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!
In fact, they're so simple, fast and good that I haven't bought pickles for years. I just make these instead!
Jump to:
- 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
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.
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.
Cut the cucumbers into spears or round slices.
Pack the cucumbers into 2 pint-sized mason jars. Add garlic, dill, mustard seed and black peppercorns to each jar.
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.
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!
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
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.
Heather says
They were very easy to make, however I do not like any sweetness to my pickles and I found even cutting sugar in half gives it a sweetness that should not happen with Dill pickles. They aren't quite sweet pickles but definitely not the full sour of a dill. Just thought I'd share that in case others are like me and don't like any sweetness with their pickles. I'm sure if you like sweet pickles these will taste good.
Michelle says
Hi, Heather! Thanks for your feedback. Since you don't like any sweetness in your pickles, perhaps a recipe without sugar would have been a better option for you to try. I actually find these pickles to be plenty sour and only just slightly sweet; I think the sugar balances out the sour very nicely. That being said, the sugar in this recipe can be adjusted or omitted to suit one's own personal tastes.
Louella Jacobs says
Can you use freeze dried garlic instead of fresh garlic?
Michelle says
Hi, Louella! Although I haven't tried that, I suppose you could. I'm just not sure if or how the flavor might be affected. If you try it, please let us know how it works out!
Angie says
These pickles were delicious. My granddaughters ate the whole jar. They are a little sweet, but yet you can taste the dill.
Michelle says
Thank you, Angie...so happy to hear that you and your granddaughters enjoyed the pickles!
Cyndi says
Admitted I tried one within minutes it's the best refrigerator pickle recipe yet
Michelle says
Thanks, Cyndi...so happy you like them!
Laura says
I love this recipe and would like to can some to have over the winter. Is it possible to can these?
Michelle says
Hey, Laura! Thanks for the 5-star rating! I am not a canner, and so I can't say whether or not this recipe would be appropriate for canning (I don't know if there are certain ingredients or ingredient ratios required for canning, etc.). Sorry! Plus, I'm not sure how canning would affect the flavor and texture of the pickles.
Laura says
I made the pickles! Everyone loves them! They are great on burgers or just for snacking. I’ve shared the recipe with family a they like them also. Thank you for great tasting easy recipe!
Michelle says
Thanks, Laura...so happy to hear that the pickles were a hit!
Roxanne says
I’m anxious to try this recipe! Got my cucumbers ready! I was wondering if this recipe would be good for pickled okra? There is usually an abundance of okra in my area. Thank you!
Michelle says
Hi, Roxanne! So happy you are going to try the pickles, and I would love for you to come back and let me know how it went! As far as okra, that is a vegetable I don't work with very often, so I am not sure how it would work (sorry!).
Nichole says
@Roxanne, yes! Okra works great! I love pickled okra
dottie says
Quick very tasty recipe. Family fave!
Michelle says
Thank you, Dottie...so happy to hear that you and your family enjoy the pickles!
Debbie says
@Michelle,
It's my favorite pickle recipe! I make a hot pepper variation by just adding peppers - dried, fresh or both. I also make a horseradish flavor with fresh horseradish, I usually omit the dill on horseradish ones but have a new jar with he and dill so we'll see how the flavors mix together. Just sitting here waiting for my brine to boil..
Michelle says
Thank you, Debbie...so happy to hear it's your favorite, and your variations sound delicious (I'm especially intrigued by the horseradish one)!
Heather says
Hi there! If I am out of whole peppercorns would it be ok to just use pepper?
Michelle says
Hi, Heather...Thanks for the question! Yes, that would be fine (or you can just omit the pepper altogether). Let me know how it goes!
Kim says
Getting ready to make these shortly, how much dill seed would you recommend? Thanks!
Michelle says
Hey, Kim! I haven't ever used dill seed...only dried dill (dill weed) if I can't get fresh. So I'm not sure how the flavor of dill seed would differ. When I use dried dill weed, I use ½ teaspoon in each jar. You could maybe start there with the dill seed, but you can always add as much or as little as you want to suit your own personal tastes. Let me know how it goes!
Fraser says
I'm making all different kinds using your recipe.
Have some hot ones some with ginger and zucchini and onions.
Hoping their going to go good aside dish with meals.
I'll let you know how they turn out.
Michelle says
Thanks, Fraser! I like making different variations of these pickles too and would love to hear how yours turn out!
Catherine says
We love this recipe! My sister is a foodie and just told me that these are the best pickles she ever tasted 🥰
Michelle says
Thank you so much, Catherine...what an awesome compliment! I'm thrilled that both you and your sister loved the pickles!
Kylea Sherley says
I have mason jars, but I do not have the lids. Can I cover it another way or not cover it at all?
Michelle says
Hi, Kylea! I don't recommend not covering them (for sanitary reasons, to avoid spillage and picking up off flavors/odors from other items in the fridge, etc.). I'm not sure if you meant that you don't have the plastic lids like I show in the pictures or just no lids at all, but if you have the regular metal lids and rings, use those. If you don't have any lids at all, perhaps you could use some plastic wrap with a rubber band? Also, you don't have to use mason jars. You can use any other pint-sized containers with lids (or you could even use a quart-sized container and put all the pickles in one container instead of 2). Hope that helps!
Melody says
@Michelle,
What is ironic is that we LOVE Bubbies pickles- so I just started making yours and I am using the Bubbies jars! Saving me about $8 a jar!
Michelle says
Ha! That's awesome, Melody...thanks!
Chrissy says
Can I omit the sugar for no sweetness or do they not even taste sweet? I like a sour dill pickle.
Michelle says
Hi, Chrissy! To me, they are just very slightly sweet, and they are still quite sour. The sugar just balances out that sharpness of the vinegar a bit. That being said, although I have never done it, you could make them without the sugar and see how you like the flavor. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Becky Ann says
I cut the sugar too!
dottie says
@Michelle, I do not use cane sugar ever, but I did use coconut sugar. The brine is a little tawny in color but still delicious!
Michelle says
Hey, Dottie! Thanks for sharing this with us...that is good to know and will be helpful to readers!
Cheryl says
I made them.
Michelle says
Thank you, Cheryl!
Maria says
Can I omit the mustard seed or replace it with anything ?:)
Michelle says
Hi, Maria! Sure, you can omit the mustard seeds. The flavor will just be a little bit different. As far as replacing them, if it's that you're out of them, maybe some pickling spice would work (which usually has some in there). If it's that you'd rather not use them, I'm honestly not sure what I would replace them with, so I would probably just leave them out.