These homemade Sweet and Spicy Pickles are like bread & butter pickles with a kick! This is a quick and easy refrigerator pickles recipe that leaves you with a small batch of fun, fresh-tasting pickles. Enjoy with burgers and sandwiches, or snack on them straight from the jar!



 

Easy Sweet and Spicy Pickles

Make the best Sweet and Spicy Pickles with this quick and easy recipe!

Many years ago I fell for Famous Dave’s Sweet ‘n Spicy Pickle Chips. They’re like sweet pickles or bread & butter pickles – but with a fun little kick of heat! They were the inspiration for this recipe.

Quick pickles are, well, quick to make – so you can make a small batch whenever you feel like it. Just pour a simple sweet and salty brine (an amazing natural preservative) over the fresh cut cucumbers, and these pickles stay fresh and crisp in the fridge for up to a couple months. No special canning equipment needed!

This refrigerator pickles recipe is also highly adaptable. Make them just barely hot or fiery hot – it’s up to you!

Pile the pickles on grilled burgers, hot dogs, and anything else you can think of. You can even use sweet and spicy pickles in my fried pickles recipe for some extra fun!

A fork holds a sweet and spicy pickle above a jar.

Why You’ll Love These Quick Pickles

Homemade pickles make me happy, as evidenced by all the things I like to pickle. Here are a few reasons why I make this recipe for sweet and spicy pickles again and again:

  • So easy. Homemade refrigerator pickles are the easiest pickles to make. Just make a simple brine, pack the jars, and let the fridge do the rest of the work.
  • No canning necessary. I love this recipe because it totally eliminates the canning process. No special equipment, no standing over a stovetop of hot boiling water. This pickling method will give you pickles that keep well for up to 2 months in the fridge.
  • Quick. Besides taking very little time to put the pickles together, it takes just 24 hours for the flavor to develop in the fridge. So you can have delicious homemade pickles FAST!
  • You can adjust the heat. Making your own pickles puts you in the driver’s seat. You can add as little or as much heat as you like!
  • Fresh flavor. Quick pickles have an especially fresh flavor that’s different from store-bought pickles or jars of pickles that go through the full canning process. And I absolutely LOVE that!
Ingredients needed for sweet and spicy pickles: cucumbers, bell pepper, onions, mustard and celery seeds, sugar, water.

What You’ll Need

Here’s an overview of the ingredients in these sweet and spicy pickles.

Scroll down to the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredient amounts.

  • Apple cider vinegar – For a slightly sweet, tangy vinegar flavor.
  • White vinegar – White vinegar is the classic vinegar used for pickling.
  • Water – To help form the brine.
  • Sugar – Granulated sugar is what adds the sweetness to this pickles recipe.
  • Salt – A common ingredient in pickling that aids in preservation.
  • Ground turmeric – This adds an earthy, peppery flavor. You’ll usually see this added to recipes for bread & butter pickles.
  • Cucumbers – Use Persian cucumbers or another mini cucumber or pickling cucumber.
  • Onion – I like to use a sweet yellow onion, but a white onion also works well.
  • Red bell pepper – You can use another color if you wish.
  • Celery seeds – A favorite pickling flavor that I fell in love with, with my mom’s sweet refrigerator dill pickles.
  • Mustard seeds – To add spice and crunch.
  • Peppercorns – Whole black peppercorns impart a deeper flavor.
  • Red pepper flakes – These are a must for that spicy kick! Use as little or as much as you like.
Jars of sweet and spicy pickles with cucumbers in the background.

How to Make Sweet and Spicy Pickles

Check out my easy method for making sweet and spicy pickles below.

Pickle brine is shown in a pot.
  • Prepare the pickling brine. Place the apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and turmeric in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Whisk rapidly until the sugar and salt dissolve, then remove pan from the heat. Let the brine cool to room temperature.
  • Prepare the jars. While the brine is cooling, wash two wide-mouth 1-pint jars and their lids in very hot, soapy water. Set aside.
  • Prepare the cucumbers, onion, and red pepper. Wash and dry the vegetables. Cut off the ends of the cucumbers and discard. Then slice cucumbers into coins, aiming for ⅛” thickness – a mandoline works great for even slicing. Or slice cucumbers into spears. Dice the onion and red bell pepper.
Brine is poured from a pitcher into a jar of vegetables to pickle them.
  • Pack the jars. Divide the celery seeds, mustard seeds, black peppercorns, and red pepper flakes evenly between the two jars. Then add the cucumbers, onion, and red pepper to both jars, layering them into the jars to distribute evenly.
  • Pour in the pickling brine. Pour the cooled brine into the jars, filling each jar within ½” of the top.
A jar of sweet and spicy pickles.
  • Store the pickles in the refrigerator. These are quick refrigerator pickles that need to be stored in the refrigerator. Do NOT store these in the pantry. The flavor will increase the longer they sit, and will be very good at 24 hours, even better at 48 hours. They will keep well for up to 2 months.
Jars of sweet and spicy pickles with cucumbers in the background.

