This Refrigerator Dill Pickles recipe could not be any easier and the result is SO GOOD! Made with less than 10 real, simple ingredients. These homemade dill pickles are so fresh and delicious, cannot wait for you to try these!
The Best Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Making your own dill pickles at home does not need to be intimidating! This is a super easy and delicious way to use up all those end-of-summer cucumbers from your garden or from your local farmers market. We made these last summer for the first time and it was the best jar of pickles ever! These easy refrigerator dill pickles are going to become a yearly staple in your house – definitely a new family favorite. You will never want to buy store-bought pickles again after you see how easy these quick pickles are and see how good they taste!
Looking for a Fun Recipe to Make with Your Dill Pickles?
Then you definitely need to make our Pickle Chicken Rice Bowl or our Dill Pickle Pasta Salad!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- End of Summer: when you have ALL those cucumbers to use up – this is the recipe for you!!
- Fresh and Crispy: these are seriously crispy and SO GOOD!
- Easy: I love how easy this recipe is – it takes all of 10 minutes to make the most amazing batch of fresh pickles!
What You Will Need
- fresh cucumbers: definitely use pickling cucumbers (which are just mini cucumbers) instead of larger cucumbers. You can find them at your local grocery store or use ones from your garden, like we do! They make the best pickles.
- white onion: this adds just a little zest to your cucumbers.
- fresh dill: a staple in this recipe! We love growing our own.
- white vinegar + apple cider vinegar: I love using both kinds of vinegar – adds to the depth of flavor.
- water: to balance out the vinegar.
- fresh garlic cloves: add a ton of flavor – don’t forget to smash them! This is done by using the flat side of a large knife and pressing it over the garlic clove on the cutting board until it smashes.
- pickling salt: make sure you use pickling salt, not table salt or kosher salt.
- whole black peppercorns: just a few for a little bit more flavor.
How To Make Refrigerator Pickles
The first steps to this easy recipe are to add your brine ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat.
Next, grab the pickling cucumbers. Rinse them under cold water and then pat dry with clean paper towels.
Now cut those cucumbers up in half and then quarter into long spears. Place them inside a clean jar. Then add in the onion slices and fresh dill.
Now carefully pour the pickle brine (while it is still hot) over the top of the cucumbers. Let the entire jar cool to room temperature.
Then secure the lid on top of the jar and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours for best results.
Keep them stored in the fridge and enjoy the most perfect pickles the next day and for the next 4-6 weeks.
More Ways to Use Dill Pickles
If you are looking for some more delicious ways to enjoy your homemade pickles, try tossing them on the grill to make grilled pickles! Then use them to make a Dill Pickle Chicken Salad with the a creamy Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing. It is definitely a recipe for all those pickle lovers, like us!
Recipe FAQ
- What are refrigerator pickles? they are homemade pickles that are only good if stored in the refrigerator. This is NOT a pickling process that is used for storing pickles in the pantry.
- Refrigerator Pickles vs. Regular Pickles: Refrigerator pickles are pickles that are preserved in a water & vinegar mixture and then stored only in the refrigerator while canned pickles require more special equipment and are processed with a hot water bath and are then shelf-stable.
- Pickle variations: in the recipe card below we made pickle spears, but you can also use this process to make whole pickles or pickle chips. Whole pickles would need to sit in the fridge for about a week before eating, they take longer for the pickling process.
- How long do refrigerator pickles last? for about 4-6 weeks. But ours are typically eaten faster than that, they are so good!
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Refrigerator Dill Pickles
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Refrigeration: 24 hours
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 24 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 jar 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: Stove Top + Refrigerator
- Cuisine: American
Description
An easy, classic Refrigerator Dill Pickle recipe! Learn how to make crunchy, delicious homemade pickles in a matter of minutes!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 1/2 teaspoon pickling salt
- 4–6 black peppercorns, whole
- 3–5 mini cucumbers
- 4–5 small slices of white onion
- 3–5 sprigs fresh dill
Instructions
- Make Pickle Brine: In a small saucepan combine a 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 2 smashed garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons pickling salt, and 4-6 peppercorns. Bring to a simmer on medium heat.
- Prep Cucumbers: Now rinse & clean the cucumbers. Pat dry with a paper towel and find the end that wasn’t attached to the vine (this is called the blossom end). Cut a tiny slice off that end (there is an enzyme found there that can effect the crispness of the pickles). Then cut each cucumber into wedges by slicing them in half the long way and then slicing each half into 2-3 even spears, again the long way.
- Fill Jar: Place thin slices of white onion and cut cucumbers in a 16oz mason jar (wide mouth) along with a couple sprigs of fresh dill.
- Add Brine: Carefully pour the vinegar (a.k.a. “brine”) over the pickles while it is hot. Ensure the garlic and peppercorns get in the jar too. Set the jar aside (careful, it will be hot) and place on a hot pad or kitchen cloth. Once they have cooled, cover the jar and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Serve: Enjoy or use in your favorite recipe!
Notes
- 1 jar: I kind of love that this recipe only makes one jar, but you can easily make a double batch or triple batch, as you need to!
- Storage: store in the refrigerator for up to 4-6 weeks.
- Spicy: feel free to add a dash of red pepper flakes to spice things up, if you want!
- Pickling Cucumbers: for a crisp pickle, we do recommend using pickling cucumbers because they are so little and don’t get mushy as easily!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pickle
- Calories: 25
- Sugar: 2.1 g
- Sodium: 294.2 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.4 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 0.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Jenny says
Just made these last weekend and my family absolutely loved them! The smashed garlic was amazing in there!
Erin says
Yay!! So happy to hear that, Jenny!
Tina says
Amazing! My family loved them!
Bridget says
We have made these several times and they never disappoint! So fresh and delicious!!
Erin says
so happy to hear that!!
Cathy says
Hi Erin, I haven’t ever pickled anything, however, due to some health issues my husband is having I’m doing a lot I haven’t ever done. He loves ‘all things pickled’ but they seem to have high sodium. The pickling salt the recipe calls for seems like a small amount…can you enlighten me? I’m just trying to find things he loves to replace some of what he’s giving up.
Erin says
Since these are stored in the refrigerator (and not in a pantry, which is where you would store traditionally-pickled pickles) you don’t need as much salt. Hope that helps!
Corey says
This might be a silly question… but does it matter if you slice the cucumbers vs cutting them into wedges?
Erin says
I don’t think that is a silly question! You can use whole pickling cucumbers, but it just might take a bit longer for the brine to penetrate them (definitely longer than the 24 hours recommend here for sliced). Hope that helps!