Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles ready in just 6 hours: crispy, salty, dilly, tangy, and made with just 4 ingredients. No stove required.
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When you have a surplus of cucumbers, look no further than this easy recipe for Refrigerator Dill Pickles. You can make them with just 10 minutes of prep and 6 hours to brine. You don’t even need to turn on the stove!
If I’d known how ridiculously easy it was to make crispy, salty, dilly, tangy pickles, our refrigerator would never have been without them – especially in summer months. No cooking required. Zero. You don’t even have to boil water.
“This recipe is exactly right! Quick, easy and makes truly delicious pickles.”
MICHELE MCCORMACK
Table of Contents
Recipe at a Glance
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Brine time: 6 hours (or overnight for more punch)
- Total: 6 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups (1 pint jar)
- Skill level: Beginner
Ingredients for Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Fresh Kirby Cucumbers: or other pickling cucumber or English cucumber
White Vinegar: or apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
Kosher Salt: I used Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt – if using Morton brand, use half the amount called for in this recipe (Morton’s Kosher salt is finer and saltier.)
Fresh Dill: dried dill is not a good substitute here
Why Kirby cucumbers?
Kirby cucumbers are those odd shaped cucumbers, covered in sharp little bumps. They aren’t the most attractive of cucumbers, but they do stay crunchy in brine.
Kirby cucumbers and fresh dill sprigs look to me like pickles. But pickles require a whole canning process, right? A variety of spices, sterilized canning jars, boiled brine, and achieving a proper seal. So what’s a lazy girl to do? So I looked around at some of my favorite food blogs and came across this recipe from Deb of Smitten Kitchen. Ironic as Deb is the antithesis of lazy. Could it really be this simple? Yes.
How to Make Refrigerator Pickles:
Fill clean jar with thinly sliced cucumbers (ideally Kirby).
Stir brine ingredients together (kosher salt, vinegar and chopped fresh dill) and pour over cucumber slices.
Close jar lid and shake to distribute brine. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours then enjoy!
I’ll warn you that these homemade refrigerator pickles are intensely flavorful. If you’re on the fence about liking vinegary, piquant dill pickles, these aren’t for you. But should you be in the piquant pickle loving camp, you’ll find these addictive and the perfect little snack or addition to burgers and sandwiches.
Recipe Tips
- For a milder vinegar flavor: Use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar instead of standard white vinegar.
- To add spice: Stir in a teaspoon of whole black peppercorns, raw jalapeño slices, or 1/4 teaspoon or more of red pepper flakes.
- For added depth: Add celery seed, mustard seed, coriander seeds, and/or a few whole cloves of garlic. Add thinly sliced garlic cloves for even stronger flavor.
- For a touch of sweetness: Stir in a teaspoon or more of granulated sugar or honey.
FAQ
Store refrigerator pickles in the refrigerator (they’re not shelf stable) and plan to enjoy them within one month.
These will be ready to enjoy in just 6 hours, but will be even more delicious (and stronger) the longer they stand in the refrigerator.
Use any clean (ideally sterilized) canning jar with a tight fitting lid.
Refrigerator pickles are quick and easy to make, but they don’t go through the typical canning process and are not shelf stable. Where traditionally canned pickles can be stored at room temperature, refrigerator pickles must be stored in the refrigerator.
No. Just remember that they must be store in the refrigerator.
Persian cucumbers are the closest substitute to Kirby in terms of texture, but English cucumbers work well too. You can pickle standard slicing cucumbers, but they won’t be as crunchy.
Yes. Just remember to always use a clean utensil to remove pickles from the jar. You don’t want to introduce bacteria from fingers. The brine should be good for another batch or two.
More Pickling Recipes to Try
- Pickled Asparagus (there’s a secret to protecting the spear tips. Can you guess what it is?)
- Pickled Beets (honey sweetened)
- Pickled Red Onions
- Pickled Banana Peppers
- Giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables like cauliflower, bell pepper, carrots, and celery – perfect for snacking!)
Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups thinly sliced Kirby cucumber
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Add cucumber slices to a clean 1-pint jar.
- Add vinegar, salt and dill. Close the lid and shake to distribute ingredients. (Liquid will not cover cucumber slices. Don’t worry. The salt will draw liquid from the cucumbers in a couple of hours.)
- Place the jar in the refrigerator and remember to shake it once or twice in the next few hours.
- In about 6 hours, you’ll have delicious, crispy pickles.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great, quick and simple, but when we went to eat them, whoa! Way too salty, I went back to look at recipe, and it calls for 1 tbls. Of salt in just a pint jar, that is way too much I think. I’ll make again but will half the salt next time. Glad I only did two jars, I’m thinking I’m going to just have to rinse them and do another brine. Did anyone else think these are way too salty? And yes I did shake the jar several times.