Tips & Variations for Making Refrigerator Pickles

Here are a few tips, plus some variations, for making these refrigerator pickles:

  • You don’t need to peel the pickles. There’s no need to peel the cucumbers before you pickle them, although you can if you like.
  • Cut off the ends of the cucumbers. The blossom end of a cucumber contains enzymes that can cause softening of the pickles, so it’s recommended that you cut off a 1/16″ slice and discard it.
  • Add more or less spice. To your taste, add as many red pepper flakes as you like. You could also add some fresh jalapeno (or another hot pepper) slices.
  • Pack in the veggies. When adding the veggies to the jars, pack them in as tightly as you can without smashing the cucumbers. Then gently but firmly tap the bottom of the jars on a wooden cutting board or thick kitchen towel to settle everything into the jars as solidly as possible.
  • Cool the brine faster. If you want to speed up the cooling process of the brine, carefully transfer the hot brine to a heat-proof jar or bowl and place it in fridge or freezer to cool it down faster.
  • Remove air bubbles. Once the brine has been added to the jars of cucumbers, gently tap the jars against a wood cutting board or thick towel again, to remove air bubbles. Top off with additional brine to cover the cucumbers.
  • Store in the fridge. These are quick refrigerator pickles that need to be stored in the refrigerator. Do NOT store refrigerator pickles in the pantry.
  • Let the pickles sit for 24 hours before eating. After 24 hours the pickles will have very good flavor – but the flavor will increase the longer they sit, and will be even better after 48 hours. If you’re planning to serve these when entertaining, I recommend making the pickles 48-72 hours in advance, for the very best flavor.
A jar of sweet and spicy pickles.
A fork holds a sweet and spicy pickle above a jar.

Serving Suggestions

Keep these pickles handy to throw on burgers, hot dogs, and more. I often eat them as a side salad (kinda like my cucumber salad), ha!

Here are some of my favorite ways to serve sweet and spicy pickles:

How Long Will Quick Pickles Last?

These quick pickles will keep well for up to 2 months in the fridge. Remember, do not store them in the pantry!

Like this Recipe? Save to Pinterest

Pin It
Pinterest image for sweet & spicy pickles
A jar of sweet and spicy pickles.

Sweet & Spicy Pickles

Yield: 2 pints
prep time: 25 minutes
cook time: 5 minutes
total time: 30 minutes
These homemade Sweet and Spicy Pickles are like bread & butter pickles with a kick! This is a quick and easy refrigerator pickles recipe that leaves you with a small batch of fun, fresh-tasting pickles. Enjoy with burgers and sandwiches, or snack on them straight from the jar!
5 Stars (2 Reviews)
Print

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ¾ cup white vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1½ tablespoons kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1½ pounds Persian cucumbers or other mini cucumber or pickling cucumber
  • ¼ cup diced white or yellow onion
  • ¼ cup diced red bell pepper
  • 1 teaspoon celery seeds
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Prepare pickling brine: Place apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and turmeric in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Whisk rapidly until sugar and salt dissolve. Remove pan from heat and let cool to room temperature. If you want to speed up the cooling process, carefully transfer hot brine to a heat-proof jar or bowl and place in fridge or freezer to cool it down faster.
  • Prepare jars: While brine is cooling, wash two wide-mouth 1-pint jars and their lids in very hot, soapy water. Set aside.
  • Prepare cucumbers, onion, red pepper: Wash and dry the vegetables. Cut off the ends of the cucumbers and discard. Then slice cucumbers into coins, aiming for ⅛" thickness – a mandoline works great for even slicing. Or slice cucumbers into spears. Dice the onion and red bell pepper.
  • Pack jars: Divide the celery seeds, mustard seeds, black peppercorns, and red pepper flakes evenly between the two jars. Then add the cucumbers, onion, and red pepper to both jars. Pack the veggies in as tightly as you can without smashing the cucumbers, layering them into the jars to distribute evenly. Then gently but firmly tap the bottom of the jars on a wooden cutting board or thick kitchen towel to settle everything into the jars as solidly as possible. Add more cucumbers if needed to leave ½" of space at the top of the jars. If using spears, trim the ends if needed, to leave ½" of space at the top.
  • Add pickling brine: Once brine has cooled to room temperature, pour it into the jars, filling each jar within ½" of the top. Gently tap the jars against a wood cutting board or thick towel again, to remove air bubbles. Top off with additional brine to cover the cucumbers. Twist lids tightly onto jars. Then turn jars upside down and shake to distribute spices. Turn jars right-side up and gently tap again on a cutting board to settle cucumbers solidly into the brine.
  • Store in refrigerator: These are quick refrigerator pickles that need to be stored in the refrigerator. Do NOT store these in the pantry. The flavor will increase the longer they sit, and will be very good after 24 hours, even better after 48 hours. If you're planning to serve these when entertaining, I recommend making the pickles 48-72 hours in advance, for the best flavor. They will keep well for up to 2 months.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 Calories: 90kcal Carbohydrates: 21g Protein: 1g Sodium: 476mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 19g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!
© Brenda | A Farmgirl’s Dabbles
Course: Pickles, Jams & Preservation

More Quick Pickles

A jar of sweet and spicy pickles.