• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

WhipSmart Kitchen

Recipes, methods & musings for the whip-smart home cook

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
    • Breakfast
    • Dinner
    • Sides
    • Dessert
    • Vegetarian
  • ABOUT
    • Resources for Food Bloggers
  • Blog

March 28, 2022

Refrigerator Dill Pickle Spears

These zesty refrigerator dill pickle spears are flavorful, super easy to throw together, and don’t require any cooking or fermentation. So flavorful you’ll want them all the time!

Refrigerator dill pickles in a plastic container on a cutting board, with stray pickle spears laying beside the container

This post was originally published on my old blog. This version may contain edits and updates. The original is preserved at Recipe Repository. 

I was watching the “Dill-icious” episode of “Good Eats” one day (definitely not for the fifth time since it’s been on Netflix, that would be crazy) and noticed Alton Brown said you could skip the fermentation process and make refrigerator pickles.

Classic LLC, I saw that as a challenge, so an experiment I started.

I made a few changes to the ingredients based on the the different method and personal preference including:

  • I pared it down a little. This was a late-night experiment, after all.
  • Less salt. Whether or not you reduce the ratios, you need less salt when you’re not fermenting.
  • More garlic! I like garlic.
  • I added vinegar. You don’t really need it, but zesty is my bag.
  • Finally, I used dill weed instead of dill seed. Either my area has no use for dill seed, or there is a vast conspiracy among the local grocers.

You can find Alton Brown’s original fermented dill pickle recipe here.

These pickles are pretty low effort if you can wait just a few days, and they go great with deli sandwiches, or the slow-cooker classic Italian Roast Beef.

  • Easy Make-Ahead Recipes for Memorial Day: Slow-cooker Italian Roast Beef and Dill Pickles
  • Slow-cooker Italian Roast Beef Sandwich with Refrigerator Dill Pickles
  • Flat Iron Steak Salad with Chimichurri Vinaigrette
  • A wooden salad bowl of flat iron steak salad with chimichurri vinaigrette

Refrigerator pickles vs. fermented or canned pickles

Part of the reason pickles exist is because of the need to store food safely over the winter, so classic pickles are fermented and jarred. This requires a long, fairly complex process to ensure everything is done correctly and safely—which might not be what you’re looking for if you want pickles soon.

Luckily we can still get a really tasty result with quick pickling. Quick pickling is exactly what it sounds like—you soak some cucumbers (or onions, peppers, etc.) in acid with seasoning for a few hours (to days) until it’s softer and flavorful.

Refrigerator dill pickles take things just a bit further by soaking longer, and since you’re doing that you may as well spend a few minutes longer adding a supercharged seasoning mix.

As long as you only pickle them for up to a few days and only keep them refrigerated for a few days after that, you don’t have to worry about refrigerator pickles any more than you would saving fresh produce or leftovers. There are methods to make them last longer such as cooking the cucumbers or liquid, but we’re going to keep it simple here.

Can I make refrigerator pickles fast?

Sort of! Sure, 2-4 days isn’t fast-fast, but it’s a lot faster than the time it takes to ferment pickles. There’s also no cooking or exhaustive prep here. Just cutting, throwing everything in a jar, and soaking.

If you want something truly fast you can just do a simple quick pickle, but it’ll still be pretty crunchy with less flavor absorption. You’re better off buying a jar if you’re looking for actual pickles quick—no shade, I love store-bought dills.

I think the point of this is the unique flavor and the fun. Got kids? Perfect science experiment, and they’ll love eating pickles they made.

Safety tips

  • Choose the freshest produce possible.
  • Thoroughly clean the prep area and sanitize your storage container, especially if you’re going for a longer pickling period.
  • If you’re immunocompromised, elderly or feeding this to young children, consider a shorter pickling period and consuming within a few days to avoid risk of listeria (and watch the sodium for very young children).
  • If you’re storing the pickles longer than the few days I’ve recommended, keep an eye out for changes. If a film is forming on top, the liquid appears carbonated or the pickles/liquid are starting to look or smell otherwise off, time to toss. You should never see these changes with refrigerator pickles.
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Refrigerator dill pickles in a plastic container on a cutting board, with stray pickle spears laying beside the container

Refrigerator Dill Pickle Spears


  • Author: Leannda Cavalier
  • Total Time: 32 minute
  • Yield: About 16–20 spears 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

These zesty refrigerator dill pickle spears are super easy to throw together, and don’t require any sort of cooking or fermentation. So flavorful you’ll want them all the time!