Hi Valerie. Did you use kosher salt as the recipe specifies or regular table salt? For table salt you’d use half the amount. Either way, always good to adjust recipes to suit your taste! 🙂
I agree that these were far too salty. I used coarse kosher sea salt and although I doubled the recipe, I took the salt down a titch because of the comment, and I still think they may be too salty to even eat as is. Would love to know if the previous commentor had success with rinsing and re-brining these? Or how adjusted batches turned out? Maybe it’s the cucumbers I used.
Hi Sherr,
Looking back over my recipe testing notes, I realize that you and Valerie are absolutely correct! I’m so sorry about that – the salt suggested in the recipe was off. I’ve adjusted the recipe accordingly. Thank you so much for your feedback!
Thank you, I wondered if it was too much salt. I did rebrine it, with a little water, salt, vinegar and added a tsp of sugar to see if that would combat the saltiness, and it did.
Oh good, I’m so glad it worked out! So kind of you to come back and let me know. 🙂
If I did spears, instead of slices, how long do you think they would take to brine? Would overnight be sufficient?
Hi, Charlene. I haven’t made spears, but I would think that overnight would be enough.
I did Spears and overnight was perfect!!
Fantastic! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know. I’ll do them as spears the next time I make them!
These tasted like pure vinegar. Any way to fix?
Hi Annmarie! I’m sorry these were too vinegary for you – you may have missed that warning in the post – these really are intensely flavorful. My best suggestion is to drain the pickles and create a 50/50 blend of the brine you drained and water (or even 100% water) to pour back over the pickles and give them a day or two to mellow out. I hope that helps!
Usually works to help tone it down a bit…I love these!!!
Can I use apple cider vinegar for this recipe
Absolutely! The pickles will taste a little sweeter than if you use white vinegar.
Made these today. They are fantastic! We ate almost half of the pint jar. Only thing I will do different next time is use a little less salt and add more vinegar. Delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Question, have you ever added citric acid to make them sour?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pickles and are giving them your own twist!! I haven’t made them with citric acid…if you try it, let me know how it goes! 🙂
Can you can this recipe for a longer shelf life ?
Hi, John. For a longer shelf life, you’ll want to work from a recipe meant for traditional canning.
We are making 3 day sun pickles can I just take a jar and put in the refrigerator? Only differences are we boiled our water, vinegar, pickling salt.
Hi, Dana. I haven’t made sun pickles so I can’t speak from experience, but I don’t see why you couldn’t refrigerate them. Adding warm water to the cucumbers and / or having them sit in the sun will likely result in a softer pickle than strict refrigerator pickles. Hope that’s helpful!
Is it necessary to use that specific amount of salt?
Hi Cynthia. Not at all! Adjust it to fit your taste… 🙂
Hey Marissa! Thanks for the great recipe! Have you ever tried cutting the pickles using a mandolin slicer? If you cut them that thin, will they continue to stay crunchy through the pickling process? Thank you for your help!
I love how super easy this recipe is. This would be a big hit at my house. I have a family that loves pickles.
I hope you try them, Dawn! I wish I could make up a batch for you myself. 🙂
Pickles which are ready in 6 hours? This is amazing, Marissa. I do like pickled cucumbers, but I exactly prefer the way when cucumbers are just lightly marinated, fresh, and crispy (not a huge fan of soft and almost mushy ones). So this recipe is just perfect to me. Now I’ve got to find a surpl of cucumbers:)
I’m the same way, Ben! I like super crisp cucumbers, not the dull and waterlogged kind. I know what you mean about the 6 hours – they ‘pickle’ so quickly!
I tried your recipe with 1tsp salt. Added 1/8 cup cider vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 1 head of garlic cloves and 10 basil leaves, 10 cilantro leaves and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Did 4 spears and the rest thin slices. These are the best pickles I have ever eaten.
I’m ALL about a piquant pickle! I love making canned pickles in the summer; I didn’t know it was so easy just to do it in the fridge! What have I been doing with my life? Have a great week, Marissa!
Thank you, Kelsie! I know what you mean….I couldn’t believe how easy these were the first time I made them and now I make them every summer.
I LOVE homemade pickles Marissa! And the more flavorful and zesty, the better! Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Thank you, Mary Ann! I’m glad I’m not alone in loving super zesty pickles!
I love my pickles to have a real punch of flavor! In fact, I strongly prefer dill over sweet pickles, so I know these would be popular here. And, yes, they are indeed easy! We didn’t grow any cukes in our garden this year, but our neighbor just gave us some…and I might have to turn those bad boys into pickles here soon! 🙂
Perfect, David! I hope you give these a shot – if you love pickles with punch, these will be right up your alley!
I loves me some vinegary pickles and the fact that this are SO easy to make, I need to get on that, like, asap!! I make homemade foodie gift baskets for family as part of their Christmas gift and this would be just wonderful to include. Pinned! Have a lovely week! XOXO
Thanks, Dawn! I love the idea of these as gifts, just make sure they stay refrigerated and note that they’re good for one month.
These are my kind of pickles!! Great video too. It’s long overdue, but I’m finally getting into video making this week, Wish me luck!
Oh wow, Sonali! I’m sure your videos will be great. Thanks so much, my friend!