How to Make Dill Pickles at home! This easy dill pickles recipe requires zero canning experience, fancy techniques or canning supplies. You’ll have delicious homemade pickles ready in two days!
If you’re like me and you can always go for a crunchy dill pickle no matter the set and setting, you’ll love making dill pickles at home.
The process is so quick and simple. We’re talking 10 minutes of active prep time, and a couple days of waiting for the cucumbers to be ready.
Because this recipe isn’t designed for long-term storage, you don’t need to have experience with the proper canning process to make the recipe. If this is your first time making pickles, you’re in the right place!
Truly, all you do is place some fresh ingredients into jars, pour in a vinegar brine and you’re on your way to the best pickles this world has to offer!
You will need two large quart jars (I prefer wide-mouth jars), or 4 to 6 small pint-sized jars to prepare this easy pickle recipe.
If you don’t own canning jars, no sweat! You can use any type of jars you’ve picked up and recycled from your local grocery store. In fact, you can use the jar from the last jar of pickles you purchased.
Peak performance of the pickles hits around Day 5, so if you’re able to have some patience, waiting until Day 5 is when your pickles will start tasting ultra amazing.
The best part is homemade pickles taste even better than store-bought pickles. They taste fresher, have better texture, and are easy to customize according to your personal taste.
Not to mention, these crisp pickles will enhance all of your recipes that call for pickles, like potato salad, pasta salad, tuna salad, sandwiches, hamburgers, etc. because fresh pickles add such amazing fresh flavor!
Oh and if you go on a pickling kick after making this recipe (which I trust you will), also make Pickled Peppers and Pickled Red Onions.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for dill pickles. All you need is a handful of ingredients that are easy to find at your local grocery store.
Easy Dill Pickles Ingredients:
Persian Cucumbers: Pick up 2 pounds of Persian cucumbers or Kirby cucumbers, also known as pickling cucumbers. Depending on the size of the cucumbers, you will need 7 to 14 – as much as will fit in two large mason jars.
Rice Vinegar or Distilled White Vinegar: I love using rice vinegar for pickling vegetables because I find the flavor to be so inviting. That said, most pickle recipes call for distilled white vinegar so if that’s what you have on hand, stick with it!
Fresh Dill: The reason we’re all here! Fresh dill is what gives dill pickles its iconic flavor. You will need at least 4 sprigs, but I recommend using 6 (three per jar) for the yummiest infusion of dill flavor.
Fresh Garlic: Roughly chop up some garlic cloves and add them into each jar.
I use three per jar for a total of 6 but you can go wild here if you’re a garlic lover and enjoy a lot of garlic flavor.
Black Peppercorns, Coriander Seed (or Mustard Seeds), Red Pepper Flakes, and Sea Salt: The pickling spices! At a minimum, you will need peppercorns, mustard seeds or coriander seeds, and kosher salt).
I love adding in some red pepper flakes to give the pickles the slightest kick. You can omit this ingredient for mild pickles or base the amount you use on your tolerance for spice.
Optional Additions:
For spicy pickles, chop up 1 to 2 jalapenos, serranos, or habaneros (depending on your desired heat level) and add them in with the cucumbers.
If you have dill seed on hand, feel free to add 1 teaspoon of dill seed to each jar.
Many pickle recipes I’ve seen on the internet call for sugar, but I find homemade dill pickles actually taste better without the added sugar.
That said, if you love bread and butter pickles which are sweet pickles, feel free to add 1 to 3 tablespoons of white sugar to the pickling liquid.
Otherwise, follow this refined sugar-free version and enjoy this classic dill pickle recipe.
Now that we’ve covered the ingredients list, let’s make homemade dill pickles!
What Type of Cucumbers To Use for Dill Pickles:
While you can use any type of fresh cucumbers to make dill pickles, Persian cucumbers or Kirby cucumbers make the best result in my opinion. I personally don’t recommend using English cucumbers because the flavor doesn’t taste quite right as they have a slight bitterness to them.
Small cucumbers like Persian or Kirby cucumbers have fewer seeds than regular cucumbers and their skin is less rubbery. They soak up the flavors of the pickling liquid very well! Plus, they are already a good size for inserting into a quart-sized mason jar.
All of this adds up to flavorful, delicious cucumbers with amazing snappy texture.
