Learn how to make pickles at home! This easy 8-ingredient recipe yields crisp, tangy dill pickles that are a delicious snack or sandwich topping.
The first time I tried this dill pickle recipe, I wondered why on earth I’d spent so many years buying pickles at the grocery store. Sure, store bought pickles can be tasty, but these little guys take dill pickles to a whole new level. They’re super easy to make (the refrigerator does most of the work for you!), and they taste awesome. They’re crisp, tangy, and refreshing, with an addictive garlic-dill flavor. Most often, I eat them as a snack right out of the fridge, but they’re delicious on sandwiches and veggie burgers too. If you like dill pickles, you’re going to love this recipe.
How to Make Pickles
My method for how to make pickles couldn’t be simpler! Here’s how it goes:
- First, slice the cucumbers. I usually make this recipe with Persian cucumbers, but small pickling cucumbers work here too. Slice them lengthwise into quarters to make spears, or thinly slice them horizontally to make dill pickle chips.
- Then, fill the jars. Divide the cucumbers among 4 8-ounce or 2 16-ounce jars, and add fresh dill, halved garlic cloves, mustard seeds, and peppercorns to each jar of pickles.
- Next, make the brine. I use a mix of water, white vinegar, sugar, and salt. If you’re not a sweet pickle person, don’t worry! The sugar doesn’t actually make the refrigerator pickles sweet. Instead, it balances the pungent vinegar and salt to create an irresistible sour pickle flavor. Heat the brine on the stove until the sugar and salt dissolve and pour it over the jarred cucumbers. Then, set the jars aside to cool to room temperature.
- Finally, chill! This is the hard part! These guys aren’t ready right away – they need some time in the fridge to soak up the brine and become really flavorful. Dill pickle chips will be ready in 24 hours, while spears will take at least 48. They’ll keep in the fridge for several weeks, and they get better as time goes on. For the best flavor, wait about 5 days.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Dill Pickle Recipe Serving Suggestions
These homemade pickles taste great on sandwiches, burgers, and more! Pile dill pickle chips onto veggie burgers, mushroom burgers, cauliflower po’ boys, black bean burgers, or BBQ jackfruit sandwiches at your next cookout. Alternatively, serve spears alongside one of these sandwiches for a deli-style lunch:
- Caprese Sandwich
- Avocado Sandwich
- Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Egg Salad Sandwich or Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich
If you’re not in the mood for a sandwich, try adding your refrigerator pickles to a salad. I love to dice them and add them to my Easy Macaroni Salad.
Last but not least, they’re delicious on their own! Enjoy them straight out of the fridge for a tangy, refreshing snack.
What are the best jars for pickling?
Ball Mason jars are a classic option for pickling. I love the brand’s 16-ounce jars, especially because you can get them in a pack of 12 for under $16 at Target. That’s just under $1.30 a jar! They’re dishwasher-safe and completely airtight, which is why they’re my go-to jars for making pickles like these.
More Favorite Homemade Pickles
If you love this dill pickle recipe, try making pickled jalapeños, pickled red onions, or banh mi pickles next!
Dill Pickles
Equipment
- 8-Ounce Weck Jars (love these for canning!)
Ingredients
- 12 to 14 Persian cucumbers or 8 to 10 pickling cucumbers
- 4 garlic cloves, halved
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons peppercorns
- Fresh dill sprigs, a few per jar
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
Instructions
- To make dill pickle spears, slice the cucumbers lengthwise into quarters. To make dill pickle chips, thinly slice them horizontally.
- Heat the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly and pour over the cucumbers. Set aside to cool to room temperature, then store the pickles in the fridge.
- Pickle spears will be lightly pickled in 2 days, but their best flavor will start to develop around day 5 or 6. Pickle chips will be lightly pickled in 1 day, and will become more flavorful every day after that. Store in the fridge for several weeks.
In your dill pickle recipe, you don’t mention covering the jar before refrigerating. Should they be covered? Is so, loosely covered or tightly sealed?
