Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickles - Once Upon a Chef (2024)

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Refrigerator pickles are quick and easy to make — no sterilizing jars or special equipment required.

Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)

The kids and I discovered a jar of these homemade refrigerator pickles in my parents’ refrigerator one day, and since then, no deli or store-bought pickles have ever come close. They were made by one of my mom’s oldest and dearest friends, Joanne Biltekoff, who is like an aunt to me. The best thing about Joanne’s pickles is that they’re quick and easy — no sterilizing jars or special canning equipment required. All you do is slice Kirby cucumbers into spears, cover them with brine, tuck them into the fridge, and they’re ready to eat the next day.

What You’ll Need To Make Refrigerator Pickles

The most important part of the recipe is to start with Kirby or pickling cucumbers. They’re short, squat and sometimes full of warts, but they make deliciously crisp pickles. Don’t be tempted to substitute another kind of cucumber or you’ll end up with soggy pickles.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Begin by making the brine. Combine the vinegar, salt and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat and stir until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. Whisk in the cold water, then chill.

When cooking high-acid foods, be sure to use a cooking vessel made of a nonreactive material such as stainless steel, glass, ceramic or Teflon. Pots made from metals like aluminum, copper or cast iron will react with the acid and give your food a metallic taste.

Next, stuff the cucumbers into two 1-quart jars. Add the coriander and mustard seeds, garlic, red pepper flakes, dill sprigs to the jars, dividing evenly.

Cover the cucumbers with the chilled brine.

Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for about 24 hours, then serve. The pickles will keep in the fridge for up to one month.

These pickles will disappear quickly and you’ll likely get requests for more. You don’t have to start from scratch. You can use the pickle brine more than once — it should last for another batch or two of pickles!

Quick & Easy Refrigerator Pickles

By Jenn Segal

Refrigerator pickles are quick and easy to make — no sterilizing jars or special equipment required.

Servings: About 24 spears, or two 1-quart jars

Ingredients

1¼ cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups cold water
1¾ to 2 pounds Kirby cucumbers (about 6), cut into halves or spears
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
16 dill sprigs

Instructions

Combine the vinegar, salt and sugar in a small non-reactive saucepan (such as stainless steel, glass, ceramic or teflon) over high heat. Whisk until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Transfer the liquid into a bowl and whisk in the cold water. Refrigerate brine until ready to use.
Stuff the cucumbers into two clean 1-quart jars. Add the coriander seeds, garlic cloves, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, dill sprigs, and chilled brine into jars, dividing evenly. If necessary, add a bit of cold water to the jars until the brine covers the cucumbers. Cover and refrigerate about 24 hours, then serve. The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Gluten-Free Adaptable Note

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.

See more recipes:

