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Overnight Refrigerator Pickles are crisp, crunchy, dill-y and come together in a flash. The fridge does the work for you and before you know it you’re armed with a great side dish for all those backyard barbecues and summer potlucks!

Spear shaped pickle being pulled out of a mason jar.

Raise your hand if you like pickles! Me too! It’s no secret that I love easy recipes that are fresh and natural. Have you seen my Grilled Corn on the Cob Recipe or my Fresh Cherry Salsa?

These Overnight Pickles are exactly that and oh so delicious! Of course they are better than store bought because they are all natural– but they also have a different flavor than store bought because they aren’t canned.

They are a bit more mild and that makes them pair perfectly with just about anything because they’re not overpowering.

Key Ingredients

ingredients to make overnight pickles: cucumbers, onion, dill, garlic, water, vinegar, salt, and sugar
  • Cucumbers– If you have garden fresh, they are the BEST! There are a few varieties of cucumbers and the ones with the most flavor and most benefits are the smaller ones meant for pickling. Sometimes they are referred to as “salad cucumbers” in the store.
  • Onions– I like Vidalia or sweet– any will do. Red onions are more mild, but will also color your water.
  • Garlic– use as much as you like
  • Dill– Fresh is best, either from your garden or the produce department. Dried dill could be used in a pinch, but you’ll need much less.
  • Vinegar– Plain ol’ white vinegar
  • Sugar and Salt– Flavors and acts as a preservative.

How To Make Overnight Pickles

This is an overview of the instructions, be sure to see the recipe card for all the details.

STEP ONE: PREPARE THE VINEGAR SOLUTION

2 image collage showing how to make the vinegar solution for refrigerator pickles. 1- add salt, sugar, water, and vinegar to a saucepan; 2- heat over low heat, stirring, until salt and sugar is dissolved.
  1. Add the sugar, salt, vinegar and water to a saucepan.
  2. Heat on the stove, over low heat, stirring occasionally, just to dissolve the sugar and salt. Allow to cool while you prepare the cucumbers.

STEP TWO: PREPARE THE CUCUMBERS

4 image collage showing how to make overnight pickles. 1- cut cucumbers and veggies; 2-place in jars; 3- fill jar with vinegar solution; 4-cover and refrigerate.
  1. Cut the cucumbers into your desired shape, slice the onions and peel the garlic.
  2. Fill Mason Jars cucumbers, onions, garlic and dill. Pack them in.
  3. Pour the vinegar solution into the jars with the veggies.
  4. Cover the jars, and place them in the refrigerator. They’ll be ready to enjoy in about 24 hours.
Several mason Jars overnight pickles, green towel along side and some sprigs of dill in the foreground.

These are NOT canned pickles. Therefore, they are much easier and quicker to make! I have nothing against canning, as a matter of fact, I can’t wait to get to that season of my life.

Expert Tips

  • This recipe makes about 2 quart size jars of pickles. The number of pickles you need will depend on the size of your cucumbers. I can usually get 1-2 in each jar.
  • Slice the pickles into spears, or rounds. You can make them as thin or thick as you want. You can even do whole pickles.
  • A Mandoline Slicer works perfectly for getting every slice the same size. I love mine, but proceed with caution! Full Disclosure, I got stitches once from it!! I highly recommend the cut resistant gloves while using.
  • Wide mouth mason jars work best because it’s easier to get the cucumbers in and out.
  • There is such a small amount of sugar in these that I don’t worry about it, however, if you want to go sugar free, you can use a stevia based sweetener. I’ve made these with Truvia before (cut the amount in half) and they taste fine, but the vinegar solution does look a little cloudy.
  • To make them sweeter, increase the sugar.
  • If you like spicy, add red pepper flakes to your jars.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

  • NO CANNING!
  • Quick and Easy!
  • Just a handful of ingredients.
How long do refrigerator pickles stay good?

They keep in the refrigerator for 4-6 weeks.

Are refrigerator pickles healthy?

Cucumbers have loads of benefits, they are high in nutrients, antioxidants and aid in hydration.

