These garlic dill pickles are my favorite pickles for every day eating. For crisper pickles, skip the processing step and make them as fridge pickles.
I grew up in a household that appreciated a good garlic dill. As a kid, one of my very favorite after school snacks was a chunky pickle. I would fish one out of the jar with a fork, stabbing until I could get get traction and then drop it into a plastic cereal bowl. I’d slowly nibble away at the pickle over my book of the moment, until all I had left was the stem end of the cucumber and wrinkly, vinegar-scented fingers.
We also believe that no good sandwich is complete without a pickle. My parents take sandwich construction very seriously, and often buy jars of pickles that have been pre-sliced lengthwise just for this purpose (prior to being stacked between the lettuce and the cheese, these pickles are blotted on papertowels, so that the sandwiches aren’t made soggy by too much additional liquid).
However, up until recently, the idea that a homemade pickle was actually the best kind of pickle didn’t occur to any of us (even taking into account the fact that my father has spent the last 30 years hunting for a pickle to replicate his beloved Polski Wyrob that he hasn’t been able to find since they left Chicago in 1978). I began my pickle enlightenment sometime back in the early spring, when I first started combining asparagus with a vinegar-based brine. I’ve been spreading the pickle gospel out west to my parents in Oregon for sometime now, and it appears that the indoctrination is complete.
My mother and I just spent the last hour on the phone and more than half our conversation revolved around homemade pickles (she now keeps a jar of brine in the fridge, and consistently replenishes the cucumber supply). I can’t tell you how proud I was tonight when she said, “I don’t think I’ll ever buy another jar of pickles again, when making them at home is so easy and so much better.” She’s also got her sights set on making these zucchini pickles (I admit, I sent her the link with a note suggesting they’d be a good way to use up the stampede of garden squash that is coming her way).
And, while I don’t think that my dad will ever find a pickle to compare to the Polski Wyrobs of yore, these garlic dills may just give his taste memory something to get excited about.
For those of you who prefer a smaller batch thank these garlic dill pickles, check out my Refrigerator Dill Pickles.
Garlic Dill Pickles
Ingredients
- 2 overflowing quarts of pickling cucumbers sliced into fat coins*
- 4 cups apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups water
- 5 tablespoons pickling salt
- 16 garlic cloves peeled (2 per jar)**
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper per jar*** 2 teaspoons total
- 1 teaspoon dill seed per jar 8 teaspoons total
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns per jar 4 teaspoons total
Instructions
- Wash and slice the cucumbers.
- In a large saucepot, combine vinegar, water and salt. Bring to a simmer.
- Arrange jars on counter and dole out the spices to each. Pack the cucumber slices firmly into the jars. You don’t want to damage the cukes, but you do want them packed tight.
- Pour the brine into the jar, leaving ½ inch headspace.
- Wipe rims, apply lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
- When 10 minutes are up, promptly remove the jars from the pot and allow them to cool on the countertop. When the jars are cool, check the seals (by pushing/tapping on the lid).
- Pickles can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to a year.
- If you want to skip the boiling water process, these pickles are also wonderful as refrigerator pickles. Just pop the jars into the fridge once they’re cool.
Do you have to use salt, and could you add some sugar, if so how much? Thanks
You definitely need the salt, because it helps draw out the water from the cucumbers in order to make room for the vinegar to enter the vegetables. For a slightly sweet pickle, try the proportions in this recipe: https://foodinjars.com/2013/06/a-very-large-bowl-of-pickles-for-a-potluck/
We are enjoying the pickles I made at the workshop in Fayetteville. Ready to make some more… Thanks so much!
So I made these pickles almost two weeks ago and they are SO GOOD. I know I was supposed to wait a couple of weeks but we were taking a picnic to our local Shakespeare Festival and needed pickles…I think we ate the whole jar! I want to make more and put them up in those wonderful 1.5 pint jars…but I am not sure about the processing time. I am going between what your book says in the dill pickle recipe and this one. I did the pints last time, I used 10 minutes because of my elevation, and they were just lovely and crunchy. I know you process larger jars longer but…I am new to canning and it is all very confusing. Do you have any advice?
