Servings: 2 jars of pickles
Dill Pickles Recipe
The easiest way to make homemade pickles right here! These easy dill pickles are full of tangy flavor and taste even better than store bought pickles! Keep a jar in the refrigerator at all times!
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
*This is about 7 to 10 medium-sized Persian cucumbers or 12 to 14 small Persian cucumbers.
Pickles will stay fresh for up to 3 weeks in an airtight container.
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 after opening the jar.
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.