No canning needed quick refrigerator dill pickles flavored with lots of garlic and spices. If you like your pickles CRISP, this is the recipe for you!
After jams and salsa, pickles were the next thing I made on my teach-myself canning journey. First, all that vinegar meant they were super safe, so my newbie-canner self didn’t need to worry about that and second, I love small pickles (even though I hate cucumbers!). I started with traditional water-bath canned dill pickles so they could be stored on a shelf, but soon moved to pickles that are stored in the refrigerator, or “refrigerator pickles.”
Here are a few reasons why my family came to prefer the refrigerator pickles:
- They stay crisp.
- They stay crisp.
- They stay crisp.
Yep, it’s the main reason why I don’t water-bath can them anymore. But there are actually other reasons why you might want to do your pickles this way too:
- They take less time. I can finish a quart in about 20 minutes.
- If you’re growing the cucumbers, you can do 1 or 2 quarts at a time as they ripen. This is especially good for small gardens that can only fit a few cucumber plants and would never have enough for a full canner load.
- There’s no heating the house with a canner on the stove during the height of summer (it’s 104 in the shade at my house today!).
- The recipe can be altered with seasonings and garlic without the risk of food poisoning that comes with playing around with recipes for water-bath canners.
Here’s an important safety note about homecanned pickles: I know there are some people that “can” their pickles this way all the time, just letting the heat from the vinegar mixture “seal” the jars (a process known as “open kettle” canning) before storing them on a shelf without any water-bath canning. I know that people have done this for many years in some cases and that “nothing has happened” in their experience. I hear and read this all.the.time.
However, the USDA says that this practice is not secure and that there is a danger of food poisoning as well as spoilage. Here’s a good article on the subject.
And my take on it is this: IF the rare occurrence did in fact happen with one of my home-canned foods, would it be worth it? What about if it might cause intestinal problems? My answer is NO- it’s only food and never worth sickness (or a life, heaven forbid) and I will never even take that chance, especially when it’s so easy to take the recommended precautions.
So, off my soapbox and onto our fully refrigerated pickles!
How to Make Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles
Supplies
(some affiliate links included)
- Enough cucumbers to fill a quart jar, minimum. You can multiply the recipe for however many jars you can make.
- Cider vinegar (a little more mild than white)
- Canning & pickling salt
- Fresh dill heads
- Garlic cloves
- Pickling Spices (good price) here’s an organic pickling spice
- Sugar
- Red pepper flakes (optional, but SO good)
- Quart canning jar(s), sterilized in boiling water for 10 minutes or run through the dishwasher as a guard against spoilage. (confession: I never do more than wash well with hot soapy water, but do as I say and not as I do!)
- Plastic canning storage lids or metal lids and bands: this is a time it’s okay to reuse old canning lids since they are not actually sealed for refrigerator storage (to ensure proper seals in fully canned products always use new lids- this is not the area to scrimp- your time is worth it).
- Metal canning funnel (my preference since we’re pouring in a hot brine) or plastic canning funnel.
Prepare the Cucumbers
1. Scrub the cucumbers well. My favorite pickles are from the smallest “baby” cucumbers and it’s the main reason I grow my own. I used to pay a lot for “baby” pickles in the store after realizing that I couldn’t pick out only the little cucumbers at farms. Yeah, for some reason they frowned on that.
2. Find the blossom end of the cucumbers. That would be the end that doesn’t have the stem where it attached to the vine. (You may laugh, but I had to learn these things!) Apparently, there’s a wicked enzyme here in this little end that will turn your pickles to a soft, NOT CRISP, pickle. And since we’re making this recipe in order to get a crisp pickle, let’s not cut this corner, OK?
3. Just cut a little off. We do not want pickles with sawed-off ends. This I tell you from experience (hey, if a little’s good, then a lot’s great, right?).
4. Repeat with all your cucumbers. Tip: When dealing with a larger amount of cucumbers (for 3 or more jars) I separate the cucumbers into 3 piles by size: large, medium, and small. Then it’s easy to fill the jars with the larger cucumbers, then medium and ending with the baby size.