Ingredients

Scale
  • ⅓ cup pickling salt
  • 1 tsp dried dill
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • Pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 4–5 pickling cucumbers (4–6 inches), quartered lengthwise*
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • ½ large bunch fresh dill
  • Several cups filtered water

Instructions

  • Combine pickling salt, dried dill weed, black peppercorns, red pepper flakes, white vinegar and one cup of filtered water in a quart-sized jar.  Stir until salt dissolves.
  • Place as many cucumber spears as you can fit into the mixture.
  • Place fresh dill and garlic cloves in between and around the cucumbers, using a butter knife to help you push them down if necessary.
  • Top off with filtered water, making sure to cover all of the pickles. Seal tightly and give it a shake to combine.
  • Leave the jar in the refrigerator for at least two days, preferably 3-4. Eat within a week at most.

Notes

  • You can always halve any large quarters if you like your pickles thinner.
  • I actually used a deli container this time that I had from buying grape leaves. You can really use just about any air-tight container that holds about a quart. Just don’t use anything that’s going to hold the smell of the vinegar or pass on smells from other foods.
  • This recipe goes great with my Slowcooker Italian Roast Beef!
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2-4 days
  • Category: Sides
  • Method: Soaking
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Refrigerator dill pickle spears, refrigerator dill pickles

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @leanndacavalier on Instagram and hashtag it #whipsmartkitchen

Filed Under: Recipe, Sides

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About Leannda

Hey, I'm Leannda! I love to cook and I'm always down for some tiramisu. When I'm not cooking I'm probably teaching or sideline reporting. DWest Virginia native. Lover of mountains and rivers. Currently living in Tennessee with my husband, Adam; daughter, Siena; and our cats, Professor and Steely. read more

Stay Conneted

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Stay Updated

Privacy

We respect your privacy & will never spam you or share your email address with third parties.

Popular Recipes

Roasted Summer Squash and Tomatoes

Roasted Summer Squash and Tomatoes

A white bowl of pumpkin spice steel cut oatmeal with milk, butter, cinnamon and pepitas beside a milk cup on a white cloth napkin.

Pumpkin Spice Steel Cut Oatmeal

Cheesy Fusilli with Tomatoes and Sausage

Cheesy Fusilli with Tomatoes and Sausage

Don’t Miss These!

Chicken Tomatillo Enchiladas

Chicken Tomatillo Enchiladas for Cinco de Mayo

Cheesy Fusilli with Tomatoes and Sausage

Cheesy Fusilli with Tomatoes and Sausage

Fagioli all'uccelletto (Tuscan Braised Beans) in a pan next to fresh sage leaves

Fagioli all’uccelletto (Tuscan Braised Beans)

Southwest-Style Sweet Potato Frittata

Southwest-Style Sweet Potato Frittata

Recent Posts

  • Crispy Roasted Green Beans
  • Refrigerator Dill Pickle Spears
  • Roasted Turkey Breast with Gravy
  • Apple Chicken Harvest Salad
  • Cheesy Vegetarian Quinoa Enchilada Bake
my foodgawker gallery
7 essential tools for making recipe videos.

I'm a member of Food Blogger Pro. Learn how to start and grow your food blog.

Footer

About the Blogger

Hey, I'm Leannda! I'm into healthy eating, but I'm always down for some tiramisu. When I'm not cooking I'm probably teaching or sideline reporting. I live outside Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband Adam, and our cats Professor and Steely. Read More…

My Favorites

Crispy roasted green beans laying over parchment paper on a baking sheet, slightly askew
Refrigerator dill pickles in a plastic container on a cutting board, with stray pickle spears laying beside the container
Roasted turkey on a white platter with orange slices, rosemary and thyme.

stay connected

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Privacy
  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Terms

Copyright© 2023 · Brunch Pro Theme by Feast Design Co.