These Quick Pickled Cucumbers with green onion are made in the refrigerator for a simple summer snack!
Try these recipes if you're looking for more pickling options: Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickled Banana Peppers, Quick Pickled Cucumbers and Onions and Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers and Vinegar
Quick Pickled Cucumbers (Refrigerator Pickles)
When all the hard work of tilling, planting, weeding, watering, and more weeding a garden starts to pay off, I’m always astounded and thrilled by the buckets of fresh vegetables we get to play with! We usually have no shortage of green beans, basil, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, and cucumber. So, with all that fresh goodness, you’ve got to get creative in preserving some of it!
My grandma was a wiz in the kitchen and always created the most incredible recipes for her family of 13 kids (11 of whom were boys!), and I got this recipe for quick pickled cucumbers from her. She is an incredible woman, and thinking about her makes me happy. She’d create a simple brine and throw anything from the garden in -- not just cucumbers, but onions, bell peppers, and whole cherry tomatoes, too.
It tastes like summer in a jar, and whether you’re an avid gardener or more of a grocery store frequenter, anyone can make these easy refrigerator pickles in no time.
Tips and tricks for making quick pickled cucumbers:
- White vinegar is the traditional vinegar for this recipe and a great place to start. If you know that you like apple cider or rice wine vinegar they are also good.
- These are delicious on our favorite pulled pork sandwiches (made easy in the slow cooker!), as a side for everything summer, and to eat for a snack. You can't go wrong with this simple dish all summer long.
- Want to add a little spicy? Toss in a jalapeno cut in half (delicious!).
- I love these glass containers with lids to have things like this in my fridge. I also use a mason jar and one of these reusable lids really often.
What is the best vinegar for pickling?
Most recipes call for distilled white vinegar -- it’s clear, colorless, and has a mellow aroma and tart acidic flavor. But you can really use whatever vinegar you like and have on hand, like apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar. This recipe is flexible!
What can I pickle at home?
If you ask my grandma, you can pickle any vegetables you like! A few common ones to pickle are cucumbers (of course!), radishes, carrots, red onions, asparagus, jalapenos, cauliflower, and green beans.
How do you pickle something quickly?
To pickle something, you simply need to soak the vegetables in a vinegar brine. My brine calls for water, vinegar, sugar (optional), and salt, and you simply let the cucumbers rest in the brine in the fridge until you’re ready to eat them. Letting them sit longer helps the flavors develop more, so an overnight soak is ideal, but they’re also fine to eat right away!
How long do pickled cucumbers last?
These pickled cucumbers will last about a week in the fridge. The longer they stay in the fridge the less crisp they become.
What is the best cucumber for pickling?
You want to choose a cucumber that has thicker skin.The thick skin helps the cucumber to stay crunchy. Stay away from the English cucumber because the skin is too thin.
Quick Pickled Cucumbers – Refrigerator Pickles
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups of pickles 1x
Description
Quick and easy pickled cucumbers with onion made in the refrigerator; our favorite way to use summer cucumbers!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup vinegar (apple cider, white, and rice wine are all good)
- 2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
- sliced garden cucumbers (about 2 cups)
- sliced onion or green onion (about ½ cup)
- additional vegetables as you like (bell pepper, whole cherry tomatoes, etc.)
Instructions
- In a small bowl add the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add the cucumber and onion. Taste and adjust the ingredients to your liking.
- All the cucumbers should be covered in the brine, if you have lots of cucumber or are making a big batch, make more brine.
- Let the mixture rest in the fridge until you are ready to eat. The flavors develop over time, so an overnight soak is great but mine are normally gone by dinner.
Notes
- I love adding the sugar and my mom does too, but my grandma doesn't add that much (she only adds a few teaspoons). I say try it and see what you like.
- White vinegar is the traditional vinegar for this recipe and a great place to start. If you know that you like apple cider or rice wine vinegar they are also good.
- You really can't mess this up. Just adjust to taste and enjoy!
- The pickles will last at least a week in the fridge but get less crisp as time goes on.
- You can reuse your brine a time or two, just add more cucumbers!
