Mom’s Refrigerator Sweet Pickles
A quick and easy Refrigerator Sweet Pickles recipe to preserve all those fresh garden cucumbers. It has a short ingredients list, with no need for fancy equipment!
My Must-Make Refrigerator Sweet Pickles Recipe!
A number of years ago, my family – to include both my sisters and their husbands and kids – rendezvoused at my parents’ home in South Dakota.
It was early August, in the heat of summer. And our entire family hadn’t been altogether for way too long. For a few short days, we stepped away from routine to enjoy time together playing games, taking walks, swimming, catching fish, and just plain catching up.
And, oh yeh…eating.
Dad and Mom left no plate unturned, filling us up like only going home can do.
It was during this visit that I was reminded of, and treated to, Mom’s Refrigerator Sweet Pickles. It had been yeeeeeears since I had enjoyed them. How could I have possibly forgotten about these crunchy summer bites that I grew up with?! They’re now my must-make refrigerator sweet pickles recipe!
Well, I’m not ashamed to say that I ate more than my fair share of Mom’s pickles. I spooned that tangy goodness onto my plate as if it were a salad, each and every meal.
Such is the case with me and pickles. Set some Pickled Squash in front of me. Or Pickled Asparagus. Or these Pickled Red Onions, that I’m never without. And I’m a happy prisoner to their pickled goodness.
So, before we left, I asked Mom for the recipe.
Seems like every time I visit Dad and Mom, I take at least two or three recipes back home with me.
How to Make Refrigerator Sweet Pickles
This recipe for refrigerator sweet pickles is a perfect way to preserve all those fresh end-of-summer garden cucumbers. The pickles come together in quick and easy fashion, with a short list of ingredients. And there’s no need for any fancy equipment.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Make a simple pickling brine on the stovetop – I love the celery seeds in this!
- Pour the brine over sliced cucumbers, onions, and green pepper – use a mandoline for quick, even veggie slices!
- Store in the refrigerator. And you’re done!
THAT. Is the beauty of refrigerator pickles.
What to Serve with Sweet Pickles
I like to eat these refrigerator sweet pickles absolutely any time of day, from breakfast to supper.
The pickles are great with a plate of breakfast eggs. They’re an excellent topper for burgers, hotdogs, egg salad sandwiches, tuna salad, and fried chicken sandwiches.
Anytime you’re looking for a fresh, bright, tangy contrast…these sweet pickles are your friend.
One of my very favorite combinations, though, is to serve Mom’s sweet pickles with slow cooker sloppy joes and thick, rippled potato chips. It’s the very best food trio!
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Mom’s Refrigerator Sweet Pickles
What a great way to preserve all those fresh end-of-summer garden cucumbers! This sweet pickles recipe is from my mom's recipe box, and comes together in quick and easy fashion. It has a short list of ingredients and there's no need for any fancy equipment!
Ingredients
- 7 cups thinly sliced cucumbers, ends of cucumbers discarded
- 1 cup thinly sliced onions, chopped into smaller pieces if desired
- 1 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon pickling salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon celery seed
- big sprig of fresh dill
Instructions
- Combine cucumbers, onions, bell pepper, and pickling salt in large heat-proof bowl, preferably one with a lid. Stir and let sit on the counter for 1 hour. Drain well. (I use a Benriner mandoline for thin, even slicing.)
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the sugar, vinegar, and celery seed. Whisk rapidly until sugar dissolves completely.
- Remove saucepan from heat. If you like a crisper pickle, let brine cool to room temperature (If you want to speed up the cooling, pour the brine into a separate bowl and place in the fridge or freezer to cool down quickly). Otherwise, just pour the hot brine over the cucumber mixture - this is what I usually do!
- Add the dill and fold everything to combine. Place a lid on the bowl and refrigerate for 2 days before eating, to let flavors mingle. Eat straight from the bowl, or transfer to jars if desired. Pickles keep well for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
from Mom's recipe box
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 95Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 31mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 21gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
Best pickles ever! This is the one!
Yay! So glad you like. :)
Will these pickles all be in liquid? I’m about to make some but I’m afraid 9 cups of sliced vegetables won’t all get saturated with only one cup of vinegar. Am I over thinking? Thank you!
Hi Esther – I never have an issue with the portion of liquid.
Do you add water to account for the 2 cups of sugar and 7 cups of cucumber? As stated, it just calls for 1 cup vinegar. I would love to make but a bit confused. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
The best pickles I have ever eaten.
They are in comparison to my grandmother’s bread n butter pickles.
My husband and I made them together.
Quick n easy.
I used our pickling cukes and onions from our garden.
I have never eaten a “bowl” of pickles in my life..I am with these..lol
They stay so nice and crisp as well.
Is there a recipe to can these for the winter?
I would LOVE that!!
I am excited to try some of your other recipes this was so amazing with a capital A!!
Terrie
Making these right now. My Persian (salad) cucumber crop was overwhelming me, and I had to do something else besides cucumber salad.
What are you draining after the veggies sit for an hour in the salt? Just veggies juice?
Hi Shelley – Correct. The liquid that accumulates from the salt being mixed with the cucumbers. Just discard it.
I think I too will make sweet and Spicy next. Should I use red pepper flakes or jalepeno?
I’ve used the juice from pickled jalapenos in place of the vinegar before and it’s was really good
I Made them in such a hurry today I hope they will be good. I’ll let them set in the frig for a week before we open them.
I love this recipe! Exactly like my grandmother made and I had lost the recipe so glad o found it from you!! So few recipes cook the brine and that is what makes the recipe truly stand apart! Can’t say enough good about them. It’s wonderful!!!
Can other vegetables be used? Watermelon rind, zuchinni? Etc.
I thought of my gramma Chloe as I “made” these great pickles. Easy, fun, delicious but didn’t last long enough to really pickle. And I didn’t even know my family liked sweet pickles. Making another batch right now. Thanks!!
Loved this recipe! Shared a jar with some neighbors along with my overflowing cucumber crop and now they’re using their leftover juice to make more pickles. I added a little bit of crushed red pepper to make sweet and spicy pickles.
Do you have to rinse off the salt before adding the brine?
Nope. :)
Excellent and easy to make!
Yum
There is nothing else to say
My grandma has been making these for years and I love them! Recipes are almost identical except we don’t cook the brine. We mix the vinegar and sugar in an ice cream pail, add the cucumber, onion and celery salt, then cover and store in the fridge for 2-3 days. Perfection! Honestly, I end up eating them the next day because I don’t have patience to wait.
I’ve never cooked the brine before, I wonder what the difference is?
I love pickles, and can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
These are the same as my Mother-in-Law made. She always stated they could be kept for a year in the frig!
A year?! Wow! They never last more than a few weeks in my fridge. :)
I hear ya! I make them by the ice cream buckets full! I also place them in quart jars for later consumption…..
Mmmmm!!!!
Have you ever water bath canned these just to keep them longer? Our family loves the flavor and would love to have them canned for storage sake.
Hi Maria – I have not. They’re so easy to make, I usually just make a batch whenever I want them!
Brenda, do the cucs need to be pickling cucs, or will another type work?
Love your blog and I’ve tried LOTS of your wonderful recipes. Keep ’em coming (from one SD gal to another).
I use any cucumbers I can get my hands on. :) Thank you so much for your comment, so glad to know you’ve liked so many recipes – and that you’re from SD!