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This is another recipe that I’m moving over from my old blog, because everyone loves it so much. It is one of my most linked recipes, and one that ends up in CSA newsletters year after year. Not that I can blame anyone who is a fan of them, because these pickles are incredible easy to make and stunningly delicious. As is the case with my Bread and Butter Pickles, these are not canned. I just can’t bring myself to bother with canned pickles, because we find them to be mushy and lacking in bright flavor – that is not an issue with Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles.
Rather, these pickles are, once they have a chance to ferment for a couple days, kept in the refrigerator, where they stay fresh and safe to eat for months. We opened our final jar from last fall in March this year and if anything, time had only improved them. They were crunchy, garlicky and fabulous. Canning actually cooks the cucumbers in the process of preserving them, and cooked pickles become soft and lose a lot of their summery flavor. I just don’t see the point of making pickles at all if they aren’t going to be better than what I can buy in the store.
Because you aren’t canning, these are super easy to make. The brine uses just a few common ingredients, along with some fresh garlic cloves and dill, both of which are very easy to find this time of year. I can get a batch of these finished up in about 30 minutes, and then all we have to do is sit back and wait for the magic to happen.
It is important to use good, fresh cucumbers. If you can find the little pickling kind, all the better. In fact, large cucumbers are not that useful, period, as far as I am concerned, because the seeds get big and kind of bitter, and the flesh gets more and more starchy as they get bigger. I do make these with regular slicing cukes if that is all I have, but today, we have a nice big bowl of picklers to use. Nice and bumpy, which is an indication that they were picked at the right time.
Fresh dill will make the best pickles, but you can use use a combination of dried dill and dill seed if that is all you can get your hands on. I think it’s pretty easy to find fresh dill right now though – they even have it in the supermarkets around us right now. You definitely want to use fresh garlic cloves, and then if you like, a pinch of red pepper flakes, a few black peppercorns and little mustard seed to round out the flavors.
This recipe can be cut in half, doubled, tripled or octupled, so long as you have the space to store them. I guess this is where I admit that we keep our old fridge in Larry’s shop for pickle storage – we may be just a tad fond of pickles, so we need a lot of space for them. We do move them into the house fridge once it gets consistently down below freezing outside though, because the fridge doesn’t do so well when it gets that cold. Now that I have discovered naturally fermented vegetables, which can be made year round [you will be hearing more about this as we get into the fall], I’m not sure we will need so many pickles, but only time will tell.
Because these pickles aren’t going to be canned, and we don’t have to worry about getting anything up to a certain temperature, we can mix up our sizes of cucumbers and how we cut them. I cut some in nice long spears, and one jarful in chunks. I also usually do a batch of chips/thin slices, and I have even grated them to make a relish and they all work really nicely – and stay crunchy and crisp. 
And while I do use canning jars, because I have a lot of those hanging around, you can use whatever jars you have. These aren’t going to seal up, and will kept in the fridge after the first two days, so you don’t need to have any special sort of jar. They need to be really clean, but sterilization isn’t necessary either – I usually run mine through the dishwasher and call it good.
Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles
Ingredients
- 2 quarts of water
- 1 cup white or cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup pickling salt
- About 3 to 4 pounds of cucumbers - small pickling cukes are best
- 8 large heads of dill or more if they are smaller
- 8 medium garlic cloves peeled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon mustard seed
- 4 pinches red pepper flake
- about 20 black peppercorns
Instructions
- This will make about 4 quarts of pickles, so you need 4 1 quart jars with lids, or more if they are smaller. Canning jars aren't necessary, but they do need a lid. Wash in hot soapy water and rinse well [or run through the dishwasher].
- Measure the water, vinegar and salt into a 3 quart sauce pan and set over high heat - you want the salt to dissolve and the mixture to come to a full boil.
- Meanwhile, make sure your cucumbers are good and clean. Cut them however you like - the smaller the pieces, the more that will fit in a jar. I like spears, because they are pretty to serve, though if I end up with a lot of odd sized cucumbers, chunks may work better.
- In the bottom of each jar, place 1 large head of dill, or several smaller ones. You can also put in some of the fronds and stems. Then put 1 garlic clove in the bottom.
- Fill each jar with cucumbers - for spears, it might be easier to lay the jar on its side. You can really cram them in there tightly, but leave a good inch of headspace at the top, so that the brine will be able to cover the pickles.
- Top the cucumbers in the jars with another clove of garlic, as well as another large head of dill. You can just leave it at that, or for a little more complexity of flavor, add a scant teaspoon of mustard seed, a pinch of red pepper flake and 5 peppercorns to each jar.
- Carefully fill each jar with the boiling water/vinegar/salt mixture, making sure to get the cucumbers completely covered.
- Screw on the lids.
- Leave the jars out in the counter for 2 or 3 days, and then store in the refrigerator for at least two weeks before opening them.
- They will keep well for several months at least, so long as you keep them refrigerated. [Naturally, if anything looks or smells funky, discard them, but honestly, that happens very rarely.]