Hi, Marisa,
I am wondering about this recipe as compared to the recipe in your book. I am comparing the two. In your book the salt is much less (6 tsp for this amt) and the processing time is only 5 minutes, compared to the 10 on here. Which recipe should I follow? Thanks!
The recipe in the book is the best one to follow. However, know that if you go with the 5 minute processing time, you need to make sure you sterilize your jars before processing.
Hi –
I followed the recipe exactly, and what I ended up with were pickles that were very mushy – not crispy and crunchy as I hoped they would be.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Should the brine be cooled before it’s poured over the pickles? Does processing them in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes cause them to become mushy?
Any feedback is appreciated.
Thanks!
Any time you make water bath canned pickles, they lose some of their crunch. If you want a truly crunchy pickle, you should try a batch of refrigerator pickles.
I use ball pickle crisp to keep them crisp. It’s in the canning section of most stores and works great.
Did you make sure to trim off the ends of each cuke so as to remove the blossom? Also, you can coat them with salt for a few hours before you pickle them to dram out the moisture, then rinse them off.
I heard if you add a couple grape, oak or sour cherry leaves in the bottom of the jar, it will make the pickles crunchy. It has something to do with the tannins.
Add 1/4 teaspoon of pickle crisp to each jar for crisp pickles.
Pickle crisp and ice bath prior to adding brine. I hope you can still use them on burgers and in potato salad. It’s always disappointing when a batch doesn’t work out.
Pickle crisp and ice bath prior to adding brine. I hope you can still use them on burgers and in potato salad. It’s always disappointing when a batch doesn’t work out.
Make sure to remove the blossom end of the Cuke, that is what tends to make them soft. Either scrape ot off or cut that end off.
I also add a grape leaf to the bottom of the jar, I hear raspberry leaves work too. Along with removing the blossom end. i was taught this last year and they are the crunchyest I have ever had.
I made these pickles using the recipe out of the Food in Jars book. I find them to be way too vinegary for me and can’t eat them. I hate to waste the 4 jars I made. Any recommendation on how to salvage them or improve them after opening? Should they cure longer than 1 week? Thank you 🙂
Let them rest longer. They will become increasingly less vinegary over time.
Thank you! I am really enjoying your book, and find it to be great for a first timer. I made the peach salsa yesterday. I appreciate the detailed explanations and pictures. Thanks again.
I made some refrigerator pickles last week. Used 1/4 cider vinegar, 1/4 white vinegar, and 1/2 water. They ended up being SUPER vinegary (perfect for me, but with the amount of cucumbers I have, I need to appeal to everyone). I have seen some recipes using as little as 20% vinegar, but you suggest not going lower than 50%. I’m torn, have any advice?
If you’re only making refrigerator pickles, it doesn’t matter. The 50% rule only applies if you’re preserving them in a boiling water bath.
I’ve always made my garlic dill pickles with white vinegar; does apple cider vinegar make them “sweeter” or tangy?
I just tasted these last night. They sat after canning for 1 week. I thought they were wonderful and my 2yr old agreed asking for more and more. This was my first attempt at making pickles and the recipe is a keeper for me.
Made these tonight for the 3rd year in a row. They gave been wonderful 2 years runningl. I’ve found that 6 lbs (heaping 4 qt basket) does the trick to use up almost all the brine and make 2 quarts and 5 pints that fit into 1 canning pot. I grew dill, let it go to seed and harvested the seed because I have a hard time finding dill seed in the stores and when I do the price is outrageous. I also did mine mostly as spears, just easier to eat as a pickle on the side.
I use these as gifts over the entire year and probably need to up it to 2 batches this year instead of one.
