Quick Dill Pickles

Bright and vinegar-forward, quick pickles are incredibly easy to make using little more than salt, vinegar, herbs, and spices. This recipe keeps it simple — a hot brine poured over cucumbers — and within an hour, your pickles are ready to eat. 

What’s the difference between a kosher dill pickle and a regular dill pickle?

Both kosher dill pickles and regular dill pickles feature cucumbers in a vinegar brine. A dill pickle is any cucumber pickled with dill. If the dill pickle jar is labeled as “kosher,” it has nothing to do with kosher laws, says Emily Paster, author of The Joys of Jewish Preserving. Rather, kosher dill pickles include garlic as well as dill in the brine.

Why do you salt cucumbers before pickling?

Salting cucumbers before pickling them helps draw excess moisture out of the cucumbers to allow for the brine to penetrate into the cucumber. This helps create a crisper texture and aids with the preservation of the cucumbers. 

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

These were specifically developed to be refrigerator pickles rather than traditionally canned pickles. 

Make ahead

Refrigerate the pickles in an airtight container for up to one month. Note that all types of pickles, canned or not, vinegar-brined or fermented, must be kept in the refrigerator once they’ve been opened.

This recipe was developed by Tricia Manzanero Stuedeman; the text was written by Breana Killeen.