How to Make Crunchy Fridge Pickles

Learn how to make these crunchy fridge pickles that will convince you to never eat store-bought ones again! Crispy and delicious, these pickles are in our fridge all summer long.

Our family has slowly converted over to making these and THESE only. I don’t even can regular pickles anymore because these refrigerator pickles are way more crisp and crunchier than anything canned. A bonus is that you can use this recipe to pickle a wide variety of vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, peppers, radishes (another favorite around here!) and so much more. The only downside is that you will have to store them in the fridge (hence the name) and they will only keep up to 4 months. Which for our family is perfect, because even if fridge pickles lasted all year, the enthusiasm would wear off and you aren’t going to catch anyone knawing on pickles in December around here.

What ingredients will I need to make crunchy fridge pickles?

For the Brine;

• Water
• White Vinegar
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Salt
• White Sugar

For the Jar’s Contents

• Pickling cucumbers
• Fresh Dill or Dill Heads
• Onion
• Fresh Garlic
• Black Peppercorns
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Grape Vine Leaves (optional but highly recommended!) These add extra crispiness to the pickles.

Step-by-step instructions:

Start by combining the water, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, salt, and sugar in a medium-sized pot and heat just till the salt and sugar dissolve. Set aside to cool while you do everything else.

I usually triple or quadruple the recipe below, because I do big batches at a time. After making the brine, I like to slice all my cucumbers into spears, slice up my onions, and peel the garlic cloves. And yes, run into the cow pasture to pick some muscadine grape leaves. Next, place the dill, grape leaves, garlic, and onion into the bottom of the jars. Here you can see I also threw my spices into the bottom of the jar as well. That works perfectly fine, but if you want a more visually pleasing jar of pickles, throw the spices on top once you have all the cucumbers packed in there!

Pack those cucumber spears into the jars tightly! Don’t forget to add the spices on top if you didn’t put them in the bottom. Fill the jars up to the top with the brine and you’re done! Screw on a lid and store in the refrigerator. Let them sit for at least 12 hrs, then enjoy! They get better the longer they’re in the fridge.

Tips for making crunchy fridge pickles

Use cucumbers that are young and tender. Small-medium sized. Trying to use up those monster cukes that you found at the bottom of the vine won’t work. The skin is tough, thick, and probably bitter. Don’t peel them either! You may as well peel some potatoes and throw those in the jar. Having that tender skin on a cucumber is what makes a pickle crunch!

How soon can I eat the pickles once I’ve made them?

I like to leave mine in the fridge for at least 12 hours before I tell everyone that there are pickles for the taking. They just get better the longer you leave them in there!

What makes these pickles so crunchy?

The fact that you are not water bathing aka boiling the pickles in water to process them for 30 minutes. Water bathing may make them last on the shelf for a couple of years, but you will not have that perfectly crispy pickle. It’s as simple as that. Anything that is going to be processed under heat is going to lose something, whether it be nutrients, texture, or crispiness.

If you enjoyed this recipe, I’d be thrilled if you left a review!