Homemade Sweet Refrigerator Pickles
Homemade Sweet Refrigerator Pickles
These Homemade Sweet Refrigerator Pickles are crisp, tangy, and perfectly sweet with no canning required. Fresh cucumbers and onions are covered in a simple sweet vinegar brine and chilled in the refrigerator until they soak up all that delicious flavor.
If you love bread and butter pickles but don’t want to get out the canning equipment, this is such an easy way to make homemade pickles. You simply slice the cucumbers, make the sweet pickle brine, pour it over the vegetables, and let the refrigerator do the rest of the work.
The longer the cucumbers sit in the brine, the better they taste. They’re delicious straight from the jar, piled onto burgers and sandwiches, served alongside barbecue, or chopped up and added to potato salad and chicken salad.
Why You’ll Love These Sweet Refrigerator Pickles
There are so many reasons to make a jar of homemade refrigerator pickles, especially when fresh cucumbers are plentiful during the summer.
- No canning required
- Sweet and tangy
- Crisp and crunchy
- Made with fresh cucumbers
- Easy vinegar brine
- Ready to prepare in minutes
- Great way to use garden cucumbers
- Delicious on burgers and sandwiches
- Easy to customize
- Keep well in the refrigerator
What Are Refrigerator Pickles?
Refrigerator pickles are cucumbers preserved in a vinegar-based brine and stored in the refrigerator rather than processed using traditional water-bath canning.
Because we’re not canning these pickles, they’re incredibly simple to make.
There are no special canning tools or complicated processing steps. Once the brine and cucumbers are combined, the pickles go directly into the refrigerator.
The tradeoff is that refrigerator pickles need to remain refrigerated and aren’t shelf-stable like properly canned pickles.
Ingredients
- 4 cups thinly sliced pickling cucumbers
- 1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced, optional
What Kind of Cucumbers Are Best for Refrigerator Pickles?
Small pickling cucumbers are my first choice.
Kirby cucumbers are especially good because they have firm flesh and fewer seeds than many larger slicing cucumbers. They stay nice and crisp after sitting in the brine.
Persian cucumbers are another great choice.
You can use regular garden cucumbers if that’s what you have. If they’re particularly large with thick skins, you may want to peel some or all of the skin and remove any large seeds before slicing.
How Thin Should I Slice the Cucumbers?
Slice the cucumbers approximately 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick.
Thinner slices absorb the sweet pickle brine more quickly, while slightly thicker slices tend to stay extra crunchy.
A sharp knife works perfectly, but a mandoline makes it easy to create slices that are all the same thickness.
Add Fresh Onion
Thinly sliced sweet onion is one of my favorite additions to homemade sweet pickles.
The onion absorbs the sweet and tangy brine right along with the cucumbers.
You can use yellow onion or red onion if that’s what you have.
Red onion will give the brine a pretty pink color as the pickles sit.
Make the Sweet Pickle Brine
Add the white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric, and black pepper to a medium saucepan.
Place the saucepan over medium heat.
Stir frequently until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
You don’t need to cook the brine for a long time.
Once everything is dissolved and the mixture is hot, remove the saucepan from the heat.
Allow the brine to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Pack the Cucumbers Into Jars
Add the sliced cucumbers and onions to clean glass jars or another refrigerator-safe container with a tight-fitting lid.
Don’t pack them so tightly that the brine can’t move around the cucumber slices.
If you’re adding garlic, tuck the slices between the cucumbers and onions.
Pour the Brine Over the Cucumbers
Carefully pour the warm brine over the cucumbers and onions.
Make sure the vegetables are covered as completely as possible.
If a few pieces float to the top, that’s normal.
Gently tap the jar against the counter to help release any trapped air bubbles.
Allow the jars to cool before covering and placing them in the refrigerator.
How Long Before Refrigerator Pickles Are Ready?
Technically, you can start eating them after a few hours.
But they’re much better if you wait.
Give the sweet refrigerator pickles at least 24 hours in the refrigerator before serving.
After 48 hours, they’ll have even more flavor.
The cucumbers continue absorbing the sweet vinegar brine as they sit.
What Do Sweet Refrigerator Pickles Taste Like?
These pickles have that classic combination of sweet, tangy, salty, and lightly spiced flavors.
The sugar balances the acidity of the vinegar without completely taking away the tanginess.
Mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric give them a flavor similar to traditional bread and butter pickles.
The fresh onion adds another layer of flavor and is delicious enough to eat right out of the jar.
How to Keep Refrigerator Pickles Crunchy
Start with the freshest cucumbers you can find.
Cucumbers that have already become soft won’t magically become crunchy after pickling.
Small pickling cucumbers usually produce the best results.
You can also soak the whole cucumbers in a bowl of ice water for about 30 minutes before slicing them.
Another important tip is not to cook the cucumbers in the brine.
We’re making the brine separately and pouring it over the cucumbers. You don’t want to simmer the cucumber slices on the stove because they’ll become much softer.