Gluten-Free Adaptable
Snacks
Vegetarian
American

Comments

Part of me has the niggling suspicion that I’m not the first to comment on tnis recipe…
I made these using Pico cukes, which worked reasonably well, having just a few too many seeds for my liking. I used what I had organic access to. I also added 4 oak leaves from the backyard, supposedly to enhance/preserve the crunch. There are differences of opinion as to whether that addition (as well as grape leaves or horseradish leaves) is useful, or just an old frontier tale.
Will make them again, cutting back on the sugar by half. The pickles were’t quite sweet(ish), but they lacked the acid bite that I like in my dill pickles.
Many thanks for sharing this.
Joe
- — Joe Wagner on August 20, 2024
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Oh why did I wait so long to make these pickles? So good. I hope I’ll be able to get the little cucs year round.
- — Amaris on August 20, 2024
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Very tasty and easy. We found them to be a tad sweet for a dill pickle so I’ll cut back a little on the sugar next time. Otherwise, I’ll be using this as my go-to recipe!
- — Mary on August 18, 2024
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These were amazing! So tasty! Quick question – if we’ve already eaten all of the pickles in one jar (that were made a couple days ago) and still have cucumbers left, can we put the new one in the jar and add extra cold water?
- — Laura on August 16, 2024
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- Yep – and glad you liked them!
  — Jenn Segal on August 16, 2024
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  - If I made 6pounds of Kori’s would I just triple all of the ingredients? Thank you!
    — Rose on August 18, 2024
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    - Hi Rose, I’m assuming you meant Kirby’s? If so, yes, that’s correct. Enjoy!
      — Jenn Segal on August 19, 2024
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Have tried other recipes and they were so disappointing. These are amazing!
- — Helen on August 14, 2024
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I made a double batch of these and my family loved them. I sent home a jar with each of my kids. This recipe is easy, delicious, and definitely a keeper!
- — Cherri Bringgold on August 12, 2024
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My family and I LOVE these pickles!! This is my third year making them and they are the best! Thanks for such an easy great recipe!!
- — c.kahn on August 11, 2024
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(Sorry this is long) Okay – I don’t often use recipes except for technique and cooking times but this was rated so highly when I was looking to make my first refrigerator pickles that I had to try it – and I read a ton of the reviews good and bad (very few). I am fussy with pickles and never had enough to can before for many reasons but the biggest is: We have black walnut trees – they kill everything, we now garden in raised barrels etc etc, blah blah blah. We always got some to eat and for salads but FINALLY – A SUMMER OF CUCUMBERS!! I’m beyond excited.
I do “can” with hot water bath canning and pressure cooker canning but wanted something quick and easy for my first pickles because I kept squirreling them away hoping to make pickles and some were getting a bit old but perfectly fine. I decided to try refrigerator pickles and this was the first recipe I found and I totally understand why it comes out at the top of a search.
I followed this to a “T” and could tell right away the brine was just perfect – not too salty. The sugar is necessary and these pickles are NOT sweet in the slightest.
I quickly ran out of fresh dill and replaced with the recommended amount of dry (2tsp as stated in comments) and it came out just as great.
I was a bit dumb and sliced all of my cucumbers before knowing exactly what I had spice/herb wise so I was able to make 4 quarts following the recipe exactly and then at least 4 more quarts using dried dill instead of fresh.
I’ve made a total of at least 12 quarts (got more fresh dill) and all are wonderful using both fresh and dried ingredients. I know I should have used a canning recipe since I had so many but these were so good I just refrigerated them all and figure I can give some away. I made them 8/1 and we’ve gone through almost three quarts because we keep snacking on them, putting them on burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches etc.
These are pretty much the best pickles I’ve ever had let alone made. I think you can add any spices you like but leave the brine alone, that is the key. I added jalapenos and other peppers and they’re great. I used Armenian, bush, straight eight and pickling cucumbers – they were all great and crispy. I sliced most thin for sandwiches or in spears.
I’d be interested to know if anyone every came up with a good canning version of this. I might try to figure it out later this month since cucumbers are still piling in. Yay!
- — Lisa on August 9, 2024
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Hi, LOVE this recipe! But the Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars have eaten most of my dill. Would dry dill seed work?
- — Ann Stone on August 9, 2024
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- Oh, that stinks! You can use dried dill – you’ll need 2 teaspoons. Enjoy!
  — Jenn Segal on August 9, 2024
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I really love this Quick pickle recipe! TOTALLY THE BEST!!! Wondering if they would turn as good if I canned them? Have you ever tried?
- — Adelle A Clark on August 7, 2024
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- So glad you like them! I didn’t develop the pickles with canning in mind, so I’m not sure they would be safe – Sorry!
  — Jenn Segal on August 8, 2024
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Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!
I got a huge crop of cucumbers.
I only had Himalayan pink salt and should have measured a little less of it.
Because a tad salty
But that was my error. the recipe itself is amazing and everyone scarfed them down regardless!
I’ll definitely make again!
- — Christa on August 4, 2024