Thanks for the recipe!
i’ve had no luck finding dill seed locally & my cukes won’t make it until i could get the seed in the mail. i do have a generic ‘pickling spice’ mix that i’ve found — do you think i could use it instead of your custom spice mix & still get a good pickle flavor?
It won’t taste like a garlic dill, but it will certainly be good.
how many pounds of cukes equal two quarts ….???
Somewhere between three and four pounds.
What can you do if some of your pickles don’t seal? Do we have to start over or try to ferment pickle them. Worried they will get some soft if we over process and don’t want my fridge full of pickles. Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks
I forgot to heat my lids! Just let my little pot simmer away… Did I just make 8 jars of refrigerator pickles? I did process the jars and all have sealed.
It’s okay. If the seals are good, they are still shelf stable. Simmering the lids helps soften the sealing compound, but this time of year, it’s already so warm that the compound is already a little bit soft.
Do I put the jars in cold water (for the water bath) and bring to boil or do I place the jars in an “already” boiling bath? I made a batch of pickles yesterday and some are soft, just afraid of cooking too long and getting soft pickles again.
The water in the canning pot should be close to a boil when you put your full jars in. If you start with cold water, you will end up unnecessarily cooking the pickles, which will lead to lousy texture.
Wonder, flavorful, garlic pickles! I have made them two years running, and will have to make a triple batch this year because people we know absolutely love them! I used crushed garlic in mine, and may have misinterpreted the ratio of tablespoons of garlic equivalent to cloves of garlic and erred on the strong side. Whatever – these are well worth the effort!
Crunchy, crisp, with just the right amount of spice! Thanks, Marisa!
How long after processing do these need to sit until they’re good for eating? (not the refrigerator method)
If I wanted to use half pint jars for these, how much headspace would I need to leave in the jar?
Gavin, neither the headspace nor the processing time change if you go with smaller jars.
How long do the pickles need until i can sink my teeth into them, if I chose to do the refridgerator method?
Give them at least 48 hours, though three or four days is even better.
I love dill pickles and have ever since tasting my mother’s home made ones as a child. My recipe is similar to your’s except I used white vinegar and use a water/vinegar ration of about 60/40. I also add a slice of horseradish, mustard seed and fresh dill instead of the seed (and I add about 20% more dill than most recipes call for).
I have found that you can use less salt. One year I used teaspoons instead of tablespoons and the pickles were fine except they they tasted very “vinegary” until they had been curing in the jar for a good six months. Alternately, my mother has an excellent receipt that is the similar to mine but uses no vinegar at all but a little more salt.
I sell peppercorns at my web site Pepper-Passion . I tend to use them generously when making pickles, and have even made pickled peppercorns too.
This is a fantastic recipe! Very easy and foolproof. My only issue is the high level of sodium: Is there a way to reduce it?
I couldn’t find dill seed. Can I use dill weed instead or is there another substitute?
Julie, dill seed really is the best option for this recipe. Dill weed breaks down over time and makes the brine murky and discolored.
Thank you! Found some dill seed. Can’t wait to try them.
How many pounds of cukes is this recipe for?? I bought about 3 lbs of pickling cukes and want to try this recipe. Thanks!!
It’s been years since I made it following this exact recipe, so I can’t tell you to the ounce. But a quart of cucumbers tends to weigh between 1 1/2 and 2 pounds, so if you get four pounds, you should be good.
Thanks!! I already have 3 lbs of pickles sliced and speared chilling so I will reduce by ratio the quanties slightly. I made a batch of sweet & spicy pickles a few weeks ago that came out great…wanted to try a garlic dill pickle this time. The other recipe I used called for pickle crisp….can it be added to this recipe?? My other pickles are crunchy using it.
Do you think I could make these with lemon cucumbers?
I would not recommend making a preserved pickle with lemon cucumbers. They are quite fragile and won’t hold their texture.
Thanks so much for the quick response. 🙂
how long before you can try them?
