Easy Homemade Pickles
You'll love these fresh homemade pickles! This recipe for dill refrigerator pickles is ready in 1 to 3 hours, depending on how you slice your cucumbers.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 28, 2024
What took me so long to make classic pickles? As it turns out, homemade dill pickles are simple, easy and delicious. They’re the perfect little summertime project, if you even want to call it that. These pickles are ready after a short chill in the refrigerator (as little as one hour), and they keep for several weeks.
These pickles are tangy and refreshing, nice and crisp, and offer garden-fresh flavor. They remind me of Claussen or Grillo’s pickles—but they’re even better. In short, I’m in love with this refrigerator pickle recipe and I think you will be, too.
These pickles are made with simple ingredients. You’ll need vinegar (I prefer rice vinegar’s mild flavor), fresh dill (technically optional, but delicious), a couple cloves of garlic, and a few basic seasonings.
I added a touch of sweetener, too—just enough to cut the bite of vinegar. These pickles are decidedly tangy, and nowhere near “bread and butter” territory. However, the sweetness level is entirely up to you.
These pickles aren’t overwhelmingly salty, either, yet they’re fully seasoned. They are irresistibly just right—perfect for burgers, for snacking, and more.
How to Make Pickles
These pickles are so easy to make! You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s a preview:
- Slice your cucumbers as desired.
- Whisk together a basic brine made of water, vinegar and seasonings.
- Pack the cucumbers into a jar, add some dill and garlic, and pour the brine over it all.
- Refrigerate until the pickles taste sufficiently “pickled!”
Perhaps of note: Most of my other pickle recipes start with a hot vinegar brine, which helps the brine permeate tough vegetables. These pickles are made with a room temperature brine, which means that you can skip the stovetop step (and the intense vinegar smell that comes with it). Cucumbers are delicate and readily absorb flavor, so a cool brine yields pickles with the best flavor, texture and color.
Cucumber Slicing Options
You can use this recipe to yield any pickle shape, depending on how you slice your cucumbers. Thin slices will taste fully pickled sooner than thick spears (about one hour vs. three).
For cucumber rounds (or “chips” as they call them on the grocery shelves): Simply cut the cucumbers into thin slices (around 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick) .
For spears: Slice your cucumber in half lengthwise, then slice the halves into quarters. Finally, slice the quarters into eighths so they yield wedge-shaped spears. If you’re using a long cucumber, cut all the slices in half through the middle so they fit into your jar.
For sandwich slices: Slice off a strip of cucumber running the length of its long side. Turn the cucumber so it rests safely on the flat side. Then slice the cucumber, lengthwise, into 1/4-inch thick slices. Depending on the length of your cucumber, you might slice them in half or into thirds to suit your purposes.
Watch How to Make Pickles
Pickle Serving Suggestions
Serve these pickles with veggie burgers and other sandwiches, like these halloumi BLT’s. Try adding pickle rounds to your garden-fresh salads (they go well with tomatoes, carrots, radishes, etc.).
These pickles are also great light snacks on their own, and they’re nice, tangy additions to cheese boards and party spreads.
Craving more pickles? Try these:
- Quick-Pickled Onions
- Quick-Pickled Jalapeños or Fresh Jalapeño Relish (easier!)
- Quick-Pickled Radishes
- Quick-Pickled Veggies: Featuring any combination of cauliflower, carrots, onions and/or jalapeño
Easy Homemade Pickles
You’ll love these fresh homemade pickles! This recipe for dill refrigerator pickles is ready in 1 to 3 hours, depending on how you slice your cucumbers. Recipe yields 1 medium jar of pickles (about 2 cups sliced pickles or 16 spears).
Ingredients
- 1 medium-to-large cucumber or 2 small cucumbers (ideally 12 ounces total)*
- ½ cup water, at room temperature or cooler
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup or sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
- 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper
- 2 leafy sprigs of fresh dill, roughly chopped (about ¼ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- For pickle rounds (“chips”), slice the cucumber(s) into thin rounds, about ⅛-inch thick. Or, for spears, slice them in half lengthwise, then slice the halves lengthwise into quarters, then slice the quarters lengthwise into eighths. If your spears are long like mine (from one long cucumber), slice them through the middle so they’re not too tall for your jar. Set aside.
