Quick Pickle Recipe

This is the easiest and best quick pickle recipe ever! Use the refrigerator method and skip the canning. You'll be glad you did.

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• Ingredient notes
• How to make quick pickled cucumbers
• Expert Tips
• Variations
• FAQ's about homemade quick pickles
• 📖 Recipe
• Finger Foods

If you don't have enough cucumbers for a big batch of pickles, or if you're just not a fan of canning, this is the recipe for homemade pickles that you'll make over and over. It's a great way to get some fresh vegetables in your family and they won't complain one bit!

We love the quick pickling method for making not just pickled cucumbers, but so many other vegetables. Refrigerator Pickled Green Beans are a favorite around here, as are Quick Pickled Asparagus.

If you really want to think outside the box try Quick Pickled Carrots. They're not only bright and beautiful, but they have a distinct flavor profile that will surprise you. For a distinctly southern refrigerator pickle recipe try Spicy Pickled Okra. They're amazing with a bloody mary or on a charcuterie board.

Ingredient notes

This recipe for quick dill pickles uses simple ingredients you will most likely have on hand, except for possibly the fresh dill.

• Cucumbers - Use literally any variety you have access to, as long as they're fresh and firm. Small, baby cucumbers fresh from the garden are outstanding, but you can you'll also get good results with English cucumbers, the hot house variety or any others.
• Salt - You can use plain table salt, kosher salt or sea salt. It is important to keep in mind that you should not use iodized salt. The iodine can make your pickle brine cloudy.
• Vinegar - We always use white vinegar (usually the plain distilled type) for making any of our quick pickled vegetables. You can also use white wine vinegar, but we do not recommend using apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar. The flavors are too strong and the color will dull your pickles.
• Whole black peppercorns
• Dried bay leaves
• Whole garlic cloves - I like to trim the end off of each garlic clove. That helps to release the flavor into your pickles
• Fresh dill - It really has the best flavor, but if you don't have access to fresh, you can use dried dill weed.
• Red pepper flakes - We always add these just for a little spicy kick, but if you don't like any spice at all you can leave them out.

Mustard seeds are an ingredient that many people like to add. If you like really tangy pickles you may want to include them.

See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.

How to make quick pickled cucumbers

1. Wash and cut up the cucumbers. You can cut them into thin slices or wedges.
2. Place cucumbers into mason jars or another type glass jar along with the garlic, dill and bay leaves.
3. Mix the remaining ingredients for a basic brine into a small saucepan. Heat, stirring, just until the salt dissolves.
4. I like to let the brine mixture come to room temperature before pouring over the cucumbers, making sure they are covered completely.
5. Cover tightly and refrigerate until the next day if you can wait that long. We usually start eating ours after a few hours.

Expert Tips

• I like to heat the brine to make it easier to dissolve the salt, but you can skip that step.
• Placing the cucumbers and larger ingredients into the jar first is easiest.
• Trimming the ends off the garlic cloves (or bruising them with a knife or mallet) releases the garlic flavor into your brine.

Variations

The really great thing about these easy refrigerator pickles is that they're customizable to your tastes. Like lots of garlic? Add 2-3 cloves per jar. Don't like the flavor of bay leaves? Leave them out. The flavor combinations are up to you.

This easy recipe is so much fun to make and even a first time pickle maker will be thrilled with the results.

FAQ's about homemade quick pickles

📖 Recipe