Easy Refrigerator Pickles

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One of my favorite things to grow in the garden is small pickling cucumbers! The vines are so pretty, and they produce so many delightful, crunchy, slightly sweet little cucumbers.

After eating one every day for about two weeks, I thought I should probably do something productive with them.

Refrigerator Pickles were the obvious answer!

They’re crisp, tangy, garlicky, a little spicy, and so much easier than traditional canning.

Why You’ll Love These Refrigerator Pickles

If you’ve ever canned vegetables, you know it can be a bit of a pain. By using a quick refrigerator pickle method, you save so much time—and the cucumbers stay so nice and crunchy.

Unlike canned pickles, refrigerator pickles taste especially fresh because the cucumbers are never cooked. No one likes a soggy pickle, so if you love that crisp snap, this is the recipe for you.

The only drawback is that refrigerator pickles don’t last as long as traditionally canned pickles. They’re best kept refrigerated and enjoyed within about two months. In my house, a jar of pickles will be long gone before then, so this is definitely the way to go!

Ingredients You’ll Need

The best refrigerator pickles start with small pickling cucumbers. They have a crispness that larger slicing cucumbers just don’t, so I don’t recommend substituting them.

You’ll also need:

• Fresh pickling dill
• Garlic cloves
• Red onion
• Coriander seeds
• Mustard seeds
• Black peppercorns
• Red pepper flakes
• Water
• White vinegar
• Sea salt or kosher salt
• A little sugar
• Thinly sliced carrot, if you’d like

I added carrots because they look really pretty in the jars, and pickled carrots are delish. They also add another layer of crunch and color.

No cucumbers growing in your garden? Small pickling cucumbers are usually available at the grocery store or farmers market during the summer.

How to Make Refrigerator Pickles

You can slice the cucumbers into spears or rounds. I like the rounds better myself, but they all taste the same!

Start by washing the cucumbers and cutting off the blossom end, which is the end opposite the stem. This little step helps the pickles stay crisp.

Slice the cucumbers into rounds about 1/4 inch thick, or cut them lengthwise into spears.

Place the cucumbers in a large bowl of ice water and let them soak for one to two hours. Set a plate on top to make sure all the cucumbers remain submerged.

This ice bath is one of the secrets to that wonderful pickle crunch. While the cucumbers are bathing, you can prepare the brine and jars.

To make the brine, combine equal parts water and white vinegar with the sea salt and sugar. Bring the mixture to a light boil, stirring until the salt and sugar completely dissolve.

Then let the brine cool. You do not want to pour steaming-hot brine over your ice-cold cucumbers because it will take away that lovely crunch.

While the brine cools, add the coriander seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and two slightly smashed garlic cloves to the bottom of a clean jar.

Once the cucumbers have finished soaking, pack them tightly into the jar. Alternate layers of cucumbers with sliced red onion, fresh dill, and carrots, if using.

Stuff two or three sprigs of dill throughout the layers, and make sure everything is packed in nice and snug. Finish with the remaining garlic clove.

Pour the cooled brine into the jar until the vegetables are completely covered. Seal the jar tightly and place it in the refrigerator.

Let the pickles cure for about 24 hours before digging in. They should be ready to munch the next day, although they’ll continue picking up more flavor as they sit.

Tips for the Best Crunch

The secret to really crisp refrigerator pickles begins before they ever reach the brine.

• Use small, fresh pickling cucumbers.
• Pick them and get them into the jar as soon as possible.
• Remove the blossom end of each cucumber.
• Soak the sliced cucumbers in ice water for one to two hours.
• Let the brine cool before pouring it over the cucumbers.
• Keep the pickles refrigerated at all times.

Make sure the cucumbers remain covered by the brine while they’re stored. Always use a clean utensil when removing pickles from the jar.

Easy Variations

This recipe is easy to adjust depending on how you like your pickles.

For a little more heat, add extra red pepper flakes or tuck a few slices of fresh jalapeño into the jar.

For a milder pickle, reduce or leave out the red pepper flakes.

You can also make spears instead of rounds or add more pickled vegetables alongside the cucumbers. Try carrots, onion, green beans, cauliflower, or sliced peppers.

Once you start making quick pickles, it becomes a little addictive. Before you know it, you’ll be pickling all sorts of vegetables!

More Garden-Fresh Recipes to Try

Have extra produce from the garden? Put it to good use with one of these fresh and flavorful recipes:

• Garden Cucumber Bites
• Garden Fresh Salsa
• Cucumber Dill Dip
• Spicy Asian Green Beans

Final Thoughts

These Refrigerator Pickles are such a fun summertime snack. They’re fresh, crunchy, tangy, slightly spicy, and packed with garlic and dill flavor without all the hassle of canning.

Summer is over before you know it, so take advantage of those fresh garden cucumbers while you can. Clausen better watch out, cuz you’re the new Pickle Queen!