• Home
  • Recipes
    • Search All Recipes
    • Recipe Round-Ups
    • Weekly Meal Plans
  • More
    • About
    • Work With Me!
    • Lifestyle
    • Outside the Kitchen
    • Kitchen Tips & Gifts
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Framed Cooks

My life. One recipe at a time.

Want every new recipe delivered right to your email inbox?

Sign Me Up!
Recipes » Easy Homemade Dill Pickles

Easy Homemade Dill Pickles

By Kate Morgan Jackson

Jump to Recipe

Turn cucumbers into easy homemade dill pickles in 48 hours…with no canning! This fun recipe for easy refrigerator pickles happens all in the fridge.  Let’s get to pickling!

easy refrigerator pickles

PIN this recipe for Easy Homemade Dill Pickles now… So you can make it later!

I don’t know what came over me one day, but I suddenly got this inescapable urge to make my own pickles.

Now mind you, I have never pickled, canned or preserved anything in my life.  My beloved collection of mason jars have been used exclusively for shaking up salad dressing and scrambled eggs, and for serving brownie cake with ice cream.

But somewhere along the line I figured out that there was such a thing as refrigerator pickles…no boiling or canning or other intimidating things involved…and I was in!

First up: get me some Kirby cucumbers.

What are kirby cucumbers?

kirby cucumbers for pickling

There are all kinds of different cucumbers out there, from the common garden cucumber that you are probably most familiar with, to seedless English cucumbers, and lots more.

The Kirby cucumber is a short, dense, bumpy cucumber that is perfect for making pickles because of its size and texture. They are pretty easy to find in the supermarket (or even better, your local farmer’s market) and sometimes they will actually be named pickling cucumbers.

ingredients needed to make easy homemade dill pickles!

  • Kirby Cucumbers
  • White Vinegar
  • Sugar
  • Kosher Salt
  • Mustard Seeds
  • Hot Water
  • Fresh Dill
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Garlic

here’s how to make easy homemade dill pickles!

STEP 1: Wash off your kirby cukes and cut them into halves and quarters.  

STEP 2: Mix up a combo of white vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes and hot water.  

STEP 3: While the vinegar mixture is cooling, put your cut cucumbers into a large mixing bowl and toss them with some crushed garlic and lots and lots of fresh dill.

STEP 4: When the vinegar mixture is cooled off, pour it over the cucumber dill mixture until the cukes are underwater (or should I say, under-brine?  Brine is what us pickle-makers call the vinegar stuff).  Put a plate on top of the cukes to make sure they stayed obediently submerged, cover the whole thing with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.

STEP 5: Wait 48 long hours.  The first time I made these pickles, periodically I would peek into the refrigerator to see what was happening, which looked like not too much.  The bowl of cucumbers looked exactly the same every time I peeked. But secretly, they were turning into pickles.

STEP 6: Finally at the end of the second day, take one out of the bowl and have a bite.  And…it will be a PICKLE!

homemade dill pickles

A tart, spicy, crunchy, slightly garlicky, totally miraculous pickle!  That you have made yourself!

And as the days went by, they only get better – spicier and more and more pickle-ish.   These pickles will keep several weeks in the fridge. Once I go past the 48 hour mark, I keep them in a covered glass storage jar in the brine – takes up less fridge space that way!

Now, I’ve made my own butter, my own ricotta cheese, my own applesauce…but honestly, nothing has ever made me as ridiculously excited as making my own pickles.

Which is good, because incomprehensibly, the Southern husband is not a big pickle fan.  He ate a couple to be polite and supportive, but aside from that it’s been me and about one million pickles.

more tips for making easy homemade dill pickles!

Can I use regular pickles for this recipe?

You can, but since they are a softer consistency than Kirby pickles, you will get much softer pickles. If you can’t find Kirby pickles, I would slice regular cucumbers into rounds (like the kind you put on burgers)…those tend to be softer anyway. And you can also slice the Kirby cukes into rounds if you prefer those to cucumber spears.

Where on earth do I find mustard seeds?

They are in the spice aisle of your friendly neighborhood grocery store!

Why is there sugar in this recipe?

Excellent question, since we are going for a tart, dill flavor…however without a little sugar to tone down the vinegar, the pickles will be a little TOO tart.

Have a question I didn’t cover?

Pop your question in the comments section below and I promise to answer pronto!

