All you need is an English cucumber, a few simple pantry ingredients and five minutes to make your own dill pickles. Crispy and crunchy, salty and sour, these are the easiest (and best) pickles you'll make!
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If pickles was something that you thought you couldn't make at home, think again.
I get it, the thought of pickling and canning can be intimidating.
But as it turns out, you can make refrigerator dill pickles that don't require canning and it truly could not be easier. (Even easier than lemonade!).
Unlike canned pickles which are a process and, not to mention, usually aren't ready for a few weeks, fridge pickles are simple and ready in hours. (You could even eat them after a few minutes, but the flavor is so much better after the short wait.)
All you have to do is slice an English cucumber, dill and garlic. Then mix together water, vinegar and salt. Combine it all in a jar, refrigerate for a few hours and boom. You, my friend, have made your own crunchy dill pickles.
Perfect for with sandwiches, on burgers, with crackers or on their own, I have a feeling that once you see how easy and delicious these are, they'll be something you make on repeat.
The Ingredients
- English Cucumber- This quick pickling method works with most cucumbers. I've tried it with pickling cucumbers or fresh garden cucumbers as well and they were great.
- Fresh Dill- If you don't want to make dill pickles, this can be left out.
- Garlic- If you aren't a fan of garlic or you need the pickles to be low FODMAP, you can leave this out.
- White Vinegar- Be sure to use regular white vinegar, not cleaning vinegar.
- Water
- Sea Salt- Kosher salt will also work. Table salt can be used as well but tends to come out stronger in the brine so use just a teaspoon instead.
The Method
1. Prepare Cucumber. Slice the cucumber into your desired thickness (I typically do ⅛ inch).
2. Assemble. Layer the cucumber slices into the jar with the garlic and chopped dill interspersed.
3. Brine. In a bowl, stir together the water, salt and vinegar.
Pour over the jar, filling almost to the top so that the cucumbers are fully covered. If you have a little bit that doesn't fit, you can simply discard it.
4. Chill. Cover and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.
5. Enjoy!
Leftovers and Storage
To Store: Store English cucumber fridge pickles in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Use a clean fork to remove them in order to prevent contaminating the liquid and spoiling them pre-maturely.
They may still be okay a day or two beyond 1 week but if they smell off or begin to ferment, definitely don't eat them!
Make it Your Own
- Sweet Pickles- Simmer the water with 2-4 tablespoons of sugar (depending on how sweet you want them) until dissolved (basically like making simple syrup). Allow to come to room temperature and then use this mixture in place of water in the recipe. You can leave out the dill if you want.
- Spicy Pickles- Add ½ teaspoon of whole black peppercorns and ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Or you could try adding sliced jalapeño peppers.
- Asian-Inspired Pickles- Leave out the dill and follow the directions for sweet pickles (above). Then use rice vinegar in place of white vinegar and add sliced ginger (optional).
- Pickle Spears- I recommend using mini English cucumbers (AKA Persian) if you would like this shape. Cut the cucumbers into quarters lengthwise and then follow the directions as written. I recommend leaving these pickles overnight before eating them as the thicker cut of the cucumbers takes longer to absorb the flavor.
- Pickle a Different Vegetable- You can try this pickling method with other fresh vegetables such as carrots, radishes, green beans, zucchini or asparagus.
Ways to Use Fridge Pickles
There are so many delicious ways to use your homemade jar of dill pickles. Here are some ideas:
- With a Sandwich such as Egg Salad, Pulled Pork or Grilled Cheese
- Or on a Burger
- In a Creamy Dill Pickle Canned Tuna Rice Bowl
- To Make Dill Pickle Hummus
- With Cheese and Crackers
- On their Own as a Crunchy Snack
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Recipe Card
English Cucumber Refrigerator Pickles
Equipment
- 500 mL mason jar or similar container
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber sliced into ⅛ inch rounds, about 1 and ½ cups
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
- 1 clove garlic thinly sliced
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Layer the sliced cucumbers, dill and garlic in a jar.
- In a small bowl, mix together the water, vinegar and salt. Pour the mixture into the jar. Cover with the lid and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or ideally, overnight.
- Enjoy!
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