Refrigerator Pickles are quick and easy to make with 6 simple ingredients. No cooking or canning equipment needed!

Fresh cucumbers are sliced then soaked in a simple homemade pickling brine and set in the fridge for 2 days.

Open glass ar stuffed with cucumbers, onion, garlic, and pickling brine.

These homemade pickles are great additions to sandwiches and veggie burgers.

You can even snack on them straight out of the jar; no judgment here!

Pickling is a terrific way to enjoy an abundant garden crop of cucumbers. Or, if you’re like me, a good way to use up the excess cucumbers you bought at the supermarket.

Those bags full of mini cukes get me every time; they’re just so darn cute!

I have a tendency to overestimate the amount we will actually eat in a week though, so then we end up with food waste.

That’s what happened again this week and then it hit me: I should try making pickles.

Why not? Seems easy enough, right?

You guys, it is so easy!

View of glass jar filled with refrigerator pickle ingredients.

I like this recipe because it is so easy and the ingredients are simple.

Table of Contents

Ingredients for Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients needed to make homemade pickles.

You will need:

6 cups cucumbers, sliced into 1/4″ rounds
1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons salt

How to Make Refrigerator Pickles

STEP ONE: Into a glass jar with a lid, layer the sliced cucumbers, onion, and garlic. Pack them in as tightly as possible, leaving a little space at the top of the jar. Set aside.

STEP TWO: In a separate container, mix together the sugar, vinegar, and salt. Stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved.

STEP THREE: Carefully pour the vinegar solution into the container with the cucumbers, filling to the top. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 days.

Cucumbers, red onion, and garlic stuffed into a glass jar.

Variations on This Recipe

Spicy – Turn up the heat by adding Jalapeno slices or red pepper flakes.

Sweet – These pickles already have a bit of sweetness to them but if you want more, increase the sugar to suit your taste.

Other Veggies – I have only tried this recipe with cucumbers but I think it would work just as well. Carrots, cauliflower, radishes, bell peppers, and green beans are all good choices for pickling.

Top down view of glass jar filled with ingredients for refrigerator pickles.

How to Store

As the name implies, refrigerator pickles should be stored in… wait for it… the refrigerator.

In an airtight container in the fridge, they will stay fresh for 4-6 weeks.

Love Pickling? Try This Recipe, Too!

Sweet & Spicy Pickled Mini Peppers

Enjoy!