Easy Refrigerator Zucchini Dill Pickles (No Canning!)

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Easy refrigerator zucchini dill pickles are a quick pickle made with sliced zucchini, fresh dill, garlic, and a simple vinegar brine, no canning required. This quick zucchini pickle recipe is a great way to use up a zucchini harvest, ready to eat as soon as overnight, and even better after a couple of days in the fridge.

Unlike traditional canned pickles, these refrigerator pickles skip the canning process entirely, so you get all the classic dill pickle flavor with a fraction of the effort.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

Recipe Name: Easy Refrigerator Zucchini Dill Pickles
Cook Time: 10 minutes (plus overnight to 2 days chilling)
Servings: about 30 servings (3 pint jars)
Main Ingredients: Zucchini, fresh dill, garlic
Dietary Info: Vegan, gluten-free
Difficulty Level: Easy

A fork lifting a slice of zucchini dill pickle from a jar.

Zucchini season means more zucchini than you know what to do with, and this is one of my favorite ways to use up a big harvest. If you’ve made our refrigerator dill pickles before, this one comes together just as easily. Just with zucchini instead of cucumbers, and a little extra spice for good measure.

Why You’ll Love These
Zucchini Dill Pickles

Uses up extra zucchini: A great way to put a big zucchini harvest to good use before it goes soft.
No canning required: Just slice, brine, and chill, no canning equipment or processing time needed.
Bold garlic dill flavor: Fresh dill, garlic, and a hit of red pepper flakes give these real depth of flavor.
Ready fast: These quick zucchini pickles are ready to eat as soon as the next day.

Ingredients

1½ pounds zucchini (about 4 small)
6 sprigs fresh dill
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
6 cloves garlic (2 per jar)
2 tablespoons coarse salt (or sea salt)
3 teaspoons black peppercorns (1 teaspoon per jar)
3 teaspoons pickling spice (1 teaspoon per jar)
1½ teaspoons red pepper flakes (½ teaspoon per jar)

How To Make Easy Refrigerator Zucchini Dill Pickles

Prep The Jars

Evenly divide the garlic, dill, peppercorns, pickling spice, and red pepper flakes between your 3 pint jars.

Slice And Pack The Zucchini

Pint sized jar filled with sliced zucchini, garlic, dill, peppercorns, pickling spice, and red pepper flakes for zucchini dill pickles before the brine is added.

Slice the zucchini and pack it into the jars, right on top of the garlic and spices.

Make The Brine

In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve.

Pour And Seal

Jars of zucchini dill pickles with sliced zucchini, garlic, dill, peppercorns, pickling spice, and red pepper flakes, with the brine poured over top.

Pour the hot brine over the zucchini in each jar. Place the lids on.

Cool And Chill

Let the jars cool on the counter before transferring to the fridge. Let them sit overnight, though 2 days is even better for the flavor to fully develop.Step 2 hereStep 3 hereStep 4 here

Two jars of refrigerator zucchini dill pickles with sliced zucchini, dill, garlic, peppercorns, pickling spice, and red pepper flakes in brine.

Recipe Notes & Tips

Small zucchini work best: Smaller zucchini have fewer seeds and a firmer texture, which holds up better to pickling than larger, seedier ones.
For fast pickles: If you want these pickles ready quickly, slice them very thin, 1/8″. Thicker slices, 1/4″ or so, will need a few days to fully absorb the brine.
Give it time: These are ready to eat after just one night in the fridge, but the flavor is noticeably better after 2 days.
Storage: These easy refrigerator zucchini dill pickles will keep for up to 2 months in the fridge.
Slice for how you’ll use them: Rounds are great for snacking, while spears work well alongside a sandwich or burger.

Substitutions

No pickling spice on hand? Substitute 1 teaspoon each of mustard seeds and coriander seeds, plus a small pinch of allspice, per jar.
Fresh dill: Use 1-2 teaspoons of dried dill per jar if fresh isn’t available, though the flavor won’t be quite as bright.
Red pepper flakes: Leave these out entirely for a milder pickle, or add extra for more heat.
Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar can be used in place of white vinegar for a different flavor.

Variations

Extra spicy: Double the red pepper flakes, or add a sliced fresh chili to each jar.
Extra garlicky: Add an extra clove or two of garlic per jar.
Mixed veggie jars: Add a few sliced carrots or a handful of green beans alongside the zucchini for a mixed refrigerator pickle.

FAQ’s

They’ll keep for up to 2 months in the fridge.

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

They’re ready to eat after sitting overnight, though letting them sit for 2 days gives the best flavor.

Smaller zucchini work best since they have fewer seeds and a firmer texture, but larger zucchini can be used in a pinch, just remove any large seeds first.

Easy Refrigerator Zucchini Dill Pickles

This easy refrigerator zucchini dill pickle recipe is a great way to use up a garden harvest. Bold garlic dill flavor is ready to enjoy in as little as a day!

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Refrigerate 1

Total Time 1 10

Serving Size servings (3 pint jars)

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds zucchini about 4 small
6 sprigs of fresh dill
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
6 cloves garlic 2 per jar
2 tablespoons coarse salt
3 teaspoons black peppercorns 1 tsp per jar
3 teaspoons pickling spice 1 tsp per jar
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp per jar

Instructions

Evenly divide the garlic, dill, peppercorns, pickling spice, and red pepper flakes per jar.
Slice the zucchinis into thin slices, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, and fill the jars with sliced zucchini.
Place the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the hot brine over the zucchini in the jars.
Place the lids on and let the jars cool on the counter before transferring to the fridge. Let the jars sit overnight, 2 days is better before eating for the flavor to develop.
They will keep for up to 2 months.

Notes

Thinner slices will take on the pickled taste faster. Thick slices or pickle spears will take longer to absorb the brine.

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.