Cucumbers are one of the easier plants to grow- and we love to eat them fresh, but when the garden gives you too many cucumbers- you make pickles!
And these easy refrigerator pickles are my very favorite ones to make. They are slightly sweet, kinda tangy. Very similar to the bread and butter pickles we all love so much!
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Seriously, you can’t beat homemade pickles and these are the easiest and best-tasting there is!
Related Reading: 7 Tips for Growing Cucumbers
The Best Quick & Easy Refrigerator Pickles
When it comes to making pickles the best choice is to use a cucumber variety that is suited for pickling. These pickling cucumbers are usually smaller and contain less seeds than your standard slicing cucumber.
They tend be a bit stiffer when sliced as well. But one of my favorite things about with refrigerator pickle recipe is that you can use any kind of cucumber you have!
I have used it successfully with our prolific slicers such as Marketmore and Straight 8. It’s still best if you pick them on the early side of ready so that you will have less seeds. But the pickles will taste just fine no matter what kind of cucumbers you use.
To make these refrigerator pickles you will need:
~2 lbs of cucumbers
3 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 T mustard seed
1 T celery seed
3-6 cloves garlic- peeled, bruised, and halved
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How to Make Easy Refrigerator Pickles
Step 1: Wash the cucumbers and slice them thin. The easiest way is to use a mandolin slicer– it saves so much time and ensures that your pickles are a uniform thickness.
Step 2: Layer your cucumbers, salt, and onion in a large bowl or pot. Toss to combine completely. Cover and set aside for about an hour.
Step 3: To make the brine, combine vinegar, water, sugar, garlic, celery seed, and mustard seed. Bring boil, while stirring occasionally. Gently boil for about 2 minutes until all of the sugar has dissolved.
Step 4: Drain the excess liquid from the cucumber and onion mixture. Pour the brine over the cucumbers. Stir gently to combine. Cover and allow to set for about 10 minutes.
Step 5: Fill your jars with the pickles, making sure each jar has at least one piece of garlic in it. Fill with enough liquid to cover all of the pickles. (Note: if you run out of brine, you can use a mixture of white vinegar and water to top off each jar.)
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Allow the jars to cool and then place in the fridge for at least 24 hours before eating. These sweet refrigerator pickles will stay good in the fridge for about 8 weeks! So don’t let all those fresh cucumbers go to waste- preserve them quickly and easily- with no canning experience needed!
This recipe makes about 2 quart sized jars.
Get more ideas to preserve cucumbers on 10 Ways to Preserve Cucumbers That Every Home Gardener Should Know!
Looking for more ways to preserve your garden harvest? Check out my food preservation page for more recipes such as Roasted Tomato Sauce and Dehydrated Zucchini “Pineapple”!
Homemade Easy Refrigerator Pickles
Slightly sweet and tangy refrigerator pickles. Very similar to the bread and butter pickles we all love so much!
Ingredients
- ~2 lbs of cucumbers
- 3 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 T mustard seed
- 1 T celery seed
- 3-6 cloves garlic- peeled, bruised, and halved
Instructions
- Wash the cucumbers and slice them thin using a mandolin slicer
- Layer your cucumbers, salt, and onion in a large bowl or pot. Toss to combine completely. Cover and set aside for about an hour.
- To make the brine, combine vinegar, water, sugar, garlic, celery seed, and mustard seed. Bring boil, while stirring occasionally. Gently boil for about 2 minutes until all of the sugar has dissolved.
- Drain the excess liquid from the cucumber and onion mixture.
- Pour the brine over the cucumbers. Stir gently to combine. Cover and allow to set for about 10 minutes.
- Fill your jars with the pickles, making sure each jar has at least one piece of garlic in it. Fill with enough liquid to cover all of the pickles.
- Allow the jars to cool and then place in the fridge for at least 24 hours before eating.
Notes
These refrigerator pickles will store in the fridge for about 8 weeks.
Sarah, you mention sugar in the instructions of the recipe, but it is not listed in the ingredients. How much do I use? Thanks for the recipe, these pickles look delicious!
That’s what I get for typing fast with distractions! I edited the recipe above- Thanks!
Hi Sarah… first time pickler LOL just wanted to know what kind of salt do you use?
For these I just use table salt/sea salt
Made this and was pleasantly surprised by them. Can I make them and then can them as is? If so how long would you process them in a water bath for? Thanks.
I have the same question. I would like them to last longer so want to put them in a water bath. Will this affect the pickles texture, etc? Also, how long in the water bath, 10 minutes?
Very tasty
How many pints jars will this make?
Thanks
Can you freeze this recipe?
How many jars of pickles does this recipe make?
What type of onion do you use-cooking (stronger), or the milder red or white spanish onions?
You can use whatever you prefer. I usually use sweet onions.
How many jars does this make?
I am making this recipe for the 2nd time within a week. Everyone and I have much love for this. Thank you for sharing.
I made these pickles last year with cucumbers from our garden, and they were delicious! Getting ready to make a batch now! Thank you for sharing!
Do you just drain the cucumbers after letting them set or do you need to rinse?
No need to rinse!
I definitely rinsed mine as I made a double batch and am glad I did! I like my pickles sweet. ❤️
Hello, can I do the water bath technic and then store these in my pantry
Could these be frozen in freezer bags for later use?
Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white?
Just made these and can’t wait to try them!
I cannot find mustard seed can I use ground mustard?
Made these exactly as described with extra cucumbers from garden. So good! Even my son ate some and wanted seconds and he “doesn’t like sweet pickles” – lol.
Cam you use mustard powder instead of seeds? Celery see is hard to find! Anything special about the jars?
Can these be made without the sugar?
I’ve made these twice and everyone loves them. Will make them again.
What could I use for flavor if I don’t have mustard or celery seed?
How many jars does this make please. Others want to know as well. Thank you.
For me, this recipe made (2) 20oz mason jars, tightly packed. I had leftovers of a few slices and maybe a 1/4 cup of brine.
Couple other ideas
– When the pickles are gone, I reuse the brine at least once. Just dump fresh cucs in the jar. They turn out a little weaker, but still quite good.
– Plastic screw-on lids are handy because you can shake the jars without any leakage.
I just made these three days ago. I only had 1lb of cucumbers so halved the brine recipe. That did not work it was just a thick syrup, so had to add more water and vinegar. Next time i will make the whole brine recipe as written for 1lb of cukes, maybe double it for 2lbs. They have a good flavour though.