Refrigerator Dill Pickles – prepped and ready for the fridge in just 5 minutes! Boldly delicious, 100% ZERO cooking, small batch recipe for classic dill pickles.
Just 5 minutes, a couple of grocery store ingredients – including fresh cucumbers – and you’ll be munching on these crunchy, tangy no cook refrigerator pickles.
Refrigerator pickles – or quick pickles – with classic dill pickle flavor. This is a great recipe for ajar of pickles with little time and almost no effort. jar of pickles
Why this recipe works:
- It’s a simple recipe for homemade crisp pickles – 100% no cooking involved!
- Even if you’ve never made your own pickles, this is a fail proof recipe for crunchy pickles.
- No special equipment required and just a few grocery store ingredients.
- It’s an easy way to fresh pickles with no additives, preservatives or sugar.
- They’re bright, snap-crisp and delicious — a bottom-of-the-jar recipe for homemade pickles.
Ingredients for Refrigerator Dill Pickles:
This is a small batch recipe but can these tangy pickles can easily be doubled or tripled. Full amounts and details in the printable recipe card below.
- fresh Kirby cucumbers
- warm to room temperature tap water
- apple cider vinegar
- kosher salt or sea salt (not table salt)
- black peppercorns
- garlic cloves
- fresh dill (dry dill doesn’t work well in this recipe)
- mason jars
What are Refrigerator Pickles?
Refrigerator pickles are made without any kind of typical canning method. They use vinegar for the brine and plenty of fresh dill for flavor.
They’re ready for the fridge in about 5 minutes and can be eaten in a couple of hours (though they’re even better the next day!). These are the pros. The con is that they don’t have the shelf life of preserved pickles. They’ll last in the fridge 3 weeks before they start becoming soft though mine are always eaten before that.
What kind of cucumber is best for these pickles?
I prefer Kirby pickles because they stay crisp the longest and don’t have large seeds like full size cucumbers.
That said, any fresh cucumbers work well in this recipe from English cucumbers and even baby or gherkins pickles for 2-bite size snacks. Note: baby gherkins need 48 hours in the fridge to absorb the flavor.
How to make easy 5 minute Refrigerator Dill Pickles:
Using either a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the pickles into pickle chips or spears then place cucumbers in the jar leaving a little space at the top. If you’re using gherkins and want them whole, that’s great too.
Combine water, salt, vinegar, peppercorns, garlic cloves and dill sprigs. Secure the lid then gently shake so the ingredients are distributed. NOTE: cucumber slices will not be completely submerged in liquid at this point. As they sit in the fridge, the salt draws liquid from them.
Transfer the pickles to the fridge. Give the jaw a shake a couple of times over the next 2-3 hours.
Pickles are ready to eat in 5 hours – best the next day after refrigerating 24 hours.
Best main dishes with pickles:
Fresh pickles go with almost anything! Below are a few of my favorites?
Common Questions:
Can I use dry dill instead of fresh? No, I recommend fresh dill for the best flavor.
What’s the difference between refrigerator and canned pickles? Refrigerator pickles soak in a brine and stay fresh in the fridge. They keep a crispier texture but don’t last as long. Unlike canned pickles, they skip the canning process altogether.
How long do Refrigerator Pickles last? Stored in the fridge, they’ll last 3 weeks.
Do I need to boil the brine? Nope—this recipe doesn’t require any cooking at all.
Can the pickling liquid be reused? Yes! Just add fresh cucumbers and allow time for flavor.
Are they ready to eat right away? Technically yes – but for best results and flavor, wait 4-5 hours up to overnight.
Do I crush the peppercorns? No – use whole peppercorns in this recipe.
Subs and variations to this refrigerator pickle recipe:
- Add hot peppers (jalapenos) for a spicy pickle.
- Dissolve sugar for sweet pickles – also called bread and butter pickles.
- White vinegar or red wine vinegar can be used instead of apple cider for a stronger flavor.
- Do not use balsamic vinegar – it’ll overtake the pickle flavor.
- Sprinkle in a pinch of red pepper flakes for pickles with a little kick.
More easy pickling recipes:
Pickled Jalapenos – 10 minutes, NO canning! Perfect addition to tacos, nachos, enchiladas or chili!
Pickled Red Onions – quick, easy, bright and zesty. Great on salads, burgers, hot dogs and tacos.
Enjoy!
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Best Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Equipment
- Mason jars
Ingredients
- 2 cups sliced cucumbers
- 1 cup warm to room temp water
- 1 ½ tablespoons kosher or sea salt not table salt
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 2 large garlic cloves peeled and rough chopped
- 6-8 large dill sprigs chopped
- 1 pint size jar or divide in smaller jars
Instructions
- Slice the pickles and add them to the jar (can leave baby/gherkins whole).
