Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles (No Canning Needed)

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These easy refrigerator dill pickles are a quick pickle made with sliced cucumbers, fresh dill, garlic, and a simple vinegar brine, no canning required. You’ll have garlic dill refrigerator pickles ready to eat in about a week, with that classic tangy, garlicky crunch you’d expect from a deli pickle.

Unlike traditional canned dill pickles, this easy refrigerator dill pickle recipe skips the canning process entirely, so you get all the flavor with a fraction of the work.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

Recipe Name: Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Cook Time: 10 minutes (plus 1 week chilling)
Servings: about 30 servings (2 pint jars)
Main Ingredients: Cucumbers, fresh dill, garlic
Dietary Info: Vegan, gluten-free
Difficulty Level: Easy

Open jar of refrigerator dill pickles with sliced cucumbers in golden brine.

Fresh dill and garlic are what really make these taste like the real thing, and once cucumber season hits, you’ll want a jar or two going in your fridge just like we always have. If you’ve made our refrigerator pickled radishes before, you already know how simple this recipe is. Just slice, brine, and let the fridge do the rest.

Why You’ll Love These
Refrigerator Dill Pickles

No canning required: Just slice, brine, and chill, no canning equipment or processing time needed.
Classic garlic dill flavor: Fresh dill and garlic give you that deli-style pickle taste you’re craving.
Ready in about a week: Faster than traditional canned pickles, and you’ll taste the difference fresh dill makes.
Great for using up a cucumber harvest: A simple way to put extra cucumbers to good use before they go soft.

Ingredients

2 English cucumbers (about 1 1/2 pounds)
6 sprigs fresh dill
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon coarse salt (or sea salt)
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 teaspoons pickling spice
1 teaspoon sugar

How To Make Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Make The Brine

In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, salt, peppercorns, pickling spice, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and let it cool.

Prep The Jars

Divide the garlic and dill sprigs evenly between your 2 pint jars.

Slice And Pack The Cucumbers

Glass jars filled with sliced cucumbers, garlic, and fresh dill for a refrigerator dill pickles recipe before the brine is added.

Slice your cucumber and pack the slices into the jars, right on top of the garlic and dill.

Pour And Seal

The homemade pickle brine was poured over the cucumber slices.

Pour the cooled brine over the cucumbers, filling each jar. Wipe the rims clean and place the lids on.

Chill

Place the jars in the fridge and let them sit for at least a week before eating. This is what gives them that real garlic dill flavor all the way through.

Two jars of refrigerator dill pickles with sliced cucumbers and dill in golden brine.

Recipe Notes & Tips

Cucumber options: I usually use pickling cucumbers from my garden in the summer and English cucumbers during the rest of the year, but mini cucumbers (Persian cucumbers) work great too, whatever you’ve got on hand or in season.
Let the brine cool first: I learned this one the hard way, pouring hot brine over your cucumbers can make them softer than you want, so give it time to cool before pouring.
Storage: These will keep in your fridge for up to 6 months.
Patience pays off: I know it’s tempting to sneak one early, but give them the full week. The flavor really builds the longer they sit.
About the pickling spice: It’s a pre-made blend, so you’re getting a fuller mix of flavor than the ingredient list might suggest.

Substitutions

No pickling spice on hand? You can substitute 1 teaspoon each of mustard seeds and coriander seeds, plus a small pinch of allspice, to build a similar flavor.
Fresh dill: If you don’t have fresh dill on hand, you can use 1–2 teaspoons of dried dill per jar instead, though the flavor won’t be quite as bright.
Garlic: Adjust the amount up or down depending on how garlicky you like your pickles.
Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar can be used in place of white vinegar for a slightly different flavor.

Variations

Spicy dill pickles: Add a sliced fresh chili or a pinch of red pepper flakes to each jar.
Extra garlicky: Double the garlic if that’s your favorite part of a good dill pickle.
Bread and butter style: Add a tablespoon of sugar per jar for a slightly sweeter pickle alongside the dill flavor.

FAQ’s

They’ll keep for up to 6 months in the fridge.

No, this is a refrigerator pickle recipe. There’s no processing required, just chill and store in the fridge.

Yes, mini cucumbers, also called Persian cucumbers or pickling cucumbers, work well too, especially when they’re in season.

Pouring hot brine over the cucumbers can soften them more than you’d like. Letting it cool first helps keep that pickle crunch.

Easy. Refrigerator Dill Pickles

This easy refrigerator dill pickle recipe is packed with classic garlic dill flavor. Made with fresh dill, garlic, and a simple vinegar brine, no canning is required!

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Refrigerate 7

Total Time 7 10

Serving Size servings (2 pint jars)

Ingredients

2 English cucumbers about 1 1/2 pounds
6 springs fresh dill
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 teaspoons pickling spice
1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

Place the vinegar, water, salt, peppercorns, sugar, and mustard seed in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Divide the garlic and dill between your jars.
Wash and slice your cucumbers and pack them into the jars.
Pour the brine over them. Wipe the jars clean and place the lids.
Place the jars into the fridge and let them sit for at least a week.
They will keep for up to 6 months.

Notes

You can use English cucumbers, mini cucumbers, or pickling cucumbers when they are in season.

Nutrition

These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.

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Kim

Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.