• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Bless this Mess
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
  • Sides
  • Desserts
  • Snacks
  • Holidays
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Start Here
  • All Recipes
  • Recipe Filter
  • Cookbooks!
  • Our Story
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Start Here
    • All Recipes
    • Recipe Filter
    • Cookbooks!
    • Our Story
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Bless This Mess > Recipes > Snacks > Pickles

    Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers and Vinegar

    Published: Apr 19, 2018 · Modified: Sep 13, 2022 by Melissa · 8 Comments

    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Mail
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    quick pickles in a jar

    Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers and Vinegar make the most delicious refrigeration pickles that only take about 5 minutes to make. This homemade pickle recipe is a great snack that takes up almost no room in the fridge!

    Sweet and spicy cucumbers and vinegar make the most delicious refrigeration pickles that only take about 5 minutes to make.

    Homemade Refrigerated Pickle Recipe

    Making your own pickles sounds like a whole lot of work and you might even be thinking of hot water baths, canning, and boiling rings. I'm here to tell you that you can make the most amazing homemade pickles by simply adding cucumbers and vinegar and a few other ingredients together and letting them sit in the fridge. If you've never eaten quick pickles or refrigerator pickles, then you are missing out. They have so much flavor and the best texture. The cucumbers stay nice and crisp because they don't go through much of a heating process. When you can pickles, you are boiling them in a hot water bath inside of the jars for a while, normally at least 10 minutes, which really changes the texture of the cucumber. When you make refrigerator pickles, the fresh cucumbers only get hot water poured over the top of them.

    They have all the flavor and such a great texture with half the work! You do need to note that this is not a canning recipe. These pickles are meant to be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within a week. If you are looking for a shelf-stable pickle recipe, this isn't it. I love that I can make a batch of these sweet and spicy pickles in the morning and they are ready to eat by the afternoon. They are even better if you let them sit overnight.

    You'll love how easy it is to make your own sweet and spicy cucumbers and vinegar!

    Sweet and spicy cucumbers and vinegar make the most delicious refrigeration pickles that only take about 5 minutes to make.

    Tips and Tricks for Making Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers and Vinegar

    • Sometimes when I make this in the summer and I have jalapeños in my garden along with the cucumbers, I'll sub in two diced jalapeños for the red pepper flakes. So delicious!
    • You can add a clove or two of fresh garlic (cut in half) to the brine if you like garlic pickles.
    • You can also add fresh or dried dill to taste.
    • You can substitute the peppercorns and whole mustard seed for pickling spice (here's my homemade pickling spice recipe) if you like. Use a generous tablespoon of pickling spice for this recipe.
    • Kirby cucumbers work best for this recipe though you can use just about any kind. The long English and just normal old grocery store cucumbers work fine, though the Kirbys tend to have the best texture for the longest amount of time.
    • These are awesome on pulled pork sandwiches, on a hummus and veggie sandwich, and on this turkey sandwich.  And I love them with Sloppy Joe Baked Potatoes, too!
    Bowl of sweet and spicy cucumbers and vinegar

    More cucumber recipes:

    • Grandma's Quick Pickled Cucumbers - Refrigerator Pickles
    • How to make a cucumber Sandwich
    • Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
    • Quick Pickled Cucumbers and Onions

    If you’ve tried this spicy pickle recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories.

    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
    Bowl of sweet and spicy cucumbers and vinegar

    Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers and Vinegar


    • Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
    • Total Time: 36 min
    • Yield: 2 cups of pickles 1x
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Sweet and Spicy Cucumbers and Vinegar make the most delicious refrigeration pickles that only take about 5 minutes to make. This homemade pickle recipe is a great snack that takes up almost no room in the fridge!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 2 medium or 5-6 small cucumbers (Kirby are great), about 2 cups.
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 cup white vinegar
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
    • 2 teaspoons whole yellow mustard seed
    • 1-3 teaspoons red pepper flakes

    Instructions

    1. Prepare the cucumbers by slicing them how you like, spears or rounds both work great. Place them in a glass mason jar or a bowl.
    2. In a medium pan, add the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, peppercorns, whole mustard seed, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
    3. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil and boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the prepared cucumbers.
    4. Let the cucumbers and vinegar mixture rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (though overnight is great, too) before enjoying.
    5. Keep pickles in the fridge, submerged in the brine, for up to a week.