Yum!! I’m going to make a big batch of these!! So excited!!!
How long will the pickles in the refrigerator w/o water bath?
I have a recipe for ice dill pickles that everyone loves. I soak the cuke spears in an ice and icewater bath for at least 4 hours before packing in jars pouring on the brine and then processing. The ice bath (which I do in a picnic cooler) take excess moisture out of the cukes leaving them much harder so even after canning and curing for 8 weeks the pickles are crispy.
Could you share this pickle recipe with me? It sounds great! I planted my Walla Walla Sweets this week and am thinking of pickles. I need to start the cucumbers inside.
Enjoy your spring!
I too am not fond of cider vinegar, so I used half white and half cider vinegar. I also cut down my salt and used 3 TBSP instead of five. A word to the wise (speaking from experience), always TASTE YOUR BRINE before adding it into your jars. Go with less salt so you can add to your liking and don’t be afraid to add extra vinegar and/or water if need be. Generally the water/vinegar ratio is usually good when it’s 50/50 like with this recipe.
Kim, your tips are good except in one area. You should not add more water. In order to keep your pickles safe, you need to firmly to the 50/50 ratio.
I’m comparing this recipe to the classic dill in my copy of Food in Jars and they look very similar except this one is slices and is processed for ten minutes. Do you process this for ten minutes because of the slices? I’m planning on some slices and some whole and was hoping to process at the same time but now I’m worried that isn’t possible.
I made these a month ago and tasted them tonight. They were disgusting! 🙁 I used small cukes that I pickled whole. I cut off the tops and bottoms, but those were the only cuts I made. I didn’t change anything in the recipe other than not doing slices. My pickles were soft, which I could get past if the vingar and salt weren’t so strong. I think I’ll be making relish with mine. I’m dying to find a good pickled cucumber recipe before the cukes are gone.
It may have turned out better had you sliced up the cucumbers and followed the recipe.
I just made a similar pickle using the Classic Dill Pickle recipe in the cookbook, except I cut the cukes into chunky slices rather than spears or leaving them whole. The fill in the jars seemed awfully light so I added more cucumber, almost the same amount again as the recipe calls for (by weight). I BWB them and put them on the self … then I sarted thinking.
The slices are swimming happily in brine, but I’m wondering whether putting more cukes into the same amount of brine takes these out of the shelf stable category or is the brine acid enough to deal with the extra veggies?
I made one batch of the dill pickles two weeks ago and put them in the refrigerator instead of processing in a water bath. The reason I did that is I wanted to taste the pickles earlier to see if I liked the recipe before I made a larger batch. I really liked the spice mix and the amount of garlic, however, I didn’t like the strong cider taste. Will that mellow in time in the refrigerator or in a water bath process. I’ve seen a couple of recipes with half cider and half white vinegar, do you think that will reduce the cider taste? My grandmother used to use all white vinegar so maybe I’m just used to that taste. Have you tried all white vinegar? Thanks for the great recipe.
If you don’t like the taste of cider vinegar, you can always sub in white vinegar. I like the sweetness that the cider vinegar lends, but I know it’s not for everyone.
I like this recipe because after you boil you don’t need to keep them refrigerated, and they’ll easily keep for a year. We re down to 1 jar, as I prepare to put up this years batch from our garden cukes. I use all white vinegar and Kosher salt, pickling spice, garlic and fresh dill heads. Simply great!
I am looking forward to making these pickles as well!
I was wondering if anyone knows what dill pickles without the garlic is like? If I wanted regular dill pickles, should I still add the garlic?
Also, has anyone put all the spices, dill seed and garlic into the brine and let them boil together? Or is it best to add each to a jar itself?
This website is so wonderful. It is organized and I trust using the canning recipes (each and everyone) because they all sound yummy! Thanks!