When I was a kid in a large family, one of the things I promised myself was that when I grew up, I would eat as many dill pickles as I wanted. No one would be able to tell me I would make myself sick, nor would I have to politely share them with anyone else. Not all of my childhood dreams have come true, but I’m happy to say that this one did!
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I found this recipe on Pinterest this morning & today is farmer’s market day, so I hope I can find some cucumbers & dill. I adore dill pickles & I never thought I could make them, because I thought it was hard. Now = not hard! thank you thank you!
So glad that you like it Ani – I hope you find what you need to make them 🙂
I made these following every step. As my sister in law did also. Very very salty… Anything we can do? Rinse . Very disappointed.
I just add a bit of sugar to cut down saltiness. Start with a little bit – 1/2 tsp. one day and check them the next day and add as needed.
I really don’t recommend adding sugar – the pickles will spoil far more quickly. You do need to make sure you are using pickling salt, not some other kind. These pickles are on the salty side though.
I agree. I used this recipe last year with almost all my cucumbers from my garden and had to throw them all out as they were so salty we couldn’t even eat them. I was so disappointed. I really liked the garlic/dill flavor but Next time going to cut down the salt.
It does say in the recipe that the pickles will be quite salty. And cutting down on the salt is fine, but I would not leave them out of the refrigerator at all, and they very likely would not keep as long. The salt takes the place of canning in terms of preservation. Pickling salt is a must as well.
I made the same mistake by adding 1/2 cup of salt last year. Had to throw all of mine away as well. This year I added slightly less than 1/4 cup, awesome! Taste great and way less sodium too. No worries about long term storage, they won’t be around for long.
No where in the recipe does it warn against these being on the salty side. Way, way too much salt. Wrecked a whole seasons crop of pickling cukes on this recipe. Thanks
Donalyn, what is a “head” of dill? I can only find it in little boxes at the market; fronds/stems connected to roots.
That kind of dill will work just fine. Heads are on the homegrown or farmer’s market kind.
One of my favorite things to make in the summer too! I have them on my blog also 🙂
Very cool Suzie – they keep that summer flavor around in the winter time!
One of my favorite recipes of yours, Donalyn. I make them every summer and enjoy them all winter long…
Thanks – glad that you have been enjoying them!
This is almost like my great grandmother’s recipe. I keep my brine boiling as I fill the jars and use canning jars. Leave them on the counter. By the next day all the jars seal themselves and keep for month’s no fridge required.
Interesting Em – they do often seal up if I use canning lids – I think I’ll leave some out in the next batch to see how they do. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing information about canning lids. Will try this now,don’t have the extra room in my fridge
Another great recipe to pass along to my favorite cook, pinned it too!
Thanks for the pin Aleks & I hope you enjoy them 🙂
Your pickles look delicious! I have never made homemade pickles before. Fresh dill always reminds me of summers at my grandmother’s house when I was little. She always had a bunch growing in her garden.
You should give them a try Christin – so so easy! Dill is something that reminds me of childhood as well – my Mom and grandma both made pickles & that was a smell I loved!
Hmm I’m trying to think of the last time I came across pickling cucumbers. It’s been a while! But the next time I do, I know what to do with them! 🙂
They are all over the place here right now, but then, it’s winter where you are!
Your pickles sound really easy and delicious. I made bread and butter pickles this year but I haven’t done any dill pickles. I’ll save your fancy dancy recipe until we have cucumbers growing again down under.
Bread and butters are next on my list Maureen – have to get a good stock pile of those going too!
I’m glad that your dream came true as your pickles have to be delicious. I know I would want more than one spear. 🙂
Really good recipe! I love refrigerator pickles – relatively easy to make, and so incredibly tasty. This looks great – it deserves to be as popular as it is. Thanks for this.
We have so many cukes in our fridge right now! These pickles are happening.
I’ve been wanting to can some pickles this summer before the weather begins to cool off. For some reason, I keep putting it off but I will give your recipe a shot this weekend!
Couldn’t be easier…will be trying this tomorrow!!
Donalyn we finally opened the ones we made and these are by far the best we have ever had…they remind me of the barrel pickles I used to get in the corner grocer in Philly as a child.
I’m so glad Donna – I’m afraid I didn’t make enough of them this year!
I just made these and I’m so excited about it! I did all chunks, though instead of spears. I do have a question. I packed the jars full, but when I poured the brine in, they floated to the top and there are a few that stick up out of it. Will this cause them to go bad, or is this ok?
They should be fine – you can kind of overstuff the jars a bit before putting in the brine since the heat does shrink the cucumbers just a little bit. For yours though, you could go in a shove them back under the brine every few days, but I have never had them go bad when this happened with mine.
I didn’t have quart jars, but I did have pints. I ended up with 8 pint jars, and I had 7 out of the 8 end up sealing overnight. I flipped all of the jars upside down this morning. I am pregnant and pickles have been my biggest weakness. I cannot wait to start eating them. They probably won’t last as long as they should. Haha!
Just an extra precautionary reminder, Kim – though the jars often seal, these are not safe to leave out of the fridge past the 3 days noted in the recipe. After that they must be refrigerated 🙂
Our younger daughter is pregnant right now too, and she nearly cleaned out my supply when they were hear in October – I am sure they will help grow an awesome baby!
