These easy homemade refrigerator pickles are perfect to whip up quickly and add to all your summer favorites, charcuterie boards, salads, sandwiches, burgers and more. You don’t have to worry about questionable ingredients from the store-bought pickles.
Typical store-bought pickles contain things that are not healthy like preservatives, colorants, “firming-agents,” and other not-great-for you ingredients.
You can avoid all that with these simple refrigerator pickles.
Pickles are typically made from the Gherkin variety which has a tougher and more textured skin but using these smooth-skinned English cucumbers taste very similar. And, they can be found an just about any grocery store year-round.
You will make them again and again!
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Ingredients for Refrigerator Pickles
You will need just a few ingredients and tools to make these simple homemade refrigerator pickles. You probably have everything on-hand already.
Check out this recipe for Pickled Red Onions Here.
Ingredients you will need for this recipe:
- 4-6 small English Cucumbers or 1 Large English Cucumbers
- Vinegar
- Cane sugar, Coconut Sugar, or Turbinado sugar (this will give it a great flavor and impart a darker color to your liquid)
- Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
- Garlic Cloves
- Bay Leaves
- Filtered or Distilled water
- Dried Parsley
Equipment you will need for this recipe:
- Sharp knife or Mandolin Slicer (this one has several attachments)
- Cutting Board * I like to use a glass cutting board for things like onions and garlic
- Glass Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Canning jars with lids
- or Glass Bowls with Lid
- Small pot
- Add water, vinegar, sea salt, bay leaves, and sugar to a small pot and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until salt and sugar are completely dissolved
- Remove from heat and allow to cool
- While the brine is cooling cut cucumbers into round slices or quartered spears and slice garlic cloves
- Add sliced cucumbers, and garlic cloves between 2 small Mason jars or one large jar or glass bowl
- Remove bay leaves and add one to each jar (if using 2 small jars)
- Add cooled liquid and dried parsley and black pepper between two jars
Health Benefits of Cucumbers
As a Holistic Nutritionist I have to share some of the heath benefits of cucumbers.
Cucumbers contain the trace mineral silica which supports connective tissue in the body. It supports muscles, tendons, cartilage and more. It is also a great hydrating vegetable because it contains high contents of water but minerals that support fluid balance in the cells.
Because of these minerals cucumbers are great for supporting the anti-inflammatory process in the body. They also contain antioxidants, and other minerals like potassium, magnesium, manganese and vitamins like B vitamins, vitamin K, and vitamin C.
Make These Simple Refrigerator Pickles
Homemade Refrigerator Pickles
Equipment
- Glass bowl with lid or 2 small mason jars
- glass measuring pitcher or ladle
- small pot
- Measuring Cup
- Measuring Spoon
- Knife
- Cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 Cup filtered water
- 1 cup vinegar
- 1 TBsp sea salt
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1/3 cup Sugar I used turbinado sugar, you can use cane sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp Cracked Black pepper
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 6 small English Cucumbers
Instructions
- Add water, vinegar, sea salt, bay leaves, and sugar to a small pot and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes or until salt and sugar are completely dissolved
- Remove from heat and allow to cool
- While the brine is cooling slice or quarter mini cucumbers and slice garlic cloves
- Add sliced cucumbers, and garlic cloves between 2 small Mason jars or one large jar or glass bowl
- Remove bay leaves and add one to each jar (if using 2 small jars)
- Add cooled liquid and dried parsley and black pepper between two jars
- Add a lid and store in the fridge until you're ready to enjoy them
Notes
Don't want to wait for your pickles?
If you want to enjoy these pickled red onions the same day simply add slightly cooled brine on top of your cucumbers.
The liquid needs to be warm and not hot. This will allow your onions to absorb the brine a little quicker if you just can't wait to eat them!
You can reuse this brine!
Simply cut up more cucumbers and add them to the liquid and allow them to sit in the brine (overnight is best).
Use up to 10 days
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