Make the Pickles
1. Fill each clean jar with: four cloves of garlic, sliced in half to release all the garlicky goodness, 1-2 heads of dill (if you’d like even more dill flavor you can add a teaspoon of dried dill seed as well), and red pepper flakes.
The pepper flakes are optional, but really add to the flavor. You can try everything from a few shakes to 1/2 of a teaspoon for each jar, depending on the spiciness level you’d like to achieve.
2. Pack the cucumbers into the jars, right on top of the other ingredients. You can pack them as tight as you can, but allow enough room at the top for the brine to cover all the cucumbers.
3. Add vinegar and water to a large saucepan along with pickling spice, pickling salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Pour the hot brine into the jar(s) using a canning funnel and ladle. Fill to cover the cucumbers, leaving about 1/4″ head space (the space between where the brine stops and the very top of the jar rim).
Since these will be stored in the fridge, we don’t have to be quite so particular about the head space. Anything that covers your cucumbers, but doesn’t touch the lid is okay.
5. Label the lid with the day as well as the month and year. You will need to let these “cure” in the refrigerator about 3 to 4 weeks before they’ve pickled enough to eat, so you will want to have the day that you made them on the label. I think they are best after a whole month, so usually we wait that long at least, and they will continue to improve over the months in storage.
6. Store in the refrigerator. I think they are best after a month, so usually we wait that long at least to eat the first pickles, and they will continue to improve over the months in storage.
That’s it – you’ve just made the BEST dill pickles you will ever eat!
I make enough quarts with our summer harvest of cucumbers to last us until the following summer (12-13 for our family) and have had no problems with them storing in the fridge for that length of time. We’ve eaten them at a year-and-a-half, too, and they’re still great.
Click the arrow for the printable recipe with all the measurements & steps!
Two questions:
1. Is it okay if some of the pickles float up and poke out of the vinegar?
2. Because some we’re pokeing up, I opened one of the jars I made(some of the other jars have some poking up too, but I only opened one), and shoved them down below the vinegar, cause I wasn’t sure if they had floated up, or if they just couldn’t go down cause of the garlic and such at the bottom. So the question is, do you think this jar will still be fine considering they are refrigerator jars? I’m only at week 2 now, and I took the risk thinking that it should be fine, sorta like opening a jar of pickles and obviously not finishing the whole jar in the first sitting and putting it back.
Refrigerator pickles are very forgiving, Trevor – you’re okay opening them. The pickles that are on top may not pickle completely, but they do pickle. A tip I always do – I use small mouth quart jars for cucumber pickles because you can use the shoulders to help keep the pickles under the brine. I really pack them in and the top ones are squished in tight under the shoulders. When you add the brine, they are covered.
Would it be okay to add 1 small boiler onion to the recipe?
I’m not a huge fan of strong dill flavor, so I was planning to half the dill about and add a small boiler onion, or just a thin sliced of a white onion. Other than that, would follow the recipe to the t.
I will also probably try at least one jar where I do a full teaspoon of red pepper flakes, cause I like spice.
Do you see any issues with adding a bit of onion?
There are no issues with that at all, Trevor for two reasons: 1) with vinegar pickles, you can use any vegetables – the vinegar is so much that all vegetables are safe to use and 2) these are refrigerated, so it’s not an issue like with canned goods. Hope that helps!
Oh, and I add a lot more red pepper now – we like our pickles spicy!
Thank you for the quick reply! I actually went ahead and started the jars last night, couldn’t wait to get them going, figured I could start again if you said no.
This is like my new favorite site! All your info is amazing!
I’m so glad to know that, Trevor – thank you! And feel free to give suggestions if there’s something you’d like to see that I don’t offer yet. 🙂
Great post! You have so many good tips I haven’t heard before. I generally ferment my dill pickles when I make them, but I’d be interested to try this method. I like the idea of them staying crisp! That’s partly why I buy Bubbies all the time- I can’t abide a soft, squishy pickle. Bleck!
