These refrigerator dill pickles require just 10 minutes of hands on prep work and are great on sandwiches or eaten straight from the jar!
Each year, we have every intention of spending the time to preserve some summer vegetables for the long winter months. Though it hasn’t happened yet, we have mastered the instantly gratifying quick refrigerator dill pickle. While you can pickle just about any vegetable, one of our favorites is the classic dill pickle.
For this refrigerator dill pickle recipe, we picked up the first cucumbers of the season from the farmer’s market, and then added fresh dill and coriander (cilantro seeds from our garden) to the mix. After only a few minutes of prep and a 24-hour soak, a delightfully fresh and complex flavor emerges. In addition to the flavor, the cucumbers stay crisp and retain a lovely crunch.
It is yet to be determined if we’ll get around to any serious canning this summer, but you can bet that we’ll have a jar of these in the fridge at almost all times (or an empty jar of brine if they go too fast!). If you are new to canning or have never made pickles, this is a great recipe to try. Not only is it simple (no boiling or fancy equipment involved), but you’ll also be surprised at the delicious flavor after relatively little effort!
How to make refrigerator pickles
The star of this recipe is the cucumbers. You want to buy cucumbers that are small in size, and not too large around. Quarter the cucumbers and slice the garlic in half; if you prefer your homemade dill pickles to have a slight kick to them, you can also slice a few small chili peppers and add them to the mix. Once the veggies are sliced, make the brine in a separate container (this allows the sugar and salt to dissolve and makes it easier to combine everything into a single jar).
Then, it’s time for the fun part—packing everything in the jars! This is both frustrating and extremely rewarding, because it feels like all those cucumbers can’t possibly fit into two quart-sized jars. Don’t worry about squishing the veggies, as the brine will soften them slightly and make everything fit together nicely.
Once you’ve poured the brine into the jars, let the pickles sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours before tasting them. These refrigerator dill pickles last up to a month in the fridge and make for a refreshing summer snack!
Looking for more easy summer recipes?
- Vegan Italian Pasta Salad
- Tomato and Grilled Eggplant Stacked Sandwich
- Grilled Teriyaki Mango Skewers
- Grilled Eggplant Salad with Yogurt
- Roasted Tomato and Shaved Asparagus Frittata
This recipe is…
Vegan, vegetarian, plant-based, and gluten-free.
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Quick Refrigerator Dill Pickles
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Prep Time: 24 hours 10 minutes - Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 24 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 jars
- Category: Snack
- Method: Pickled
- Cuisine: American
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Pin RecipeDescription
These refrigerator dill pickles require just 10 minutes of hands on prep work and are great on sandwiches or eaten straight from the jar!
Ingredients
- 2 1-pint wide-mouth mason jars with lids
- 1 pound small cucumbers
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 small chili peppers (optional)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2/3 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 large handful fresh dill
Instructions
- Wash two mason jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse, and let air dry.
- Quarter the cucumbers into four slices each, lengthwise. Cut 3 cloves garlic in half. If desired, slice 4 chili peppers in half and add to the jars.
- In a spare mason jar or covered container, combine 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt and 2/3 cup white vinegar. Tightly close the lid and shake vigorously until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add 1 cup water to the mixture.
- In the two clean mason jars, tightly pack the cucumbers, garlic, fresh dill, and chili peppers (if using).
- Pour the brine mixture over the cucumbers. Tap the jars on the counter to release any air bubbles and top off the jar with extra water if any cucumbers are exposed.
- Place the lids on the jars and screw on the rings until they are tight. Leave the jars in the fridge for 24 hours before tasting. The pickles last up to one month refrigerated.
Keywords: refrigerator dill pickles, homemade dill pickles
About the Authors
Sonja Overhiser
Cookbook Author and writer
Sonja Overhiser is author and recipe developer of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the “best vegetarian cookbooks” by Epicurious, and a recipe developer and healthy & sustainable food advocate behind the award-nominated food blog A Couple Cooks.
51 Comments
Anna (sixtyfourcolorbox)
June 25, 2012 at 10:39 pmWe made refrigerator pickles last year. I know they are only meant to be stored for a few months in the refrigerator, but we just recently opened one of our last remaining jars and the pickles were still good. It may not be the best way to preserve pickles, but they do last quite some time.
Alex
June 26, 2012 at 10:38 amCool! We are always wary making bold storage recommendations, but this is good to know!
Lauren @ Healthy Food For Living
June 26, 2012 at 5:53 amI can’t get enough pickles lately (am I a cliched pregnant lady, or what?) but the sodium content of most store-bought pickles is astonishing… so I try to limit how many I eat. With this homemade version I can indulge my craving whenever it hits! Love it =).
Alex
June 26, 2012 at 10:37 amHaha! Great – glad we can provide for your cravings :)
Jess
June 26, 2012 at 10:24 amThanks for the recipe – I’m getting pickling cucumbers from my CSA on Thursday, and am thrilled that I won’t have to search for a recipe!
