Description
Learn how to make crisp, tangy, and refreshing homemade dill pickles. These pickles make a perfect snack or sandwich addition with their bright flavors, easy preparation, and natural preserving method.
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 12 to 14 Persian cucumbers or 8 to 10 pickling cucumbers
- 4 garlic cloves, halved
- Fresh dill sprigs, a few per jar
Spices
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons peppercorns
Brine
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the cucumbers: Slice the cucumbers lengthwise into quarters for pickle spears or thinly slice them horizontally for pickle chips, depending on your preferred shape.
- Fill the jars: Divide the cucumber pieces evenly among 4 (8-ounce) or 2 (16-ounce) canning jars. Add the halved garlic cloves, mustard seeds, peppercorns, and a few fresh dill sprigs to each jar to infuse flavor.
- Make the brine: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine water, distilled white vinegar, cane sugar, and sea salt. Stir continuously until the sugar and salt completely dissolve, which will take about 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow the brine to cool slightly.
- Combine and cool: Pour the warm brine over the cucumbers in each jar, ensuring they are fully submerged. Leave the jars at room temperature until they cool down to room temperature.
- Refrigerate and pickle: Store the sealed jars in the refrigerator. Pickle spears will become lightly pickled in 2 days and reach optimal flavor by days 5 to 6. Pickle chips take only 1 day for light pickling and improve in flavor each day thereafter. Keep refrigerated for up to several weeks.
Notes
- Use fresh dill sprigs for the best aromatic flavor.
- Ensure cucumbers are fully submerged in brine to prevent spoilage.
- Adjust sugar and salt according to taste preference but maintain balance for proper preservation.
- Store pickles in the fridge; this recipe is for quick refrigerator pickles, not shelf-stable canned pickles.
- Use clean, sterilized jars to maximize freshness and shelf life.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minute
- Category: Condiment
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American