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Refrigerator
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: easy pickles recipe, refrigerator pickles recipe, pickled cucumbers recipe
Other pickle recipes you'll love:
- Quick Pickled Cucumbers and Onions
- How To Pickle Peppers (Hot Water Bath Canning Method)
- Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickled Banana Peppers
- Midwestern Creamy Cucumber and Vinegar Salad
- Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers and Vinegar
- Quick Dilly Cucumbers in Vinegar
More simple recipes you'll love:
- Salad dressing recipes (great to have when things are coming out of the garden!)
- Subway bread or homemade hoagie rolls - pickles are perfect on a sandwich
- Easy smoothie recipes - so great to know how to make when things are in season
Aren't my baby onions cute?! They were the first I pulled and they are tiny... I think I'll wait another month or two before I pick any more so they aren't quiet so itty-bitty.
You’ll be in pickle heaven with this quick pickled cucumber recipe that comes together quickly in the fridge with minimal effort!
Summer
Lovely to read!! Summer blessings. 🙂
Julianne
We can't keep enough of these pickled cucumbers in the fridge! I'm replensishing it every other day. They are just that good....and addictive!!!
I followed your recipe to a T including the sugar. This recipe is the BEST!!! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Melissa
Me too! Just reuse my brine and make it again and again! Add one piece of smashed garlic if you really want to get crazy. SO EASY!
Melissa
I love that! Thank you for letting me know. We are in the same boat and make them over and over again all summer long. ENJOY!
Mickalene McRay
how long will they last in the fridge?
Michael
thank you for this post 🙂 they're in the fridge now, waiting, evolving ;D
★★★★★
Melissa
Hope you love them as much as we do!
David
I love the vinegar/water ratio. They are not overly acidic. Made my first batch with Persian cukes, which are quite sturdy, and they are not losing their crunch so far. This simple recipe is a keeper. Thanks Melissa!
Melissa
So glad you are enjoying it David, great tip on the Persian cucumbers too.
RK in Denver
Great! I was so happy to find this— tastes just the way my mom made them.
Melissa
I'm so glad you found it. Some of those old time recipe are just the best aren't they!
Sharon
I love the combo of you, mom & grandma. I love refer cubs & thanks for your receipe
Melissa
Thank you Sharon! I always like to share recipes that have meaning to me 🙂 ENJOY!
Valda
Very informative
★★★★★
Ali
Great recipe! It's a summer staple in our home now 🙂
★★★★★
Kate
I used less sugar, as I’m not a huge fan of sweet pickles, and they were amazing! My kids loved them. I’m about to throw in some more cukes to the existing brine for the next batch. ?
★★★★★
Roderick
I know this is not natural or organic but I use a little Splenda instead of sugar.
★★★★★
Melissa
Yes, it would work just fine, I know my grandma does.
Lis McKay
Yum! How long would these last in the fridge (I have heaps of cucumbers!). And in the pantry?
★★★★★
Melissa
They get softer as time goes on, so I like to make smaller batched more often, but they will last a really long time if you don't mind them loosing some of their crunch, up to a week for sure.
Elizabeth C.
Great recipe! I added colorful bell peppers and used red onions. It was beautiful and everyone at our Christmas dinner enjoyed it. Thanks so much!
Robby
I tried these and I just love them next time I'll try the cherry tomatoes and maybe bell peppers in them
★★★★★
Melissa
Yes! My grandma always added whatever veggies she had in her garden.
Rebecca Callahan
Yummy. My husband couldn't wait to get into them. I used a mixture of apple cider vinegar and white vinegar and used half. splenda and half sugar.
★★★★★
Wandra
How much Splenda?
★★★★★
Melissa
Just to taste, I'd start with a tablespoon.
shirley
Im gonna do this. Thank you
Connie
This recipe looks delicious.
Will store bought cucumbers work?
Melissa
Yep, they work fine but tend to get soft a little faster, eat them within 24 or so hours of making 🙂
Emikey Harris
I must say this is a very simple, quick, pickle, recipe. As a matter of fact, I will try this recipe tonight. Because I am surely a pickle eater.....dill, sour, hot,ect.
Billy
Your pictures look stunning! Definitely cannot wait to give this recipe a try the next time I pickle some cucumbers. Would this same recipe work with something like red onions? Thanks!
★★★★★
Esther
Made them they came out great thanks for the recipe. How long do they last in refrigerator?
Melissa
They last a long time though they start to loose their crunch as time goes on. I like to eat them within a day or two and then just add new cucumbers to my brine.