How to Make Dill Pickles:
Wash the Persian cucumbers and place them on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice the cucumbers into halves or spears (quarters). There’s no need to cut the ends of the cucumbers off unless there is a long stem poking out.
You can also cut the cucumbers into thin rounds (also known as pickle chips) using a mandolin slicer if you’re planning on using the pickles primarily for burgers, sandwiches, or applications where you want them to lay flat.
Divide the sliced cucumbers between two 1-quart mason jars.
Similarly, divide the chopped garlic, mustard seed (or coriander seeds), red pepper flakes, and fresh dill sprigs between the two jars.
Combine vinegar, water, and sea salt in a small saucepan and heat over high heat until it comes to a full boil. Remove the pickling liquid from the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes.
Pour the hot brine into the two large jars, filling them all the way up. Seal the jars using the airtight lids and allow the jars of pickles to cool to room temperature before refrigerating them.
Pickle spears will taste best 4 to 5 days into the pickling process, but you can start eating them on day 2 if you’d like. For thin cucumber slices, the pickles will be ready after 24 hours.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the fact that you’re pickling up the best dill pickle recipe.
How Long To Store Homemade Pickles:
If you’re making this recipe as I do (not for long-term storage), pickles will stay fresh for up to 3 weeks. You can stretch this time much longer if you properly sanitize the jars for canning.
The general recommendation is to use homemade refrigerator pickles within one week of opening the jar, but in my own experience, this can stretch for two weeks.
Nevertheless, use your best judgment and pitch the pickles if they start to smell or look funky.
For long term storage, you’ll need to properly sanitize the jars in a hot water bath under a rolling boil.
Are Dill Pickles Good For You?:
Pickles are very low in calories (we’re talking roughly 5 calories per pickle spear). Pickle juice is full of electrolytes, which is why some people find themselves craving it.
For instance, pregnant women and athletes are often drawn to pickles or pickle brine, as the electrolytes can help replenish hydration levels and also ease muscle cramps.
Pickles contain Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Potassium, Phosphorous and Folate.
Naturally fermented pickles are also a great source for probiotics, as they are rich in good bacteria and yeast.
And that’s it! The easiest way to make quick pickles in a few basic steps!
These flavorful pickles will spruce up everything they touch with their tangy flavor.
What To Serve With Dill Pickles:
Pickles are amazing in potato salad recipes, pasta salads, tuna salad (or canned salmon salad), chicken salad recipes, and are incredible on top of burgers, hot dogs, or sandwiches.
Here are some of my favorite recipes for incorporating pickles:
- The Best Potato Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Easy Canned Salmon Salad
- Pan-Fried Bison Burger with Havarti and Pesto
- Garden Vegetable Sandwich with Herbed Goat Cheese
- Legit Charcuterie Board
Where will you put your pickle?
Dill Pickles Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Persian Cucumbers cut in half or cut into spears*
- 6 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 tsp mustard seed or coriander seed
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 4 to 6 sprigs fresh dill
- 2 cups rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 2 Tbsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Wash the Persian cucumbers and place them on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice the cucumbers into halves or spears (quarters). There’s no need to cur the ends of the cucumbers off unless there is a long stem poking out. You can also cut the cucumbers into thin rounds (also known as pickle chips) using a mandolin slicer if you’re planning on using the pickles primarily for burgers, sandwiches, or applications where you want them to lay flat.
- Divide the sliced cucumbers between two 1-quart mason jars. Similarly, divide the chopped garlic, mustard seed (or coriander seeds), red pepper flakes, and fresh dill sprigs between the two jars.
- Combine vinegar, water, and sea salt in a small saucepan and heat over high heat until it comes to a full boil. Remove the pickling liquid from the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes.
- Pour the hot brine into the two large jars, filling them all the way up. Seal the jars using the airtight lids and allow the jars of pickles to cool to room temperature before refrigerating them.
- Pickle spears will taste best 4 to 5 days into the pickling process, but you can start eating them on day 2 if you’d like. For thin cucumber slices, the pickles will be ready after 24 hours.
Notes
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These are wonderful! Made a half recipe using Persian cucumber and mustard seed options, and an equal combo of white and rice wine vinegars for the brine. Definitely a keeper recipe,and superior in flavor and quality to commercial dills.
I’m thrilled you enjoy them, Jeanne! Thanks so much for following up to share your experience! xo