Quick Pickled Cucumbers | Easy Refrigerator Pickles Recipe (2024)

Bless This Mess Recipes

By Melissa

4.96 from 66 votes

on Sep 08, 2021, Updated Feb 02, 2024

Jump to RecipeRate Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

These Quick Pickled Cucumbers with green onion are made in the refrigerator for a simple summer snack!

Try these recipes if you’re looking for more pickling options: Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickled Banana Peppers, Quick Pickled Cucumbers and Onions and Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers and Vinegar

Quick Pickled Cucumbers | Easy Refrigerator Pickles Recipe (2)

Table of Contents

  • Quick Pickled Cucumbers (Refrigerator Pickles)
  • Tips and tricks for making quick pickled cucumbers:
  • Quick Pickled Cucumbers – Refrigerator Pickles Recipe

Quick Pickled Cucumbers (Refrigerator Pickles)

When all the hard work of tilling, planting, weeding, watering, and more weeding a garden starts to pay off, I’m always astounded and thrilled by the buckets of fresh vegetables we get to play with! We usually have no shortage of green beans, basil, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, and cucumber. So, with all that fresh goodness, you’ve got to get creative in preserving some of it!

My grandma was a wiz in the kitchen and always created the most incredible recipes for her family of 13 kids (11 of whom were boys!), and I got this recipe for quick pickled cucumbers from her. She is an incredible woman, and thinking about her makes me happy. She’d create a simple brine and throw anything from the garden in — not just cucumbers, but onions, bell peppers, and whole cherry tomatoes, too.

It tastes like summer in a jar, and whether you’re an avid gardener or more of a grocery store frequenter, anyone can make these easy refrigerator pickles in no time.

Quick Pickled Cucumbers | Easy Refrigerator Pickles Recipe (3)

Tips and tricks for making quick pickled cucumbers:

  • White vinegar is the traditional vinegar for this recipe and a great place to start. If you know that you like apple cider or rice wine vinegar they are also good.
  • These are delicious on our favorite pulled pork sandwiches (made easy in the slow cooker!), as a side for everything summer, and to eat for a snack. You can’t go wrong with this simple dish all summer long.
  • Want to add a little spicy? Toss in a jalapeno cut in half (delicious!).
  • I love these glass containers with lids to have things like this in my fridge. I also use a mason jar and one of these reusable lidsreally often.

What is the best vinegar for pickling?

Most recipes call for distilled white vinegar — it’s clear, colorless, and has a mellow aroma and tart acidic flavor. But you can really use whatever vinegar you like and have on hand, like apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar. This recipe is flexible!

What can I pickle at home?

If you ask my grandma, you can pickle any vegetables you like! A few common ones to pickle are cucumbers (of course!), radishes, carrots, red onions, asparagus, jalapenos, cauliflower, and green beans.

How do you pickle something quickly?

To pickle something, you simply need to soak the vegetables in a vinegar brine. My brine calls for water, vinegar, sugar (optional), and salt, and you simply let the cucumbers rest in the brine in the fridge until you’re ready to eat them. Letting them sit longer helps the flavors develop more, so an overnight soak is ideal, but they’re also fine to eat right away!

How long do pickled cucumbers last?

These pickled cucumbers will last about a week in the fridge. The longer they stay in the fridge the less crisp they become.

What is the best cucumber for pickling?

You want to choose a cucumber that has thicker skin.The thick skin helps the cucumber to stay crunchy. Stay away from the English cucumber because the skin is too thin.

Quick Pickled Cucumbers | Easy Refrigerator Pickles Recipe (4)

More cucumber recipes:

  • Cucumber Sandwich Recipe
  • Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
  • Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers and Vinegar
  • Midwestern Creamy Cucumber and Vinegar Salad

If you’ve tried thispickled cucumberrecipeor any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget torate the recipeand leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me onInstagramso I can repost on my stories.

Quick Pickled Cucumbers | Easy Refrigerator Pickles Recipe (5)

4.96 from 66 votes

Quick Pickled Cucumbers – Refrigerator Pickles

By: Melissa Griffiths

Quick and easy pickled cucumbers with onion made in the refrigerator; our favorite way to use summer cucumbers!