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Could Persian cucumbers be used as an alternative to Kirby?
- — Lynn on August 4, 2024
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- Hi Lynn, Persian cucumbers will work but they may not be quite as crisp and crunchy as Kirbys. Please LMK how they turn out if you try them!
  — Jenn Segal on August 5, 2024
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Your recipes never disappoint! You are such a great chef and easy to understand instructions. Can’t wait to try these! My momma always made these. There are only 3 ingredients but oh, so easy. One gallon of dill pickle slices….drain them. Put them in a large bowl and pour a 5 pound bag of sugar over them. Sprinkle with a small bottle of Tabasco. Let them sit on your counter all day and night. Pour the juice it makes with the pickles back into the gallon container and refrigerate. They are amazing!!!
- — Cindy on August 4, 2024
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This recipe is exactly what my husband was looking for. Crunchy deliciousness! I followed the recipe without alterations and they turned out great. He shared pickles with some of his friends and they wanted the recipe. Another winner from once upon a chef!
- — Susan B on August 4, 2024
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Just made these a few days ago. So easy, excellent taste. Great receipe especially for a summer harvest.
- — Eileen on August 4, 2024
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Thank you for this recipe. I’ve made it lots of times now but have reduced the salt gradually because my husband isn’t supposed to have lots of sodium. I have six jars in the fridge now that I made when my dill was at it’s peak. We love them even better than the ones I can for longer storage.
- — Debb on August 4, 2024
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I had tried made recipes for refrigerator pickles and they were all awful. I was about to give up when this recipe came across my email. I should have looked here first. Jenn never disappoints. They are phenomenal. I’ve been making them with my homegrown pickling cukes this summer and giving them to friends. A huge hit!! Thank you again Jenn
- — Ann on August 4, 2024
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Hi Jennifer,
Can I substitute table salt for the kosher salt and ground mustard for the mustard seeds. If so how much should I use?
- — Linda on August 3, 2024
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- Hi Linda, I’d use 2 tablespoons table salt and a pinch or two of dried mustard. Hope that helps!
  — Jenn Segal on August 5, 2024
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Great recipe…I do not have fresh dill right now. How much freeze-dried dill can I add to a jar of pickles? Thank you…
- — Jacqueline Bahr on August 3, 2024
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- Glad you like it! Yes, you can use freeze-dried dill; you’ll need 2 teaspoons. Enjoy!
  — Jenn Segal on August 5, 2024
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BEST PICKLES EVER! Super easy and quick to make! I grew pickles in my garden specifically for this recipe!
- — Jenn on August 2, 2024
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Hi, I made these the other day with my heirloom pickle cucumbers and they came out very good but seemed very salty ( I used Himalayan Pink salt since that’s all I had). I know it’s not the correct salt but I was wondering if I used less could I continue to use it or is Kosher salt the only kind to use? Thank you
- — Leslie Madison on August 1, 2024
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- Hi Leslie, it’s fine to continue using the Himalayan salt and just reduce the amount. 😊
  — Jenn Segal on August 2, 2024
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YUMMMMY!!!!
- — Caroline on July 30, 2024
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I have been making refrigerator pickles for years and I don’t think I have come across a better recipe than yours. But then again I’m not surprised because everything you make is fantastic. I actually had to eat one before the 24 hours is up because I couldn’t wait. This is my new go to refrigerator pickle recipe. Thank you so much, Jenn!
- — Dorann Longmore on July 29, 2024
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Finally! An easy refrigerator pickle that tastes great! Really love this recipe!
I was wondering if you could use pickle crisp to keep them crisp for a longer period of time?
- — Sherrie on July 28, 2024
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- Hi Sherrie, I’m not familiar with Pickle Crisp, but I don’t think they’re needed here. Glad you like the pickles!
  — Jenn on July 29, 2024
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There’s no measurements?
- — Cjf on July 27, 2024
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- It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions above. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
  — Jenn on July 29, 2024
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Hi Jenn,
How much dill seed would recommend using instead of fresh dill?
- — Tina Reisinger on July 27, 2024
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- Hi Tina, you’ll need 2 teaspoons. Enjoy!
  — Jenn on July 29, 2024
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Can this recipe be used for canning storage? We’ve been using it for refrigerator storage for the past 2 years and love it but are looking to store longer term as well.
- — Amber on July 27, 2024
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- Hi Amber, I didn’t design these with canning in mind, so I don’t know if it would be safe – sorry!
  — Jenn on July 29, 2024
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Hello Jenn, I used an adaptation of this recipe to make some awesome Spicy Garlic Dill Pickle chips. They turned out awesome. I omitted the Mustard seeds and Coriander but the rest was great, I just doubled the Garlic. I also used long English Cucumbers as my wife doesn’t like regular or Kirby Cucumbers as they give her heartburn from the seeds. I used My Mandolin so it was super easy to make the recipe. Thank you so much it is such an easy and tasty recipe. I strongly recommend people to use it. I am going to make a Giardiniera with it also.Definitely a 5 star rating from me.