    Notes

    • Sometimes when I make this in the summer and I have jalapeños in my garden along with the cucumbers, I'll sub in two diced jalapeños for the red pepper flakes. So delicious!
    • You can add a clove or two of fresh garlic (cut in half) to the brine if you like garlic pickles.
    • You can also add fresh or dried dill to taste.
    • You can substitute the peppercorns and whole mustard seed for pickling spice (here's my homemade pickling spice recipe) if you like. Use a generous tablespoon of pickling spice for this recipe.
    • Prep Time: 5 min
    • Cook Time: 1 min
    • Category: Snack
    • Method: Stovetop
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: homemade pickle recipe, refrigerated pickle recipe, sweet and spicy cucumber recipe, cucumber and vinegar recipe, how to make pickles, easy pickle recipe, 5 minute pickle recipe

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @blessthismessblog on Instagram and hashtag it #blessthismess

    Sweet and spicy cucumbers and vinegar make the most delicious refrigeration pickles that only take about 5 minutes to make.

    Don't ask me why cucumbers and vinegar make such magic, but man. am I glad I live in a world with pickles.

    Enjoy from my kitchen to yours.

    « We MOVED IN!!!
    Big Soft Pretzels »
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Mail
    Craving More

    Take the hassle out of meal planning with: Dinner Made Easy, a FREE 1 week meal plan with full shopping list, easy dinners, nutrition information, serving suggestions for each meal, and more!

    Subscribe Now
    about me

    About Melissa

    Melissa is dedicated to helping parents figure out the nightly questions, "What's for Dinner?!" with her no-fuss approach to cooking. Read more...

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

    1. tricia Ashley

      July 22, 2021 at 5:35 pm

      Can you reuse the brine leftover from the pickles to make more pickles? Seems like such a waste to throw it out after a week or less

      Reply
      • Melissa

        July 22, 2021 at 11:31 pm

        Yep, I add to it for a while!

    2. Mahesh Raj

      February 03, 2020 at 5:10 am

      Recently, I purchased the different flavors of tasty and spicy pickles from Ratlamichatora By applying coupon code from the Saveplus and got benefited. Thank you.

      Reply
    3. Tammy

      September 03, 2018 at 6:28 am

      Great ideas. Can't wait for try.

      Reply
    4. Margaret

      April 22, 2018 at 12:04 pm

      This recipe is a keeper! Looked and looked again for "homemade pickling spice" recipe and couldn't find it. Help please

      Reply
      • Melissa

        April 23, 2018 at 9:11 am

        I haven't posted if yet! So sorry. I'll try to get it done for this week and let you know. Thank you for pointing that out!

      • Melissa

        April 24, 2018 at 6:41 am

        Got it done and linked to in the recipe. Here it is just in case you don't see it! Thank you again for the reminder! https://www.blessthismessplease.com/homemade-pickling-spice-recipe/

    5. sue | theviewfromgreatisland

      April 21, 2018 at 8:59 pm

      You had me at spicy ~ I just love the combination of tangy pickling brine with a hit of heat, yum!

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    I’M MELISSA, AND I WANT TO HELP YOU FEED YOUR FAMILY WHOLESOME FOOD.

    As a hobby farmer and mom of five, I’m all about keeping it simple in the kitchen. I want healthy meals that feed my family well, and then I want to get back to my (messy) life. Let’s work together to find something yummy for your dinner table.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Chocolate Babka
    • 5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Legs
    • Easy German Pancake Recipe
    • Mexican Hot Chocolate
    Dinner Made Easy

    Get Recipes & More for Free!

    Get my FREE Dinner Made Easy meal plan, exclusive recipes, giveaways, and behind-the-scenes updates! Get my newsletter or a new recipe every day! Unsubscribe if you aren’t into it.

    Subscribe Now

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    SEEN ON

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Tools.
    • Terms Of Service.
    • Accessibility.
    • Bylaws.

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • About Us
    • Cookbook FAQ
    • Find A Recipe!

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 blessthismessplease.com. All rights reserved.

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter