Homemade Dill Pickles

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These Homemade Dill Pickles are briny, crispy, juicy, and downright amazing. Refrigerator-ready in minutes, no canning is required. Perfect as a quick snack or as an addition to burgers and more, these pickles are a joy to make and even more enjoyable to crunch-munch throughout the week! {Paleo + Vegan}   

Spiriteds, Homemade Dill Pickles are our new obsession! Forget store-bought pickles that are wilted and soggy. We are over here making batches of this deliciousness on a weekly rotation. And as a family comprised of 50% picky eaters, if FOUR OUT OF FOUR of us LOVE this recipe, then you know it’s a good one. We tried several different no-can methods for making our own Homemade Dill Pickles, and believe me when I tell you the girls had no problem telling me when the recipe was off. 

Our final recipe is inspired by Ali’s Easy Refrigerator Pickles on Gimme Some Oven and Amanda’s Cookin’ Homemade Claussen Pickles Copycat recipe. Our family likes Big Flavor™️, so we went all out on red pepper flakes, garlic salt, and a rounded tablespoon of peppercorns. We also use coarse sea salt, and because sea salt is intense in flavor, we reduced that amount a little. You can adjust the flavors in this recipe based on which elements you want to highlight in your batch. And if you aren’t sure which flavors wow your tastebuds most, then fear not! This recipe is so easy to make, you can try it several different ways until you get the balance you want.

Spiriteds, we are excited to share this tasty treat with you. If you have not made your own Homemade Dill Pickles yet, then please do. You won’t believe how good they are!

Homemade Dill Pickles are

• Paleo and vegan
• Briny, salty, and delicious
• Crunchy and juicy
• Perfect as a quick snack
• Fridge-ready in minutes

Side note: It’s important to know this recipe is a no-cook, no-canning recipe. Please enjoy within a few days of preparing.

Homemade Dill Pickles ingredients

• Mini cucumbers. I find mini cucumbers fit well inside the mason jars without too much trimming and sizing. Rinse and dry them well before using.
• Cold water. You’ll want a large pitcher to hold the water and added ingredients.
• Distilled white vinegar. You’ll want your vinegar to contain 5% acidity.
• Coarse sea salt. This ingredient brings all the other ingredients together. I avoid table salt for this recipe because it may contain an anti-caking agent that could impact the texture and composition of the brine.
• Coriander seed, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, and peppercorns. These will be added to the water/vinegar mixture, along with the sea salt. Using seeds and flakes (as opposed to ground varieties of the same thing) prevent the brine from becoming cloudy or soggy.
• Dill seed and garlic salt. These will be added to the mason jars.

Side note: While I have not used pickle crisp in this recipe, that is something you could add to your jars for super-crispy pickles.

An important note about ingredients

To prevent the brine from becoming cloudy and the cucumbers soggy, where possible we stick with coarse, whole ingredients as opposed to ground, leafy varieties. And because dried ingredients often boast more intense flavors in smaller quantities, we favor those over fresh varieties. These pickles are a quick-make, quick-to-enjoy recipe. So we want big flavor in a short amount of time.

You can, however, use fresh dill and garlic cloves, if you’d like. You can also add fresh varieties to the jars, along with the dried ingredients listed. For best results, make sure the dill sprigs and garlic cloves are fresh with no signs of wilting or molding.

Helpful equipment

• (2) 24-ounce mason jars. Make sure the jars are cleaned and dried prior to beginning the recipe. To prevent messes, it’s a good idea to make sure the lids fit tightly.
• Large pitcher. A container that holds at least 4 cups of water. If it has a pronounced or high-sided pour spout, then that’s even better. Wide, shallow pour spouts are often messy.
• Mesh strainer. You’ll need a mesh strainer to catch the solids from the brine, because those solids will be added to the mason jars.

How to make Homemade Dill Pickles

1. To a large pitcher, add the water, vinegar, and sea salt. Stir in the coriander seed, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, and black peppercorns. Set aside.
2. Thoroughly rinse the cucumbers and trim off the ends. If using larger cucumbers, then cut them down to a height not exceeding where the neck of the jar begins.
3. To each mason jar add 1/2 tablespoon dill seed, 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt, and 10 cucumber halves. It will be a tight fit.
4. Check on the brine and stir any sea salt that still remains. Once the sea salt has dissolved, then pour the brine through a mesh strainer into a large mixing bowl, catching the solids in the mesh. This recipe yields approximately 3 tablespoons of solids. Divide the amount of solids equally between the two jars. It’s okay if the solids sit on top of the cucumber halves.
5. Then pour the brine from the bowl into the two mason jars, filling to at least the shoulder of each jar but no higher than the bottom of the neck (see diagram below). Hold onto the leftover brine for a few minutes while everything settles in the jars. If you notice you have room to add more brine (without filling higher than the bottom of the neck), then do so. Discard remaining unused brine.
6. Lid the jars tightly and give them a brisk shake to get the solids moving throughout the jars.
7. Refrigerate and consume within about 7-10 days. The pickles should be taste-ready within 1-2 days and will intensify in flavor the longer they sit.
8. To enjoy the pickles and prevent bacteria from entering the jars, use a clean utensil each time pickles are removed for eating.