Those look great! I’ve tried making pickles before, but they always come out too soggy for my taste- I’m very particular, haha.
I’ve been making refrigerator pickles over 20 yrs & I cut them in spears & add 2 grape leaves to each jar believing they gave the crispness to them. Also add a jalapeño pepper to each qt. Everyone loves them!
That is a classic way to pickle them, Carol! I like much smaller pickles, so haven’t done the spears, but I know lots of people like them. 🙂
how much vinegar, water, salt, and sugar do I put together?
Hi Karen! Click on the arrow at the bottom for the full, printable recipe. 🙂
This might be a dumb question, but how cold does the refrigerator have to be? I have a wine fridge that is at 54 degrees…can I store the pickles in there? Thanks Jami! I can’t wait until the rest of my cucumbers are ready!
Fridge temps are under 40 (sometimes closer to 36), so 54 degrees sounds like it would be too warm, Michele. Sorry!
I tried this with fresh dill…is that okay, or is it supposed to be made with dried dill? Or does it really not matter? I am finding all sorts of useful things from your site…thanks!
Yes, I usually add both fresh and dried dill, just to have enough dill flavor, but it’s totally up to you. I always use fresh dill if I have it, though.
Glad you’re finding useful things!!
I made up a few extra jars not realizing I didn’t have enough cukes to fill them… If I add the rest of the cukes the next day can I just pour in the leftover brine I have from yesterday without heating it back up?
I think so, Matt, as I’ve added cucumbers over a period of time when mine were producing less. Just mark it with the last day you added and count from there for the pickling to occur!
Got it, thanks! I like to give jars of these out at Christmas time. Lol
They were so delicious! I made 2 jars and now about to make more because I ate them too fast. I couldn’t find pickling salt so I used kosher salt & also fresh dill….THANK YOU for sharing 🙂
So happy you like them, Vivian! Yes, it probably doesn’t matter what type of salt as much with fridge pickles.
I am curious in finding out how slicing them went and if they were still crisp?
I have pickled dill ‘spears’ this way using bigger pickles, Corissa, and they are just as crisp as the whole pickles.
Will these pickles stay crisp for 12 months or until the next year when fresh cucumbers would be available ? Love a crispy pickle.
Tried these yesterday .
Yep, Diane – and even longer! We’ve eaten the last of the previous year’s jars sometimes a year and a half later and they’re still good (though I try to eat them or give them away within the year, just as a good measure). I can think of one time in the many years I’ve made these that a couple of the jars turned soft – who knows why? We just tossed them, since there were others. 🙂
I love your web site Jami. Everyone is so helpful and you give good answers. I made these pickles tonight. Hubby love hot and spicy so he should love these. Thanks a lot ! I’ll be back !
So happy to read this, Terry – thanks! I hope you both enjoy the pickles. 🙂
Can the garlic dills be made then cold packed so they can set in the cupboard?
What does ‘cold packed’ mean, Kathy? If you mean turned upside down to ‘seal’ or anything other than water-bath canning, the USDA doesn’t approve that for safety and I don’t do it. That’s why I keep them in the fridge. 🙂 If you want to keep in the cupboard, you need to can traditionally, though you can try low temp pasteurization to help retain some crispness (visit the USDA site for more info).
I have a TON of cucumbers all of a sudden and they’re the really long ones. Almost like the English ones you see in the grocery store. I’m gonna try cutting them to length and making spears. I just need to make a run to Winco for the goodies. I’m excited!
Jami, I have some smaller extra cucumbers and thought I would try your recipe. Have you ever sliced them? I like mine in spears or rounds verses the whole pickle and was wondering if you have tried it this way, and if they stay crisp this way too?
