Perfect Dill Pickles Recipe

This homemade dill pickle recipe is super simple and results in crisp pickles that beat anything you can find at the grocery store.

Like all of the other pickles recipes on Inspired Taste, these are refrigerator pickles, meaning you can enjoy them in as little as a day. I love the simple dill pickle brine in this recipe. It’s super simple to make and gives the cucumbers a classic flavor.

These are great right out of the fridge as a snack or served alongside your next juicy burger, veggie burger, or sandwich! We also love them for dill pickle dip. For another easy cucumber pickle, try our sweeter bread and butter pickles.

Key Ingredients

• Cucumbers: For the best pickles, choose Kirby cucumbers. They’re short, fat, and have bumpy skin, making them ideal for pickling because they hold up well in the brine and stay crisp. If you don’t have access to a garden, farmers market, or farm, use smaller, thin-skinned cucumbers like Persian cucumbers or English cucumbers as a substitute.
• Fresh Dill: I use a generous amount of dill since we’re making dill pickles. I chop half of it to float in the brine and leave the rest as whole sprigs, which I push into the jar for a pretty look.
• Garlic: I add whole cloves of fresh garlic to my pickle brine because I love the flavor. If you’re sensitive to garlic, use a little less, and if you love it, mince it or add a few more cloves.
• Vinegar: Use distilled white vinegar with 5% acidity (most are, but double-check the label).
• Pickling Spices: For classic pickles, I combine a teaspoon of sugar with peppercorns, pickling or sea salt, yellow mustard seeds, coriander seeds, and dill seeds. I also love a dried arbol chili pepper for a hint of spice (but this is optional). If you do not have any, use a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Pickles

Tip 1: These easy pickles only require two steps. Like all the other delicious pickle recipes on Inspired Taste, these are refrigerator pickles, which means they are quick to make, and you don’t need to wait very long before enjoying them. Here’s what to expect:

1. Let sliced cucumbers sit with salt, whole black peppercorns, chopped fresh dill, garlic cloves, and an optional arbol chili pepper for 30 minutes.
2. Add them to a jar and cover them with our simple dill pickle brine. 

Tip 2: Hot brine vs. cold brine. Depending on the type of crunch and color you love in your cucumber pickles, you have two options for the brine:

• (Option 1) Hot brine pickles: If you prefer pickles with a slightly softer crunch similar to classic store-bought varieties, hot brining is your answer. Pour the hot brine directly over your cucumbers. While this method softens the cucumbers slightly and results in a slightly duller green color, many people love the texture! Another big advantage of the hot brine is that you can start snacking on these pickles the next day!
• (Option 2) Cold brine pickles: For pickles with a snappy crunch and a fresh green color, cold brining is the way to go. For this method, allow the brine to cool completely before pouring it over the cucumbers. Be patient, as the full pickling process takes a bit longer (typically 3 to 5 days). But trust us, the wait is worth it for that extra crunch and bright color. These remind me more of my favorite deli-style pickles!

Ways to Use Dill Pickles (Other than snacking!)

Outside of munching on them straight from the fridge, I use these to make homemade tartar sauce, creamy pasta salad, and this creamy potato salad.

They are amazing with wraps, sandwiches, and burgers, too. I love adding them to smash burgers, black bean burgers, lobster rolls, tuna salad, and more! And, I’d be letting you down if I didn’t mention that you can turn these into a dip! Try our creamy pickle dip for your next get together.

More Pickle Recipes