First time I made ANYTHING in a jar…..such a nice easy recipe that looks like I spent hours vs. minutes! Going back tomorrow for more pickling cukes and dill so I don’t waste the 12 jars I bought today! (Well 8 now)
Cheryl – that is really good to hear 😉 Be careful though – canning is addicting!
Will try your recipe & vacuseal in freezer(experiment). Love seeing jars of canned goods on the Hoozier in the kitchen, but have been unable to do a crisp canner dill
Hi Barry – not sure if you have already tried your experiment, but I can tell you for sure that freezing cucumbers is not a good idea. Because of the high water content, freezing will break all the cell walls down completely, and you will end up with mush.
The fact that cooking the pickles to can them makes them mushy is why I came up with an uncooked pickle. It can’t reside on the pantry shelf, but it will stay crisp and safe to eat for months in the fridge.
I grow my own Kirbys. 5 plants gives me more than I can use! Living in S. Cal is a help too I guess!
Pretty much anything that is a vegetable and is green I pickle! Laco Ferment and refrigerator I love ’em all.
Maybe we are related? Same name, same love of pickles! LOL
You can never have too many cucumbers! I also lacto-ferment, but I’m far an expert on that, so I don’t blog about it. And you could maybe be related my husband – he’s the Ketchum!
Hi Donalyn
I just found your fab recipe and copied it and sent it to my sister as well because we both LOVE pickles as do our hubby’s too! I really like hot pickles and wonder if you can add hot peppers to this recipe?? like jalepenos, habeneros or cayenne etc?? My cukes are just getting started really in the garden because of our long winter and late start and all! so I am really hoping they all do well! I have 4 hills of pickling cukes! Thanks for letting me know and for the great recipe! I have your hot pepper one too!! :))
Very definitely Linda! I often add other flavors to these pickles and spicy peppers is a favorite. I am so glad that you like the recipes – they are huge favorite for us as well 🙂
thnx so very much for your reply Donalyn!! I can’t wait for my cucumbers to finally really start to produce!! I will be trying your hot pepper recipe in the next couple of days! I am really looking forward to those as well! we did Hungarian hots, poblanos, habeneros, jalepenos, cayenne and some other new yellow hot one so will see how they do! so glad i found your blog will for sure follow along now!! have a super weekend! we are getting a nice steady rain right now and everything is all perked up!! yippee!
I just read a bit about you and realized you are in upstate NY!! I grew up back in the day (I’m 57 for a few more months!!) in Oneonta where my parents owned a motel!!( we had 2 deli’s originally in Long Island before that!) but I am now in OH!! 20 years now and love it and try to grow as much as we can as does our youngest son too (oldest in NYC so no garden for him…yet!) anyway thnx so much! I love your blog and all the fab recipes and such so I will be looking forward to getting your newsletter! I wanted to sign up for daily emails but couldn’t find a link for that!!! thnx again!! :))
How cool, Linda – Oneonta is not far from us at all. Our kids are also working to grow at least some of their own food, with plans to increase it as they are able. It’s good to know when you have passed along that self sufficiency, isn’t it? And, I just do a weekly newsletter, because overall, that is what the majority of my readers seem to prefer. Thanks again for your kind words 🙂
Just wanted to stop by and say I just made these and they are THE BEST pickles I’ve ever had. I couldn’t even wait the whole two weeks to try them so I tried them at about a week and they were crisp and delicious. Thanks for the great recipe!!!
Really glad that you like them Amanda – now you’ve made me impatient for our cucumbers to start producing!
I like the sound of these! I am not into canning and I love a crunchy pickle so these sound like they fit the bill. Now I must hit the farmer’s market and get prepared. Can’t wait!
You won’t be sorry Abbe – so easy, and so amazingly good!
Just curious as to why you need to leave them on the counter for two days? I’ve made refrigerator dilly-beans before and they just went straight into the fridge. I’m new to canning and pickling, so I’m sure there is a reason, I just need to learn it! Thanks! And I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hi Jen – I have found that they never get the same level of flavor if I put them straight in the fridge – being at room temperature helps the cells stay open to absorb the garlic and spices. It is fine to put them right in the fridge – I’ve done it before when we were going out of town right after I made them.
No matter how you do it – hope you love them as much as we do!
These looked so good and sounded so easy, I made my first batch ever of pickles yesterday. My son wanted to take some home with him, but as I looked at them today I noticed the garlic I put in the top of the jar looks blue. Is this right or did I do something wrong? Everything was washed in the dishwasher or by hand with hot water & soap; the counters were cleaned with Lysol. Could there be contamination from the towels (clean from the drawer) I used it dry my hands? If so, how do I combat this in the future?
Marte – I am not sure – it sounds like maybe there was some problem with the garlic itself. Honestly, this solution of water, vinegar and salt does not allow the growth of any nasties – these pickles stay good in our fridge for an entire year – we just recently finished off the final jar from last fall.
