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Pickles are a condiment that show up all summer long, yet for some reason I’ve never thought to make them from scratch. No real reason as to why, it just never entered my mind until a friend of mine (Hi Jamie!) told me about a pickle recipe she made that was both simple and delicious!
For those of you who have never made homemade pickles before, they are surprisingly easy. The bulk of the work is done while they sit in the fridge and pickle. Your job takes all of ten minutes.
And I’ve gotta say, there is something quite charming about making homemade pickles. More times than not, pickles are an afterthought, so taking the time to put a little extra love into this popular condiment really makes a statement.
I plan to make pickles a lot this summer. I want to play with the details, change up the herbs, add some heat, turn them into spears… basically, try lots of different things. If I’ve got any pickle makers out there reading, I’d love to know what are some of your favorite tips, tricks, and flavors when it comes to making pickles?
And for those of you (like myself) who prefer a step-by-step guide, be sure to check out the video!
Ingredients
- 1 large cucumber sliced into thin rounds
- 1-2 cloves chopped garlic
- 4-5 sprigs fresh dill
- 3/4 cups water
- 1.25 cups white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine water and vinegar in a small sauce pan over a medium high heat and bring to a boil. Shut off the heat, add salt and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, place dill, garlic, and cucumber slices in a 1 quart jar with a lid.
- Once the liquid has cooled, pour it into the jar, pop on the lid and place in the fridge for at least three days. Enjoy!
- Makes 1 jar of pickles.
Candace says
Hi, Dani-
I have a son who must adhere to a low sodium diet. Since he’s sixteen, I stripped most of the salt from the house & all our tastebuds. (It takes a bit, but you do adjust!) Since these are refrigerator pickles, can I simply omit the salt from this recipe without affecting anything but taste? If so, how long would they keep in the fridge?
Also, I follow your blog & would love to see standard, low sodium suggested alternatives to your awesome recipes.
sonia says
Can’t wait to try this. But would like to know how long will this keep? keep up your great vids. thanks sonia
HAYA says
Hello Dani!
I made your pickles , they came out crunchy and delicious but my husband find them too much sour, how can I do to make them less sour?
Less water and less vinegar? Or maybe sugar?
Thanks so much for your vids!! Hope you will answer me 😉
Dani says
I would cut back vinegar – not water. Plus they tend to mellow out the longer they sit. You can def do sugar too but I would start small so you don’t end up with sweet pickles! Maybe 1-2 teaspoons. Would love to hear how it goes;)
Larry says
Dani,
I have an evem easier and faster way to make “refrigerator pickles”.
I use the Persian cucumber, cut off both ends and slice the cucumber in half. Then take the half and slice it lengthwise in half and each half sliced again giving you 4 lengthwise slices PER half of the original cucumber or a total of 8 lengthwise slices. I put these into a sealable container and pour white balsamic vinegar over the slices to just cover the bottom. Put them in the fridge and rotate the contain every time I go into the fridge so all the slices come in contact with the vinegar. Ready to eat the evening of the second day. I add the salt to each slice as I eat it but not to the container.
Donna Bentkowski says
When u say pop in the fridge for at least three days, what do u mean ,that it will take 3 days before u get your pickles made, or that you can only keep them for 3 days? How long can the pickles keep before they go bad?
Also i noticed that you don’t reply back to many of the other peoples comments,why is that? R you just not publishing all of your replies?
Love your videos and web site.
Thanks,looking forward to your reply.
Donna
Dani says
That means put them in the fridge and three days ready they are ready to eat. They should keep for a few weeks after that. Sorry for not replying to all comments. We have been in the midst of a cross country move that has me semi ‘out of touch’.
Jaclyn Hill says
I have a question for you Love! I was inquiring about water. I know a lot of water has BPA’s in it which are very harmful to our health. What are your recommendations on that issue? What water do you use to drink?
Best regards,
Jaclyn Hill
Toronto, Canada
Jo Guerra says
These are the BEST pickles and so darn easy to make. I haven’t wanted to purchase pickles because of the preservatives, so thank you for this simple recipe. I only had small cucumbers and just sliced them thicker. I cannot believe how delicious they are. Okay, I am gushing.
Dani says
Awesome! So glad that you are enjoying them:)
Cherise says
These are SO delicious and we ate 3 jars in a couple of days!! I’m planning on making more. Thanks for a great and easy recipe!!
Dani says
So glad you enjoyed them Cherise! I’m getting ready to make some myself.