Description
A no boil refrigerator pickle recipe that is ready in 5 minutes or less. No fuss, simple pantry ingredients, and flavoured how you like!
Ingredients
- 1 quart jar (32 oz or 1 litre)
- 1 tbsp sea salt or kosher salt (see notes for omitting)
- 1 tsp cane sugar (see notes for omitting)
- 2/3 cup vinegar (white, rice, apple cider, white wine or a combination)
- 2/3 cup hot water
- 6 mini cucumbers (14 oz, see notes for varieties)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- Sprigs of dill
*Fresh ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Start with a sterilized 32 oz jar. (If using smaller or larger jars a good rule of thumb is to keep the vinegar to water ratio equal. You can safely quick pickle with slightly less vinegar to water, just keep in mind that the pickles might only last for 2-3 weeks in the fridge instead of 1-3 months).
- Add the salt, sugar, vinegar, and hot water to the jar and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.
- Wash and slice your cucumbers into spears or rounds.
- Add the cucumbers, garlic, peppercorns and dill to the jar. (You can omit extra spices and herbs or add even more. Mustard seeds, chili flakes, and coriander seeds are great additions).
- Top off the jar with extra vinegar or cold water to fully submerge the cucumbers.
- Secure a tight fitting lid and refrigerate.
- Ideally refrigerate for 1 day before enjoying so the cucumbers have time to pickle. Best enjoyed within 2-3 weeks but may last for a month or more. Always ensure that a clean fork is used to pull the pickles out so the jar stays free of contaminants.
Notes
Approximate Cost: $3.75 Canadian vs. roughly $5.50 for store-bought pickles. This is a great way to quickly preserve a small garden harvest!
I personally enjoy a combination of white distilled vinegar and apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar for a less intense pickle. Using all white distilled vinegar will produce a sharp, crisp, and classic pickle. Adding some apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, or white wine vinegar will soften the flavour a little bit and add a touch of sweetness.
Most mini cucumbers I find in my stores are Persian or Lebanese-style cucumbers. Kirby cucumbers are small, have bumpy skin, and are great for pickling as well. You can make refrigerator pickles with english cucumbers to preserve them but know that they will get softer than a crisp pickling cucumber.
You can safely quick pickle cucumbers with just vinegar and water. Salt helps to draw moisture out of the cucumbers and keep them more crisp in addition to balancing the sharpness of the vinegar. Sugar also acts to balance the flavour but both the sugar and salt can be omitted if you prefer.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Thrifty How-Tos
- Method: No-Boil
- Cuisine: Jewish