Best Easy Homemade Refrigerator Dill Pickle Recipe

It is so easy to make the best refrigerator dill pickles right in your fridge. Homemade pickles are fun and easy for the whole family to get involved.  Homemade dill pickles are super simple and ready in 3 days. All you need is fresh pickling cucumbers, garlic, dill, and a simple cold brine. Three days in the refrigerator and you have crispy, garlicky dill pickles ready to eat.

No canning experience needed. No water bath. Just mason jars and your refrigerator.

 

If you are not sure of the canning process, this recipe is a great way to have crisp pickles in mason jars right in our refrigerator. These pickles are sweet, salty, crunchy, sour, delicious, garlicky, and they are perfect for a snack or on the side of a burger. This easy recipe makes the best pickles the first time you try this recipe. 

These pickles are sweet, salty, crunchy, sour, and garlicky all at once. They are perfect as a snack, on the side of a burger, or as an easy finger food for any summer gathering.

In the late summer when cucumbers are coming in faster than you can use them, this is the recipe to have in your back pocket.

Why You’ll Love This Refrigerator Dill Pickle Recipe

• No canning required, these refrigerator pickles go straight into the fridge
• Ready to eat in just 3 days with no cooking needed for the brine
• Crispy, garlicky, and packed with fresh dill flavor
• Perfect for using up garden cucumbers or farmers market finds
• The whole family loves them as a snack, on burgers, or as a side dish

Buonpane Family Homemade Refrigerator Pickles Recipe from Cousin Pete:

Jim’s cousin Pete, whose actual name is John but everyone has always called him Pete, makes the best pickles in the family. He shared this garlic dill refrigerator pickle recipe with us years ago and we have made it every single summer since.

When we have a bumper crop of cucumbers in the garden, Pete’s recipe is always the first thing on my list for the week. There is something so satisfying about lining up those mason jars full of crispy garlic dill pickles in the refrigerator and knowing exactly how simple they were to make.

Garlic dill pickles, with lots of fresh garlic cloves and garden-grown dill packed into mason jars, give you a little taste of home food preservation without any of the intimidation of traditional canning.

Find all my top canning recipes in this post: Basic Garden Canning Recipes.

More Canning Recipes You Will Love

• Piccalilli Green Tomato Relish Recipe
• Italian Canned Pickled Hot Peppers

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Ingredients for Refrigerator Dill Pickles

• 6 to 8 pickling cucumbers, washed and cut into spears
• 6 to 8 garlic cloves, peeled, left whole
• Fresh dill, generous amount (use more than you think you need)
• Pickling spice, 1 teaspoon per jar (used twice per jar, bottom and top)
• 3 cups cold water
• 8 tablespoons white vinegar
• 3 rounded tablespoons pickling salt

Ingredient notes: Always use pickling cucumbers, not English cucumbers or regular slicing cucumbers. Pickling cucumbers have thinner skins and stay much crunchier in the brine. You can substitute apple cider vinegar for white vinegar if you prefer a slightly milder flavor.

Canning Supplies Needed:

• 6 to 8 wide-mouth quart mason jars with new lids and rims
• Wide-mouth canning funnel
• Large pot for boiling lids and rims
• Metal tongs
• Large measuring cup or pitcher for mixing the brine

How to Make Refrigerator Pickles

• Sterilize your jars and lids. Run the mason jars through the dishwasher. In a separate pot, boil the lids and rims in water for 5 minutes. Use metal tongs to remove them when you are ready. Pro tip: Always use new lids every time. They are inexpensive and make sure you get a tight, clean seal.
• Prep the cucumbers. Wash the cucumbers well and trim both ends. Slice each cucumber lengthwise into spears. Pro tip: Buy pickling cucumbers, not English or regular slicing cucumbers. Pickling cucumbers have thinner skins and stay crunchier in the brine.
• Pack the jars. In the bottom of each quart jar, add 1 teaspoon of pickling spice, 1 whole garlic clove, and a generous sprig of fresh dill. Pack the cucumber spears in tightly. Add another teaspoon of pickling spice, 1 to 2 more garlic cloves, and as much fresh dill as you can fit on top. Pro tip: Do not be shy with the garlic and dill. The more you pack in, the better your refrigerator pickles will taste.
• Mix the brine. In a large measuring cup or pitcher, combine 3 cups of cold water, 8 tablespoons of white vinegar, and 3 rounded tablespoons of pickling salt. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved. No heating or cooking needed.
• Fill and seal the jars. Using a wide-mouth canning funnel, pour the brine into each jar, leaving about half an inch of space at the top. Place the sterilized lids and rims on each jar and tighten firmly.
• Refrigerate for 3 days. Put the jars in the refrigerator and let them sit for at least 3 days before eating. Your garlic dill refrigerator pickles will keep for up to 4 weeks in the fridge. Pro tip: You can taste one at day two if you are curious, but the full flavor develops by day three.

Variations for Garlic Dill Refrigerator Pickles 

• Pint jars: Use pint jars instead of quart jars for a smaller batch. The pickle spears will be shorter but just as good.
• Whole pickles: Skip slicing and pack whole cucumbers in the jars for an extra crunchy bite.
• Apple cider vinegar: Swap white vinegar for apple cider vinegar for a slightly milder, different flavor.
• Dill seed: Add a teaspoon of dill seed along with the fresh dill for a more intense dill flavor.
• Mustard seed: Toss a few mustard seeds into each jar for an extra layer of flavor.
• Spicy pickles: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dried chili pepper to each jar for heat.

Storing Your Refrigerator Dill Pickles

These homemade dill pickles are not shelf stable. They must be kept in the refrigerator at all times and will last for up to 4 weeks when kept sealed in mason jars.

Do not leave them out at room temperature. They are not processed for shelf storage.

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• Canning Italian Hot Peppers
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