When talking about pickles, one veggie is the absolute classic: Pickled cucumbers. And for a good reason, pickled cucumbers combine everything one could wish for. The balance of sweet, salty, and sour while preserving their fresh flavour and crunch makes them a delicious pickle. Also, they are very simple and quick to make and will last you for weeks if you manage to not eat them all instantly. And believe me, that is a real danger when pickling cucumbers. Once they are in my fridge, my family and I finish them astoundingly fast. Though there are worst things to snack on for sure. Cucumbers themselves are low in calories and a source of vitamin k. Also, the vinegar in the pickling liquid can be good for the digestive system. Let’s get started with this pickled cucumber recipe!
They just go well with so many different things. You can top them with burgers, snack them on their own, or add them to sandwiches. I am simply having them with a toasted baguette and a plant-based herb spread today, and it was delicious.
I can only encourage you to try this pickled cucumber recipe. Many people never try to pickle something. This pickled cucumber recipe is fun to make, super easy to scale up, and only needs minimal ingredients. In just half an hour, you can make pickles you will be happy about for weeks, if not months.
Ingredients for this Pickled Cucumber Recipe:
- Cucumbers
- Dill
- White wine vinegar
- Salt
- Sugar
- Mustard seeds
- Black peppercorns
Which Cucumbers to use for Pickling
Firstly, we need to talk about cucumbers. While you could, in theory, pickle any cucumber, some sorts work best. The big cucumbers we usually see in the grocery stores are great for making salads and the like, while the smaller, crunchier cucumbers are better for pickling. You can try to get your hands on specific pickling cucumbers, but snack cucumbers work perfectly fine too. If sliced thinly, these lunchbox cucumbers will give you a pickle similar to one served with Danish hot dogs. I am using three snack cucumbers for a medium-sized jar today, but feel free to scale this recipe to your liking!
Other Ingredients for Pickled Cucumbers
While these cucumbers already taste amazing on their own, the recipe benefits from introducing some more flavour to the mix. I am going for the classic dill combination today, but you can also experiment with other herbs and spices. For the version I am making today, you will need a bunch of dill, mustard seeds and black peppercorns.
To make the pickling liquid, you only need four ingredients. Equal amounts of white wine vinegar (mine has 6% acidity) and water, and some salt and sugar. And that’s all there is to making delicious pickled dill cucumbers.
Pickled Cucumber Recipe:
Firstly, you need to choose the kind of shape your cucumbers should have. If you want to snack on them right from the jar, you can also consider making sticks, or strips, slicing them lengthwise, or even keeping them whole. I am staying classic today and cutting them thinly into round slices. To get uniform cuts, I am using a mandoline.
Next, sterilize your jars of choice with hot water. Pack your cucumber slices into the jar together with the spices and herbs. Put a pot on your stove, and heat equal amounts of water and white wine vinegar to a boil. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the hot liquid, and pour it over the cucumbers until they are fully submerged. Then, let the jar cool to room temperature, and store it in the fridge. And that’s all there is to this pickled cucumber recipe!
FAQ
This actually depends a bit on what kind of shape you have cut your cucumbers in. It might take a day for the cucumbers to pickle if you leave them whole. If you opt for the thin slices, the cucumbers will be ready to eat in just an hour. But they will taste the best if you let them pickle for at least a day or two for the flavour to properly infuse.
The pickled cucumbers will stay well for weeks, if not months if stored properly in the fridge. You shouldn’t store them outside the fridge, as they are not properly canned. Also, if anything looks or smells weird, discard them. But most likely, you will finish these cucumbers before that can happen anyways. They are just too good!
I hope you liked this simple pickled cucumber recipe. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Some more Pickles to try:
- This delicious pickled red cabbage is packed with crunch and flavour!
- Pickled onions are something I never want to miss having in my fridge.
- Pickled beets are my secret favourite!
- Quick pickled carrots make a nice snack.
- Pickled cauliflower is a seriously underrated pickle.
- Pickled garlic is amazing.
- Do Chua (Vietnamese pickled daikon & carrots) is key to making fantastic Banh Mi!
Delicious Pickled Cucumbers
Course: Pickle, Side, GarnishDifficulty: Easy1
Medium Jar10
minutes15
minutesIngredients
3 small snack cucumbers
1 bunch of dill
100ml white wine vinegar
100ml hot water
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp mustard seeds
12 black peppercorns
Directions
- Cut the cucumbers into thin slices.
- Sterilize your jar with hot water. Pack the cucumbers, spices and herbs into the jar. I am repeating layers of cucumbers, spices and peppercorns.
- Put a pot on your stove, and heat equal amounts of water and white wine vinegar to a boil. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the hot liquid, and pour it over the cucumbers until they are fully submerged.
- Let the jar cool to room temperature, and store it in the fridge. You can enjoy these pickles already an hour later, but they will taste best after a day or two of pickling.