Alex
June 26, 2012 at 10:37 amPerfect timing! Hope you enjoy them :)
Riley
June 26, 2012 at 12:35 pmThis is brilliant! Thanks so much for sharing!
val
June 26, 2012 at 2:22 pmI’ve had pickles on the brain, and then today I saw like three blog posts about fridge pickles, so I guess I am making pickles this weekend! Your post wins for its inclusion of coriander seeds, which I have no shortage of. I love that you used them green, as I also like to do for the unique flavor. I’ve made turnip and okra pickles but never gotten around to regular old cukes!
Alex
June 26, 2012 at 2:44 pmI guess it is pickle season on the web! I had to come up with some good use for coriander — way to much of it and not enough cilantro!
:)
Suzanne Perazzini
June 26, 2012 at 7:43 pmThat looks so pretty and would be great to have in the pantry.
Linda
July 3, 2012 at 8:12 amOoh, just spotted this post. In the back of my mind, I’ve been meaning to look for a quick pickling recipe. Thanks!
Courtney Jones
July 4, 2012 at 11:36 pmI’ve been wanting to make quick pickles! Thanks for the tried and true recipe :) cannot wait to try them!
Weezie
July 23, 2012 at 11:05 amMade these 3 days before my daughters wedding, some thought I was crazy trying this. What a hit, made (2) gallons jars, could have used 2 more.
Alex
July 23, 2012 at 11:08 amHaha! Thanks for letting us know — and glad that they were a hit!
Genevieve
July 23, 2012 at 6:11 pmThank you – I just was gifted a huge amount of cukes, been craving pickles and SCARED of real canning.
This recipe sounds great, although no hot spice for my sweet boys.
Thank you!
Debora
August 10, 2012 at 5:53 pmHello!
Just found your recipe and made the pickles! Can’t wait to try them tomorrow. I posted your recipe on my blog with props to you.
Thanks for the great recipe. I’ll be back to try more of your great food!
Warmly,
Debora
Debbie
August 24, 2012 at 2:21 pmWhen you say fresh dill. Do you mean the fresh dill you buy at the supermarket that can come in a plastic box or loose in the produce isle?
I am unable to find a fresh dill head that would be grown in a garden.
Thank you can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
Alex
August 24, 2012 at 2:22 pmThe type that comes in a plastic box would be ok. Ours came from the garden… You can use dried dill if you need too (not sure of the quantity).
Monica
September 5, 2012 at 1:54 pmThanks for the recipe! These are my new favourite pickles, and my 2y/o daughter loves them too. Even my husband, who doesn’t like dill pickles, thought they were pretty good :)
Monica
September 9, 2012 at 12:13 amJust made another bunch of these (5 quart jars and 3 pint jars)… cuz the jar I made last week is almost gone!! Sooooooo yummy! (and so easy!)
Bernadette @ B3HD
September 22, 2012 at 11:02 pmI so love pickles…definitely have to try these
Stew
October 28, 2012 at 8:20 amLiving in Asia, pickles are rare and costly. Cucumbers of various nationalities, along with long beans, asparagus, beets, and other veggies are all fair game. Using the recipe as a foundation, explore! I made a jar of only garlic cloves with a couple Thai peppers. Excellent. In fact, we add a couple peppers to all our pickles and adjust the salt, sugar, and adding balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and tons of dill to make the most fantastic pickles this side of the Atlantic.
Yosef - This American Bite
March 5, 2013 at 12:54 pmYou make it sound so simple, and the photo is wonderful!
Kerri
May 15, 2013 at 1:38 pmI’ve made these several times now. They are so good! Love this recipe!!
mike
June 13, 2013 at 2:43 pmHow many sprigs of dill per jar
Alex
June 13, 2013 at 2:52 pm3-4 large sprigs per jar — it doesn’t need to be exact. :)
Katie
July 7, 2013 at 2:22 pmI tried the recipe last Sunday and I tried the pickles on the 4th of July and they were fantastic! I have a question. Because they are refrigerator pickles and not canned, it it OK to use a left over commercial pickle jar with the existing lid instead of a canning jar with ring and lid? Thanks, Katie
Sonja
July 7, 2013 at 7:52 pmKatie, so glad they worked out! It should be just fine to use a commercial pickle jar and lid. (Just make sure to label it as homemade so there’s no confusion! :))
Susie
July 24, 2013 at 1:33 amWhat kind of vinegar? I understand most “white” vinegars at big box stores might be considered “commercial” and not so healthy, is that true? Generally, I prefer organic apple cider vinegar, but what do you recommend?
Sara
August 6, 2013 at 8:44 pmI’ve never done anything like this before so please don’t laugh if this is a dumb question, but can you reuse the brine? I mean, if the pickles are all eaten in a couple of days, can you stick more cukes in the jar?
