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This easy recipe teaches how to make your own delicious Half Sour Refrigerator Pickles, perfect for sandwiches, salads, and appetizers.
When I was a kid, whenever we went to the movies, we’d go to a diner next to the theater for dinner. Instead of putting a bowl of bread on the table, they would come with the most delicious, crunchy pickles, and I would fight my brother and sister for the last pickle in the bowl. This recipe is based on those beloved childhood pickles!
These Half Sour Refrigerator Pickles are great on top of burgers, eaten as a snack, or they’re delicious when added to potato salad, tuna salad, and homemade egg salad.
Why This Recipe Works
- Mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns add complexity and depth of flavor.
- Fresh dill gives these pickles a refreshing zing.
- Garlic cloves add a pungent yet mellow taste.
Making pickles is a fun and easy way to preserve the bounty of your garden or local farmer’s market. Also, homemade pickles are tastier than anything you can buy in a store. Once you know how to make them, you can customize the recipe to your taste.
The Best Cucumbers for Pickles
For the best pickles, look for small to medium-sized cucumbers that are firm and have few or no blemishes. Avoid cucumbers that are overgrown or have started to soften and yellow. Pickling cucumbers are often sold in farmer’s markets and specialty stores. If you can’t find pickling cucumbers, regular thin-skinned cucumbers such as English or Kirby cucumbers will work just as well.
Ingredient Notes
Cucumbers: Look for small to medium-sized cucumbers with thin skins.
Salt: For this recipe, you can use kosher, sea salt, or pickling salt, which is a fine-grained salt that doesn’t contain any additives. You can find it at most grocery stores or online.
Water: If you live in a place with very hard water, you’ll need to use distilled or filtered water for this recipe because the chlorine and minerals in tap water can interfere with the pickling process.
Corriander Seeds: Whole coriander seeds are best. Check the date for freshness to ensure the best possible flavor.
Peppercorns: I use a mixture of different peppercorns, but you can use just one type if you prefer.
Dill: I like to use fresh dill, but you can also use dried if it’s all you can get.
Mustard seeds: Use whole mustard seeds. Be sure to check the use-by date for the best possible flavor.
Pickle Crisp Granules: This is an optional ingredient, but it helps the pickles maintain their crunch. You can find it at most grocery stores or online.
Garlic: Use 4 to 6 garlic cloves. No need to peel them, just crush them slightly and throw them in whole.
For Crunchy Pickles
Pickling cucumbers are naturally high in water, and as cucumbers lose moisture during the pickling process, they become crisper. Add Pickle Crisp granules (paid link) to the pickling mixture for extra crunch.
Step By Step Instructions
Wash your cucumbers with cold water.
Dissolve your salt and Pickle Crisp Granulesin in the water and set aside.
Crush half the coriander, mustard, and peppercorns using a mortar and pestle. You don’t have to grind them down; just crush them so they release flavor into the brine.
If you don’t have a mortar & pestle, just add them to a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Add the cucumbers to a half-gallon jar. If you have trouble fitting them, you can slice or quarter some of the cucumbers to fit them better.
Add the garlic, ground spices, dill, and bay leaves, then pour the salt water mixture.
Add enough water until the cucumbers are completely covered in water. If you have water left after filling the jar, you can disregard it.
Add the remaining mustard & coriander seeds and peppercorns to the jar.
Seal the jar and put it in the refrigerator for at least 4 days before serving.
Storage Instructions ?
Homemade pickles will last for several weeks when stored in the refrigerator. For the best flavor, consume them within a month.
Erren’s Top Tips & Variations
- Use a half-gallon jar for the proper salt-to-water ratio.
- For the best pickles, look for small to medium-sized thin-skinned cucumbers that are firm and have few or no blemishes.
- If you don’t have a mortar & pestle, you can add the seeds and peppercorns to a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- Add Pickle Crisp granules (paid link) to the pickling mixture for extra crunch.
Rate This Recipe
Recipe
Half Sour Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients
- 6 small cucumbers (or however many you can fit into your jar)
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Pickle Crisp Granules (optional)
- 6 cups water
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 3 sprigs fresh dill
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 to 6 cloves garlic (whole, slightly crushed)
Instructions
- Wash your cucumbers.
- Dissolve your salt and Pickle Crisp Granulesin in the water and set aside.
- Crush half the coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and peppercorns using a mortar and pestle, or add them to a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- Add the cucumbers to a half-gallon jar.
- Add the garlic, crushed spices, dill, and bay leaves, then pour the salt water mixture on top until the cucumbers are completely covered in water. If you have water left after filling the jar, you can disregard it.
- Add the remaining mustard & coriander seeds and peppercorns and seal the jar.
- Put in the refrigerator for at least 4 days before serving.
Tips
- Use a half-gallon jar for the proper salt-to-water ratio.
- For the best pickles, look for small to medium-sized thin-skinned cucumbers that are firm and have few or no blemishes.
- If you don’t have a mortar & pestle, just add the seeds and peppercorns to a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- Add Pickle Crisp granules (paid link) to the pickling mixture for extra crunch.
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