Homemade Dill Pickle Recipe

Learn how to make pickles using this quick and easy Homemade Dill Pickle Recipe. In about one hour, you can make them with a handful of affordable ingredients. They taste even better than store-bought pickles and are the best condiment for sandwiches, salads, burgers, and more. 

When I’m treating myself to a fully loaded sandwich or a juicy burger, nothing quite takes it up a notch like a sour, crisp, and perfectly tart pickle. And I’m not talking about the store-bought kind… As a self-proclaimed pickle fiend, I always need jars of homemade mason jar pickles in my fridge. That’s why I always make these Dill and Garlic Pickles and homemade bread and butter pickles from scratch. I can never get enough!

Homemade Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Dill pickles are easy to make from scratch by marinating pickling cucumbers and fresh dill in a tart and tangy brine made from vinegar, water, garlic, and salt. They can be sliced into spears, circles, or slices, or kept whole, depending on how you plan on using the pickles. After soaking in the brine, the dill pickles are ready to be used as a topping or add-in for any dish with a fresh and sour flavor.

If you’re new to pickling and the process sounds intimidating, don’t worry. My refrigerator dill pickles only require 10 minutes of hands-on work and can be eaten the same day they’re made. Try it once and I know you’ll be pickling even more vegetables, like beets and cauliflower, in no time.

The easy pickle brine is simmered on the stove and poured over the cucumbers and fresh dill in their jars to make these mason jar pickles. The brine is left to cool to room temperature before the pickles are ready to be eaten. From grilled cheeseburgers to egg salad, there are endless ways to enjoy your homemade dill pickles.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Cucumbers – Pickling cucumbers are smaller and much firmer than English cucumbers and other everyday varieties. You can typically find different varieties of pickling cucumbers, like Kirby, Persian, Boston, and Bush, in grocery stores or farmers’ markets throughout the summer. If you can’t find pickling cucumber varieties, you can slice a regular or hothouse cucumber into spears or chips.
• Dill — The dill must be fresh—no exceptions. To enhance the dill flavors, add up to 2 teaspoons of dill seeds to the brine.
• Water – I used a 3-to-1 mix of water and vinegar for the dill pickle brine.
• Vinegar – I made the pickle brine with white distilled vinegar because it gives the pickles an even brighter and tangier flavor. You can also use apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or rice vinegar. The flavor will differ slightly from these alternatives, but it will still be good.
• Garlic – While not always used in dill pickle recipes, I love the savory bite that fresh garlic cloves add.
• Seasonings – Red pepper flakes add enough heat to make the brine and pickles complex. If you don’t want the pickles spicy, you can omit them from the recipe.
• Salt — I recommend using sea or kosher salt to give the pickles a clean, salty flavor. Do not use table salt or any variety of salt that contains iodine, or else the brine will be cloudy, and the pickles will not look as vibrant.

How to Make The Best Homemade Dill Pickles

Slice: I start by slicing the pickling cucumbers into my desired shape.

Assemble: I pack the cucumbers into sterilized mason jars along with 2 sprigs of fresh dill.

Brine: In a large pot, I boil the water, vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt until the salt dissolves.

Pickle: I pour the brine over the cucumbers in the jars until they’re completely covered.

Cool: I wait for the brine to cool before sealing the jar lids on top and labeling each one with the date.

Finish: I place the jars of pickles in the fridge until I’m ready to eat.

Serving Suggestions

Technically, you can eat your homemade dill pickles as soon as the brine has cooled, but for the best results, refrigerate them for 3 to 5 days first. This is when the brine works its magic, turning those cucumbers into tart and crisp dill pickles no one will be able to resist!

I can eat a whole jar of homemade pickles as a snack. Still, when I’m able to resist, I like using them as a topping on smash burgers and sloppy joes, as an add-in for tuna macaroni salad and egg salad, and as a mix-in in sauces, like homemade tartar sauce and burger sauce.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: You can make the pickles at least 1 hour before serving. Just make sure the brine has cooled to room temperature before serving.

How to Store: Store the pickles in sealed mason jars in the refrigerator. They’ll stay crisp and flavorful for up to six weeks.

More Quick Pickled Recipes

• Pickled Radishes
• Pickled Green Beans
• Pickled Carrots
• Pickled Jalapeños
• Pickled Red Onions