Can I Make Them Sweeter?
Absolutely.
This recipe is already designed to make a sweet pickle, but you can adjust the sugar slightly according to your preference.
For a very sweet bread-and-butter-style pickle, increase the sugar by about 1/4 cup.
If you prefer a stronger vinegar flavor, reduce the sugar slightly.
The nice thing about homemade refrigerator pickles is that you can adjust the brine to suit your family.
Can I Use All White Vinegar?
Yes.
You can make the brine with 1 1/2 cups white vinegar instead of combining white vinegar and apple cider vinegar.
I like using both because apple cider vinegar adds a little more depth of flavor.
White vinegar gives the pickles that clean, classic tang.
Can I Add Dill?
Yes.
Even though these are sweet pickles, fresh dill can be delicious in the jar.
Add a few sprigs of fresh dill with the cucumbers before pouring in the brine.
The combination of sweet brine, dill, and cucumber gives you a slightly different pickle than traditional bread and butter pickles.
Add a Little Heat
Sweet and spicy pickles are delicious.
Add thinly sliced jalapeño to the jars before pouring in the brine.
You can also add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
The heat balances the sweetness and gives the pickles a little kick without changing the basic recipe.
Sweet Refrigerator Pickle Variations
Once you make the basic recipe, it’s easy to experiment with different flavors.
Sweet and Spicy Pickles
Add sliced jalapeños or crushed red pepper flakes.
Garlic Sweet Pickles
Add several thinly sliced garlic cloves to each jar.
Sweet Dill Pickles
Add fresh dill sprigs to the cucumbers and onions.
Red Onion Refrigerator Pickles
Replace the sweet onion with thinly sliced red onion.
Extra Sweet Pickles
Increase the sugar by approximately 1/4 cup for an even sweeter brine.
What to Serve with Sweet Pickles
These homemade pickles are one of those things you’ll start adding to everything.
Serve them with:
- Hamburgers
- Cheeseburgers
- Hot dogs
- Pulled pork
- BBQ chicken
- Grilled chicken
- Fried chicken
- Sandwiches
- Sliders
- Tuna salad
- Chicken salad
- Potato salad
- Deviled eggs
- Charcuterie boards
- Picnic lunches
They’re also really good eaten straight from the refrigerator.
Use the Pickled Onions Too
Don’t forget about the onions in the jar.
They’re almost as good as the pickles.
Add the sweet pickled onions to burgers, sandwiches, pulled pork, salads, or hot dogs.
You can even chop the cucumbers and onions together to make a quick sweet pickle relish.
Make Homemade Sweet Pickle Relish
Once the pickles have had time to develop their flavor, finely chop some of the cucumber and onion slices.
You instantly have an easy homemade sweet pickle relish.
Add it to:
- Hot dogs
- Burgers
- Tuna salad
- Chicken salad
- Egg salad
- Potato salad
- Deviled eggs
It’s a great way to use the last few pickles in the jar.
How Long Do Homemade Refrigerator Pickles Last?
Keep these pickles covered and refrigerated at all times.
For the best quality and crunch, I recommend enjoying them within about 3 to 4 weeks.
Always use a clean utensil when removing pickles from the jar.
If you notice mold, an unusual odor, excessive bubbling, or other signs of spoilage, discard the pickles.
Do Refrigerator Pickles Need to Be Canned?
No.
That’s the entire point of this recipe.
These pickles are designed specifically to be stored in the refrigerator.
They are not shelf-stable and should not be stored in the pantry.
If you’re looking for pickles that can be stored at room temperature, you’ll need to use a tested canning recipe and proper canning procedures.
Can I Double the Recipe?
Yes.
This recipe is easy to double or triple when you have lots of fresh cucumbers.
Just maintain the same proportions for the vinegar, sugar, and salt.
Divide the cucumbers and onions between clean jars and pour the prepared brine over each one.
Recipe Tips
Use small, firm pickling cucumbers for the crunchiest results.
Don’t cook the cucumbers directly in the brine.
Slice the cucumbers evenly so they pickle at approximately the same rate.
Allow the pickles to refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.
For more flavor, let them sit for 48 hours.
Add jalapeño or red pepper flakes for sweet and spicy refrigerator pickles.
Keep the pickles refrigerated at all times. This recipe is not intended for shelf-stable canning.
Easy Homemade Pickles Without Canning
Making homemade pickles doesn’t have to mean spending an afternoon canning.
These Homemade Sweet Refrigerator Pickles are about as easy as it gets.
Slice fresh cucumbers and onion, make a quick sweet vinegar brine, pour it into the jars, and put everything in the refrigerator.
By the next day, you’ve got crisp homemade pickles with plenty of sweet and tangy flavor. Give them another day and they’re even better.
Keep a cold jar in the refrigerator for burgers, sandwiches, barbecue, summer cookouts, or those moments when you find yourself standing in front of the open refrigerator eating pickles straight from the jar.
No judgment here.