Anyone want a really fabulous pickle?

Print
homemade dill pickles

Easy Homemade Dill Pickles


  • Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Marinating Time: 48 hours
  • Total Time: 48 hours 20 minutes
  • Yield: 10 1x
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Refrigerator
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Turn cucumbers into easy homemade dill pickles in 48 hours…with no canning! This fun recipe for easy refrigerator pickles happens all in the fridge.  Let’s get to pickling!


Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of kirby cucumbers (about 10 pickles), washed and halved or quartered
  • 1 1/2 cups white vinegar
  • 1/8 cup sugar
  • 4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds (you can find these in the spice aisle)
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 1 cup chopped fresh dill
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like things!
  • 5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

Instructions

  1. Stir together vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, and hot water until sugar and salt are dissolved, and let cool.
  2. Put the pickles, dill, red pepper and garlic into a large deep bowl and stir until the dill is evenly distributed.
  3. Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers. If they aren’t submerged, add a little more water until they are. Put a plate on top of the cukes to keep them down in the liquid, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
  4. Marinate for about 48 hours. These pickles will keep several weeks in the fridge, and they will get spicier over time. Once I go past the 48 hour mark, I keep them in a covered glass cookie jar in the brine – takes up less fridge space that way!

Notes

Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying (without any extra cost to you)!  Thanks for using them to keep our kitchen cooking…xoxo!

Equipment We Used For This Recipe

Image of Food Scale

Food Scale

Buy Now →
Image of Measuring Cup

Measuring Cup

Buy Now →
Image of Cutting Board

Cutting Board

Buy Now →
Image of Mixing Bowls

Mixing Bowls

Buy Now →
Image of Glass Storage Jar

Glass Storage Jar

Buy Now →
1 quarter of a pickle71 g192.6 mg0 g0 g0 g1.5 g0.1 g0.1 g0 mg

We love seeing what you do
with our Framed Cooks recipes.

Just tag @FramedCooks on Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook
so we can admire the deliciousness!

Updated (and made even more delicious!) from a previously published Framed Cooks post!

OTHER STAPLES RECIPES WE LOVE!

Homemade Peanut Butter In Five Minutes!
One of my favorite things to do is to experiment with making some of the things we usually buy in jars and cans and boxes at the supermarket. Like peanut butter!
Homemade Peanut Butter In Five Minutes!
One of my favorite things to do is to experiment with making some of the things we usually buy in jars and cans and boxes at the supermarket. Like peanut butter!
Homemade Applesauce
This easy recipe for homemade applesauce is easy, delicious and a great reason for an afternoon of apple picking! Good and good for you.
Homemade Applesauce
This easy recipe for homemade applesauce is easy, delicious and a great reason for an afternoon of apple picking! Good and good for you.
Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe
This homemade ricotta cheese recipe calls for nothing more than milk, buttermilk, salt, cream and 15 minutes. I promise it will be the best ricotta you’ve ever tasted.
Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe
This homemade ricotta cheese recipe calls for nothing more than milk, buttermilk, salt, cream and 15 minutes. I promise it will be the best ricotta you’ve ever tasted.
38 shares
  • Facebook26
  • Twitter
  • Yummly
Kate Morgan Jackson

Hi there!  I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover.  I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN!  My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too.  And if you make this recipe, I would love you to tag @FramedCooks on Instagram so I can see the deliciousness!

Know someone who would love this recipe?
Click here to email them the link!

Published on July 14, 2022

Good for: Fourth of July, Labor Day, Picnic Food

Last Post:
One Pot Tomato Parmesan Pasta
Next Post:
July Week 3 Meal Planner

I'D LOVE IT IF YOU WOULD RATE THIS RECIPE
(AND COMMENTS ARE WONDERFUL TOO!) Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Hi, I’m Kate! I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I’m so glad you’re here!

If you want to know more….

These recipes are trending up! Come see what the excitement is about!

  • Pastina with Egg and Cheese, Otherwise Known As Comfort Food
  • Julia Child's Filet Of Sole
  • Pasta with Buttered Egg Sauce
  • Grandpa's Coca-Cola Ribs
  • Ricotta Scrambled Eggs

Want every new recipe delivered right to your email inbox?

  • Home
  • Starters
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Dessert
  • Contact
Terms of Use • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Framed Cooks
All photographs © FramedCooks and may not be used for any purpose without written permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.