Refrigerator Dill Pickles
No joke, I used to get pickles in my stocking at Christmas time. I’ve always been obsessed.
I also used to drink Italian dressing out of the bottle, but that’s a story for another time.
Back to pickles…
Why are they so expensive? I have no idea. They’re just cucumbers and vinegar!
Off I went on my journey to discover the best homemade pickle. It can’t be that hard right?
Requirements: 1. easy (and no canning process necessary), 2. edible in one day, 3: super vinegar-y and flavorful (none of those sweet butter pickles thank you).
I prefer whole crunchy pickles as opposed to slices, so I went with the cocktail sized cucumber. I also prefer a zingy, not-too-sweet pickle hence I added a few garlic cloves, whole peppercorns, and some red pepper flakes. I love that these pickles are done basically in a day, and they’re even cold, ready in the fridge waiting for you!
If you’re using Ball canning jars I find that these plastic lids are super useful. They don’t rust like the other ones can and they’re just one piece instead of two. I probably have about 40 of them and I use them every day for refrigerator and pantry storage.
Have fun!
- 2 cups vinegar
- 1- 1.5 cups water (depending on the size of your jar)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbsp whole peppercorns
- 1 tsp dill seeds
- 1 Tbsp, plus 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 4-5 sprigs dill
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1/4 white onion, sliced thin
- 1.5 lbs cocktail cucumbers
- In a saucepan bring vinegar, water, sugar, salt, dill seed, bay leaf and peppercorns to a boil.
- Meanwhile, in a large (mine is 2 quarts) jar, add cucumbers, fresh dill, garlic, and onion.
- Pour hot mixture over cucumbers etc. pushing down with a spatula to make sure things kind of get incorporated.
- Let cool to room temperature on the counter.
- When room temp put pickles in the fridge with the top on and let sit at least 24 hours. Longer if you can wait! Enjoy!
- Make sure pickles are completely covered by the liquid, adding more vinegar and water if necessary.
- You can also use English cucumbers here, but slice them into 1/4 inch thick rounds.
May 8, 2017 @ 12:57 pm
Thank you for this informative article on how to make my own pickles! I havn’t had a chance to create my own pickles yet as I usually attempt to make sauerkraut as its one of my favorite fermented foods. Your pictures are stunning and do a great job outlining how the mason jar should look after adding in all the ingredients and liquid. Some articles I’ve found have mentioned letting sauerkraut sit for up to one week to several weeks. Do you only need to let the pickles sit for 24 hours? Will they turn out better if you have them sit for longer? Thank you again for your article!
May 8, 2017 @ 1:09 pm
I love sauerkraut as well! I’ve never tried to make it though! These pickles are honestly delicious after 24 hrs and even better after 48. They’re not fermenting the same way sauerkraut would, just doing a quick pickle, which is why it doesn’t take as long. Thanks for the feedback! Let me know how they turn out for you:)