I assume that everything was covered by the liquid, so if it were me, I would just double check that I had the measurements right – mistakes do happen sometimes. I feel badly, but I can’t imagine what the trouble be – so sorry that it didn’t work for you.
It is definitely the garlic…I have had Garlic do this before, but not while canning. I had purchased a whole bunch of garlic to puree for cooking. A day after doing so the whole batch was a disconcerting blue! The ones I’d purchased were from China, and I believe whatever treatment had been done to them had caused this so they all went in the garbage. I steer clear of Garlic from china and get it from the farmers market when I can especially when canning!
For what it’s worth, the “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving” attributes blue garlic in pickles to either 1) Using “immature” bulbs; 2) “A chemical reaction caused by the interaction of the pigments in the garlic with the iron, tin or aluminum in a reactive cooking pot, hard water, or water pipes”; or 3) The garlic naturally having more blue pigment which becomes evident after pickling. Regardless, it says the garlic and pickles are safe to eat. Thanks for the wonderful recipe…Made some tonight and can’t wait to try them!
Ida – thanks so much for this info! I mentioned Marte’s comment to my husband this morning, and he reminded me that we did once have the garlic take on a blue tinge, which I had totally forgotten. We do have very hard water so it makes sense. my sense was that they would be fine to eat, but I can understand why someone would worry about it.
Loved how easy this recipe was! Can’t wait to try them after they sit now in the fridge. One question- I’m confused about the seals on the jars. I made the first batch last week and the lids don’t push back at the top- it is sealed tight. Someone today asked me if the lids “popped.” I know they do that, but I am not sure if these did or not. Can this affect the batch or ruin it? Or does it not matter because these aren’t technically canned?
I appreciate your help!
Emily – it doesn’t matter one way or the other. They are kept in the fridge after the first two days, so they don’t need to be sealed. I sometimes use the plastic lids, which won’t seal at all. I also save some of my lids from actual canning to reuse for these pickles, since they don’t need to seal, and you can’t use a lid more than once if you are actually canning – they are expensive though, so I wash them up and store them in a separate place to use for these pickles.
Oh thanks! Your reply made my day! Now I know for sure- phew! My husband loves to grow veggies and garden…but not eat veggies LOL. Pickles- we can do! I’ll be using your recipe for hot peppers too- we seem to have a bumper crop of jalepenos just about ready.
Thanks!
Oh – you will love those too Emily – a big favorite around here!
Uh oh….I made pickles Sunday night (third time with your recipe!) and just realized this morning I forgot to refrigerate ….do I toss them ??? What a waste as I made 8 quarts ! They did all pop after 30 minutes of sealing !
Hi Cheryl – personally, I would not toss them.
On the other hand, to cover my butt, I have to suggest that you do toss them.
What I would do would be to stick them in the fridge for a couple weeks, and then open a jar – if they smell ok, I would eat one, and if it tastes ok, I would keep them. I really do think the salt and vinegar levels would prevent the growth of any nasties in there, but it’s up to you.
You’re right!! They’ll be “ready” Friday and I’ll do just that 🙂
Thanks again 🙂
Mine turned out WAYYY too salty…is it supposed to be ridiculously salty? Or did I do something wrong?…. Any way to fix this?
Well they certainly aren’t supposed to be ridiculously salty, though refrigerator pickles are a little more salty than the canned ones. I will assume that you followed the recipe with the correct amounts and that you used pickling salt? I’ve had a few batches turn out more salty than others, but I just let sit in the fridge another month or so, and they were fine.
Mine was extremely salty too! I had to throw them away because no one would eat them. I followed the directions exactly!
I am sorry you had that result, Grace. I can’t account for it, and as you can see from the comments it is only very occasionally someone thinks they are too salty.
I want to try this recipe but I’d like to can them. Is it possible to put the jars in boiling water for 10-15 min to create a good seal after I have the jars filled with the brine and the lids on? Or will that change the taste of the pickles? Doing some research & it seems like I should be able to do that without a problem.
Hi Tammy – based on the feedback from other readers, I would not do that with this recipe. The proportions of the brine are off for canning – they will not be safe to eat, will mostly likely not be at all crunchy, and too salty. I would look for a recipe that is specifically designed for canning.
I made the pickles this mormimg, they are floating, leaving the half inch of space at the bottom of the jars. Is that okay, will they sink over time ?
That is fine, Kim – I usually cram enough in there so that they don’t have any room to float, but it isn’t going to hurt anything if they do.
Hi Donalyn, I am a first time pickler, and the same thing happened to my batch as happened to Kim. So all I do, is turn the jars upside down a few times a day to make sure the brine soaks into everything. Do I need to be doing this, or is it okay that some stick up out of the brine?
Hi Linda – yes, turning them upside down will take care of that – just make sure the lids are on tightly enough to keep them from leaking at all.
Donalyn,
thanks for the recipe I’m going to try it this weekend, I had a question I’m hoping you can answer. can you put the whole cucumber in the jars without cutting it?
Hi Jeremy – yes, you can. I would not leave them whole if they are very big, and if you do leave them whole, I would poke a bunch of holes in them so that the brine will soak in better.
