uncooked refrigerator dill pickles are quick to make and an easy way to have homemade pickles in your fridge all the time. Plus, you don’t need any special equipment! All you need are some cucumbers, equal parts water and vinegar mix, some spices and mason jars, or any large glass jar with a sealable lid. And voila: you’ve made your own pickles!
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Every year I grow a lot of fresh cucumbers in my town’s small garden just so I can keep the refrigerator stocked with these simple refrigerator pickles well into the fall. If you’ve ever tried fresh, homemade cucumber pickles, you know how tasty and addictive they can be.
And now you’re about to discover how easy they are to do. With just a little time and the simplest ingredients, before you know it, you’ll enjoy your own homemade pickles as many times as you want!
I have another quick pickle recipe with a
hot brine for spears and larger pickle halves, but that requires a little more time and the stove, and sometimes during the hotter summer months, I don’t want to deal with the heat of standing on the stove in our small-town kitchen.
In addition, This homemade brine is SO easy to make, it has become our simple recipe for pickling all kinds of cucumbers and lots of other fresh vegetables from the garden.
Click here to set it for later.
PPC Magazine subscribers can find this recipe on page 7 of the July issue of No-Cook!
Why We Love Easy Pickles for Refrigerators
- It’s a pickle’s treat! With this quick and easy recipe and just a little effort, you can have homemade pickles and pickled vegetables in the fridge all the time!
- use cucumbers (or other vegetables) that grow in your garden (or go to the fridge)
- They’re great with, well, everything or just by themselves as a light snack
- It’s an easier way to make pickles for when you want them without having to deal with the heat of the stove.
It’s a great way to
Fridge Pickles
–
- Cucumber Ingredients – There are specific “pickled cucumbers”. Some will say that these are the best and only option for making pickles. However, I have used all kinds of sliced cucumbers with this recipe and they all come out well!
- cider
- Distilled white vinegar
- Jalapeño hot water – Skip these for less spicy pickles.
- Garlic cloves
- spice berries White
- sugar
- : I prefer to usedill sprigs fresh when I can and try to keep a thriving plant year-round as best I can. If you do not have access to fresh dill, you can use freeze-dried dill or dill. Freeze-dried dill can be used in the same proportion as fresh dill. If you are using dry dill, the ratio is 1 tablespoon of fresh dill to 1 dry teaspoon.
- Dehydrated chopped onion Red
- pepper flakes
- Fennel seeds
- Black pepper Replacement
Apple
vinegar
White
dill
options
If you don’t have or can’t tolerate one of the ingredients in this recipe, here are our top substitution tips. However, remember that substituting any of the ingredients listed can lead to a difference in the final product. Let us know in the comments if you try any subs and how they work for you!
FOR VEGETABLES
: For cucumbers
: Really any standard cucumbers will do, but if you can get specific pickle cucumbers (like Boston pickling or Kirby cucumbers or English cucumbers), do it. Either way, you’re looking for smaller, even cucumbers with minimal seeds for better results. You can also use this simple brine recipe to quickly pickle almost any vegetable, but be sure to use good, fresh vegetables for pickling. Sometimes I like to blanch things like whole green beans or large carrot slices and then put them in an ice bath to help increase their color before pouring the brine.
For jalapeño
: If you’re looking for less spicy pickles, you can skip the jalapeño and maybe use some bell peppers. Or, have you ever heard of a Coolapeno? I accidentally grew them last year, and they’re like jalapeños without the heat. Now, if you’re interested in spicy and spicy pickles, I would recommend cutting a habanero or any hot chili of your choice (like a cayenne or tabasco) and adding it to the brine.
FOR THE BRINE
:
For the vinegars: I like to use a combination of apple cider vinegar and white vinegar to give these pickles a deep flavor with a crunchy and clean flavor as well. You can feel free to play with the amounts of each type of vinegar. You can also give pickles a slightly sweeter taste without adding more sugar by using rice vinegar or white wine vinegar for slightly sweet pickles. The only vinegars I tend to stay away from for these are aged red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar.
For dill
: Dill is almost synonymous with pickles, but you can use almost any herb in brine pickling. Mother herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and oregano hold up very well, while leafier herbs, such as parsley or coriander, tend to break down faster.
For fresh garlic: You can use chopped garlic in jars if that’s what you usually have on hand. I like to use about 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic per clove required in the recipe.
For spices: Feel free to play with the variety of spices you use in your pickling brine. You know what you like! You can try whole peppercorns or coriander seeds instead of ground pepper. Whole mustard seeds and celery seed or celery salt or kosher salt are also common ingredients you’d like to try next time.
How to prepare crispy pickles (uncooked):
- Get a clean 32-ounce glass container with a sealable lid. (Although I’ve sometimes had enough cucumbers to make a gallon jar of pickles!)
- First layer: Cut the cucumbers and jalapeño into 1/4-inch slices and place half of the cucumber slices and peppers in the jar.
- Second coat: Chop your garlic cloves and crush the spice berries and fennel seeds under your knife to help release the oils. Add these and all other spices to the jar.
- Third layer: Cover with the remaining cucumbers and jalapeños.
- Add the liquid: Pour your vinegars and hot water carefully until everything is completely covered.
- Shake: Put the cap on the bottle and shake well.
- Refrigerate: Place the pickles in your refrigerator and let stand for at least two hours. (I’d rather spend the night. They’re so good the next day!)
How to Serve
Classic Dill
Pickle Vegan Burgers
: These are the perfect pairing for any plant-based burger, like our broccoli and quinoa burgers or homemade vegan burgers
!
Chopped into salads – Better than regular cucumbers, these homemade dill pickles add a tasty addition to any salad!
Falafel bowls / In a hummus
platter with pita chips – An integral part of any dish or bowl with falafel and
hummus.
Make hummus from dill pickles: Dill pickle hummus is a light version of the traditional favorite. You’re going to love this one.
Vegan
Sloppy Joes – These refrigerator pickles are the ideal side for the most careless joes
SandwichesWraps – Which sandwich or wrapper is complete without chips and pickles? We like to add these pickles to our Mediterranean Hummus Wraps + Vegan Toona Sandwich!
How long do refrigerator pickles last?
Refrigerator pickles will last about 4-6 weeks when properly refrigerated in an airtight container. (Good luck they last so long. We can go through one jar a week here!)
We do not recommend freezing pickles from the refrigerator. Definitely not.
More recipes for Cucumber Season
- Vegan Buttermilk Ranch Dip – The perfect cucumber sauce
!
When you make these uncooked refrigerator pickles, let us know! Leave a star rating and check out the recipe below, and that will help other pickle-loving people find us. If you’re on IG, be sure to tag your pickles with @theplantpowercouple so we can cheer you up!
Click here to view our Quick Overnight Pickle Recipe web story.
