Refrigerator Garlic Pickles

I have not bought pickles in years because this recipe just does the trick. It is quick, simple and full of everything you want and nothing you don’t. Reading the ingredients label of what is in storebought pickles made my brain melt. To be honest, I couldn’t believe it. So I started making my own pickles at home, and guess what?! They are so yummy and pair perfectly with our burger BBQ night and pulled pork sandos. And no worries, you do not have to be an expert canner or pickler to make this recipe. It is fool proof.

I recently went to the store to see what my normal homemade items are being sold for and the ingredients present too! At a local market, a jar of pickles was being sold for $11! At another market, it was cheaper by a few dollars but contained artificial ingredients AND corn syrup.

My recipe only contains salt, sugar, vinegar, water, garlic and any extra additives you may enjoy. We love adding some dill or black pepper corns in the bottom of the jar.

What Is In Storebought Pickled Items?

I like knowing what is going inside my body! For years I struggled with acne, hair loss and hormonal imbalances due to, what I believe, was my diet. After making more foods from home and being aware of what ingredients I am using, my life hugely changed. No more migraines, reduction in acne, no more hair loss and I even slept better. Now, I do not like labeling foods as being “bad” for myself BUT what I encourage with myself is thinking what can I work towards that would be better or a better option. This may come down to ingredients, price point, etc.

As for pickled/pickling items, here are just a few ingredients that you will find in them when purchasing from the store:

• Glucose/Corn Syrup: This is just straight up condensed sugar. Now, don’t get me wrong, I really like sugar but prefer using organic cane sugar or honey as they are less processed and more natural. Sugars such as a glucose or corn syrup can disrupt insulin levels, lead to huge gut health problems and that can affect everything else in the body. These types of sugars your body does not know what to do with and they create much harm and inflammation to your system.
• Artificial Colours: Food dyes/colours are man-made chemicals sourced from petroleum. Petroleum is a crude oil product known to make gasoline, diesel, asphalt and plastics. In many store sauces you may find under the ingredients BLUE-1, BLUE-2, RED-2, RED-3, RED-40, GREEN-3, ORANGE-B, YELLOW-5 and/or YELLOW-6. These are artificial dyes/colours. They work to disrupt the general working of the immune system, are harmful to the gut and have cancer causing agents.
• Artificial Flavours: Such flavours are made in a lab, containing dangerous chemicals and toxins for the body. They actually work to not just provide flavour but to trick your brain into having more and more and then even MORE. Plus, there are wide traces of heavy metals in them!

Maybe you aren’t an ingredient person and don’t really care about the stuff above. No problem! You will still get a kick out of making your own homemade pickles AND they taste way better than anything you can buy at the store.

Refrigerator Garlic Pickle Ingredients

• Cucumbers: You can do this with any type of cucumber. I have used long english, mini cukes, pickling cukes and even garden cukes. My only recommendation, is that if it does have a thick skin, peel it before slicing to encourage the vinegar to do its job!
• Apple Cider Vinegar: I enjoy the depth of flavour apple cider vinegar lends this recipe.
• White Vinegar: This is the main vinegar for this recipe. I use anything from your basic white vinegar to a more pickling suitable vinegar. It all works well!
• Salt: As usual, I use sea salt as it does wonders for the body’s electrolytes and adds much flavour to this recipe.
• Sugar: I use organic cane sugar here, the perfect amount of slight sweetness.
• Pickle Crisp: This is an optional ingredient, but a great one to use. If you like your pickles to stay pretty crisp, a little bit of Pickle Crisp from Bernardin goes a long way.
• Garlic Cloves. Any garlic works well here! I have used both regular while garlic to a red russian garlic. This lends a powerful hand towards the flavour of the brine, therefore, your pickles.
• Additives: Go ahead and add any extra to your jar here as well. We like adding fresh dill, black peppercorns, pickling spice, mustard seeds, etc.

To make and store this recipe, I use these tools. Click the text to shop:

• Wide Mouth Mason Jars
• Coloured Mason Jar Lids

*Some links are affiliate*

How To Make Refrigerator Garlic Pickles From Scratch

If you have 15 minutes, you got time to make these. With little prep and huge rewards, you will find yourself making these often!

This is not a recipe you make in huge batches and store under your stairs for the winter. This is something you make in smaller amounts and keep in the fridge to preserve its shelf life. Some call it “refrigerator pickling” or “refrigerator canning”. I like this method because it is fast and lets me have beautiful pickled items even without a full day spent canning.

STEP 1: FLAVOUR

Grab your 20oz mason jar and add in your garlic and other additives.

STEP 2: BRINE

For the brine you are going to add to a pot the water, vinegars, salt, sugar and optional pickle crisp. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat after 1 minute of boiling.

STEP 3: SLICE

Wash your cucumbers and using either a knife or mandolin, slice your cukes to your preferred thickness. Take all your slices and place them into the mason jar. Don’t be scared to really press them down if needed.

Pour your brine over the cucumbers in the jar slowly, so as to not shock the jar from the heat, causing it to shatter.

STEP 4: COOL

Put your jar aside, leave it uncovered and let it cool for about 1-2 hours at room temperature. Once cooled, place a lid on your jar and put it into the fridge. These are ready to enjoy next day!

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How To Store

Keep in the jar with lid securely on for up to 4 months in the fridge.

If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to share and tag me @sarahthereseco on Instagram and come back here to rate and leave a comment!

Refrigerator Garlic Pickles

15 minutes is all you need to make homemade pickles! This recipe is simple, delicious and can easily be made your own by adding in extra flavours and herbs/spices to the jar.

5 from 4 votes

Print Rate Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Rest: 2 hours hours

Servings: 1 20 Ounce

Ingredients

• 5-6 Mini Cucumbers or 8-12 Pickling Cucumbers
• ⅔ Cup Water
• ¾ Cup White Vinegar
• ¼ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Teaspoons Sea Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Cane Sugar
• 3 Garlic Cloves

Jar Additives:

• Pickling Spice
• Black Peppercorns
• Dill
• Etc…

Optional:

• ½ Teaspoon Pickle Crisp

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

1. Grab your jar and place into it your garlic and other desired ingredients such as fresh dill sprigs, pickling spice, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, etc.
2. In a small pot, add your water, vinegars, salt, sugar and optional pickle crisp. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat after 1 minute of boiling. Stir well.
3. While your vinegar mix is heating up, cut your cucumbers into desired thickness and place into your jar. I like using my mandolin to make this process very quick, but a knife works just as well.
4. Once your jars are stuffed with cucumbers, grab your brine and pour it into the jar until it covers all the cucumbers. Go slow to ensure the jar does not break or shatter from heat shock.
5. Put your jar aside uncovered until just about fully cooled, about 1-2 hours at room temperature.
6. Place the lid onto your jar and put into the fridge. Ready to eat next day! These keep 3-4 months but trust me, they won’t last that long!