Hi Marisa,
I’ve made the B&B pickles with great success using gherkins. I’m going to try the dills but I want to keep them whole and use the 1q jars instead. 1. Can I get away with using a wide mouth jar? (easier to get at those yummies with a fork) 2. How much spice/garlic do I put in each jar? (I’m wondering if doubling it is correct but somehow it worries me that it’s too much) and 3. By how much do I increase the processing time?
By the way, just FYI, the pickles I’m using are 5 inches…. SERIOUS pickles!
Jenn, you can get away with wide mouth jars, but regular mouth jars do help keep the finished pickles submerged in the liquid better than the wide mouth ones do. I’d increase the spice by half so as not to overwhelm. And processing time increases by five minutes.
Thank you ma’am! I’ll go for the regular sized jars. I had read that about the jars keeping things submerged better. Thanks for the help!
Great pickle recipe! Made 1st batch last weekend, could not wait anymore. Broke the seal on 1st pint tonight. Not too spicy, or too much garlic. Very good. i will make a second batch this weekend, our garden is producing lots of patio cukes. just the right size. thanks for the on line recipe. i sent the link to a friend for his pickles.
If I make quart jars instead of pints how would I figure out how muchto increase the spices for each jar. Can’t wait to try these pickles!
If you slice the cucumbers, is the process time decreased considering that the brine doesn’t have to soak through the skin?
Nope. The processing time is about the heat of the boiling water penetrating to the interior of the jars. It’s not about brine soaking through.
So I have been doing research on canning (I just can’t seem to jump into anything without over researching it, must be the historian in me) and came across your site. I have been going month-to-month reading all of your entries 🙂 thanks for taking the time to create this for us! I think that these garlic pickles will be my first real attempt, and I think I will make them as refrigerator pickles so I can dazzle a house guest when she gets here on the 22nd. I also would like to know how long they can be kept in the fridge once opened and if I cut the recipe in half, does the processing time stay the same (I would assume so)?
Thanks!!
One quick question… I’ve always done refrigerator pickles because I like them super crunchy. If I process them in a water bath they will loose that right? How long can unprocessed fridge pickles keep in the fridge?
Love your site!
I recently purchased your book and love just about every recipe in it. I’m new to canning and find it to be very helpful.
My project for this afternoon though is these pickles. My daughter and I would eat a jar a day if my husband didn’t give us such funny looks at snack time. I hope they turn out as good as the others say they are.
I am wondering how long to wait before trying these pickles. Made them today and I am very excited about the possibilty of having a taste. I did the boiling method. Please help.
Sandie, give them at least a week to get really pickly.
THANKS!!
I live in Okinawa and I only have access to english cucumbers, the typical grocery store waxed kind and Japanese cucumbers. Would i have the best success with the Japanese cucumbers? These are typically less than an inch in diameter, pretty long and much drier than the typical cuke. Thanks!
Sarah, you’ll have best success with the Japanese cucumbers. They’ll give you the best finished texture.
What is the correct amount of time to hot water bath dill pickle slices in half pint jars? Is 5 minutes enough?
You never reduce processing time when the jars get smaller. It’s still 10 minutes. You only increase the processing time if you use larger jars.
Thanks so much!! Daughter is making Dill Chips in half pint jars for guests at her backyard wedding. We just were not sure about the timing.
I’m using this recipe for whole baby cucumbers. Picked some up yesterday, they have a great crunch. I’m going to create a brine and soak them in the fridge. I guess I will test taste everyday to see how long it takes but do you know a general idea of how many days it will take to pickle? They’re whole about a few inches in circumference and about 3-4 inches long. Also after they are pickled should I pour out some brine so they don’t get mushy? Thanks!
If you’re planning on making refrigerator pickles, this is probably the recipe you want to follow: https://foodinjars.com.s164546.gridserver.com/arugulapesto/2011/06/urban-preserving-refrigerator-dill-pickles/
This recipe worked perfectly; the garlic taste is great. However, I find that any brine made with 5% vinegar in a 1:1 ratio with water is just too vinegary! Is it still safe from a bacteria-killing point of view to use vinegar and water in a 1:2 ratio? Thanks.
