Quick pickled cucumbers are the definition of quick and easy. In just two days time, you will have bright and fresh pickles to snack on.
Every year during cucumber season, we prepare several jars of these quick pickled cucumbers. If you are used to canned pickles, these are slightly different. Flavorwise they are somewhere in between fresh and totally pickled.
How to Pickle Cucumbers
This quick pickle technique is much simpler than canning. Follow these easy steps to get crunchy cukes every time:
- Wash and snip off the ends of your cucumbers. Rinse your dill and peel the garlic cloves.
- Add salt, dill, garlic into the jar. Stuff the jar with cucumbers.
- Pour water to the top of your jar.
- Cover the jar with a lid and let it sit at room temperature for 48 hours. Once pickled, store in the fridge.
How Long Do Quick Pickles Last?
Quick pickles will last up to four months in your refrigerator. After that, they will likely start to get a bit mushy. Store them in an airtight mason jar to really stretch out their shelf life. Make sure to twist the lid back tight after every use!
What Kind of Pickles Are Best For Pickling?
All pickles are delicious, but not all are created equal when it comes to pickling. Medium-to-small-sized kirby cucumbers are the prime choice for turning into pickles. Their skin remains crunchy and keeps that signature snap even when refrigerated in pickling juice for long periods of time.
Pass over thin-skinned cucumbers like English hothouse cucumbers. They won’t stand up well to the pickling liquid and will likely become soggy and break apart easily.
Hot tip: Try to always get your pickling cucumbers from a farmer’s market. Not only will they taste better than most store-bought cucumbers, they will also come without the wax coating that most farm-to-supermarket growers place on them for protection during shipping.
Can I Make Quick Pickles Ahead of Time?
Making pickles ahead of time is not only smart, it’s recommended! You need to wait at least two days before you start chowing down on your pickles. However, if you can wait a week, they will be even more brine-y and crunchy.
Other Seasoning to Add to Your Pickling Jar
Want to pump up the flavor of your dill pickles? Here’s a couple extra ingredients you can throw into the jar to spice things up:
- Red pepper flakes will add a nice punch of heat. Add a tablespoon if you like it hot.
- Mustard seeds don’t only look pretty in your mason jar, they bring a mellow sweet and spicy flavor.
- Coriander adds a lemony and floral flavor to the mix. Add about two tablespoons if you like.
Other Pickled Veggies to Try:
If you love this pickled cucumber recipe, try these other great tasting pickled vegetable recipes:
- Pickled Mushrooms – These are the perfect addition to your next charcuterie board.
- Pickled Beets – Whether you are making a pickled beet and goat cheese salad or eating these straight from the jar, they are the perfect balance of puckery and sweet.
- Easy Pickled Onions Recipe – Add a handful to a steak sandwich or on top of a street taco.
- Pickled Beets and Pate Smørrebrød – These traditional, open-faced Scandanavian toasts are great to serve as appetizers or for a light, summertime lunch.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb kirby cucumbers
- 6 sprigs of fresh dill
- 1 qt lukewarm water
- 3 tbsp salt
- 10 garlic cloves
Instructions
- Wash and snip off the ends of cucumbers. Rinse dill and clean garlic cloves.
- Put dill, salt, garlic into the jar.
- Fill the jar with cucumbers. Pour water over cucumbers and make sure to bring the water all the way to the top.
- Cover the jar with a lid and let it sit in a room temperature for 48 hours. Once the cucumbers are pickled, they can be stored in a fridge.
I have made these pickles for many years. The only addition I would add is to use boiling salted brine ( which I make separately) , for first 24 hours I cover the top with rye bread( things ferment quicker) remove and make sure the pickles are submerged at all times. I use the same technique for all different size containers from jars to large crocks!
Hi Sonia, Thank you for the amazing tips! I am glad you were able to work with the recipe to make it fit your needs best. Thank you for the feedback! Enjoy!
What kind of salt is best?
Hey Carol, currently I use Himalayan salt but kosher salt would be a good one for this recipe.
Great recipe! Just a tad too salty for me, but my husband loved them!
Linda you could always change the amount to suit you; I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe regardless!
no vinegar?
Hey Sandy, Yes, this recipe does not require vinegar. I hope you love it!
Wow - I really enjoyed making these and love the way they turned
out!!
I am so happy to hear this Melissa! Thank you
hi Natalya. where did you buy this cute glass jar with the glass lid?
Hey Maria, they are from Ikea. 🙂
This recipe is so delicious and tasty! I can't wait to make this!
Hey Beth, thank you for sharing. So good to hear.
how about a bread & butter pickles recipe? those are so good do you have a recipe that i can follow?
Hey Daria, I don't have one on my blog currently.
Do you notice a difference in taste if you let it sit longer than 48 hours? Thank you for sharing!
Yes, they do become more fomented.
Actually, I just made picked cucumbers as I will say via my mom in laws recipe (which is exactly as you described here) . Last year I made via same recipe, and it turned out bad. Why? Last year, I used Kosher Salt for pickling. This year I used Sea Salt (3.5 tbsp for 2 L of Boiled Water) + everything else (oh + parsley). Actually, it turned out so delicious... Even my kids enjoy eating them...
So definitely this is a delicious recipe.
I cannot wait to make this recipe. Before we left for Cali I actually bought all ingredients but never got to it.
hi, i was wondering if maybe you can post bread & butter pickles in a jar recipe before summer? if you have time...your directions to cook food is so easy...thanks so much.
Hey Tiffany, my mom has a recipes that she has used for years. I will try t get it form her and post it on here. I appreciate the feedback on the recipes 😉
i'm so disappointed, i was so excited for this recipe. but i see it didn't work out =(.
Sorry it's didn't work out for you. What went wrong?
hi, what i meant was i thought you were going to post a bread & buttered pickles in a jar recipe but i see it didn't work out.
Oh lol, I see 🙂 Yeah, I work full time now. Hard to do more complicated recipes.
=) me too, hi i would love the bread & butter pickles recipe also, i just followed you on pinterest so hopefully if you ever do i will be able to pin it right away. that is so wonderful.
Hey!! Thanks for a follow ;)) I will definitely share it when they are in season. Thanks again!
YOU ARE AWESOME...i love bread & buttered pickles in a jar but they're expensive from the store & my mom rarely buys them so i suggested to her to make them but i need a step by step directions & i know your website is the best but i you don't have this recipe on here so i thought i ask & hopefully you maybe post it one day..thank you very much.
I will keep it in mind for the summer, for sure. Mom has a garden with cucumbers and she has an endless amount of them. 🙂
How long can these sit in the fridge and still taste good?
I think for a little over a week is good.
I thought the description above said up to four months in the refrigerator? Did I read that wrong?
Hey Tonya, it can stay for a few months if you keep them refrigerated. The only thing, they really get that strong pickling flavor. First few weeks, they have a fresh & pickled flavors at the same time.
These do sound delicious. I am at my sisters now and she has a lot of cukes in her garden. Need to try your recipe asap:) I just post fresh cucumber subs on my blog. I just love cucumbers!!!
I saw those subs, such a good idea.
I love refrigerated pickles, I just had some at mom's house...something about the flavor that never gets old :). She grows horseradish in her garden so we add some roots in our recipe for extra crunchiness.
Yeah, I saw your recipe. This pickles also come out crunchy but one day when I find horseradish I will try your recipe.
My Family loves these type of pickles....Iryna.
I so happy that found this one,,only question how I can canning them for winter?thank you.Natalia
You can't can them for a long time. Here is a pickling recipe for winter, http://momsdish.com/recipe/12…