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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I’ve made several batches of pickles this summer. This was, BY FAR, the best recipe. I’m actually making them again today.
I did sub ground coriander and dill seed because that’s what I had on hand- and they were wonderful. Thanks for a great recipe!
Is there anyway to make these last longer than a month? Can you use the recipe as is, but then use a hot water bath to can it?
This recipe is not meant for canning, Allison. Sorry!
Super easy and deliscous … They way I like to cook. Had small batches of cucumbers coming from the garden and this was perfect. Much easier than canning a whole pile of cukes at once … Plus there’s no waiting to enjoy your harvest. The first quart was devoured the second we opened them. I’ve made this twice now in a week and will be my pickle recipe forever… I substituted mixed pickle spice for the coriander and mustard seeds, since that’s what I had planning to make canned pickles, and it worked great.
Excellent recipe. Thanks.
I was looking for a refrigerated dill pickle recipe and found your recipe. I made them last week and the pickles are great. They have a nice fresh taste and are better than other recipes. I will definitely make them again.
Trying to fix my batch of pickles before throwing out all my hard earned cucumbers. I made these as directed and they are really, really bad. There is a strange aftertaste that I can’t even name. Any ideas?
Sorry they didn’t turn out, Julie. Any chance to used a reactive pot (such as aluminum) to make the brine? That would lend an unpleasant metallic aftertaste.
Could be the coriander. Coriander is the same thing as cilantro. So, if you don’t like cilantro, that could be the taste you are picking up on.
Just a comment for Jenn. Sometimes the cucumbers themselves can be bitter. I always taste a slice first before pickling them. Also, now live in a country where pickling cucembers aren’t readily available. I use thinly sliced English cucumbers — it’s not the same, but still delicious.
I ended up with a few bitter spears in my batches, so thanks for your input, Nancy. I will definitely sample each spear next time as the bitter ones are very bitter. And we love these pickles! They will never last a month in my refrigerator. Thanks for the great recipe, Jenn!
My husband loves dill pickles and he devours these! I even use this recipe on zucchini. Not quite the same as pickles but still really good when you have way too many zucchini
This is the tastiest and easiest recipe I have found for refrigerator pickles. They are crisp, delicious and make great gifts. They are best using just picked cucumbers.
I live in Mexico, where the crunchy, savory, seasoned dill pickles of my childhood are simply not a thing. It never occurred to me that they would be possible to make, however, until I stumbled upon this recipe. I have made this recipe over and over again without changing a thing about it, and I’m hooked – better (and far cheaper) than the grocery store variety any day. And endlessly shareable – everyone who has tried them has demanded the recipe from me. Great work!
WOW!!! I thought I loved pickles, but after making a few batches of these, I can’t stand regular supermarket dills!
These also got rave reviews at a potluck. I couldn’t keep track of all the people who asked me for the recipe.