Garlic and Dill No Cook Refrigerator Pickles

Name: Garlic and Dill No Cook Refrigerator Pickles
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 2895 min
Ingredients: 1 lb cucumbers; 1 sprig of fresh dill (or 1 teaspoon dried dill); 3 - 5 cloves garlic (peeled and sliced in half); 1 tablespoon sea salt (or 2 tablespoons kosher salt); ¾ cup white distilled vinegar; ¾ cup filtered water (plus more to top off the jar)

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Garlic and Dill No-Cook Refrigerator Pickles are crunchy, tangy, and so flavorful. Everything you want in a homemade pickle. Perfect to eat straight from the jar or enjoyed with these Roasted Hatch Chile Burgers. This recipe is sugar-free, quick to prep in 15 minutes, with no heating required.

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Why This Recipe is So Good

These old-fashioned refrigerator pickles taste soooo much better than store-bought. They are tangy, crunchy and so garlicky with a hint of dill flavor – you won’t be able to get enough of them. Flavored with fresh dill sprigs and cloves of garlic, these pickles are the perfect thing to make in June and July when your garden is overflowing with fresh cucumbers.

This is a no cook, no sugar pickle recipe. Perfectly tangy and garlicky, just like your favorite grocery-store dill pickle.

No sterilizing jars or special canning equipment. Refrigerator pickles are easier to make than water bath canning them, and it doesn’t require any special equipment. For this recipe, cucumbers are stuffed into a jar with water, vinegar, salt and fresh herbs, then refrigerated for 48 hours, then viola – you have a delicious jar of homemade pickles.

Recipe Ingredients

Cucumbers. I used regular slicing cucumbers. You can use a firmer cucumber, like Kirby cucumbers, Persian cucumbers, or pickling cucumbers. Because this is a no cook refrigerator pickles recipe that uses a cold brine, you can get away with using slicing cucumbers. They stay firm and crisp in the brine, and each pickle has a nice, satisfying crunch.
Vinegar. White distilled vinegar gives these pickles their classic pickle taste.
Salt. Either sea salt or kosher salt can be used. If using sea salt, use 1 tablespoon and 2 tablespoons if using kosher salt, since the salt crystals are so much larger.
Flavor additions. We are keeping these refrigerator pickles classic by simply flavoring them with a sprig of fresh dill and a few cloves of garlic. Pickling spice, whole black peppercorns, red pepper flakes, or mustard seeds can be delicious flavor variations.

How to Make Garlic and Dill No Cook Refrigerator Pickles

All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Cut cucumbers on a cutting board with fresh dill.

Clean cucumbers really well, then cut into ½-inch pieces or slice into spears. Stuff cucumbers into a clean quart-sized mason jar, then add fresh dill and garlic.

Next, add salt, white vinegar, and cold water. Top with a lid then shake until the salt has dissolved. Remove the lid then pour a bit more water until the cucumbers are underneath the brine. Use a fork to press down the garlic and dill if needed. Cover with the lid again then refrigerate for 48 hours.

Homemade refrigerator pickles on a plate.

Tips and Tricks

If you are using a larger jar, add enough water to keep the vegetables submerged in the brining liquid. You can also use a fermentation weight just to make sure everything stays below the brine.
Clean your cucumbers really well before pickling. Since we are using a cold brine.
Press the vegetables under the brine after shaking the jar to dissolve the salt.
These refrigerator pickles are ready to eat after 48 hours, but I find that they taste even better the longer they sit in the fridge.
Hot brine vs cold brine. The two main ways to make homemade refrigerator pickles are by using either a hot or a cold brine. A hot brine is when you heat water, vinegar, and salt until hot. The slightly warm brine is then poured over the cucumbers, slightly cooking them. For a cold brine, the ingredients are not heated, but are poured directly over the cucumbers in the jar, then refrigerated. This recipe uses a cold brine, which is helpful because you can use any type of cucumber you want. The cucumbers aren’t slightly cooked, so they are nice and crunchy.

Frequently Asked Questions —

What are refrigerator pickles?

These are pickles that are made in the refrigerator without canning or pressure cooking them, which helps them to stay shelf-stable. Refrigerator pickles aren’t shelf-stable, but they are made by adding all your pickle ingredients into jars and refrigerating them until they taste like pickles, which is usually about 24 – 48 hours.

Hot brine vs cold brine.

The two main ways to make homemade refrigerator pickles are by using either a hot or a cold brine. A hot brine is when you heat water, vinegar, and salt until hot. The slightly warm brine is then poured over the cucumbers, slightly cooking them. For a cold brine, the ingredients are not heated, but are poured directly over the cucumbers in the jar, then refrigerated. This recipe uses a cold brine, which is helpful because you can use any type of cucumber you want. The cucumbers aren’t slightly cooked so they are nice and crunchy.

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