These homemade refrigerator pickles with garlic and herby dill are an easy veggie side for all your cookouts. They’re perfectly crunchy and stay fresh for weeks without any canning equipment!
Why I Love Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Keep these quick and easy pickles in the fridge at all times for a last-minute gift, easy snack, or topping for your sandwich! I pretty much always have a jar of quick pickles in my fridge just for when the craving strikes. There’s just nothing like enjoying a crunchy, salty snack in the middle of the day – it’s the perfect pick-me-up! The best part? It takes all of 15 minutes to throw together. Check out why I always get my pickle fix:
- Homemade: You know exactly what’s in them and it’s only cucumbers, vinegar brine and flavor packed spices. There are zero preservatives like in store bought pickles.
- Easy: There’s no fancy canning equipment or process needed for this quick pickle recipe! Just boil the brine and pour it over the top of your cucumbers and seasonings.
- Perfect for Gifting: Bring them to all your summer cookouts as gifts for the hosts! Who wouldn’t be impressed by homemade pickles?
- Customizable: From sweet to spicy, you can easily change up the flavor with different seasonings.
- Great for Everything: Add them to burgers, hot dogs, pulled pork, sandwiches and so much more. They are also an amazing addition to a charcuterie board.
What’s The Difference Between Refrigerator Pickles and Canned Pickles?
The main differences between refrigerator and canned pickles are their shelf life and storage methods. Refrigerator pickles last for a couple weeks, but need to be refrigerated to prevent spoilage. On the other hand, canned pickles go through a hot water-bath that makes them completely shelf-stable until they’re opened. That means they can be stored in your pantry at room temperature for months or even years.
Key Ingredients
The fresher the cucumbers, the crunchier your refrigerator dill pickles will turn out. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Dill: It needs to be fresh. Stay away from yellow or brown stems and leaves.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is best. Avoid garlic powder as it can make the texture grainy.
- Mustard Seeds: Don’t use actual mustard because it’ll spoil the pickles.
- Coriander Seeds: The seeds add a potent, complex flavor that coriander leaves can’t.
- Black Peppercorns: Feel free to use white peppercorns or allspice.
- Cucumbers: Use Persian cucumbers, English cucumbers or Kirby cucumber varieties. You want to use small to medium sized cucumbers.
- Water: Don’t swap this for broth. It needs to be water.
- Vinegar: I prefer white vinegar, but apple cider vinegar is a great swap.
- Salt: I used kosher salt, but Himalayan salt works too.
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar or light brown sugar.
How to Make this Quick Pickle Recipe
The hardest part is waiting for them to chill! The brine is what keeps the pickles from spoiling, simmer it until it’s completely smooth. Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions.
- Fill: Divide half of the dill, garlic, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns among the jars. Top with sliced cucumbers. Add the remaining spices and herbs on top.
- Brine: Bring the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a boil in a large pot. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve.
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- Pour: Carefully pour the pickle brine into each jar until the cucumbers are completely submerged.
- Chill: Add the lids and let the pickles cool completely on the counter. Then refrigerate them for at least 12 hours, then serve as desired!
Chefs’ Tips and Variations
- Clean jar: The jar needs to be completely clean so that bacteria doesn’t spoil the pickles. Give it a quick wash in soapy hot water and rinse well before using.
- Thick, even cuts: The cucumbers need to be sliced into an even thickness so that they “pickle” and absorb the brine properly and have the same texture throughout. Thick sliced cucumbers will make crisper pickles, thinner cucumbers will be less crisp.
- Chill: These pickles are best after chilling for 12 hours. I know it’s hard to wait, but they will not have the correct texture if served sooner.
- Get creative: Slice the cucumbers into rounds, spears, crinkle coins, or long sandwich slices. Pick your favorite and start pickling!
- Shake the jar: Once you add the brine and close the jar, shake it gently once or twice to help mix all of the ingredients together.
- Spicy pickles: Add red chili flakes to the pickling spices. You can also slice fresh habaneros, jalapeños, or serranos… you can also add carrots for escabeche!
