Easy Homemade Dill Pickles

Two jars of homemade dill pickles with fresh dill on a plate, beside halved pickles and a fork, on a light background.

Easy Homemade Dill Pickles

Make delicious homemade refrigerator dill pickles with a few ingredients and an overnight chill. These pickles are known for their tangy flavor and crisp texture, offering a fresh taste that so much better than store-bought versions

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 3

chill time 2

Total Time 2 33

Servings

Calories 18kcal

Author Jere' Cassidy

Equipment

Ingredients

4 Kirby cucumbers this will be a little over a pound
1 cup white vinegar
1¼ cups water
fresh dill sprigs use the leaves and the flower heads
4 cloves garlic peeled
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

Prep the cucumbers

Wash the cucumbers and cut the ends off.
Either cut the cucumbers in thick spears or cut them into ¼" rounds.
Fill a large bowl with water and ice cubes, then add the cut cucumbers to the bowl. Let sit for an hour, then drain well. This will help make the pickles crispy.

Prepare the herbs and spices

Peel the garlic cloves. Pull off sprigs of the dill and cut some of the flower heads off to fit in the jar.
Divide the garlic, dill, peppercorns and red pepper flakes to the bottom of the sterilized jars.

Make the brine

In a 2 cup measuring cup add the water, vinegar and salt. Stir well. Place the cup in the microwave and heat on medium power for two minutes, or until the salt is dissolved.
You can also heat the brine in a saucepan.
Pack the jars with the prepared cucumbers. Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers until they are completely submerged.
Let the pickles sit on the counter for about an hour until the brine has cooled. I like placing more dill on the top of the cucumbers and then sealing the jar with the lids.
Place the jars in the refrigerator and enjoy after two days.

Notes

Notes on the jars

Make sure your jars and lids are clean and sterilized. I wash mine in the dishwasher and then give them a dip in a big bowl filled with hot water and bleach.
You can use any jar that has a tight-fitting lid. This is perfect if you like to recycle jars.
I like using 16-ounce wide-mouth canning jars.

Using dill seeds

If you can't find fresh dill use 2 teaspoons of dill seeds for this recipe.

Nutrition