Homemade pickles, ready overnight!
I hated pickles as a kid. Sweet and salty, dill, or kosher. It didn’t matter. I gave them ALL to my Mom or Dad.
Flash-forward 15 years when I bit into a Chick-fil-a sandwich. What was that unique and INCREDIBLE flavor?! When I peeled back the bun, much to my surprise, there it was… a PICKLE!?
And so my pickle obsession began.
One of the hardest things about making homemade pickles is how long you have to wait to enjoy them. As a rather efficient woman, I needed to come up with a quick way to cure my newfound cravings… that’s when this Overnight Refrigerator Pickles were created! (Shortly followed by Pickled Red Onions, Pickled Carrots, and even Pickled Beets!)
Simple Ingredients You’ll Need
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Seedless Cocktail Cucumbers. Also called “mini cucumbers.” You can find these in your produce section in a small plastic bag and they are about 4-5 inches long. If you cannot find the cocktail cucumbers, you can also opt for the English seedless cucumbers. Just cut them into similarly sized spears that will comfortably fit into a mason jar.
- Vinegar. Distilled white vinegar is the best type of vinegar to use when pickling cucumbers. Any other type, like apple cider vinegar, will largely impact the finishing taste and flavor.
- Salt. Salt is the main component that gives them a salty flavor.
- Sugar. Good ole’ regular white granulated sugar is the way to go. Please do not try to substitute for a healthier alternative such as coconut sugar or another unrefined sugar. They will not taste like the authentic pickles you know and love!
- Dill. In order to give that bright flavor, you will need a few sprigs of fresh dill. Dried can be used but won’t be quite as flavorful and you’ll have to decrease the amount used by a third.
- Garlic. While not absolutely necessary, the garlic does give a nice depth.
- Peppercorns. If you cannot find whole black peppercorns simply substitute for a pinch of ground black pepper.
Step-by-step Instructions
Below you’ll find the simple steps to make this Refrigerator Dill Pickles recipe. Jump to recipe for the printable instructions.
Make the pickling solution.
Add distilled vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a medium-sized sauce pan or pot and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat to low and let the vinegar solution simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Set the pickling brine to the side to cool for a few minutes.
Pro Tip: Keep a close eye on the vinegar solution. If reduced too long, you’ll end up having to add too much water to the jars.
Cut cucumbers into spears.
If using cocktail cucumbers simply cut each one in quarters lengthwise to create spears. For larger cucumbers, cut them in half lengthwise and then again into quarters to get spears about 4-5 inches long.
Add spears and other ingredients.
Place the garlic, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and dill sprigs at the bottom of a 16-oz. mason jar (these fit 4-inch spears perfectly!) Add the cucumbers to the jar.
Jar Tip: Wide mouth pint jars are are best since you have more room. Also, use one that’s made out of glass and has a secure lid since you’ll be pouring in hot liquid. Do not make them in a plastic container as the acidic solution will leach plastic into them.
Fill with pickling brine and water.
Pour the warm vinegar mixture over the cucumbers and spices.
Add extra water until the solution completely covers the veggies. You do still want to leave a little headspace in the jar, though.
Be sure to wipe the rim and screw the lid on tightly. Refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days before enjoying.
This recipe is not shelf stable. You MUST store in the refrigerator.
Prep-Ahead and Storage Tips
- To Prep-Ahead: Refrigerate pickles for at least 8 hours, or up to 3 days for the best results.
- To Store: Keep pickles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. This is the ideal -time frame to maintain their crisp and crunchy texture. After this time they will begin to get soft and will not have that same delicious crunch.
More Flavor Variations
Mix up the flavors and add in some coriander seeds, mustard seeds, bay leaves, or other spices. Or you can even try this pickling spice!
FAQs
Seedless cocktail cucumbers are a great option for their size and texture. English seedless cucumbers may also be used, however they will need to be cut down into smaller spears.
Both styles use dill weed and dill seed for flavoring. However, kosher dill pickles use garlic and a salty brine to give them their classic flavor.
While you can use dried dill, you won’t get the same fresh flavor. If you need to, use 1-2 teaspoons of dried dill in place of 1 tablespoon fresh.
Yes, you absolutely can. However, since there’s less surface area exposed, it will take longer for the solution to soak into the cucumbers. You’ll need to let them sit for at least 4-5 days until they’re ready to eat.