I would think so, Kathy, since they aren’t processed, though I’ve never tried it. I did this year, though, as I had to slice up some bigger cucumbers to fit into the jars around the whole ones, so I’ll find out along with you 😉
Can I use this same process/recipe for the green beans and keep them in the refrigerator instead of the whole canning process that you use on the Pickled Beans? I only plan on making a few jars so I know they’ll be eaten quickly.
You certainly can, though I never have just because I like green beans to be cooked. If you like them more raw (and crisp), then go for it!
I’ve been canning since the mid-90’s and I’ve never tried pickles. I have 4 quarts of these on our kitchen counter right now. Our 20 year old daughter walked in the kitchen and exclaimed, “Oh, those are so pretty!”. I just rolled my eyes and she replied, “No, like…Martha Stewart.” They’re not quite “Martha Stewart”, but I can’t wait to taste them anyway to see how they turn out! Thank you, Jami, for the recipe. 🙂
Jamie,
I have an abundance of jalapeños this year. I have a jar of pickled jalapeños (store bought) in the fridge. Do you think I can use the brine leftover from this for my fresh ones?
Melinda
I’m sure you can try, Melinda – it will probably pickle them. Making a new brine isn’t hard, though, if you want to start fresh. But I know I’ve reused my brine in the past and it’s worked fine, so I’d assume it would be the same with the store bought.
Hi Jami,
Do you have an extra fridge in which to keep your unprocessed pickles? I wouldn’t have room in my kitchen fridge to store that many quarts (which is about the same number of quarts of dills I do each year). I use two large heads of dill per jar + 2 large cloves of garlic but otherwise your recipe is very close to the one I use. Really enjoy reading about your garden : )
Yes, we have another fridge – just a small one is all that’s needed for the unprocessed pickled cukes and jalapenos we like. They are so crisp it’s worth it to us to keep the fridge. 🙂
If you don’t have fresh dill heads, could you just use dill weed from a jar [plus everything else] and how much. Love everything on your website!
Rose- I have done this towards the end of the season and then waited a couple months after I was done putting in the last cukes and they were fine. I’m not sure if a “pickle connoisseur” would agree, but for us they worked! 🙂
Hi Jami,
I only have a few cucumbers ready at a time, since I only planted a small cucumber batch. Do you think I could add cucumbers to the jar as I pick them, or would I have to heat up the brine again?
Thank you!
Thanks! I’m still having a blast playing with this recipe. I’ve got 5 different batches going each with their own variation.
Dawn- Beautiful photo! I love to see the peppers in there ’cause we like ’em spicy. For some reason my pickles last year weren’t dilly enough, so I’m going to add more dill seed this year in addition to the fresh dill. Hope you like them!
Thanks so much for the great instructions! I’ve never made my own pickles before, but I got cukes, garlic and dill heads from my CSA this week. Thought I’d give it a try. I can’t wait till they’re ready to eat! Here’s how mine turned out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dawnsrecipes/5958202497
Candi- Since these aren’t put in a canner, you can use any jar and lid combo you’d like!
mfpikles- The little bit of sugar is just there to balance out the vinegar- go ahead and leave it out and see how you like it. You can really adjust this recipe to your own tastes, which is nice.
can you leave out the sugar
First visit to your site. Can these pickles be “fermented” or left out for a few days before they go in the fridge?
I haven’t tried that, Patricia – if you do, please let us know. 🙂
Hi Jami – I’ve been reading some of your older posts regarding canning and preserving. I’m going to be trying my hand at pickles this year and loved this post in particular.
I have a question…
I’ve been saving Mt Olive pickle jars (and their lids) and was wondering if I can use these to make refrigerator pickles.
Thanks!
Candi
sweetdarlin25(at)yahoo(dot)com
I use the VlASIC jars when I do mine. I had a few jars left from when I had a restaurant. I never wanted to pitch them so now I use them to make my own pickles. You don’t need to seal them remember. I read where one lady uses zip lock baggies.
These look great! I made bread and butter pickles about a month ago and actually canned them. They were a huge hit and are gone already!
We need some more pickles so I’m going to try these out this weekend.
Jenelle