- — Ed Buttree on July 25, 2024
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Well, these are delicious! Maybe the best pickles I’ve ever had. Many store pickles even the ones I like are too strong with vinegar bite. These have a very smooth wonderful vinegary flavor but a tiny bit of sweet to temper the vinegar. Wasn’t sure what the coriander seed would add but it gives a subtle flavor profile that is very tasty. Love these pickles, new staple for my garden cukes!!
- — Allison Allen on July 24, 2024
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Could you can these if you wanted to?
- — Sharon Counts on July 22, 2024
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- Hi Sharon, I didn’t develop this recipe with canning in mind, so I don’t know if it would be safe — sorry!
  — Jenn on July 23, 2024
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My extreme food critic in the house said “these are better than store bought!”
Suffice it to say I went to the garden and added one more cucumber to the jar to fill the space we ate at supper.
I used pickling cucumbers from the garden -just coming in, and supplemented with English cucumbers. Both very crunchy and tasty. I was out of mustard seed, so added 2 bay leaves to each jar. Thank you!
- — Lori Crowder on July 18, 2024
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I have been making this pickle recipe since I found it on your website in July, 2016. Neighbors and my grown sons have never stopped asking for them. Thank you so very much!
- — Myra on July 18, 2024
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I made these last year, and this year, with slicing cucumbers. Tastes great, and actually last more like two or three months.
- — Todd on July 18, 2024
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- You must not be packing the cucumbers in enough. I had some leftover brine.
  — Brandon on July 23, 2024
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Not even close to enough liquid for the amount of cucumbers.
- — J.T. on July 7, 2024
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WOW WOW WOW!!!! These refrigerator pickles are a-ma-zing. I’ve canned garden produce for years, including many different types of pickles and I have some really great canning recipes. Sometimes you just want a quick, refrigerator pickle recipe for the unexpected free white cucumbers (white cucumbers are quite popular where I live.)
I had 3 pounds of white cucumbers w hich yielded 2 quarts of spears and 1 pint of small slices. I ended up having to add a little bit of cold water to each jar. I didn’t have kosher salt so I used 2 TBSP plus a pinch of canning salt, Splenda instead of sugar, only 1 TBSP coriander seed (because that’s all I had on hand), 1 head of dill and a few fronds (again, because that’s all I had on hand-I just divided them up evenly), and added a few peppercorns to each jar.
This is going to be my GO-TO refrigerator pickle recipe from now on.
Thank you so much for sharing this with the world!
- — Melissa P on July 6, 2024
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I cannot believe how great these pickles taste or how easy they are to make! I have given this recipe to almost everyone who has tried them. Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
- — Bonnie on July 5, 2024
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Made these last week; delicious! Husband is obsessed. He is a pickle fan and he is sooo enjoying these. About to make a second batch of two quarts (one with some Serrano pepper slices added to try it out and I have to do something with that bumper crop).
Note: I did add a couple of black peppercorns and two allspice berries to the mix but the rest was done exactly as described. So easy. *I’m not going to have to worry about being able to keep them in the fridge for four weeks, they’ll be gone well before then.* Thanks for providing this recipe. I just signed up for your updates.
- — Ramona on July 3, 2024
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The ABSOLUTE, hands down, best pickles, fricken ever. I have had tons of varieties of pickles in my day, always searching for the ones from when I was a kid. Eventually realized they were probably homemade, so started trying dozens of recipes online. Nope, none of them were correct, until this one, it isn’t exactly the same, but just as good, maybe better. No need for a canner at all, just jars and the recipe, works amazingly for onions and green beans as well. Try it! Planning a future attempt at asparagus spears and artichoke hearts and adding just a hit of olive oil for those.
- — Day on July 1, 2024
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Hi,
Just curious if I can use dried Coriander rather than coriander seeds? And if so, how much? Thank you!
- — Em on June 27, 2024
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- Sure, I’d use 1 teaspoon of ground coriander. Enjoy!
  — Jenn on June 28, 2024
  Reply
  - I’d like to reuse the brine to fill with more cucumbers. Will those new pickles last a new 4 weeks or do I need to count the expiration time from when I first made the brine?
    — Rosie Jean on August 1, 2024
    Reply
    - They should be fine for the 4 weeks.
      — Jenn Segal on August 2, 2024
      Reply
These pickles are so delicious and super easy to make . Hubby loves them also.😋
- — Jeanne on June 24, 2024
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Is this recipe for pickles considered fermented? I trust, love your recipes 100% and was looking for a fermented recipe for the health benefits.
Thank You!
- — Tracy Kilpatrick on June 20, 2024
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- No, they aren’t considered fermented.
  — Jenn on June 21, 2024
  Reply
  - Can you use red wine vinegar?
    — Vivian Russell on July 31, 2024
    Reply
    - The pickles may be a bit of a different color, but it should work. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
      — Jenn Segal on August 1, 2024
      Reply
Absolutely the best dill pickles I have ever eaten. They are also so easy to make.
- — Mike Peters on June 15, 2024
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