Here's what I like about dill pickles: They're crunchy. They're sour. They're dilly. They're garlicky. They pair well with sandwiches, wraps, and burgers. And guess what? They're fun to make!
I LOVE pickles – especially the fancy pickles like Bubbie's and McClure's. But what I don't love about pickles is paying 7 or 8 bucks for a single jar. Each pickle is like a stick of gold that must be appreciated and only enjoyed on a rare occasion. Sometimes I just wanna sit down and devour a whole jar – is that so wrong?
Sorry, fancy and expensive pickle brands. Clark has saved the day by learning how to DIY pickles. When life gives you an ambitious cucumber plant and a forest of dill, you answer the call by learning to make a lot of freakin' pickles.
You will not believe how easy this recipe is. I couldn't believe how easy it was. I still can't believe how easy it is. Better-than-store-bought pickles made at home in less than 20 minutes.
If you do your pickling in the summer when cucumbers are abundant and inexpensive, you can enjoy homemade pickles all fall and winter long. If you do enough pickling, like us, you could even share a jar or two with fellow pickle lovers.
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Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 30 1x
Description
Crispy, crunchy homemade dill pickles in under 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1-½ lbs pickling cucumbers (Boston Pickling cucumbers)
- 4 cups of water
- 6 cloves of garlic, quartered
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 2 Tbsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 Tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 Tbsp peppercorns (red, white, red, or black)
- 1 Tbsp celery seed
- fresh dill
- bay leaves
- Optional: red pepper flakes
- 3-4 16 oz ball jars (mason jars)
Instructions
- Mix all of the mustard, coriander, celery, and peppercorns together in a bowl. Add 1 Tbsp. of the mixture to each jar. Add a pinch of red chili flakes if desired. Add a few sprigs of fresh dill to each jar.
- After quartering (or slicing) the cucumbers, stuff them in the jars evenly and tightly.
- Boil water with salt. Once water is boiling and salt is dissolved, add the garlic and reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the vinegar and return to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn off the heat and pour the liquid into each jar with the garlic (if desired - we recommend it). Add a bay leaf to each jar. Make sure that the pickles are completely covered with the liquid and seal immediately.
- Allow to cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator for 4 days to 2 weeks. The longer the better in this case (the longer, the more flavor develops).
Notes
Unopened, these pickles are good for up to 4 months in the fridge. Great for the fall and winter season!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Appetizer
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
- Calories: 26
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 610 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
The amount of the spice blend ingredients and the amount to add to each jar in step 1 doesn't add up. The tsp and Tbsp are switched in one spot or the other. Also, there is no direction for the bay leaves. Please advise. Thank you.
When do the bay leaves come in?
These are really tasty! I did a couple adaptations related to prep and processing, but the blend of herbs, salt, vinegar, etc was great. Crunchy and tasty after 24 hours. :)
They were so delicious! I made 2 jars and now about to make more because I ate them too fast. I couldn’t find pickling salt so I used kosher salt & also fresh dill….THANK YOU for sharing :-)
★★★★★