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Homemade dill pickles add a pop of flavor to sandwiches, salad dressings, and so much more. Learn how to make pickles as mild or spicy as you like. No canning required!
Crispy, tangy, and as spicy as you like, this easy refrigerator pickles recipe requires zero special canning equipment. Plus, prep time is a mere 5 minutes; far quicker than you could even drive to the supermarket to snag a jar of pickles!
Discover how to make homemade pickles so you can control the spiciness and or sweetness (or dill-forward or garlicky they are for that matter!).
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Pickling cucumbers: Any variety of cucumber (or nearly any fruit or vegetable, for that matter) can be pickled in a briny solution. That said, pickling cucumbers are grown to be uniform in size, short in length, and sturdy in width. Lighter green and less bitter than regular cucumbers, these also have a drier flesh that absorbs the pickling solution well. A half pound of pickling cucumbers is about three 4-inch pickling cucumbers. If desired, start with 1 standard, hot house, or Persian cucumber, sliced, instead.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a sauce pan, bring the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a boil. Stir until sugar has dissolved.
- In a pint sized Mason jar, place cucumber, dill, bay leaf, garlic, red pepper flakes, and peppercorns inside the jar.
- Slowly drizzle the vinegar mixture into the jar. (You may have some extra pickling liquid.)
- Let cool completely at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 days before serving.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This homemade pickle recipe creates 1 pint of pickles. Feel free to use a Dutch oven and double the ingredients for even more crispy, briny goodness.
- Storage: Transfer the jar to the refrigerator and the pickles will last for up to 1 month. No canning required!
- Make ahead: Pickles are one of those lovely dishes that are designed to age, and even get better with a few days under their belt. Prepare them 4 to 7 days in advance and refrigerate to allow the cucumbers to max out their flavor.
Recipe FAQs
For pickle spears, cut cucumbers into 10 spears instead of chips. Follow the same method below. For whole pickled, tag in whole pickling cucumbers, follow the same method, then allow them to sit for 7 days before serving.
Try this same savory pickling solution with other vegetables like asparagus, beets, cauliflower florets, carrot sticks, green beans, or mushrooms. If you enjoy these flavors, also don’t miss my homemade Pickled Shallots and Pickled Garlic recipes.
Beyond snacking straight from the jar or plating alongside your favorite sandwich and potato chip combo meal, consider these recipes.
Recipes using pickle juice: Cheeseburger Quesadilla, The Best Cabbage Soup.
Recipes using pickles: Thousand Island Dressing, Rouladen, Beer Battered Cod with Tartar Sauce, Reuben Sandwich, Rachael Sandwich, Easy Potato Salad, Loose Meat Sandwich, Turkey BLT Sandwich.
Pickled Garlic
If you love pickles and you love garlic, this pickled garlic recipe is super simple to make and keeps in the refrigerator for a few months! Not suitable for canning. Several years ago, I was…
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Pickles
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 pound pickling cucumbers sliced into ½ inch rounds (see note 1)
- 2 sprigs fresh dill
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- In a sauce pan, bring the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a boil. Stir until sugar has dissolved.
- In a pint sized Mason jar, place cucumber, dill, bay leaf, garlic, red pepper flakes, and peppercorns inside the jar. Slowly drizzle the vinegar mixture into the jar. (You may have some extra pickling liquid.) Let cool completely at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 days before serving.
Notes
- Pickling cucumbers: Any variety of cucumber (or nearly any fruit or vegetable, for that matter) can be pickled in a briny solution. That said, pickling cucumbers are grown to be uniform in size, short in length, and sturdy in width. Lighter green and less bitter than regular cucumbers, these also have a drier flesh that absorbs the pickling solution well. A half pound of pickling cucumbers is about three 4-inch pickling cucumbers. If desired, start with 1 standard, hot house, or Persian cucumber, sliced, instead.
- Yield: This homemade pickle recipe creates 1 pint of pickles. Feel free to use a Dutch oven and double the ingredients for even more crispy, briny goodness.
- Storage: Transfer the jar to the refrigerator and the pickles will last for up to 1 month. No canning required!
- Make ahead: Pickles are one of those lovely dishes that are designed to age, and even get better with a few days under their belt. Prepare them 4 to 7 days in advance and refrigerate to allow the cucumbers to max out their flavor.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