Alex
August 7, 2013 at 11:30 amIt would probably work… I’d get leery of doing it too many times due to any contaminates that might eventually build up from sticking my fingers in the jar :)
Charlene
August 13, 2013 at 1:37 pmJust made these pickles and after a few days the juice turned brown. Is that normal?
Alex
August 13, 2013 at 1:47 pmI don’t remember ours every turning brown, but definitely murky. If they’ve been in the fridge they should be fine.
Stephanie
August 17, 2013 at 8:53 amThese pickles are amazing. When I noticed the green seeds in the pickles I searched for more information about using the cilantro seed buds while they are green. I never knew you could eat them. They are delicious!
Gayle Schultz
May 21, 2014 at 3:02 pmI love these! I did make one modification. I zapped the liquid in the micro for 20 seconds to help with the mixing in, and then poured it over the pickles. I did okra and sliced burpless cukes. Good thing you can mix up the spices, as my daughter can’t stand coriander, it’s the seed of the cilantro she says tastes like soap!
Auntie Nay
June 5, 2014 at 4:25 amThese are delicious! So much better than store bought. My mom and I used one large jar and did 3 lbs. at once (could have fit another pound in the jar). We used the cukes you recommended and some english cukes. Both were crunchy but the english cukes floated up so one end was spicier than the other. My nephews and I are making more next week.
Anne
July 23, 2014 at 7:42 amThank you for posting the recipe. I have many cucumbers to harvest today and have been looking for a recipe to use. Now I have found it. Can’t wait to try them.
Sonja
July 25, 2014 at 6:49 pmHope you enjoy them! We just made a big batch too!
Nancy @ Little Homestead in Boise
July 25, 2014 at 6:54 pmI just tried these, fast and easy. I put a link back to you on my blog. Thanks!
Alex
July 25, 2014 at 6:56 pmGlad you liked them!
Jason Grant
August 22, 2014 at 4:37 pmPickle Mania! I tried the cooked pickles and they are very tasty but they are lacking that crunch. Today I went out in the garden and picked me a pile of pickles and I’m going to try this recipe! :) Happy Pickling everyone!
Patricia
August 7, 2015 at 2:36 pmCan you process these in a water bath? These are the best I’ve had since my Great Gramma passed! Her’s were like these but processed for longer storage. If so would you let them do the 24 hr. thing or process with hot brine & right away?? Thanks! GREAT RECIPE!!!
Alex
August 8, 2015 at 9:46 amHi! Sorry, I don’t have any experience with preserving, so I afraid I’m not much help. Let us know if you find an answer!
vivian@sweetandwarm
August 20, 2015 at 9:39 amThey were so delicious! I made 2 jars and now about to make more because I ate them too fast. I couldn’t find pickling salt so I used kosher salt & also fresh dill….THANK YOU for sharing :-)
Hercheyk
July 26, 2016 at 7:23 pmThanks for sharing this recipe! My neighbor’s garden exploded with cucumbers this summer, and making mass quantities of these pickles for friends and myself was a perfect way to use them up. Pretty much everyone I gave pickles to raved about them, and a couple friends even declared them to be the best pickles they’d ever had. I followed your recipe pretty exactly except for leaving out the peppers.
For others’ reference, my first batch included a sprinkle of ground coriander instead of whole seeds, and they were just as good that way.
Thanks again!
Rebecca
August 5, 2017 at 11:46 amHas anyone ever made these pickles without adding the sugar? I found that a tablespoon of sugar was too much for my tastes.
Rhonda Warren
August 7, 2017 at 8:58 pmMy Garden produced several cucumbers this year. I am thinking yeah… we’re going to be in pickle heaven! Found a couple of recipes for claussen pickles, but they did not pan out. Then I tried this recipe this month… you totally nailed it! My children and grandchildren are raving over how similar the pickles taste to a Claussen pickle. Gave a few to neighbors they are asking for the recipe. Thank you so much for posting this recipe I will be making these refrigerator pickles for the rest of my life!!!!!
Billy
October 25, 2017 at 6:01 pmThe pictures you included in the recipe are gorgeous! I love that you also added some chili peppers as well for a little bit of added heat. I really want to try pickling on my own and I think when I do i’ll definitely either add some chili peppers or jalapenos! Thank you for sharing your recipe, can’t wait to try it myself!
Sonja
November 5, 2017 at 8:59 pmThank you for the kind words! Jalapenos would be a great addition to the pickles. Let us know if you try them out!
amie
December 2, 2017 at 9:09 pmI made about 3 dozen quarts of these for holiday gifts last year, and they were a huge hit. Making about 48 this year!
Sonja
December 25, 2017 at 3:17 pmWhat a great idea to give pickles for holiday gifts! We’ll have to try this :)