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Easy Homemade Crunchy Refrigerator Dill Pickles Recipe

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These crunchy refrigerator dill pickles are ready in 24 hours with no canning or fermentation required. Made with simple pantry ingredients, they deliver a perfect crunch and tangy flavor that will make you never go back to store-bought.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1.5 pounds (about 680g) pickling cucumbers (Kirby or Persian)
  • 1 cup (240ml) distilled white vinegar
  • 1 cup (240ml) water (filtered if possible)
  • 2 tablespoons (36g) kosher salt (Diamond Crystal preferred; reduce to 1.5 tablespoons if using table salt)
  • 4–6 sprigs fresh dill (or about 1/4 cup chopped)
  • 4–5 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 teaspoon (about 5g) black peppercorns
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon (5g) mustard seeds (optional)
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions

  1. Prepare the cucumbers: Wash cucumbers thoroughly and trim off the blossom end (the tip opposite the stem). Cut into spears about 1/2-inch thick (quarter lengthwise) or slice into rounds.
  2. Make the ice bath: Fill a large bowl with cold water and plenty of ice. Drop cucumber spears into the ice bath and let sit for 20-30 minutes. This helps maintain crunch.
  3. Prepare the aromatics: While cucumbers chill, smash garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife. Rinse dill sprigs and pat dry. Set out peppercorns, mustard seeds, and bay leaf.
  4. Make the brine: In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water, 1 cup white vinegar, and 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve salt. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes (brine should be hot but not boiling when poured).
  5. Pack the jar: Drain cucumbers from ice bath and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Pack cucumber spears tightly into a quart-sized mason jar. Tuck dill sprigs, smashed garlic cloves, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and bay leaf in between the cucumbers.
  6. Pour the brine: Carefully pour warm brine over cucumbers, ensuring they are completely submerged. Leave about 1/2 inch of headspace at the top. If cucumbers float, weigh them down with a small glass ramekin or press down with a spoon before sealing.
  7. Cool and refrigerate: Let jar cool to room temperature on the counter (30-60 minutes). Screw on lid and refrigerate. Wait at least 24 hours before tasting for best flavor.

Notes

For extra crunch, don’t skip the ice bath. Use pickling cucumbers (Kirby or Persian) for best texture; avoid English hothouse cucumbers. If pickles taste too vinegary at first, the flavor mellows after a day or two. For low-sodium version, reduce salt to 1 tablespoon. Pickles keep in refrigerator for up to 3 months; use clean utensils when removing from jar. Brine can be reused for a second batch (add fresh cucumbers and aromatics, let sit 48 hours).

Nutrition

Keywords: refrigerator pickles, dill pickles, crunchy pickles, easy pickles, no canning pickles, homemade pickles, quick pickles

Find it online: https://gleefulfork.com/easy-homemade-crunchy-refrigerator-dill-pickles-recipe/