Easy Dill Pickles Recipe
This easy dill pickles recipe uses a simple 3-ingredient vinegar brine and packs in flavor from fresh dill, garlic, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns. No canning required and ready to eat in 24 hours.
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This Easy Dill Pickles Recipe is the one I come back to every summer when farmers markets start being overrun with cucumbers. I’ve been making these dilly quick pickles for years, and the process couldn’t be simpler.
The brine is just three ingredients: water, white vinegar, and kosher salt. Equal parts water and vinegar, a tablespoon of salt, and a quick boil. That’s it. Fresh dill, garlic, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns go straight into the jar, then you pack it tight with cucumbers and pour the hot brine over the top. A few hours in the refrigerator and you have real, fresh, snappy dill pickles. They only get better after a few days.
No sugar, no canning equipment, no special skills required. These pickles are also Whole30 compatible, since there is no sugar added to the brine.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Dill Pickles Recipe
Most pickle recipes are more complicated than they need to be with fussy canning equipment, precise temperatures, long processing times. This one is genuinely easy. The brine comes together in minutes, the jars require no special equipment beyond a clean quart-size mason jar, and the whole process from start to refrigerator takes about 15 minutes of active time. The hardest part is waiting.
No sugar is added to this brine, which keeps the pickles sharp, tangy, and Whole30 compatible for anyone following that program. If you prefer a slightly sweeter pickle, a teaspoon of sugar can be added to the brine without changing anything else.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The ingredient list is short and pantry-friendly. Fresh dill is strongly preferred over dried — the flavor difference is significant, and during cucumber season fresh dill is usually easy to find at any farmers market. If you grow your own cucumbers, chances are fresh dill is nearby too. Pickling cucumbers are ideal for their thinner skin and crunchier flesh, though any small cucumber works well.
- Pickling cucumbers — 4 to 5 per jar, sliced into spears or rounds. Smaller cucumbers pack better and stay crunchier.
- White vinegar — The backbone of the brine. Don’t substitute apple cider vinegar here, as it changes the flavor profile significantly.
- Kosher salt — Not table salt. Kosher salt dissolves better and doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste.
- Fresh dill — About two tablespoons per jar. Fresh fronds or dill flowers both work nicely and add some beauty to the jar.
- Garlic — One smashed clove per jar. You also can cut the clove into slices for more exposed surface area.
- Mustard seeds and black peppercorns — One teaspoon each per jar. These are the classic quick pickle aromatics and add a subtle complexity to the brine.
How to Make Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Add the water, white vinegar, and kosher salt to a medium non-reactive saucepan and bring to a rolling boil to create the brine. While the brine heats, add the mustard seeds, black peppercorns, fresh dill, and smashed garlic clove to a clean quart jar.
Pack the cucumbers in tightly. The more packed the jar, the better the result. Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers, filling the jar all the way to the top. Make sure all the cucumbers are fully submerged.
Let the jar cool to room temperature, then screw on the lid and refrigerate. Flip the jar every hour or so during the first several hours to ensure even coverage. Pickles are ready in as little as 6 hours but are noticeably better after 24 hours. They’ll keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.
What to Pickle Beyond Cucumbers
The same brine works beautifully on almost any vegetable, so you can play around with garden-fresh produce once you master the simple brine technique.
- Radishes turn a stunning pink and develop a mellow, pleasantly tangy flavor.
- Carrots hold their crunch exceptionally well and are great for snacking.
- Thinly sliced red onion pickles quickly and is fantastic on tacos, grain bowls, or sandwiches.
- Beets work well, too. Just keep them in their own jar since the brine turns a deep purple and tends to dye everything it touches.
While you can add seasonings and mix up the vegetables, the key is always starting with the same simple 3-ingredient brine — equal parts water and white vinegar, plus kosher salt. That’s the foundation everything else builds on. The ratios double or triple easily for a larger batch, and this one-cup to one-cup mix will generally create enough brine to fill at least two quart jars packed tightly with vegetables.
Once you have that formula memorized, get creative and try this preservation method with whatever’s growing in your garden.
Easy Dill Pickles Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 pickling cucumbers, depending on size, sliced into spears or rounds
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
- 1 garlic clove, smashed or roughly chopped
Instructions
- Make the brine by adding water, white vinegar, and kosher salt to a medium non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, then remove from heat.
- Add mustard seeds, black peppercorns, fresh dill, and smashed garlic clove to a clean quart-size mason jar.
- Wash cucumbers and cut into spears or rounds. Pack tightly into the jar on top of the seasonings. The more packed the better.
- Carefully pour the hot brine over the cucumbers, filling the jar all the way to the top. Make sure all cucumbers are fully submerged.
- Let the jar come to room temperature. Screw on the lid and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. Flip the jar every hour or so during the first several hours for even coverage.
Notes
- This brine makes enough to fill one quart jar with a little extra. The ratios double or triple easily for a larger batch.
- Fresh dill is strongly preferred over dried, and the flavor difference is significant. During cucumber season fresh dill is usually easy to find at any farmers market.
- Pickling cucumbers are ideal for their thinner skin and crunchier flesh. Any small cucumber like Persian or similar works well.
- No sugar is added to this brine, keeping the pickles sharp, tangy, and Whole30 compatible. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar to the brine if you prefer a slightly sweeter pickle.
- The same brine and technique works with radishes, carrots, red onion, or many other vegetables.
- Pickles keep in the refrigerator for up to a month, if they last that long.
- Use a non-reactive saucepan like stainless steel, glass, or enamel to avoid off flavors in the brine.
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