- Greek pickles: Add 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes and 1/2 cup diced feta cheese. You can also add greek seasoning to your brine!
- Sweet pickles: Add extra sugar to taste to the pickling mixture. You can play around with the exact amount, but 1/4 to 1/3 cup is a good place to start.
What To Serve With Refrigerator Pickles
- Fry them: These refrigerator pickles are the perfect side/topping for all your cookout meals. They make amazing fried pickles, or air fryer fried pickles!
- Sandwich topping: Try them with my slow cooker pulled pork or on my pulled pork tacos. You can also add them to turkey sliders or rolled up in my easy Cuban ham rollups! Cheese-stuffed air fryer burgers and air fryer hot dogs are other great options.
Yield: 8 servings
Refrigerator Pickles
This garlicky refrigerator pickles recipe is loaded with fresh dill, sliced garlic and whole spices to create a crunchy veggie side for all your cookouts, sandwiches and charcuterie boards!
Ingredients
- a small handful of fresh dill, chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 20 black peppercorns
- 2 pounds pickling cucumbers, washed and sliced in 1/3 inch rounds
- 2 ¾ cups of water
- 1 ¼ cup white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, optional
- 2 quart-size mason jars, sterilized
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Instructions
- In the bottom of each mason jar, place a few sprigs of dill. Place half of the sliced garlic, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and peppercorns in the bottoms of each mason jar. Top with sliced cucumbers. And then top with the remaining dill and spices.
- Combine water, vinegar, salt and sugar in a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring often until salt and sugar have dissolved.
- Carefully fill each jar with the boiling water/vinegar/salt mixture, making sure to get the cucumbers completely covered.
- Screw on the lids and let cool on counter. Once cooled, transfer to refrigerator and let chill for 12 hours.
- They will keep well for several weeks, as long as you keep them refrigerated. (Naturally, if anything looks or smells funky, discard them immediately.)
Notes
Fridge: Store them in an airtight container or mason jar for up to 6 weeks. Always write the “best before” date on the jar so you don’t forget when you need to eat them by!
Freezer: Place them in a freezer-friendly container (leaving 1″ of space at the top for expansion) and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then enjoy the pickles within 1 to 2 weeks.
Thick, Even Cuts: The cucumbers need to be sliced into an even thickness so that they “pickle” and absorb the brine properly and have the same texture throughout. Thick sliced cucumbers will make crisper pickles, thinner cucumbers will be less crisp.
Spicy Pickles: Add red chili flakes to the pickling spices. You can also slice fresh habaneros, jalapeños, or serranos… you can also add carrots for escabeche!
Greek Pickles: Add 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes and 1/2 cup diced feta cheese. You can also add greek seasoning to your brine!
Sweet Pickles: Add extra sugar to taste to the pickling mixture. You can play around with the exact amount, but 1/4 to 1/3 cup is a good place to start.
Nutrition
Serving: 15pickles, Calories: 60kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 0.1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 3541mg, Potassium: 204mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 83IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 1mg
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Could you use pickling spice instead if rhe combo listed?
Sure if you prefer, but the taste will be very different.
Does this recipe work well with the cucumbers spears instead of slices?
Yes!
Can you use regular cukes?
Sure!
How many jars of pickles does this recipe make?
Hi! It makes 2 quart size mason jars.
Sounds great. Is there any way to do this without having to sterilize the mason jars? Can one just use regular clean mason jars instead?
OMG yum!! Love your photos and I’m so glad I found this recipe!
The name is so cute! These look so delicious but I was hoping to make them spicy. Do you have any suggestions?
All I will add is a jalapeno
Looks great! I cannot pin recipe because all the images on this page are broken though. I’ll check back another time. Thanks!
I need to make these stat to have them in my life forever. What a great recipe! I’m too am so in love with the garlic bits. Oh, I gotta have these now! I see a new favorite snack in my near future.
These look so yummy! Need to try soon!
These would make great hostess gifts all summer long!
Looks delicious and so easy to make!
My brother would love these!
Oh my this is the perfect combo! I cannot wait to try these!