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!
Like this easy pickles recipe? Save it to Pinterest!
Mom’s Refrigerator Sweet Pickles
Ingredients
- 7 cups thinly sliced cucumbers, ends discarded (I use thin-skinned varieties, such as larger English cucumbers or smaller Persian cucumbers.)
- 1 cup thinly sliced white or yellow onion, cut into 1" lengths
- 1 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon pickling salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dried celery seed
- 1 big sprig 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 mandoline for thin, even vegetable slicing.)
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, vinegar, and celery seed. Bring it just to a boil and whisk rapidly until sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat.
- Pour hot brine over the cucumber mixture. Add the dill and fold everything to combine. Let cool to room temperature.
- Place a lid on the bowl and refrigerate for 2 days before eating, to let flavors mingle…although I never wait that long. Continue to store in covered bowl or transfer to jars. Pickles keep well for up to 3 weeks.
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!