Storing and Freezing

Overnight Pickles should be refrigerated, and stored in the refrigerator. They will keep for 4-6 weeks–they never last that long in our fridge though because we devour them!

I don’t recommend freezing pickles, they are best served fresh.

Video

If you’d prefer to watch this recipe, check out my YouTube video!

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Jars of overnight pickles, fresh dill in the foreground.

Overnight Refrigerator pickles

delicious homemade pickles in just 24 hours.
4.75 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate Save
Course: condiment, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Chill time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 35kcal
Author: Chellie Schmitz
Cost: $8

Equipment

  • mason jars
  • medium sauce pan
  • Mandoline optional

Ingredients

  • 2-3 cucumbers sliced into rounds or spears
  • 1/2 onion sliced into half moons
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled, or more depending on preference
  • 1 bunch of dill
  • 3 cups water
  • 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 2 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 Tbs sugar

Instructions

  • Combine water, vinegar, sugar, and salt into a medium saucepan and turn heat to low. Heat and stir occasionally until sugar and salt is dissolved. Allow to cool while you prepare cucumbers and veggies.
  • Place sliced cucumbers, onions, garlic and dill into a quart size mason jar, or other container. Pack it in tight.
  • Pour the vinegar solution over the cucumbers, making sure they are covered, and seal with lids. Place in the refrigerator. Ready to serve in 24 hours.

Notes

  • This recipe makes about 2 quart size jars of pickles. The number of pickles you need will depend on the size of your cucumbers. I can usually get 1-2 in each jar.
  • Slice the pickles into spears, or rounds. You can make them as thin or thick as you want. You can even do whole pickles.
  • A Mandoline Slicer works perfectly for getting every slice the same size. I love mine, but proceed with caution! Full Disclosure, I got stitches once from it!! I highly recommend the cut resistant gloves while using.
  • If you want to go sugar free, you can use a stevia based sweetener. I’ve made these with Truvia before (cut the amount in half) and they taste fine, but the vinegar solution does look a little cloudy.
  • To make them sweeter, increase the sugar.
  • If you like spicy, add red pepper flakes to your jars.

Nutrition

Calories: 35kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.004g | Sodium: 661mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 64IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.2mg
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Chellie Schmitz is the creator of Art From My Table, where her passion for delicious food and gathering with loved ones comes together. She believes anyone can cook a great meal, it doesn't have to be complicated or stressful. Her recipes and food photography have been featured in many publications including Buzzfeed, Southern Living, Today Food, and Fitness magazine.

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4.75 from 8 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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18 Comments

  1. Faye, forgive my delay in response– I didn’t see this til now. So, the sugar helps with preserving, even though they’re not canned, but it is not sweet tasting at all, it’s primarily dill and garlic that you taste.

  2. What happens if I don’t use sugar? I like a good dill pickle but not sweet. Just curious as I’ve never tried quick pickles, only canned.

  3. No, you can pour the warm liquid on them. If you do let it cool, it won’t hurt.

  6. 5 stars
    So delicious! And easy! We made these the other night and I love them. Reminds me of the whole dill pickles a restaurant in Atlanta used to serve.

  7. Yes, you can substitute dried dill. a 3-5″ spring of fresh dill is equivalent to about a 1/4 tsp of dried dill. So for this recipe that would be 1/2 teaspoon per quart. Personally, I would probably add a bit more than that, but it will depend on your preference. Come back and let me know how it works out!

  9. I would trust them for a few good weeks. Honestly, we found a jar hiding in the back of our spare fridge a year later and we ate them– we are all still in good health! LOL! But realistically, at my house, I can barely keep them in stock, we go through them quickly.

  11. Courtney, honestly we can’t keep them around for very long because we all love them so much. I’d say you’re still safe in a month. One year I found a year old jar that was hidden in the back of our spare refrigerator. We ate them and we’re still alive. 😉 Enjoy!!

  13. Oh yay! They are super easy! I hope you loved them and thanks for stopping by!!