Recipe tips and tricks

• Work with mini cucumbers. Mini cucumbers are great for this recipe because they easily fit inside a standard mason jar. If you work with larger cucumbers, then cut one to fit the mason jar and use it as a template for the rest of the cucumbers.
• Use a large pitcher with a pronounced or deep/high-side pour spout. You’ll want a pronounced pouring spout so the brine doesn’t splatter everywhere and to ensure equal amounts are poured into the mason jars. This way your pickles are similar in taste and texture, regardless of which jar they are in.
• Don’t throw anything away just yet. As you prepare the cucumbers and the brine, you’ll move ingredients around, portion them out, and end up with leftovers. Because so many ingredients get moved around in this recipe, it’s a good idea to hold onto everything until you’ve lidded the jars and put them in the refrigerator. That way you don’t inadvertently discard something you’ll need in a later step.
• Shake the pickle jars the first few days. This ensures the cucumbers absorb all the ingredients and flavors evenly. If the cucumbers are tightly packed and shaking the jar back and forth doesn’t do much, then roll the jar on its side in your hands. This should help distribute the ingredients.
• If the pickles begin turn in color, the brine begins to smell differently, or for any reason you think the pickles have spoiled, then discard.

Troubleshooting your Homemade Dill Pickles recipe

This is a fairly simple recipe that is ready in minutes. However, that doesn’t mean we won’t ever run into issues making our own Homemade Dill Pickles.

Two common issues we ran into when making our pickles included:

• A lingering cucumber taste. This is often because the cucumbers haven’t had enough time to absorb the brine. It can also occur because the variety of cucumber used isn’t as absorbent.
• A vinegary flavor. This is often the result of not enough added ingredients to balance the flavor. And it can also occur when using fresh ingredients that need more time to flavor the brine.

In the event you run into additional issues, I have found two resources that may be helpful. They focus primarily on canning-style recipes (which ours is NOT). But they are helpful for basic troubleshooting, if what is provided in this blog post doesn’t answer what you run into. 

The University of Minnesota Extension has a helpful page to troubleshoot pickling problems. Michigan State University’s MSU Extension also has a helpful page for troubleshooting pickling issues.

Recipe FAQs

• Can I reuse the brine to make more batches? No, for best and safest results, please make fresh brine for each batch of pickles.
• Can these pickles be canned? No, this is not a canning recipe. Store these pickles in the refrigerator and consume within 7-10 days.
• How soon can we start eating the pickles? For the best flavor, wait 1-2 days. Your pickles will really take on their flavor by days four or five.

If it’s dill you like, then you might also enjoy…

• Paleo Tzatziki Sauce
• Salmon Cucumber Salad
• Paleo Ranch Dressing

Spiriteds, stay well and stay wild. Jump into the fun when you can, and always remember I’m glad you’re here! ❤️

Homemade Dill Pickles

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These Homemade Dill Pickles are briny, crispy, juicy, and downright amazing. Refrigerator-ready in minutes, no canning is required. Perfect as a quick snack or as an addition to burgers and more, these pickles are a joy to make and even more enjoyable to crunch-munch throughout the week! {Paleo + Vegan}

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 20 pickle halves 1x
• Category: Appetizers and Snacks
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Helpful equipment:

• (2) 24–ounce mason jars
• Larger pitcher
• Mesh strainer

For the brine:

• 4 cups cold water
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
• 1/4 cup coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 rounded tablespoon black peppercorn

For the jars:

• 10 mini cucumbers
• 1 tablespoon dill seed
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

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Instructions

1. To a large pitcher, add the water, vinegar, and sea salt. Stir in the coriander seed, mustard seed, red pepper flakes, and black peppercorns. Set aside.
2. Thoroughly rinse the cucumbers and trim off the ends. If using larger cucumbers, then cut them down to a height not exceeding where the neck of the jar begins.
3. To each mason jar add 1/2 tablespoon dill seed, 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt, and 10 cucumber halves. It will be a tight fit.
4. Check on the brine and stir any sea salt that still remains. Once the sea salt has dissolved, then pour the brine through a mesh strainer into a large mixing bowl, catching the solids in the mesh. This recipe yields approximately 3 tablespoons of solids. Divide the amount of solids equally between the two jars. It’s okay if the solids sit on top of the cucumber halves.
5. Then pour the brine from the bowl into the two mason jars, filling to at least the shoulder of each jar but no higher than the bottom of the neck (see diagram in blog post). Hold onto the leftover brine for a few minutes while everything settles in the jars. If you notice you have room to add more brine (without filling higher than the bottom of the neck), then do so. Discard remaining unused brine.
6. Lid the jars tightly and give them a brisk shake to get the solids moving throughout the jars.
7. Refrigerate and consume within about 7-10 days. The pickles should be taste-ready within 1-2 days and will intensify in flavor the longer they sit.
8. To enjoy the pickles and prevent bacteria from entering the jars, use a clean utensil each time pickles are removed for eating.

Notes

• Please note, this is not a canning recipe for pickles, nor should the brine be reused for future batches. Always make a fresh batch of brine when making Homemade Dill Pickles.
• Contents in the jars will settle. Make sure the lids are on tight and give a brisk shake to recombine ingredients.
• If the pickles begin turn in color, the brine begins to smell differently, or for any reason you think the pickles have spoiled, then discard.
• If there is a lingering cucumber taste, this is often because the cucumbers haven’t had enough time to absorb the brine. It can also occur because the variety of cucumber used isn’t as absorbent.
• If the brine is too vinegary, this is often the result of not enough added ingredients to balance the flavor. And it can also occur when using fresh ingredients that need more time to flavor the brine.
• For additional tips and tricks, please visit the blog post for this recipe.