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Total: 5 minutes mins

Servings: 12 cups of pickles

Save

Pin RecipeRate RecipePrint Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/3 cup vinegar, (apple cider, white, and rice wine are all good)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar, optional
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
  • sliced garden cucumbers, (about 2 cups)
  • sliced onion or green onion, (about 1/2 cup)
  • additional vegetables as you like, (bell pepper, whole cherry tomatoes, etc.)

Instructions

  • In a small bowl add the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add the cucumber and onion. Taste and adjust the ingredients to your liking.

  • All the cucumbers should be covered in the brine, if you have lots of cucumber or are making a big batch, make more brine.

  • Let the mixture rest in the fridge until you are ready to eat. The flavors develop over time, so an overnight soak is great but mine are normally gone by dinner.

Video

Notes

  • I love adding the sugar and my mom does too, but my grandma doesn’t add that much (she only adds a few teaspoons). I say try it and see what you like.
  • White vinegar is the traditional vinegar for this recipe and a great place to start. If you know that you like apple cider or rice wine vinegar they are also good.
  • You really can’t mess this up. Just adjust to taste and enjoy!
  • The pickles will last at least a week in the fridge but get less crisp as time goes on.
  • You can reuse your brine a time or two, just add more cucumbers!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 12 servings, Calories: 14kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 0.2g, Fat: 0.05g, Saturated Fat: 0.01g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.002g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.002g, Sodium: 196mg, Potassium: 40mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 16IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 6mg, Iron: 0.1mg

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Other pickle recipes you’ll love:

  • Quick Pickled Cucumbers and Onions
  • How To Pickle Peppers (Hot Water Bath Canning Method)
  • Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickled Banana Peppers
  • Midwestern Creamy Cucumber and Vinegar Salad
  • Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers and Vinegar
  • Quick Dilly Cucumbers in Vinegar

More simple recipes you’ll love:

  • Salad dressing recipes (great to have when things are coming out of the garden!)
  • Subway bread or homemade hoagie rolls – pickles are perfect on a sandwich
  • Easy smoothie recipes – so great to know how to make when things are in season

Aren’t my baby onions cute?! They were the first I pulled and they are tiny… I think I’ll wait another month or two before I pick any more so they aren’t quiet so itty-bitty.

You’ll be in pickle heaven with this quick pickled cucumber recipe that comes together quickly in the fridge with minimal effort!

About Melissa

Read More About Me

You May Also Like:

Chicken

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Vegetable Sides

Brussels Sprouts in the Oven

Easy Dinners

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Appetizers

Baked Brie

Quick Pickled Cucumbers | Easy Refrigerator Pickles Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the ratio of vinegar to water for refrigerator pickles? ›

The basic ratio for quick pickles is 1:1 vinegar to water, and includes some combination of salt and sugar. Another ratio that is commonly followed is the 3:2:1 method, using three parts vinegar, two parts water, and 1 part sugar.

How long does it take to pickle a cucumber in fridge? ›

Cover the cucumbers with the chilled brine. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for about 24 hours, then serve. The pickles will keep in the fridge for up to one month. These pickles will disappear quickly and you'll likely get requests for more.

How long should refrigerator pickles sit before eating? ›

The cucumbers will start off bright green, but will become darker and more "pickle-colored" as they cool. Place them in the refrigerator. Wait at least 24 hours before eating the pickles in order to let the flavors develop. Enjoy them within 1 month.

Do you have to boil jars for refrigerator pickles? ›

Sterilizing jars and standing over a steamy water bath for hours is not the most pleasurable way to spend a summer day! You can skip that whole process and make the next best thing – refrigerator pickles.

What happens if you put too much vinegar in pickles? ›

Shriveling happens most often in very sweet or sour pickles. Using too strong a salt, sugar or vinegar solution at the beginning of the pickling process causes shriveling. Measure ingredients carefully when preparing a cucumber pickle that requires the addition of sugar, vinegar or salt over a 3-day to 2-week time.

