Homemade Refrigerator Dill Pickles
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The best ever homemade refrigerator pickles are a delicious and easy way to enjoy fresh cucumber. Fresh and crispy cucumbers in a brine to make the best refrigerator dill pickles. Follow my tips below to make this delicious recipe.
Ingredients you will need to make this recipe: water, white vinegar, garlic, pickling salt, dill, red pepper flakes, mustard seeds, onion, peppercorns, and of course cucumbers.
This post was updated April 2019.
The best refrigerator dill pickles recipe ever…
Our garden this year has been crazy and we have cucumbers coming out of our ears. We have so many cucumbers and you can only eat them so many ways. These refrigerator pickles just happens to be my favorite.
I’m not a huge fan of most homemade pickle recipes. Gasp! They are just too acidic or too sweet, I just can’t do it. So when I started researching recipes, I looked for Claussen copy cat recipes.
There is just something about those pickles that I love oh so much. Maybe it’s because it reminds me of getting a sandwich at my favorite sub place or something.
Growing up, I used to get in trouble for eating too many pickles. My mom and I would be driving somewhere and she would just look at me and grumpily say “you’ve been eating pickles again haven’t you? You stink like garlic!”
Apparently, when I start eating a lot of pickles I sweat garlic.
So beware folks… I probably stink these days! Maybe the mosquitoes will finally leave me alone?
These refrigerator dill pickles are wonderful: salty, crunchy, and very similar to Claussen pickles.
These cannot be canned because they are not acidic enough. Honestly, they are so tasty you will go through them really fast. My anti-pickle hubby loves them and has given many away because he is so impressed. Or maybe he give them away so I don’t smell like garlic… hmmm…
Pro Tips For Making Refrigerator Dill Pickles
- Start collecting ingredients early. I always go to make them and are missing one of the ingredients such a pain.
- Use pickling salt so the dill pickles have a clear brine and not cloudy.
- Pick your cucumber shape. Slice the cucumbers in circular or cut them in long quarters. However you fancy. I usually like to do both.
- Use fresh dill. It makes all the difference. Usually, I find them fresh dill at specialty grocery stores, the farmers market, or like to grow it myself
- Wide mouth canning jars make it easier to pack and remove the pickles.
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Tools you may need to make this recipe:
- Mason jars: I like this wide mouth mason jars (I use these)
- Knife. Also a mandolin (like this one) for slicing would be helpful
- Cutting board
- Measuring cups
How To Make Refrigerator Dill Pickles – Step By Step
Step 1:
Prepare your jars by making sure they are clean and placing peppercorns, chili peppers, garlic, onion, fresh dill, and mustard seed in each jar.
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Step 2:
In a pot, heat your water and pickling salt. While it’s heating clean, slice, and place cucumbers in the jars.
Step 3:
Once the salt water brine is boiling, add to each of the jars filled with cucumbers and place the lid on top.
Step 4:
Let sit on the counter for 2-3 days, shaking occasionally. Place in the fridge for up to 2 months.
Refrigerator Dill Pickles FAQ
When can you eat refrigerator pickles?
After 3 days of letting them soak you can eat them. If you just can’t hold out, you can eat them the first day, but they won’t be as flavorful.
How long do refrigerator pickles last in the fridge?
They will last in the fridge about 2 months in the fridge. Unless you devour them all before than.
Can this recipe be canned?
No! They are not high enough in acidity to be canned. They are not shelf stable and have to be stored in the refrigerator.
Where can you find pickling cucumbers?
My favorite place is my own garden, but you can also find them at the grocery store, farmers market, or at a farm store. Many times you can ask for discounted price for buying them in bulk.
Need more recipe inspiration? Try these out!
- Baked French Toast Casserole With Blackberry Syrup is a family favorite. Seriously, so good.
- This is the best Tomato Pie Recipe, especially for all those garden fresh tomatoes.
- Chipotle Corn Chowder from my friend Katie looks amazing.
- Learn how to preserve tomatoes the easy way.
Homemade Refrigerator Dill Pickles Recipe
This will become your favorite recipe, hands down. If you try this recipe and love it, I would appreciate you coming back and leaving a comment with a 5 star rating!
Homemade Claussen Like Refrigerator Pickles
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Ingredients
- 1.5 quarts water
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 1/3 cup pickling salt
- 4-5 lbs pickling cucumbers
- 1/3 cup diced onion
- 1 tsp mustard seed
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp whole peppercorn
- 6 cloves garlic smashed and skin removed
- 6 heads of fresh dill
Instructions
- Prepare your jars by making sure they are clean and placing equal amounts of peppercorns, chili peppers, smashed garlic, onion, fresh dill, and mustard seed in each jar.
- In a pot, heat your water, vinegar, and pickling salt. While it's heating, clean and slice cucumbers. Place sliced cucumbers in the jars.
- Once the salt water brine is boiling, add brine to each of the jars filled with cucumbers and place the lid on top.
- Let sit on the counter for 3 days, shaking occasionally. Place in the fridge for up to 4-5 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you made pickles before? What are your favorite kind?
What size jars>
What Kind of vinegar do you use ?.How many % ?
Thanks Susi
The vinegar is heated with the water and salt.
These are big bread and butter pickles! All that much better for covering the surface of a burger! Thank you for sharing this recipe, these look delicious and I should honestly begin making my own at home rather than buying them at the store. I’d save more money! Thank you!
When do you add the vinegar?
I want to know when to add the vinegar. The recipe calls for 2 cups vinegar, but does not say when to add it.
Sorry about that, I will fix that asap! It’s in step 2: In a pot, heat your water, vinegar, and pickling salt.
These look DELISH, Amy.
I actually just finished making a huge batch of pickles. 24 jars all in all. Used my Grandma’s recipe.
Grandma Zelda’s Kosher Pickles
They’re similar to yours, but no vinegar.
You ever tried ones like this?
–Lenny
We use a similar recipe when we make pickles at home. Everyone in our house loves Claussen pickles, once we have our own place to grow cucumbers we will make them more often.