Refrigerator Pickles
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jul 14, 2025 
Best Homemade Refrigerator Pickles Recipe: How to make pickles, no canning required! These perky crisp dill pickles make great sandwich toppers.
Refrigerator Pickles
Pucker up for the Best Homemade Refrigerator Pickles we’ve ever tried! These zesty garlic dills are quick and easy to make, and also pack a punch of flavor.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
If you don’t like hot water canning, our Refrigerator Pickles are a great solution. You can make one jar or multiple jars of refrigerator pickles, and they are ready to eat after just one day of refrigeration.
Another beauty of Homemade Dill Pickles is that you can put them in any clean jar with a lid. You don’t need to buy canning jars because you don’t actually can them in the traditional way. Simply pack the jars with cucumbers, a bit of onion, and dill. Make the brine and pour it over the top. Then pop the pickles in the fridge.
If you are using unconventional jar sizes, you may need to adjust the amount of brine to fill the jars you have.
It is also fun to cut the cucumbers in whatever shape you like. I made long sandwich slices, spears, and crinkle-cut round slices. With a large enough jar and small enough cucumbers, you could leave them whole as well. Have fun with it!
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’re going to need for this pickle recipe…
- Pickling Cucumbers – These are not regular cucumbers! Look for shorter cucumbers with bumpy skin.
- Vidalia Onion – This is a type of sweet onion grown in Georgia. If you can’t find these, just go with a regular sweet onion.
- Fresh Dill Weed – You’ll know this produce item by its distinct aroma. It also gives these pickles their signature dill taste.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – This has a mellow fruity flavor that melds well with the spices that go along with this recipe. (white vinegar works too!)
- Water – To fill the jar to the top.
- Garlic Cloves– You can’t go wrong with garlic!
- Pickling Salt – If you can’t find pickling salt, use kosher salt instead.
- Granulated Sugar – This balances the savoriness of the pickles but doesn’t overpower it.
- Whole Black Peppercorns – Whole black peppercorns are used instead of ground pepper for a milder taste.
- Whole Yellow Mustard Seeds – Super-small, yet these seeds are packed with bold flavor!
- Red Pepper Flakes – Adjust the spice level to your liking by adding more or less to your pickles.
How To Make Pickles
I use small pickling cucumbers with thick bumpy skin. They hold up well and stay crunchy. It doesn’t take too many cucumbers to fill a jar either; I was able to fit three 4-inch long sliced cucumbers in a pint-sized jar.
Zesty garlic dill pickles are my favorite. However, you can adjust this recipe to your own tastebuds to make it less garlicky or even sweeter.
Find the full Refrigerator Pickles recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Serve These Quick Pickles On…
- Grilled French Onion Steak Sliders
- Best Slow Cooker Carnitas
- Smash Burger Recipe
- Ultimate Southern Chicken Salad
- Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich
- Best Hamburger Patty
- Best Ever Tuna Salad Sandwich from Simply Recipes
Homemade Refrigerator Pickles Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 3 pickling cucumbers, each about 4 inches in length, sliced evenly
- 1/4 cup Vidalia onion, sliced
- 3-5 sprigs fresh dill weed
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pickling salt, or kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon whole yellow mustard seeds
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Pack a clean pint-sized jar with sliced cucumbers, onion slices, and dill sprigs. Leave a 1/2 inch of space at the top of the jar for liquid.
- In a small pot heat the vinegar, water, garlic, and all spices until the mixture comes to a simmer and salt and sugar dissolve.
- Cool the brine down to warm and fill the jar so everything is covered with brine.
- Close the lid tightly and refrigerate for 24 hours before eating.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Homemade pickles should last for two months in the refrigerator in their jar. However, the longer they sit, the less crunchy they become.
The pickles themselves are pickling cucumbers soaked in brine (water, vinegar, and salt) mixed with pickling spices. As the cucumbers soak in the mixture, they are transformed into pickles.
This question is easy. These pickles are the best! Obviously! They are homemade and straightforward to make. Knowing exactly what you are putting into your body is so empowering, especially when it tastes just as good, if not better than, store-bought.
If you are not a fan of cucumbers, consider using this pickle brine with green beans, cauliflower, bell peppers, or hot peppers.
More Pickled Recipes
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This is my second year making these with the pickling cucumbers from my garden! So tasty and easy. I grew an extra plant this year to keep up with demand. And the pickled onions in there are a bonus treat!
Hi all, I am about to make these but I must omit the salt as my husband cannot have any, would these keep in the fridge without the salt? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Annie,
I have never made a salt-free version of this recipe, but yes, they will still need to be refrigerated. Please let me know how they turn out!
Hi Sommer,
Thank you for the recipe it has been a total hit! I doubled the recipe and tripled the spices to make up for the lack of salt and used about half cup more of vinegar. I used fresh dill but next time I will also use dry dill as the other spices overpowered.
I’m on my third batch and my husband is still raving about them. Let my friend try one and she inhaled it and politely demanded the recipe. Well done chef!
Is it ok to use plastic containers instead of glass?
Hi Lennox,
Sure! Since you cool the brine, you can definitely make the pickles in plastic containers.
I’ve tried some other refrigerator pickle recipes and this is by far the best. They’re crunchy and salty with a great vinegar punch. The onions it also produces are some of my new favorite things. I do add a little more sugar to the mix to keep my wife away from them. Highly recommended.
The easiest recipe ever!!! I used cauliflower instead of pickles – DELICIOUS!!! I went to the store to buy any vegetable I could find to pickle!!! I love this recipe!! Thank you Sommer!
Delicious pickles! Can I re-use the brine if the pickles get eaten in like a week?
Hi Andy,
Yes, you can! :)
This recipe is perfect. Seriously do not change anything except the pepper flakes. If you want less spicey, then reduce or illuminate that. Ive made plenty of these pickles and never had a complaint. One person asked me to eliminate the peppercorns and flakes. This recipe is 5 stars for a good reason.
These pickles are fabulous!! I absolutely love how easy they are to make. Thank you for sharing your recipe ❤️
Haven’t made this recipe yet, but it’s on my “to – do” list.
Was wondering (instead of cucumbers for making pickles) would this brine work for a mixture of sliced onions + broccoli & cauliflower florets and diced tomatoes?
Also, if you wanted to eliminate the crispiness of the broccoli & cauliflower, would it hurt to cook/steam them first? Same question for brussel sprounts.
Thanks.
Ken
Hey! I read your comment just as I’m making broccoli – cauliflower – onion pickles. They’re not done yet, but I think it should be fine. I’ll let you know in a couple of days how mine turn out!
Hi Ken,
We actually have a recipe for Italian-style Giardiniera Pickled Vegetable Mix. I think this will be a better fit: https://www.aspicyperspective.com/giardiniera-pickled-vegetables/
How long do these last in the fridge once the jar is opened? I made these in Mason jars and the lid sealed fuel to the hit pickling juice.
Hi Emma,
They will last at least 2 months in the fridge. :)
I LOVED this recipe. The only changes I made were adding a little more garlic, and adding cayenne and ghost peppers to the jar before pouring the brine. I also used half white vinegar and half apple cider vinegar. Absolutely delicious. Will be making again!
OMG these are addictive! I made a double batch to fill two 8 oz jars and one 16 oz jar. We like it spicy so I cut one Serrano pepper and divided it among three jars (one jar was a hostess gift for someone who isn’t fond of chili heat.) The farm stands are still selling Kirby cukes and they definitely retain their crunch. Well I am making another batch because someone ( ahem…my hubby) keeps snacking on them. Thank you Sommer!