This easy quick brined refrigerator pickle recipe combines sliced cucumbers with dill, salt, mustard seed, water and vinegar. No need to heat the brine for this refrigerator pickle recipe.
Quick brine sliced cucumber pickles are a flavorful snack with a lot of punch and crunch.
This refrigerator pickle recipe is modified from a version of the lovely ladies Barr and Kimberly at Flavorista.
Quick Brine Refrigerator Pickles Are Easy
The brine for refrigerator pickles is fast and easy to make, so don't be intimidated!
Quick brining means that you don't boil the brine. Just add spices and vinegar and water and place them in the refrigerator.
Refrigerator pickles are not shelf stable, but will last in the refrigerator ~ 1 month in the refrigerator.
Sterilize and boil the jars if you want to make them shelf stable.
Use Pickling Cucumbers or Small Cucumbers For Pickling
Can't find pickling cucumbers (they are just tiny cucumbers)? Use the smallest cucumbers you can find or a kind that doesn't have very many seeds or has tiny seeds like the English cucumber.
What Kind of Vinegar for Refrigerator Pickle Brine?
Any vinegar works for pickle brine. Some of the more common vinegars are apple cider, white distilled vinegar (also known as pickling vinegar), malt vinegar, red wine vinegar, etc... White vinegar is used mostly because it's neutral in taste and clear and colorless.
The most important thing is that the vinegar for pickling brine has 5% acidity and that is usually what vinegars contain anyway. The acidity level of vinegar is listed in the ingredient section on the bottle.
What is the ratio of vinegar to water when brining cucumbers?
Half and half is standard for safety and taste so 1 part water to 1 part vinegar with at least 5% acidity (you'll find the acidity under the ingredient list on the bottle).
For example 1 cup water to 1 cup vinegar is a standard pickle brine. Having said that, if you like acidic vinegary foods, go a little higher.
If you're quick pickling like in this recipe and refrigerating right away, the ratio can be lowered to use less vinegar based on what tastes good to you. Please note, that if you lower the vinegar then they will not stay good in the refrigerator as long.
Troubleshooting Refrigerator Pickle Brine
- Don't feel like waiting a couple hours for the salt to work it's on the cucumbers. Just throw everything in the jar and be done with it. Still gonna be delicious and pickled and won't last long in your house anyway!
- Can't find pickling cucumbers? Use the smallest cucumbers you can find or a kind that doesn't have very many seeds or has tiny seeds like the English cucumber
- Use 2 teaspoon dried dill if you don't have fresh dill on hand.
- Too vinegary? Play with water and vinegar ratios and try less vinegar.
Quick Refrigerator Pickle Brine FAQS
If there is still room in the jar and it needs more liquid, make up the ratio with vinegar (preferably) or water or add some more cucumber slices if you have more.
If the cucumbers are floating then it wasn't packed tight enough before adding the liquid.
If you have a couple more cucumber slices throw them in after the liquid and try to pack it down more. The brine should cover the cucumber, but it's also not a huge deal in the quick pickling refrigerator method.
Quick Brined Refrigerator Pickles
EatSimpleFood.com
-Makes 2 Quart jars
This easy quick brined refrigerator pickle recipe combines sliced cucumbers with dill, salt, mustard seed, water and vinegar. No need to heat the brine for this refrigerator pickle recipe.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 Quart Sized Jars
- Category: Condiment
- Method: No Cooking Involved
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 10 small pickling cucumbers, sliced into ½" rounds
- 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper - optional for heat
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 4 ½ tablespoon salt
- ⅓ cup fresh loosely packed dill
- ~ 5 cups white vinegar
- ~ 3 cups water
- 2 quart size jars
Instructions
- Place the cucumber slices in a bowl with 1 ½ tablespoon salt. Cover and set aside for 2 hours.
- Grab two quart size jars.
- Add to each jar: ~ 2 ½ tablespoon dill, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, ½ teaspoon mustard seed, 1 ½ tablespoon salt, and whatever other spices strike your fancy.
- Drain and rinse cucumbers. Pack slices in quart size jars atop the herbs/spices and fill ⅔ cup way with white vinegar and ⅓ way with water. Make sure to cover the cucumber slices in vinegar or water. More vinegar will make them more sour.
- Put in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Good for 1 month in the refrigerator. Easy and Tangy! Happy Picklin'! Beckie
Notes
- Don't feel like waiting a couple hours for the salt to work it's on the cucumbers. Just throw everything in the jar and be done with it. Still gonna be delicious and pickled and won't last long in your house anyway!
- Can't find pickling cucumbers? Use the smallest cucumbers you can find or a kind that doesn't have very many seeds or has tiny seeds like the English cucumber
- Use 2 teaspoon dried dill if you don't have fresh dill on hand.
- Too vinegary? Play with water and vinegar ratios and try less vinegar.
Things In My Kitchen:
- Quart Wide Mouth Mason Jars - Put the pickles in it!
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