- In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine the water, vinegar, maple syrup, salt, red pepper flakes (if using) and black pepper. Stir until most of the salt has dissolved into the liquid, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Set aside.
- Place the cucumbers into a wide-mouth jar about 3 to 4 inches in diameter, tall enough to offer at least 1 inch of extra space on top (for pickle spears, it’s important that all the pickles fit snugly, vertically—a wide-mouth pint-sized mason jar would work well).
- Top the cucumbers with the dill and garlic. Tuck the bay leaf into the side of the jar. Pour the all of the liquid over the cucumbers so they’re fully submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (for pickle rounds) or at least 3 hours (for pickle spears). The flavor will continue to develop over the next couple of days. These pickles will keep for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
Notes
*Cucumber options: For thinly sliced pickles, I love to use English (seedless) cucumbers. Kirby, Persian and garden-variety cucumbers will also work great. For pickle spears, use two Kirby or small garden cucumbers (about 6 ounces each). Or, use one longer garden cucumber (about 12 ounces) as shown here—you’ll just need to slice the spears in half through the middle so they’re not too tall for your jar.
Change it up: For sweeter pickles (bread and butter pickles), you’ll need to add a lot more maple syrup (which will make the mixture more brown) or sugar. Add it to the vinegar mixture, to taste, before pouring it over the cucumbers. Sweetness is so subjective!
Can I can it? No. This recipe is a “refrigerator pickle” recipe. It is not designed for canning in a water bath, and it has not been tested for canning safety. Please do not attempt! Follow a recipe specifically designed for canning instead.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Hi! I am currently living at the Fin Del Mundo in Chile, and while we receive a variety of vegetables, fresh herbs are difficult to come by. I was able to find dill in an herb shop, but in seed form only. I found a ratio stating 3 dill weeds = 1tbsp of dill seed. It also stated that dill seed is more bitter and tends to be a bit stronger than dill weed. So, for this recipe, I used 1.5 tsp of dill seed and it came out great! I’m sure, however, fresh dill is better, so I’m going to try to grow some from these seeds. I’ll check back in a few weeks! Thanks so much! I love all of your recipes :)
I’ve made pickles before with mixed results depending on the recipe. This recipe is silly simple and the use of maple syrup is ingenious! I made this recipe and a little over an hour after the pickling time it was empty! I used Persian Cucs sliced about 1/2 thick and since I was out of fresh dill so I used dried.
I’ve already made a second batch and this is now going to be a regular item for me. I live the fresh-ish taste of the pickles.
Thank you for taking the time to review and I’m delighted this will be a regular recipe for you!
Just made these tonight. My herb plants produced a ton of dill which led me to looking into pickle recipes. Absolutely delightfully delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m happy you loved them.
I don’t have rice vinegar, can I use ACV? jacqui
Hi! Do you have white vinegar?
Love this!
This recipe is perfection! So easy and so delicious. I use organic mini-cucumbers (they look like Persian cucumbers) and re-use washed out jars that I’ve saved (salsa jars are usually a good height). Thank you!!
I added a little pickling spice to your recipe. I honestly will never buy pickles again, these are wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
Your recipe is fantabulous. Buying it any day
These are fabulous! Always have a jar on the go.
I love these pickles – so fresh tasting and easy to make.
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Mary! Thanks for sharing.
Delicious and so easy to make! I’ve made them for several friends who said they were the best pickles they’ve ever tasted! All the flavors are so balanced! I followed the recipe exactly; the ingredients and timing! Thank you Kate!
You’re welcome, Mary! I appreciate your review.
Delicious.
These were so delicious! I added more chili flakes for more of a kick.
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
This recipe makes fantastic refrigerator pickles! Delicious! Thank you!