- Add water, salt, vinegar, peppercorns, garlic and dill. Secure the lid then gently shake so the ingredients are distributed. NOTE: the liquid won't cover the pickles are this point. The salt will draw liquid from the cucumbers when refrigerated.
- Transfer the pickles to the fridge. Shake a couple of times over the next 2-3 hours.
- Pickles are ready to eat in 5 hours - best after refrigerating 24 hours.
Hit a home run with this one. The pickles are crisp and tasty. A great add to any picnic or meal.
Thank you! Hard to keep ’em in the house we’re going through them so fast — but that’s a good thing! 🙂
Everyone should try these pickles, they are so good and very easy to make ! My husband is eating them everyday !!
We do too Betty! So fresh and much better than store-bought. I appreciate you making them and following up – enjoy the day! 🙂
Do you have a quick recipe for Bread and Butter and/or Sweet Pickel refrigerator pickles? Thanks!
Hi Susan – I’m sorry I don’t have one, but I found this one from Taste of Home for Refrigerator Sweet Pickles. Taste of Home is a reputable source and the recipe has good reviews from people that have made it. The link is:
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/easy-refrigerator-pickles
I’d love to hear back if you make them. Thanks for stopping by – enjoy the day!
My kids love pickles so this year I planted a few bush pickle cucumber plants. I am used to the plants that grow tall so I hope they don’t grow to far out and take over everything else haha! But hopefully we will have plenty of cucumbers to pickle 🙂
Definitely trying this with them when we get enough (growing season has just started here.)
Ah yes! I get plants taking over! 🙂 Last year I planted mint in the ground (big mistake!) – apparently it should only go in pots because it spreads everywhere! I’m so glad you’re going to try this. Even better with homegrown – can’t get any fresher. I’d love to hear how you and your family liked them.
Can you use white vinegar instead of apple cider?
Hi Brandi – thanks for reaching out. Yes, you can sub in white vinegar instead, but it won’t have the same fruity undertones of apple cider vinegar so the final taste will be a bit different.
Can you use dried dilly you run out of fresh?
Hi Liz – yes! You absolutely can use dried dill instead of fresh adding the same amount of the ingredient. When I use dry herbs I give them a quick rub between my thumb and first finger to ‘wake up’ the taste. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I make this recipe .lts so delicious and my family likes this pickle thank you for this recipe ❤❤
Hi thanks for stopping by 🙂 So glad you made — and enjoyed the recipe! We do too. I can’t keep it in the refrigerator we go through them so fast!!
You’re so very welcome – happy you and your family enjoyed it! 🙂
Could I use black pepper instead of peppercorns and pink Himalayan salt instead of kosher? {the pink salt is in a grinder so it could be ground up} thank you===these really sound good [I love dill pickles!]
Hi Cindy – yes you can use black pepper instead and pink salt instead. Just follow the instructions using the same amounts of peppercorns and salt listed in the recipe for your substitutions. Thanks! They’re definitely a favorite in our house!
Hello I love this recipe but is there an easier way to measure ingredients when making a LG amount at a time ? Would it still taste the same if I mixed all ingredients in the brine?
Hi Mimi – thank you so much! This is one of our summer favorites too 🙂 Yes! That’s a great idea mixing everything in the brine and it’ll definitely make it easier to measure. Thanks for that tip – I’ll be using it myself when I make a larger batch next time. Enjoy the day! 🙂
Hello! A super easy recipe; that is full of goodness!
Wondering how long they will last?
Hi Diane – thanks so much! I’m really glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂 Refrigerator pickles will last in an airtight container up to 4 weeks in the refrigerator. I like to write the date on the lid with a marker so I don’t forget when I made them. Honestly though – we eat them long before the 4 week mark! 🙂 – I appreciate you reaching out. Enjoy the day. – Bernie
I have made sweet pickles for the freezer and love them. Have you tried freezing these and if so how did they turn out?
Hi Betty – thanks for reaching out – that’s a great question. Yes – you can freeze these pickles. Be sure to use a freezer-safe container, then cover the pickles with the brine, leaving about 1″ from the top because the brine will expand as it freezes. They’ll keep up to 3 months. — Bernie
Wondering how squash would work with this recipe. Has anyone tried it?
Hi Gwen – I haven’t tried it with squash but I’m thinking it would be delicious! Thanks for the suggestion. Enjoy the day — Bernie