What is the secret to crisp dill pickles?

Using the right kind of cucumber makes a big difference in how crisp your dill pickles will be. We suggest making pickles with Kirby or pickling cucumbers. They're smaller and firmer with a thinner skin that absorbs the brine more easily. Other cucumbers, like Persians and English, have larger seeds and softer middles that will not hold up well during pickling.

What kind of vinegar is best for dill pickles?

We prefer to use white vinegar with dill pickles, but you can use apple cider vinegar.

Where can I find pickling cucumbers?

The farmers' market is a great place to find cucumbers for pickles. The plants are prolific, so if a farmer has a few, they likely have an abundance of picklers. But you can also find them at grocery stores. Sometimes they're called "fresh pickles."

Dill Pickles Recipe

Southern Living Dill Pickles in jars to serve — Photo:
Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Active Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

1 day 10 mins

Yield:

2 pints

When dill pickles are so readily available at the grocery store—and quite inexpensive—why would you ever make your own? You'll know precisely why when you take the first bite of a homemade dill pickle.

These pickles have a classic salty-tangy dill pickle flavor. They’re not kosher dills (meaning no garlic). Instead, they pick up a lot of flavor from ingredients like fresh dill, mustard seeds, and bay leaves.

Learn how to make kill pickles. They're not at all difficult to make. In fact, after you boil the brine, most of the work is done in the refrigerator, while the pickles absorb the flavors of the pickle brine.

Kosher Pickles Vs. Dill Pickles

The primary difference between kosher pickles and dill pickles is that kosher pickles have garlic and dills do not.

The term "kosher" may lead you to believe the pickles are made according to Jewish dietary guidelines, but that's not the case. It's just a term given to pickles that are usually made in a traditional New York deli-style method—and with garlic.

What's the Best Cucumber for Pickles?

The best cucumber for homemade pickles is pickling cucumbers, also called Kirby cucumbers. You’ll often see pickling cucumbers packaged in bags and labeled "fresh pickles."

Other cucumbers, like Persian or English cucumbers, can be used, but the pickles may suffer just a bit. Why is that? Kirby cucumbers have many characteristics that make them especially suited to pickling: They are smaller, have a firm texture that stays crispy after pickling, and the thinner skin is easier for the brine to penetrate.

Persians and English cucumbers have thicker skin, and the seeds in these cucumbers are often larger. This leads to a softer pickle that loses a bit of its all-important crunch.

Refrigerator Pickles Vs. Canned Pickles

Refrigerator pickles and canned pickles both make delicious pickles, but they're significantly different in how they're made—and especially how long they last.

Refrigerator pickles are brined in a vinegar solution, but they do not go through a hot water canning bath. Instead, they're stored in the fridge and last up to one week.
Canned pickles are processed in a water bath. That makes them shelf-stable, and they can be stored for several months or up to a year.

This dill pickle recipe makes two pints of refrigerator pickles that can be stored in the fridge up to one week.

What's Needed To Make Dill Pickles?

This dill pickle recipe is fairly simple. You don't need a lot of ingredients, but you will want to make sure you have the right jars. Here's what to get:

Water: It's important you use the proper amount of water in a pickle brine. Otherwise, the final result may be too tart or tangy for your tastes.
White vinegar: Old-fashioned white vinegar will do, but you can use apple cider vinegar if you want.
Kosher salt and yellow mustard seeds: To flavor and season the pickle brine.
Kirby cucumbers: These smaller cucumbers, also called pickling cucumbers or picklers, are usually about 3 to 4 inches long. That makes them the perfect size for jars. If any are too long for the jar, just trim off the ends.
Fresh dill sprigs and dried bay leaves: These are added to the jar with the cucumbers for flavor.
Jars: Grab two pint-sized mason jars with lids.

Southern Living Dill Pickles ingredients — Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox

How To Make Dill Pickles

Making your own pickles is not at all complicated. Full instructions are below, but here's a brief recap before you get started:

Step 1. Make the pickle brine: In a saucepan, heat water, vinegar, salt, and mustard seeds. Warm the brine and stir until the salt dissolves entirely.
Step 2. Fill jars: To the jars, add the cucumber slices, dill, and bay leaves.
Step 3. Add the brine: Once the jars are filled, pour the pickle brine over the cucumbers. Let cool completely.
Step 4. Refrigerate: Give the cucumbers time to absorb the vinegar and flavors of the brine. Let the pickles sit about 24 hours before your first bite.

A Tip Tip

Be sure to trim the blossom end of each cucumber before putting them in the jar. These ends contain an enzyme, pectinase, that can speed up softening during the pickling process. Not sure which end is the blossom end? Just trim both ends by about 1/8 inch to be sure.

Can I Reuse the Brine?

You absolutely can reuse pickle brine. Once you empty out a jar, add more cucumber spears or vegetables. (Consider replacing the dill, too, if it's looking brown. Fresh is best.) Top off with a little water if needed.

You can reuse the brine one or two times. But be careful to keep your hands out of the brine—use forks or a pickle pincher—so you don't contaminate it and ruin it. If you see any cloudy spots or mold, ditch the pickles and brine.

How To Store Dill Pickles

These dill pickles will last in the fridge for about a week. Do not freeze them. They will not thaw well and will be mushy.

Pickle-Inspired Recipes

Now that you have two jars filled with delicious pickles, find some inspiration for using them—that is, if you can stop eating them right from the jar:

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. yellow mustard seeds
4 pickling (Kirby) cucumbers, cut lengthwise into quarters
10 fresh dill sprigs
4 dried bay leaves

Directions

Prepare brine:

Combine water, vinegar, salt, and mustard seeds in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until salt dissolves, about 1 minute.

Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Pack jars and add brine:

Meanwhile, divide cucumber spears, dill sprigs, and bay leaves evenly between 2 pint-sized Mason jars. (If spears are too long, trim to fit the jar.)

Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Pour hot vinegar mixture evenly into jars.

Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox
Let cool, and chill:

Cool to room temperature.

Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Screw on lids and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the secret to crisp dill pickles?

Using the right kind of cucumber makes a big difference in how crisp your dill pickles will be. We suggest making pickles with Kirby or pickling cucumbers. They're smaller and firmer with a thinner skin that absorbs the brine more easily. Other cucumbers, like Persians and English, have larger seeds and softer middles that will not hold up well during pickling.
What kind of vinegar is best for dill pickles?

We prefer to use white vinegar with dill pickles, but you can use apple cider vinegar.
Where can I find pickling cucumbers?

The farmers' market is a great place to find cucumbers for pickles. The plants are prolific, so if a farmer has a few, they likely have an abundance of picklers. But you can also find them at grocery stores. Sometimes they're called "fresh pickles."

Dill Pickles