How to make homemade pickle solution? ›

For quick pickles, a basic brine is equal parts vinegar and water, but you can adjust the ratio to your preference. Any basic vinegar is game — white vinegar, apple cider, white wine, and rice vinegar all work well. You can use these vinegars alone or in combination.

How do I know when my pickling cucumbers are ready? ›

Start harvesting pickler cucumbers when they are 2 to 3 inches long, and don't let the fruit grow to more than 4 or 5 inches long. Picklers tend to flabbiness in the middle when allowed to get too big. None is particularly long-lived in the fridge.

Should you refrigerate cucumbers before pickling? ›

For best quality, pickle fruits or vegetables within 24 hours of harvest, or refrigerate for no more than a few days. Remove all blossoms from cucumbers and cut a 1/16-inch slice from the blossom end. The blossoms contain enzymes that can cause softening of the final product.

Can refrigerator pickles go bad? ›

Pickles can go bad, but even so, they are rarely a cause for food safety concerns. Try and use up your pickles within three months of purchase, if you can. And be on the look out for any off colors, tastes, smells or textures—let your senses be your guide!

What kind of vinegar do you use for pickling? ›

Most pickle recipes call for distilled white vinegar. This is the clear, colorless vinegar made by fermenting grains. It has a mellow aroma, tart acid flavor and does not affect the color of light-colored vegetables or fruits.

How do you prepare jars for refrigerator pickles? ›

Instructions
  1. Wash and dry the jars. Wash 2 wide-mouth pint jars, lids, and rings in warm soapy water and rinse well. ...
  2. Prepare the cucumbers and onion. ...
  3. Pack the cucumbers and onion into the prepared jars. ...
  4. Make the brine. ...
  5. Add the brine to the jars. ...
  6. Tightly seal the jars. ...
  7. Cool the jars, then refrigerate for 24 hours.

Do jars need to be sterilized for quick pickles? ›

It doesn't require sterilizing the jars or using a canning bath, meaning the whole process can be done in a fraction of the time of regular pickling. While you can enjoy quick pickles just a few hours after making them, the longer you leave the vegetable to pickle, the more flavorful they'll be!

Do I have to sterilize jars for quick pickles? ›

Be sure you're using a clean container to pack your pickles (we may be quick pickling, but we're not barbarians!), though you don't need to sterilize it. Mason and other glass jars are just as good here as they are in traditional canning, McClellan says.

What is a good water to vinegar ratio? ›

For use around the home, combine vinegar with water in a 1:1 solution to clean and freshen many surfaces. Use this solution on glass, windows, walls, cupboards, floors, sinks, stovetops and coffee makers.

What is the best concentration of vinegar for pickling? ›

Picklers should look for a pickling vinegar with 5% acetic acid concentration or higher. This is to ensure your vinegar is acidic enough to prevent the growth of bacteria and mould in your pickle jars. The more acidic the vinegar, the longer your pickles will last.

How do you fix refrigerator pickles that are too vinegary? ›

Dilution: If your pickles are in a brine or vinegar solution, you can dilute it by adding more water or vinegar (depending on the recipe). This will reduce the overall salt.

What concentration of vinegar for pickles? ›

Vinegar used for pickling must at least 5% acidity. Look at the label to be sure that the vinegar you are using is 5% acidity. Sometimes vinegar will be labeled as grain; 5% acidity is the same as 50 grain. Most white and cider vinegars used for making pickles and salsa are 5% acidity, but not all.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Jamar Nader

Last Updated:

Views: 5825

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Jamar Nader

Birthday: 1995-02-28

Address: Apt. 536 6162 Reichel Greens, Port Zackaryside, CT 22682-9804

Phone: +9958384818317

Job: IT Representative

Hobby: Scrapbooking, Hiking, Hunting, Kite flying, Blacksmithing, Video gaming, Foraging

Introduction: My name is Jamar Nader, I am a fine, shiny, colorful, bright, nice, perfect, curious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.