MORE. The frst time I made them, I didn’t have whole coriander or mustard seeds on hand, so I used ground of each (1 tsp. of each). Also, I reduced the sugar by 1 T. Still delicous. Since then, I’ve experimented with different variations….adding chopped red onions to the jars, eliminating the red pepper flakes, adding black peppercorns. The base recipe is SO good that it’s easy to substitute and still come out with a crave-worthy pickle. I’ve got four more jars in the fridge right now, and I’m sure they’ll be gone by the weekend!! Thanks for a great recipe!!
I had no idea making pickles at home could be so quick and easy. Thanks for the recipe!
I made these with my granddaughter a couple of weeks ago. I was excited to find a refrigerator pickle recipe and she was excited that we were making them. After letting them sit in the fridge a few days I added more sugar. The next time I will probably cut back on the vinegar, replace it with water and add more sugar. They were great!
I made these with my grandchildren and it was so quick and easy!! Great pickle recipe!! Even my grandchildren loved them!!! WOW!Thanks for sharing!
These pickles are amazing. I may never buy pickles again. Super easy to make. Thanks for the recipe!
I just made these 2 days ago and they are FANTASTIC! My adjustments: since I like garlic (the more the better) I added an additional clove each jar. I also doubled the sugar (which you can’t even taste). These pickles remind me of NYC deli pickles. Yum!!!