I made these last night and ate some for lunch today. They are absolutely delicious! I can’t believe I’ve never made homemade pickles before. I guess I thought they would take a lot of time. These took minutes. I’m never buying store bought again. Thanks for the recipe!
Great for summer! Thank you for sharing, Andi.
Hi, I just made a jar of these but don’t have fresh dill on hand. I did my first jar with a tbsp of dried dill weed just to experiment. Have you used dry before? And how much do you use.
Thanks!
Hi! More on switching dried for fresh 50 Pantry-Friendly Recipes & Substitutions That Work
Can you a different vinegar beside rice vinegar?
Hi, I found it worked best with rice. But I know some have used white vinegar.
I recently discovered Grillo pickles and they are the best. I love your recipes and can’t wait to try these with the cucumbers from garden. Random but do you recommend fresh or dry bay leaf?
Hi! I use dried. I hope you enjoy these, Tiffany.
My husband will love this! I don’t have fresh dill, Can I use dry?
Hi! More on switching dried for fresh 50 Pantry-Friendly Recipes & Substitutions That Work would be helpful!
I want to make these but do you think I could use this recipe and cold pack them to preserve them? My cold pack recipe says to heat brine till boiling snd pour over cucumbers in hot jars(jars heated in oven) and put sterilized lids on tightly. Then they will seal.
This recipe isn’t meant for canning. Sorry!
Hi
I made these last night, they taste really good. This was my first time making pickles and I used cucumbers I grew, also a first.
Thank You!
I love that, Anjie! Thank you for your review.
Hello made the recipe! My change was dry dill compared to fresh as well as changed rice to white vinegar! Are these pickles supposed to taste sweet? Thanks so much
Hi, They aren’t bread and butter so not too sweet. A little sweetener to round out the flavor.
Thank you so much! I made these with my wife this morning and we are so happy with how easy and delicious these pickles were to make. I’m hosting a cookout this week and will be using this recipe to make a relish. I know everyone will love it.
I’m glad you all liked them, Dave! Thank you for your review.
This is a great recipe! My husband who does not like dill pickles asked me to make some. I did using this recipe. The recipe is easy! I used fennel instead of dill. Well, they are gone and a new batch is underway! Thanks so much! ~aleta
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Aleta! Thank you for your review.
How long do these keep in the fridge for?
Hi Amanda, see the final step :)
These pickles are so simple and so good! Better than any pickle I’ve tried to make before. And the spiciness and sweetness level is so customizable. I love how crisp and fresh these taste too!
I’m glad you love the, Stephanie! Thank you for your review.
Wow! I was thrilled at how good these taste! I used one large pickle, cut into spears, and a tall mason jar . I didn’t have any fresh dill so I subbed maybe 1/4 tsp of dry. It took maybe 10 minutes to put together and VOILA! Delish!! Thank you for sharing this.
You’re welcome, Phyllis! Thank you for your review.
Hi – The CSA gave us both “pickling cucumbers” and “slicing cucumbers” this week. Will either work in this recipe? Thank you so much! My family loves your cookbook and your site. Take care!
Hi Maureen, you could use either. I hope you like it!
Love this recipe! My husband was skeptical about being able to eat them in just a few hours so we waited overnight. Now he wants to know when I can make them again!!!
I’m glad you all love them!
Hi Kate, super easy recipe. I did not have access to fresh dill, so I used 1 teaspoon of dried the weed. They turned out delicious! I will make them again using the fresh dill instead.
Hooray, John! Thank you for your review.
Very good! Easy to do.
Perfect cucumber pickle recipe – took literally 5 minutes, and eaten 3 hours later in a posh fishfinger sandwich – in a brioche bun with some shredddd lettuce and touch of tartare sauce – the pickle made it extra yummy!
Sounds like a great way to have these pickles! Thank you for your review, Angela.
Would regular white vinegar work? I do not have rice vinegar on hand.
You can use it, but the flavor will be slightly different.