Way too sweet. Description mentioned tangy, the sugar takes over the flavor profile. This ended up tasting like hot dog relish, that sort of sweet. I don’t understand the obsession with excessive amounts of sugar in recipes.
Hi there!
I’m looking to make some pickles and really love the look of this recipe, and wanted to know if there was an average weight of the pickling cucumbers? I ask because I have slicing cucumbers out the wazoo and thought I could slice them for dill pickle chips, but wasn’t sure how to compare. Could you help?
IMO This is the perfect ratio of vinegar/water/salt and sugar! Everyone has loved them. I made some chili lime relish and I just added some chili lime seasoning to your formula which turned out great as well.
A little sweet – maybe half the sugar? Also: I would love to know how to can them so they’re shelf-stable.
Submerge the jars with canning lids on in a pot full of water making sure the water is 1 inch above the jars. Boil 5-10 minutes. Let cool check ur seals
This is not safe and will not prevent botulism. Follow proper canning techniques for low acid foods like cucumbers. The processing time is minimally 10 mins (for pints) and 15 mins (for quarts) at a rolling boil when you’re at sea level. More time is added for higher elevations.
Been making this recipe for couple of years now and everyone I give them to absolutely loves them!!❤️
Slightly altered:
I did not heat my brine so the pickles did not lose any crunch. I also used old world style whole mustard in a jar as my local store did not have dry mustard seeds. I also used minced garlic instead of whole garlic cloves. The pickles turned out amazing! They have an ever so slight sweetness to them, which I love. My wife in the other hand does not like them so sweet, so next time I will only use half the sugar.
I love the flavor and ease of preparation. I am confused about how to have a quart of liquid (2 cups of water and 2 cups of vinegar) in a quart jar and still have room for cucumbers. I used the excess liquid and made another small jar. What did I not understand? Or is the recipe incorrect?
Hi Lainy, you’re right—you’ll end up with a little extra brine. Sorry for the confusion!
This recipe is great I made several batches. A person from NFLD suggested i add a grape leaf for crispness and it works. And they taste perfect. Second batch I added hot pepper flakes. My family were surprised.
They say bay leaf, raspberry leaf or oak leaf also works. Anything with tannin. I used raspberry leaves—but. I got to be careful, as the leaves have thorns on the spines.
The amount of brine does not fully cover the pickles inside of the four mason jars. Should I make more Brian or is it OK that they’re not fully immersed?
Hi Marybeth, I would make more brine in that case—they should be fully immersed!
I’m new to this kind of stuff, do I have to heat the jars before adding pickles and brine? Or just heat the brine?
Thanks
Hi Steph, since these are refrigerator pickles (not shelf stable), we just heat the brine!
I want to make this recipe but where I live I can’t find regular white vinegar, my options are concentrated white vinegar for cleaning (literally stocked in the cleaning products isle) and then other vinegars like white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, balsamic, etc. can you recommend which one might be a good substitute? Or shall I try diluting the concentrated vinegar? Thanks, dill pickles don’t exist here and I have a bad craving.
Do you have rice vinegar? I really like using that for pickles
Nice recipe! We also make homemade pickles
These turned out amazing! Is there a way to can them to make them shelf stable?
Love this recipe! Will this recipe also work on canning?
Hello! Is there a way to can them so they can be stored ambient instead of keeping them all in the fridge? Thank you!
I would like to can these. Have you ever done that instead of storing in the fridge?
Can you can these rather than refrigerate?
Hello. Good recipe. Here where I live no pickle cucumbers to be found so I utilized the smallest firmest regular cucumbers I could find. Did not have fresh dill so I used the dried dill I hade in me spice box. After six days in the refrigerator I sampled the product. So good! I added more garlic than is specified in the recipe and the out come is lovely. I added the brine at very lukewarm
Can I peel the cukes? Some of mine are bitter, but the skin is the most bitter part.
Hi Caren, yes! You can peel them.