Hi there! I have a question regarding the measurements : the recipe states 2 quarts of water to 1 cup of vinegar. Is this the correct ratio? It just seems that it would be a weak brine at almost 8:1. Could you clarify for me? Thanks!
Hi Risa – that is the ratio that I always use. Since they will be refrigerated, it is less important that the brine be so strong, and the salt is enough to prevent bacteria growth, and ensure crispness. Any more vinegar than that and they taste too sour. On the other hand, if you would like them more sour, then more vinegar might be your preference. They will still not be safe for canning though, so make sure you keep them in the fridge after the first few days.
Thanks for replying? Trying them tonight!
Hi Donalyn! Thank you for the recipe. I’m thinking of trying this simple verso out instead of canning this year. I was wondering if kosher salt would work in place of pickling salt….or is pickling salt some sort of chemical that helps prevent bacteria growth and/or keeps the dukes crunchy? Any light you shed on it will be much appreciated 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Nabeela – it is best to use the pickling salt. There is no additive or anything, but the actual sodium content actually varies quite a lot from one kind of salt to the next, and pickling salt has more sodium than kosher salt. I’m not sure of the exact amount of kosher salt it would take to provide the same amount of sodium, I do know it might make them taste too salty. Pickling salt is not at all expensive, and will keep indefinitely so long as you keep in dry. On the other hand, if you can’t find pickling salt, kosher would be better than regular table salt – I would just use the same amount as cited in the recipe. The pickles might not keep quite as long, but they will still be good for a couple months at least.
Thank you for the prompt response! I’ll go ahead and give it a try with kosher salt today. Will let you know how it worked out
Hi! I just wanted to write to say a big THANK YOU! I am a Texan that has been living in South Africa and had almost given up on trying to find a good pickle, all the pickles here are too sweet and smushy, there is no good dill crunchy pickle to be had. I had remembered I had pinned this a while ago to try someday and tried it out. It is so simple to make and so delicious and luckily am able to find all the ingredients easily overseas, I first tried it last week and have already made about 6 batches. Some of our friends from the states that live over here have asked me to make this for them and for this recipe too. It is a God-send and I think it is better than the extra expensive Clausen pickles back home. I love it, so good! 🙂
Thanks, Kelly!
Hello! I was wondering, Do you put the lids right after you pour the boiling vinegar/water mix in your jars? Or do you wait until they are cooled? Thank you! So stoked to try these 🙂
Hi Marisa – I put the lids on right away. They aren’t so hot that it would bother anything. The lids may pop as though they are sealed, but they still need to go in the fridge after a couple days.
Just did five jars of these, some with coriander and mustard seed and some without. Looking forward to the outcome. Do you ever add sugar to your batches? Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Tim – I love trying all the different spice mixtures in these pickles. We love them all. As for sugar, I use sugar in these pickles: https://thecreeksidecook.com/bread-and-butter-pickles .You might want o give those a try too! Thanks for your comment 🙂
Hi, Donalyn!
We have been making pickles with your delicious recipe! Thanks so much! I do have a question though. When you eat all the pickles can you reuse the brine for another batch somehow or do you just throw it out and start over every time? Thanks so much!
Hi Monique – so glad that you enjoy the pickles! I start with fresh brine each time, though my husband sometimes pickles a few boiled eggs with the leftovers.
I let the brine cool before I poured it over the cucumbers. Will that affect the outcome at all?
Hi Bobbi – the only outcome would be that it will take longer for the pickles to get pickled. The hot brine would be absorbed more quickly than cooled brine would. They will likely be just fine.
Great – thanks! I can’t wait to try them!
Hi,
Thanks for posting this. The first batch I made turned out great. The next two batches are different though. The water looks clear at first and then turns cloudy. Also, on the bottom of the jar there is something white. Looks kind of like salt. I have opened them to look further but I’m assuming they aren’t safe to eat. Any suggestions??
Thanks,
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer – there really isn’t a way for to tell what might have caused that. Honestly though, there is little that can go wrong with these – the salt and vinegar in the recipe would be sufficient to prevent the majority of nasty things from growing, and assuming you got them in the fridge on time, it’s hard to believe they would go bad. If they smell ok, there’s no mold or scum on the top, and they are still crisp, not soft or mushy, they are probably fine. I’m also assuming you made them fairly recently, not 6 months ago. That being said, if you are iffy about them I would probably not eat them [though my husband almost certainly would 😉 ]
I’m having the same problem. I made 12 jars and 1/2 are cloudy. I followed the recipe to a T! I’m only at a week in the fridge so I haven’t opened any of them yet. Hoping I don’t have to toss them all?
When I first tried this recipe my pickles were a bit too salty, but still pretty good. So, the second time I made them I used a bit less salt. The second batch came out cloudy and tasted awful, so I tossed them. I’m assuming that not using the recommended amount of salt caused the growth of bacteria.
I tried seeing if someone asked this but doesn’t seem like – I read on another refrigerator pickling recipe – that you want to at least boil the garlic before because it can cause discoloring (garlic turns blue/green, kinda like mold) once you have them “canned” and takes come of the sulfur out. Have you had this issue?