Other Quick Pickling Recipes
Once you see how easy it easy to pickle pretty much ANY vegetable at home, try one of these delicious recipes next:
- Pickled Red Onions, Pickled Radishes, Pickled Carrots, and Pickled Jalapenos are all perfect for topping tacos and soups!
- Pickled Garlic comes in handy when you have a bunch of garlic you don’t want to go bad.
- Pickled Beets take a little more prep work since you have to make boiled beets first, but absolutely worth it! They add the best flavor to salads.
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Overnight Refrigerator Dill Pickles
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Ingredients
- ⅔ cup distilled white vinegar
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 ¼ tsp. salt plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 garlic cloves whole
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes plus more to taste
- 3 dill sprigs
- 4 cocktail cucumbers each cut into 4 spears
Instructions
- Add vinegar, water, salt, and sugar to a medium-sized pot or sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes, whisking occasionally, or until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let sit while preparing the jars.⅔ cup distilled white vinegar, ⅓ cup water, 1 ¼ tsp. salt, 3 tablespoons sugar
- Place garlic cloves, peppercorns, red pepper flake, and dill sprigs in the bottom of a 16-ounce mason jar. Add cucumber spears to the jar in a vertical orientation. Pour warm vinegar solution over cucumbers and add additional water as needed to completely cover the cucumbers.2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 pinch red pepper flakes, 3 dill sprigs, 4 cocktail cucumbers
- Refrigerate pickles overnight or up to 3 days for the best results.
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Video
Notes
- Nutrition: An estimate based on only half of the solution being consumed.
- Jars: A 16-oz. mason jar works best. The wide mouth jars will also work equally as well. Just make sure you use glass jars with a tight fitting lid. The hot liquid will leach plastic into the pickles!
- Storage: Pickles will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 1 months and will slowly lose their crispness after that.
- Dill: 1 teaspoon dried dill can be used in place of fresh.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Even More Cucumber Recipes
Have a ton of cucumbers on hand? Here are some of my favorite ways to use them up:
Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
15 mins
Greek Cucumber Salad
20 mins
Greek Tzatziki Sauce Recipe
15 mins
Avocado Corn Salad
20 mins
I made these pickles and I LOVE them! I didn’t add the sugar and I added Serrano peppers! I will definitely add this one to my must haves!
What a great idea to add serrano peppers – were they spicy? Thanks so much for your comment and rating, Lisa! 🙂
They were perfect! My friends are as hooked as I am! Thank you so much! I have finally found the perfect pickle! Thank you for the recipe!!
Can these be sealed and pantry stored as well?
Hi Kelli! I have not personally tried this, but you should be able to as long as you use pickling salt and follow the proper sanitizing/canning guidelines. Would love to know if you try it out!
I found it way to vinegary! I guess I will use less vinegar and more sugar????
Yes! That will definitely work. Just add a bit more water to make up for the lack of liquid in the jar!
How many jars does this recipe make? Just one, I am guessing based on the quantities of the ingredients.
Yes, Christine! It just makes 1 16-oz. jar of pickles. Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Do you have a quick recipe for a good green bean kidney bean salad? It’s one of my favorite things!
Hi Theresa! I actually do not, yet, but I’ll definitely add it to my list of recipes to create! 🙂
Can you them with Orka also
I haven’t tried it yet, Wanda, but I’m sure you could! You might have to wait a couple of days for the flavor to really soak into the okra since it’s much thicker than cut cucumbers. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Dude making pickles…will let you know…first time! Love me some dill pickles. Looking forward:)
Yay, Mark! Can’t wait to hear what you think.
I made some of these and they are delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe. I wrote a blog post about mine and linked the recipe back to you.
Lisa
Oh wonderful, Lisa! Thanks so much for doing that and for letting me know 🙂
hello, wondering if this recipe has been tested for water bath canning, to preserve longer than the refrigerated time given in the recipe.
Hi! It has not yet been tested for canning. If you decide to try it out, I’d love to know how it goes!
Can this recipe be used to “can” the pickles! My husband LOVES this recipe but I’d like to make a big batch and can them for year round eating!
Thank you!
Yes, Jacque! You should be able to. I would just make sure to use “pickling salt” that is free of iodine and follow your normal canning procedures. So happy to hear you love them so much!