The last few years, I have finally gotten growing cucumbers down to a science. Ever since we got some trees removed, the front yard gets plenty of sun now, so my yields overall have improved. With cucumbers specifically, I have gotten better at remembering to continually harvest, so that the plant keeps producing. What that means, is that I now have cucumbers coming out of my ears! I love garlic dill pickles and have tried several pickle making techniques; canning and fermenting among them. In my experience, the crispiest, tastiest pickles have been the refrigerator pickles I’ve made.
The only ingredients you need to make delicious garlic dill refrigerator pickles are cucumbers, garlic, dill, peppercorns, salt, water, and white vinegar. You can make these with cider vinegar instead, but I have tried both and found that cider vinegar can be a bit too tangy and overpowering for this recipe, so I prefer to use white vinegar.
The only downside to refrigerator pickles is that they won’t keep as long as canned pickles (a couple of months vs. a year), but I think the trade off for flavor and crispiness is worth it. This recipe makes one quart, but you can make as many as you like! I usually make 2-3 at a time. In this house, we can easily go through a couple of jars WAY before they start to go bad. Any beyond that are great for sharing.
- 2-3 medium pickling cucumbers (approx. 5" in length), quartered lengthwise- If smaller just use more!
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 tablespoon pickling salt
- 1 tablespoon peppercorns
- 3-5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 5-7 fresh dill sprigs and flowers
- Combine white vinegar, filtered water, and pickling salt in a clean quart jar. Stir to combine.
- Next, pack the cucumbers and dill into the jar.
- Add garlic and peppercorns.
- Put the lid on the jar securely and then shake gently to let the garlic, and peppercorns distribute throughout the jar.
- Let sit in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks before eating for best flavor!
Best pickle recipe ever! And so easy. I used this recipe to pickle beets and they were delicious after only 4 days.
Thank you!
Just tried the recipe for refrigerator garlic dills,absolutely the best I have made and so simple,glad you mentioned using the white vinegar instead of the apple cider vinegar Thanks
Hi Richard! We definitely did the “Pepsi challenge” between the two and the white vinegar was the clear winner. Glad you tried it and enjoyed it! It’s still our go to refrigerator pickle recipe.