These quick and easy homemade Garlic and Dill 24-Hour Refrigerator Pickles are fresh, crisp, tangy with a hint of sweet, and packed with flavor. And the best part is that there's no canning required!

2 jars of garlic and dill 24-hour refrigerator pickles, one that is pickle spears, the other slices, with a cucumber, fresh dill, and garlic in the background

In fact, they're so simple, fast and good that I haven't bought pickles for years. I just make these instead!

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Why You'll Love This Recipe
What's the Difference Between Refrigerator and Canned Pickles?
Ingredients & Notes
Special Equipment Needed
Substitutions & Variations
What Kind of Cucumbers to Use
How to Make Garlic and Dill 24-Hour Refrigerator Pickles:
Recipe Tips
Storage
More Refrigerator Pickle Recipes to Try
📋Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Quick and easy to make. About 15 minutes of hands-on prep time is all you need, then into the fridge they go. And they're ready to eat in 24 hours.
No canning required. They're stored in the refrigerator instead.
8 simple ingredients.
Full of flavor. Garlicky, dilly, vinegary with a hint of sweet.
Fresh, crisp and crunchy texture. No more limp, soggy pickles.
A great way to use garden or farmer's market cucumbers. But you can make them any time of the year with store-bought cucumbers.

Serve these garlic-dill pickles (we like to call them quickles) alongside or on a sandwich, wrap or burger, use them in recipes that call for pickles, or enjoy them as a snack!

What's the Difference Between Refrigerator and Canned Pickles?

Refrigerator pickles are not shelf-stable and must always be stored in the refrigerator. They are intended to be enjoyed in a relatively short period of time, and they're more fresh-flavored, tangy and crisp.

Canned pickles are shelf-stable at room temperature for an extended period of time before they are opened. They are processed using a hot water bath or pressure canner. The flavor is often more developed and the texture softer.

Important Note: This refrigerator pickle recipe is not intended for and cannot be used for canning. For canned pickles, you must use a recipe that is specifically written for canning.

Ingredients & Notes

All of the ingredients needed to make garlic and dill 24 hour refrigerator pickles.

Note: Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Cucumbers - any kind; I used regular slicing cucumbers
Garlic (fresh) - crush each clove so it releases all of that great flavor
Mustard seeds - find these in the spice aisle at the grocery store
Black peppercorns
Fresh dill - fresh is best, but I've had great results using dried dill when fresh isn't available (see Substitutions below)
White distilled vinegar - 5% acidity minimum
Water
Sugar - white granulated; these pickles aren't sweet, but the addition of sugar balances out some of the sour from the vinegar
Kosher salt

Special Equipment Needed

2 pint-sized mason jars (heat-safe) with lids

Substitutions & Variations

Dried dill weed can be used instead of fresh (but you'll use a lesser amount, about ½ teaspoon per jar). Or you can use freeze-dried dill; this is my favorite, as it tastes closer to fresh, and you can use the same amount as fresh.
You can use other types of vinegar, such as apple cider vinegar, as long as the acidity is at least 5%.
For spicy refrigerator pickles: add some crushed red pepper flakes to the jars.
For sweet refrigerator pickles: increase the amount of sugar in the brine.
Got some zucchini to use up? They make excellent pickles as well. I suggest using smaller ones, as they have thinner skin and less seeds.

fingers pulling a pickle spear out of a jar of garlic and dill 24-hour refrigerator pickles

What Kind of Cucumbers to Use

You can really use any kind of cucumber to make these pickles. Ideally, pickling cucumbers, such as Kirby, are the best to use because they have thinner skin, less seeds, a crunchy texture, and (usually) no waxy coating.

English cucumbers are another good option (also called hothouse or seedless cucumbers). They also have thinner skin, less seeds and no wax coating. Look for the the longer, thinner cucumbers that are individually wrapped in plastic.

Since these types of cucumbers may not always be available, I wrote this recipe to use the regular slicing cucumbers that are most commonly found in grocery stores. Select smaller ones which are less likely to have a lot of seeds.

Whichever type you use, make sure they are super fresh!

How to Make Garlic and Dill 24-Hour Refrigerator Pickles:

Note: This is just a quick overview of the steps. For the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions, please go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

a collage of 2 images; the first is of cucumber cut into spears, and the second is of cucumber cut into round slices.

Cut the cucumbers into spears or round slices.

a collage of 2 images, the first is of cucumbers packed into 2 mason jars, and the second shows garlic, dill, peppercorns and mustard seeds added to the jars.

Pack the cucumbers into 2 pint-sized mason jars. Add garlic, dill, mustard seed and black peppercorns to each jar.

a collage of 2 images, the first is of the brine being prepared in a pot on the stove, and the second is of the brine being poured into one of the jars of cucumbers.

Make the brine: In a medium pot, bring vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Pour the brine into the jars, covering the cucumbers.

a collage of 2 images; the first is of the 2 filled jars without lids, and the second is of the 2 full jars with lids.

Cool for 30 minutes with the lids off. Then put the lids on the jars and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. Keep the pickles stored in the fridge.