Unfortunately, you can’t dilute the vinegar any further for a safe, shelf stable pickle. If you need something less vinegar-y, it would have to be made as a refrigerator pickle.
How long would refridgerater pickles last in that scenario? Still are year?
First, love your site! Second, I made these pickles today as I have been on a canning bender the last few weeks (tomatoes, applesauce-yum!). I made them exactly as written, put a few in the fridge and water bathed the rest. Because I simply could not wait, I have already sampled one of the fridge and one of the processed pickles. Honestly, they are so HOT (spicy) from the crushed red pepper they are almost inedible. I love (love!) spicy things, and even for me these are on the line….there is no way my kids could eat them and I will have to be very picky who I give them to. 🙁 sad! I would imagine they would only get *hotter* as they sit in the brine, correct? Or do the other spices catch up and compete with the hot pepper flakes for flavor? Is the recipe correct (1/4 tsp. per pint)? Just so bummed!!
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that you’re disappointed with those pickles. I could be that your red chili flakes were more potent than mine. I used this amount and found that it wasn’t at all overpowering, but the power of spices can vary greatly.
Do you believe they will only get hotter as they sit? (If so, they will be in the compost pile unless I have friends that have already scalded off their tastebuds with Ghost Peppers or something!). I guess the variability of spices may be to blame…. only a tiny pinch next time, for sure.
I think it’s worth giving them some time to mellow. A month or two in the jars can really help smooth things out.
Ok- I’m back! You were right, they did mellow a bit– I think what acutally happened is the other flavors caught up with the heat of the peppers! Now I have another quandry I hope you can help me with…
I have decided to give out several jars of preserved food to all my friends for Christmas. I imagine canning everything in half pint/wide mouth jars, stacking them, tying them with a ribbon (they look gorgeous in my head!). Thinking of doing a jar of these pickles (with half the hot pepper!), lemon curd, a mustard and a strawberry jam. A stack of four wonderful preserves for everyone! So here are my questions: 1) Will pickles in half pint jars that are BWB processed for 10 min be too cooked/mushy? I know 10 min is the minimum for safety. 2) Have you ever used/do you have an opinion about Pickle Crisp (calcium chloride) to help keep the pickles crispier? I liked the texture of my fridge pickles better, but the flavor of the BWB pickles better and am hoping to get the best of both worlds. Last time I used grape leaves (we have grapes) in each jar. I am an experienced jammer, but not pickler, so don’t know if this made a difference or not, or if it would be better than Pickle Crisp. Also, I highly value organic produce/process/products, and am still deciding if calcium chloride works philisophically. Opinion?
Thanks so much for being willing to share your wisdom! 🙂
And one more….. 🙂 sorry!
Another dill pickle recipe that I was looking at had a ratio of 8 c. water to 2 c. vinegar— a very different ratio than your 1:1 in this recipe. While the recipe had RAVE reviews, they also suggested an unsafe BWB method (jars only 3/4 covered in water, bringing just to boil and then taking out jars– many of the reviewers followed the FDAs recommendation for correct BWB method, and still raved about the recipe). However, I am not inclined to trust the safety of the recipe submitter. What is the minimum safe ratio of water to vinegar for pickles? (can’t seem to find this info anywhere!)
I would love to try this recipe! Can you give me an idea of what two overflowing quarts translates into pounds roughly. My market sells loose cukes and I am not sure how much to buy to make this recipe. Thanks!
I’m dying to try this recipe. I’ve been looking for a dill pickle recipe that is simple to make for the longest! I’m not a fan of the sweet style pickles. I’m having a hard time finding dill seeds though……can I substitute dried dill weed or would that not work with this recipe? Thanks in advance.
It is better if you can use dill seed. Dried dill weed will make your brine murky.
I just made these last night – how long do they have to sit before I can try them?
Thanks!
Theresa