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These refrigerator pickles are not only a delicious snack but will transform any dish from good to great! With absolutely no cooking, boiling, or special canning equipment required, you can make these 5-ingredient pickles on any old Tuesday (or any day of the week)!
save this recipe!You’ve probably had a refrigerator pickle at some point. Whether you made them or your grandma did, refrigerator pickles are a staple recipe every home cook should have in their back pocket. This particular recipe is one I use weekly to always have something crunchy on hand.
It involves pickling without boiling, instead creating a simple brine of heated water and vinegar and adding it to a jar. I’ve recommended some of my favorite spices to add, but feel free to get creative with flavorings like classic dill, spicy, garlic… whatever suits you!
the basic ingredients
You can easily double these ingredients if you’re looking to keep a larger stash or just particularly love to munch on pickles!
- Cucumbers: You can use either a few pickling cucumbers or one large English cucumber.
- Water and Vinegar: The base of the pickling mixture! If you don’t water down the vinegar, your pickles will be too tart. I use apple cider vinegar for a bit of sweetness, but white wine vinegar works too.
- Non-Iodized Salt: 1 tsp of non-iodized salt will help to add flavor to the pickles. Avoid iodized salt, which can cause discoloration.
- Optional Flavorings: To get the ball rolling, here are a few flavoring ideas: fresh dill, crushed garlic, bay leaf, whole black peppercorns, or red pepper flakes. You can also add other veggies like onions or radishes.
Making them is easy
As with all of my pickling recipes, the directions include a minimal-step process that can be ready in as little as 5 minutes.
- Prep the cucumbers: Cut the cucumber(s) into spears or rounds. Whichever shape you prefer is fine. Add your chosen optional flavors to a lidded jar, then pack in the cucumber.
- Heat the liquid: Heat the water in either a kettle, the microwave, or on the stove until steaming hot. Stir in the salt until it dissolves, and then stir in the vinegar.
- Combine the ingredients: Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers in the jar so that they’re covered (you may not need all of the liquid). Let them cool to room temperature, and then seal the jars shut and transfer them to the refrigerator.
Sarah’s Tip
Try to let the pickles sit for 24 hours in the fridge or at least one hour. As the cucumber slices sit in the water, vinegar, and spices, they take on that delicious tangy pickle taste that we all love.
Dishes that need a side pickle
Sandwiches are always better when they come with a pickle (or two)! Here are some yummy sandwiches just begging for a pickle.
- Buffalo Tempeh Sandwiches: These are already over-the-top packed with flavor, but somehow, a pickle makes them even better!
- Bulgur Falafel Wraps with Yogurt Tahini Sauce: These wraps have a lot of similar spices to dill pickles so they’re easy to make and eat side by side.
Let’s quick pickle everything!
Easy Pickled Jalapeños
40 minutes
Quick Pickled Radishes
35 minutes
Easy Pickled Red Cabbage
2 hours 5 minutes
Easy No Cook Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients
Core Ingredients
- 2 pickling cucumbers, can sub 1 English cucumber, see notes
- 1 cup water, 236 mL
- 1 tsp non iodized salt
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar, can sub white vinegar, 236 mL
Optional Flavorings
- 10 sprigs fresh dill, about 2 tsp when chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prep: Cut cucumber into spears or rounds. Add your chosen optional flavors to a lidded non-reactive container (like a glass jar or ceramic vessel – I used a 32-oz mason jar), then pack in cucumber.
- Liquid: Heat water in either a kettle, the microwave, or on the stove until steaming hot. Stir in salt until dissolved. Stir in vinegar.
- Combine: Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers so that they are covered (you may not need all of the liquid). Let cool to room temperature, then seal shut and transfer to the refrigerator. (Let pickle for at least 1 hour before digging in, optimally 24 hours.)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
A little research into “old time” food preservation methods reveals vinegar brine was a very common technique. 50:50 vinegar (at least 5% acidity) : water with 1 Tlbs. non-iodized salt per pint is the standard brine; other spices are optional. The key is to keep the product completely submerged, no air contact. No refrigeration, pressure, or hot water bath canning was used. Despite the USDA’s objection, people didn’t die. I routinely put up green beans, radishes, garlic (yes, they take on a light green tint), snow peas, carrots, beets, and pickles by this method and get at least a 1 year shelf life. Our ancestors knew what they were doing long before there was a nanny state.
I’ve made these several time with different results every time, I found if you put the hot mixture in the cucumbers, they get very mushy…I chill the hot mixture to room temp.
little bit crunchier that way.