Hi Lindsey – people have mentioned it happening actually – and I have had it happen to me. It has more to do with the age and the kind of garlic than anything else. It doesn’t make any difference at all because the pickles are just fine to eat either way – and I don’t notice any difference in taste either. Greenish garlic looks a bit odd, but is totally fine – and as far as I know, there is no reliable way to keep it from happening.
Wow, these are fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing.
I brought a jar of these into my work and *everyone* LOVED the pickles!
They have begged me to make them over and over again.
Just to give you an idea of how well they are liked- I have 40 coworkers.
In three months I have made 36 quarts and just finished making a new batch of 12 more quarts!!
So glad that everyone is enjoying the Lyne – they are a huge favorite with everyone who tries them I think. And so super easy to make! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
I just made these 2 days ago but did not realize that I could not open them for another 2 weeks after putting in the fridge. Will they still be ok?? Btw,they were pretty good already!
Hi Lynn – that should not be a problem at all. They don’t seal anyway, and it the cold of the fridge that keeps them from going bad. Opening them prior to refrigerating should be just fine.
Did a test batch a couple of weeks ago and just tried them, YUM!!!! Will be making more as soon as I can get more cukes from my local pick your own place. Key things you’ve mentioned and I want to reinforce, cut the blossom end of the cucumbers off to avoid mushy pickles, use fresh cucumbers and store these in the fridge even if the lids seemed liked they sealed. Thank You!
Thanks, Jane – so glad that you like them!
So we made these with the intent of using them as canning pickles. After reading these comment I relieved that they need to go into the fridge after 2 days. We boiled the jars for 12 minutes each. Wondering if we put these in the fridge if you think they will be ok. Thanks
Hi Jed – I’m not entirely sure I understand your question. These pickles definitely cannot be canned – they will not be safe that way. They are meant to go into the fridge after 2 or 3 days. I actually don’t think they will spoil because you canned them, but I suspect that they will not be very crisp. I would keep them in the fridge though – not sure how this recipe differs from a standard canned dill, because we don’t care for them – I only make these. I would refrigerate them, and taste them after a week or two to see how they are.
Hi! I have everything I need to make these EXCEPT the really nice fernleaf dill. I had some planted this year and cut it not realizing it wouldn’t grow back. 🙁 Live and learn. Can I use the fresh cooking dill? Or should I add dill seed to it? I found another similar recipe to yours but it also had sugar in the brine. Have you tried that? It was a dill pickle recipe. I canned bread and butter last year and we are still eating them. YUM!
Any kind of fresh dill will work just fine – I would not add dill seed [assuming you are talking about dried dill seed]. I have not ever added sugar, and I am not sure what the result would be if you do. I also make refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles, which last a long time in the fridge: https://thecreeksidecook.com/bread-and-butter-pickles . The fact is, we just don’t care much for the texture of canned pickles, so I never make any. thanks for stopping by!
Made the refrigerator garlic dills. When I went to put them in the refrigerator, they were starting to get cloudy. Are they ok or should they be tossed? They were starting the 4th day on my counter before they were refrigerated.
I have left them out 4 days before [forgot to put them in when I was supposed to] and they were ok – there is no telling what caused the cloudiness you have which I don’t remember seeing. I would keep them in the fridge the two weeks, and then if they look and smell ok, we would probably eat them – anything sketchy looking or smelling and we would toss them. Honestly, that concentration of salt and vinegar should keep anything nasty from growing, but use common sense in deciding.
Hi, I live in South America and I’m not sure what Pickling Salt is called here or if they even have it, is there another type of salt that can be used instead?
Hi Vivian – I am not sure what kinds of salt you have available there. Avoid iodized or table slat if you can. Kosher salt would be fine, but there is a lot of variation in the size of the grains, so that can affect how much salt you are actually getting in there. Here in the US, pickling salt is a pretty uniform product, so it’s the same everywhere. I would see what kind of salt over people there use to make pickles and use that. Hope you can find something you like.
I love this recipe and cannot wait to try it. I was wondering though, could you can these pickles using water bath or pressure canning methods and keep them out of the refrigerator? I have limited space but tons of storage for my canned produce. Please let me know, I’d love to do this tonight! Thanks.
Hi Paul – these are really meant to be canned. I would look around for an actual canned dill pickle recipe, to see what you can find. These would definitely not work though.
My garlic has a blue/greenish hue on both of my jars this last batch. Normal?
Hi Carrie – it happens sometimes, due to the the presence of minerals in the water you use, using iodized salt, or a few other reasons. It is not a problem at all – perfectly safe to eat and in some parts of the world considered a delicacy.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe, how long will they last in the fridge?
Hi Robin – I recommend eating them within six months or so, but we have eaten then after a whole year and they were still really good.
made these a week and half ago. They are in the fridge but they look kinda cloudy. Almost like the garlic is melting…is this normal?
They do get cloudy sometimes, but usually are still good. If they smell good and the pickles are still crisp, they are most likely just fine.