For all those asking about canning. I used this recipe just fine for the hot bath canning method. I heated up the brine before hand and in each jar added a pinch of celery seed and some peppercorns. Once the water was boiling I let them sit in the boiling water for 15 minutes. We waited 24 hours for them to cook and they all sealed just fine. We let a jar sit for 6 weeks and opened and everyone said they were delicious and no ones dead. So although the recipe states not for canning we had success with it. Use common sense and sterile equipment and you’ll be ok. Thank you for the wonderful recipe these are pretty good.
Made this and was very easy to do. My family loved them. Going to try a bigger batch my garden is producing tons cucumbers this year!!!
I love it! Thank you for your review, Evelyn.
I made these yesterday. I am a ‘pickle freak,’ and these were gorgeous. Just the right amount of crunch, sweet and salt. Thank you Cookie and Kate.
I don’t normally make pickles, but this looked quick and easy and I had been given some cucumbers from my neighbours allotment.
It is delicious. I may up the chilli next time as I shall definitely be making it again.
Great for a gift.
I must have more ‘pickles’ in the jar this time because the brine doesn’t cover them. :( What can I do? I thought I saw that you can add water to cover but that might have been a different recipe. I ate the first jar all by myself. I might share this time. The best pickles ever! Thanks for sharing. But what about the liquid? lol
Hi Bobbie! Do you need to change your jar or reduce the amount of pickles?
This looks delicious, I’m tempted to try. Can you tell me how long they will store in the frig before losing quality? Thanks!
Hi Christine, please see the final step.
Can’t find a print button??
Hi Heidi, I’m currently working through the printer function right now to get it restored. I hope to have a resolution soon. I appreciate your patience!
Pickles are now a snack at my house. So easy, quick, and delicious. Not afraid to say I am now addicted. No need to buy pickles at the store again.
That’s great to hear, Valeri! Thank you for your review.
Sorry, but this pickled cucumber recipe just doesn’t taste good, and I followed your recipe exactly. The cukes are crisp, but the flavor is just “off.” Maybe I’ll try it again with cider vinegar in case it’s the rice vinegar that gives it an odd flavor. Thanks for your recipe, though!
I’m sorry you didn’t love these, Jim. I appreciate your review.
I don’t like pickles but I love trying new things. I made this recipe 2 days ago SO easy ! I didn’t have fresh ground pepper and the crazy part is that the grocery only had peppercorn and I don’t have a grinder. I used 1 tablespoon which turned the mixture kinda grey and was scared it was ruined it, but made a double batch and it turned out amazing. I love these and would have honestly eaten them all. So I wont be tempted am giving them to my aunt and then going to make the pickled onion recipe tomorrow.
Hooray! That’s great. Thank you for your review, Mary.
In the pictures, what jar/container is being used? It looks very familiar but I can’t quite place it. Thank you, beautiful recipe I can’t wait to try.
Hi Elisabeth! Head to my shop page. I have them linked. I hope you love these pickles!
Thank you so much!
This recipe was so easy and delicious
It was a real hit!!
I used frozen crushed garlic instead of fresh and it was amazing.
That’s great to hear, Doniel! Thank you for sharing.
I stuffed the jars with cubes.
Took all the other ingredients and put in a pot, then boiled for about 4 minutes.
I poured the hot liquid in the jars with about a 1/2 inch space at top. Sealed the jarsc let set un counter until cool and they canned perfectly. Love to here the lids ping. They are Delicious..still fresh after 5 months.. I think they will last longer.
Good ingredients listed above ..
Thank you
I love this recipe. Can you substitute with rice wine vinegar?
You can use regular if you need to.
I was thinking about making these as gifts. Do I need to refrigerate them immediately? Or can they sit out for a day?
Thank you!
Hi Kari, these are meant to be refrigerated. I like the idea of these as gifts!
Can I use apple cider or spiced vinegar?? I don’t want to go and buy more vinegar. I have an abundance of Lebanese cucumbers.
Hi Andoria, I recommend this recipe as is. I hope you try it!
I do not have freshDill. Is it OK to use dried Dill?
Hi Mary, sure but be sure to use less. Let me know what you think!