Somewhere between a fresh cucumber and a classic dill pickle, these Half-Sour Refrigerator Pickles are perfect with a burger, a sandwich, or for a quick snack!
Half-Sour Refrigerator Pickles
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These are not your momma’s pickles! They aren’t your traditional kosher dill pickles either…. they are something so very special and delicious, you won’t want to stop eating them!
The best part is, they are so easy to make, you won’t have to stop eating them!
I was first introduced to half-sour pickles when I lived in New Jersey. There was a deli we went to on special occasions that had an amazing pickle bar. Yep, you heard me. A special-occasion deli with a super-fancy pickle bar. If you’ve never been to a New York-style deli, it doesn’t really make sense. You’ll just have to trust that a deli in New York or New Jersey is not like a deli anywhere else! I wish like crazy that I could remember the name of that deli… but I definitely remember these pickles!
They are still bright green and crunchy like a cucumber. But they have this amazing flavor… a bit of dill, a hint of garlic and onion, a dash of pepper. But no vinegar. They aren’t sour like a kosher dill, and they aren’t sweet like a bread and butter pickle. They are something else entirely. I might dare to call these the perfect pickle!
The only “weird” ingredient in these half-sour pickles is pickling spice. I had some left over from when I made corned beef, and I used that. You can find pickling spice here (or look in the canning section or the spice section of your grocery store).
If your garden (or your neighbor’s garden) is overflowing with cucumbers, you can make these by the gallon. Put the cucumbers in whole, slice lengthwise them in halves or quarters, or make slices as thick or as thin as you want. Keep your whole cucumbers to less than 1 inch in diameter and your cucumbers slices less than 1 inch thick. Any bigger than that, and the inside of the cucumber won’t get the right flavor treatment.
You’ll want to leave these pickles in your refrigerator for 4-6 days before you eat them. (If you can wait that long!) The longer they stay in your refrigerator, the more flavor they’ll take on from the brine they are soaking in. If you leave them too long, they’ll start to taste more like a traditional dill pickle.
These pickles really take me back… and I’m going to be making them until we run out of cucumbers!
How to Store Fresh Produce
If you have a whole bunch of cucumbers, you’ll need to know how to keep them fresh until you’re ready to eat them or turn them into pickles. Find out how to store cucumbers here, and grab your free printable to keep in your kitchen.
Enjoy!
3 Ways to Take the Fear Out of This Recipe
- What’s the Difference Between Fruits & Vegetables?
- What’s in My Refrigerator? – free printable!
- How to Substitute Dried Herbs for Fresh Herbs – free printable!
3 More Recipes to Try
Printable Recipe Card for Half-Sour Refrigerator Pickles
Half-Sour Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients
- 2 quart-size mason jars with lids I prefer wide-mouth jars
- 6-8 small cucumbers
- 2 green onions
- 6 sprigs fresh dill
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 Tablespoons pickling spice
- 6 cups warm water
- 3 Tablespoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Wash mason jars in hot water and set aside.
- Wash cucumbers and trim off each end. Set aside.
- Wash green onions and roughly chop in thirds. Place 1 chopped green onion in each mason jar.
- Place 3 sprigs dill in each mason jar.
- Smash garlic cloves, and put 2 in each mason jar.
- Place 1 Tablespoon of pickling spice in each mason jar.
- Divide the cucumbers up between the two mason jars. If your cucumbers are larger than about 1 inch in diameter, you may want to slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise.
- In a small bowl, combine the water and kosher salt. Stir until most of the salt is dissolved.
- Pour the salt water over the cucumbers, filling the mason jars. (If you need more water, use 1 Tablespoon salt in 2 cups of water.)
- Place the lids on the mason jars, and refrigerate the cucumbers for 4-6 days before use.
- The longer the cucumbers sit in the refrigerator, the stronger the flavor becomes.
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