I made this recipe a week ago & oh my gosh they turned out so delicious!!! Thanks for sharing!!! Great & easy recipe!!!
Does it make a difference if i use canning lids? I just made a batch and used jars with canning lids? I just dont want to ruin them! Thank you so very much for sharing your recipe!
Canning lids will work perfectly!
Love this recipe! I have a similar one here: http://theweeklypickle.com/week-1-dill-pickles-quickles/
They really are SO EASY – my friends never believe me 🙂
I just made these this morning I hope they are as good as you say only time will tell
Can you use the dried dill like in the spice section at the grocery store?
Hi Karen – You can, but whether you should is another question 🙂 It will definitely not be the same as fresh dill, and you can get fresh dill in just about any grocery store now, if not at a Farmer’s Market. They will be a thousand times tastier with fresh.
Hi! I found this recipe last summer and I feel the need to comment about how awesome this recipe is. I used it last year and again several weeks ago. They are the most wonderful tasting pickles EVER!!! I still have more cucumbers out in the garden and will be making another round in the coming weeks. The only draw back is not having enough room in your refrigerator!! I also handed out a bunch of jars to friends to make room and I’ve been getting texts from those who opened up their jars on the “open” date and they are all in love with these pickles!! This past round we used the freeze-dried dill (about a tablespoon or two per jar) and last year we used fresh sprigs of dill. Both times, they came out fantastic! Also, I throw in a couple of coriander seeds per jar (because I have it and need to use it). Anyway, just wanted to give you and this recipe a shout-out and say that we love this recipe and it will be used for years to come!! Thank you for posting it!!
Summer, thanks so much for coming back to tell me. I am SO glad to hear how much you like them. We didn’t buy a bigger fridge JUST so I could make more of these, but the extra space does tend to get filled with pickles!
Hi I was wondering if you could substitute zucchini for the cucumbers in this recipe? I’ve been looking for a good recipe for zucchini pickles and I loved the cucumber pickles I made with this recipe. Thanks.
I’ve never tried it Angie, but I would if that’s what I had. I’ve done green beans this way, and they were really good. Please come back and tell us how they came out!
I have just found and bought really small firm field cucumbers, never seen them so small. I am going to use your recipe. Because they are so small can I leave them whole? Last year, I made them in spears and round discs but would like them whole and wonder if I have to do anything different. Will they get really pickled if left whole?
So this is my first time trying something like this. I remember my grandma’s house was full of canned goods and I thought I’d give it a shot. I followed the recipe but then did some more reading about botulism and got freaked out. They are sitting in my fridge laughing at me right now I swear it…any insight would be helpful.
Also could I use this same recipe for Dilly Beans? Thanks.
@Paul, i was wondering the same thing!!! Should we be concerned??
Will the pickles stay crisp???
How lng can these saty in the fridge and still be good?
I too wanted to post about how spectacular these pickles are along with a question. I made 4 jars of these last summer and still have one jar left and they are still fantastic one year later! Crisp and delicious! I’m making another batch this week. My question is on the garlic. You mention slicing the garlic which I didn’t do last year. I put the entire clove in whole on the bottom and the top. Your photo looks as though the clove is whole and not sliced. Wondering if that’s what you did and if it makes a difference. They are very garlicky as they are! Just like I like! Great recipe!
Just had my first pickle del definitely will be making more in a few days have more cukes than I know what to do with already made a lot of bread and butter one and a couple batches in my crock thanks for the yummy recipe
I tried this recipe and left the red pepper flakes and garlic out of some of the jars thinking it would be too much flavor for my little ones and they don’t taste nearly as good as the other jars! ? Can I now 3 weeks out add garlic and red pepper to the other jars?
The canning jars I used sealed themselves. Btw Thanks.
I just made some of these for the first time. I’ve never liked pickles and last time I tried one I was just a kid. I thought, since I’m making them that may maybe I would like them. My husband likes pickles so if I don’t like them he’ll eat them. Lol Anyway, I made too much of the brine and have a lot left over. Can it be saved for future pickling? I know most brine can, if you refrigerate it.
Yes, Heather – I do it all the time!
I’ve been making these for a few months now but I was wondering if you could tell me why the pickles in this recipe will last for months in the fridge but when I read other recipes for refrigerator dill pickles, they say to only keep refrigerator pickles in the fridge for about 3 weeks.
I am not sure Georgi – I can only relate how it works for us. If though, as you stated in reply to another posters’ question, you are adding sugar, that could definitely make them spoil more quickly.
Made this recipe and although the initial bite is delicious and crunchy, the after taste is incredibly salty. The first batch we didn’t eat till about 4 weeks after placed on fridge. Any suggestions?? I have three more jars in the fridge and not sure if I should pour 1/2 the water out and put back water/sugar?? Thanks
I love this recipe. I’ve never made pickles before, but this was so simple to follow. I made eight jars 6 weeks ago and they are all gone. Everyone loved them so much, I’m on my second batch!
Hi Donalyn,
I want to try and make your pickles but can’t seem to find any pickling chokes. The smallest thing I have found yet are Persian cucumbers. Will these work?