Recipe Tips

Try to select cucumbers that are all roughly the same size so that the pickle slices or spears will all be about the same size and absorb the brine equally.
Use heat-safe mason jars, and make sure they are not cold. Since we will be adding hot brine, the jars could break if they are too cold and there is a fast and drastic temperature change.
- If needed, fill the jars with hot water for a few minutes to warm them up.
- Or you can allow the brine to cool before adding it to the cucumbers. It may just take a little longer for the flavor to develop.
Cover the cucumbers completely with the brine, as uncovered cucumbers will spoil faster.
- If, once you start eating the pickles, the brine doesn't fully cover the remaining pickles (this happens with the long spears), you can add equal amounts of vinegar and cold water to cover them to help them last longer. Or try turning the jar on its side, as the brine may then cover them.
Sometimes garlic will turn a bluish color when pickled; this is normal and there isn't anything wrong with the garlic. The blue color is simply the result of a chemical reaction between the allicin in the garlic and the acid in the vinegar.
- Using iodized salt can contribute to the blue color change, which is why I use and recommend kosher salt, which does not contain iodine.
These pickles are ready to eat and delicious after 24 hours, and the garlicky dill flavor will get even more intense over time!

2 jars of garlic and dill 24-hour refrigerator pickles with a jar lid and fork on the side

Storage

Since these pickles are not canned, they are not shelf-stable and must always be stored in the refrigerator. They should last for up to 3 to 4 weeks. They will get softer and the flavor will get stronger the longer they sit.

I hope you try this Garlic and Dill 24-Hour Refrigerator Pickles recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!

More Refrigerator Pickle Recipes to Try

Need a small batch of pickles in a real hurry? Try my 30-Minute Quick Pickles.
Refrigerator Pickled Beets turn canned beets into a delicious, sweet and tangy side dish.
Transform carrot sticks into a garlicky, vinegary and spicy snack with my Refrigerator Pickled Carrots.
Refrigerator Pickled Onions add a zesty and colorful crunch to burgers, sandwiches, salads, tacos, and more!

📋Recipe

Garlic and Dill 24-Hour Refrigerator Pickles

These quick and easy homemade garlic and dill 24-hour refrigerator pickles are freah, crisp, tangy with a hint of sweet, and packed with flavor. And the best part is that there's no canning required!

4.38 from 8 votes

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Author: Michelle / Now Cook This!

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 5

Cooling & Chilling Time: 1 30

Total Time: 1 50

Servings: 2 pints (about 32 spears or 32 round slices)

Estimated Calories: 11

Ingredients

2 medium cucumbers, about 8 to 9 inches long each, washed and ends trimmed off
2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, divided
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, divided
2 heaping teaspoons fresh chopped dill, divided
1 cup white distilled vinegar, 5% acidity minimum
1 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Special Equipment

2 pint-sized mason jars (heat-safe) with lids

Instructions

Slice the cucumbers.
To make spears, cut each cucumber in half crosswise and then cut each half into 8 spears that are about 3 to 4 inches long (for a total of 32 spears; 16 per jar)
If making round slices, cut each cucumber into 16 slices, each about ¼ inch thick (for a total of 32 rounds; 16 per jar).
Tightly pack the cucumbers into the jars.
Add one clove of garlic to each jar, tucking it down into the cucumbers.
Add ½ teaspoon of the mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon of the peppercorns, and 1 teaspoon of the dill to each jar.
Place the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently until the sugar and salt have completely dissolved.
Pour the hot brine into the jars, making sure to cover the cucumbers completely (uncovered cucumbers can spoil faster; since we are not canning, you can fill the jars right to the top).
Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature (this will take about 30 minutes).
Place the lids on the jars and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving (the flavor will intensify the longer the sit in the fridge).

Notes

These pickles are not shelf-stable, and so they must be kept stored in the refrigerator; they will last up to 3 to 4 weeks (note that they will get a bit softer the longer they sit).
Any kind of cucumber can be used. Pickling cucumbers, such as Kirby, are ideal because they have thinner skin, less seeds and a crunchy texture. English cucumbers (aka hothouse or seedless cucumbers) are another good choice. However, since these varieties may not always be available, I wrote the recipe to use regular slicing cucumbers, which you can always find.
If you can't get fresh dill, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of dried dill weed (½ teaspoon in each jar). Or you can use freeze-dried dill from the produce section, which is my favorite (and you can use the same amount as fresh).
Make sure the mason jars are not cold. Since we are adding hot brine, a sudden and drastic temperature change could cause them to break. If needed, fill them with hot water for a few minutes to warm them up before using.
If, once you start eating the pickles, the brine doesn't fully cover the remaining pickles (this happens with the long spears), you can add equal amounts of vinegar and cold water to cover them to help them last longer. Or try turning the jar on its side, as the brine may then cover them.
Sometimes garlic will turn a bluish color when pickled; this is normal and there isn't anything wrong with the garlic. It's simply the result of a chemical reaction between the allicin in the garlic and the acid in the vinegar. Using kosher salt instead of iodized salt can help reduce or prevent this.
This refrigerator pickle recipe is not intended for and cannot be used for canning. For canned pickles, you must use a recipe that is specifically written for canning.
Estimated calories shown are for one spear or slice.

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