Thank you
Hi Craig – I’ve not tried Persian cucumbers, but if that were all I could find, I would give it a try.
I’ve made these two years in a row! The first year they were so good but last year’s batch were not very crisp. What might I have done wrong? I want to get it right this year. Thank you!
Hi Letha – if you followed the recipe exactly both times, then it is probably the cucumbers. They need to be fresh for the best result.
Can I use plastic containers instead of glass jars?
I don’t like to use plastic containers for much of anything – I would not recommend it for these.
I made my first batch and I’m sad to say they are way too salty. I followed the recipe to the letter but they are pretty much inedible due to the saltiness. Is there anything I can do to get rid of some of the salt?
Not really, Cathy – they are rather salty, which is what preserves them for so long, without canning, and keeps them crisp.
Hi i am new to this gardening stuff. However this year i grew my own pickling cucumbers, my own dill and garlic and i tried your recipe today. Hoping it goes well. Love garlic dill pickles. Cant wait to try them.
This looks delicious Donalyn! Thank you for sharing. I have yet to add garlic to my dill pickles, and I don’t really have a good reason why.. I love garlic, I guess I’ve just stuck to the way I’ve been so used to doing things. Its time to switch it up! How much of a pressing garlic flavor ends up on the pickle once its all said and done? Thanks for your recipe!
These pickles rock! Made 6 pints a couple weeks ago and just cracked open a jar. Made spears and slices. Made one jar with an addition of banana peppers….very tasty! I will make these again. May cut back on the salt slightly in the brine on the next batch….
I just made these and I swear the whole process only took 30 minutes. I can’t wait to try them. Two weeks seems like forever right now. But I will wait, promise!
I tried this recipe, and after about three days, the liquid turned cloudy and a milky substance appeared at the bottom of each jar. What did I do wrong?!
Can I use the minced garlic in a jar instead?
My garlic I’snt ready in my garden.
Making these tonight.just did bread and butter pickles and pickled beets
I just made a batch and didn’t have the garlic that I thought I had! Is it ok with out the garlic?
Hi Donalyn!
I’m trying the recipe this weekend and I’m really looking forward to it!
I have one question for you – how strong is the dill flavor? I prefer a strong dill flavor (think Klausen pickles) over a strong cucumber flavor with a hint of dill.
I want to make sure that this recipe will be what I’m looking for. Any guidance?
Thanks!
I’ve been making these ALL summer and we are HOOKED! I have had a few jars go bad though and I’m trying to figure out what I did wrong. The pickles get really soft and start disintegrating and the liquid turns fizzy and super bitter. I’ve followed the recipe to the T. The only thing I can think of is that I save a bunch of cucumbers in the fridge until I can make a large batch. Should I be using fresh cucumbers off the vine only? I’m so sad throwing out 4-5 jars now! Thank you so much for the great recipe and any insight you can give!
We make your fridge hot peppers EVERY year and they are AWESOME! We finally got the cucumber plants this year to take, and our youngest son is super excited to be making his first batch of pickles! We do not have access to dill heads though, just the regular fresh dill at the grocery store. Are we able to use this? and if so, do we just put the whole stem in there versus chopping? I dont want to get that soapy taste from using too much. Any help would be great- I want his first batch to come out well 🙂 thanks so much!
I don’t have any fresh dill so can I use dried?
I don’t think the taste will be the same. You can get dill in the grocery store – it is usually the kind with just fronds and stems, but it will work just fine.
I just found your blog and would love to follow you. Unfortunately, the only way I have is through email posts. Is there a way I can do that? I cannot find a way, or maybe you do not have an email subscribe list.
Can I leave the peppercorns out please?
I do not like pepper at all.
When you pour the brine into the jars, is it still supposed to be hot, or do you let it cool? Sorry, the last time I saw anyone make refrigerator pickles, was my Grandma, and I was 5. I just don’t remember what she did as it was 42 years ago. Your recipe seems very close to Grandma’s as far as ingredients go. I have fresh dill in my herb garden this year and thought I’d make some pickles. Just need to go to the farmer’s market and get some pickling cucumbers.
I have used your recipe for the last three years, and it is just perfect. I have used fresh dill, dill seed, and this year, dill weed. I will see how the flavor comes out. I have made both pints and quart jars but prefer the quart. My son, early thirties, devours them along with many of his friends whom he supplies with a jar or two. I provide my neighbors and friends, and they seem to love them. So, thank you! Happy pickling. Rebecca in Kansas.
I made 18 quarts 2 years ago and they are still good and crispy in the fridge (only 2 left). Not too salty at any point in time. They all sealed using the snap lids on the counter and left them out 3 days. Making a batch again this year cuz we love them!
Absolutely delicious! First attempt at making dill pickles and I wouldn’t change a thing, only wish I had made more jars. I only had enough for 5 Qts. Hoping to get more cucs before end of season so I can make more! Not salty and super crispy – crunchy.
I bought some refrigerated deli dills for an open house. Waay too garlicky. Anything I can do to them?