Cold Brew Pickles Recipe

I  call these ‘Cold Brew Pickles’ because they don’t require canning or using the stove!

I’ve never been happy with canned pickles, they simply don’t taste ‘fresh’ enough to me, probably because I’m a Grillo’s fan. This recipe comes very close to replicating the flavor of Grillo’s dill pickles and can be further customized based on your preference. Add a hot pepper! Use curry powder or another spice blend instead of dill!

Cold Brew Refrigerator Pickles Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 medium cucumbers, any type, or 3-4 small (‘pickling’ cucumbers)
  • Fresh dill, chopped, about 6-8 sprigs (or any other fresh herb)
  • 4-8 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 bay leaf or grape leaf per jar*
  • 1 cayenne/hot pepper per jar, optional
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sea salt or ½-1 tablespoon iodized table salt like Morton’s**
*Grape leaves grow wild in all 50 states in the US! If you don’t have one, use a bay leaf.
**The salt level will be a personal preference. Use the smaller amount to start, then taste the pickles after an hour and add more as needed. Add salt into jar(s) and then shake to distribute.

Instructions:

Yield: 1 quart jar or 2 pint jars

Combine the water, vinegar, and salt into a measuring cup and stir. The salt won’t completely dissolve, but stir until it’s mostly dissolved. This is your brine. Do not heat!

Slice, or chop your cucumbers into wedges, spears, or chips, ensuring they won’t be too tall/short for the jar(s). Pack the cucumbers, garlic, dill/herb, and grape leaf or bay leaf into the jar(s). Add the hot pepper(s), if using.

Pour the brine evenly over each jar. Put lids on the jars, shake, and refrigerate for at least one hour prior to eating.

Pickles will keep in the refrigerator for 4+ weeks. The salt + vinegar preserve the pickles, but watch for any signs of spoilage, like mold.

TIP: For best results, use farm-fresh cucumbers!

Jennifer’s food journey began in a Chicago gluten-free bakery before morphing into a food blog and monthly Martha Stewart column. Her hands-on experience spans farms across Iceland, Costa Rica, and California, eventually leading to managing her own farm in Iowa. There she ran a CSA program and farm stand, complete with bees, prairie restoration, and a fabulously unruly flock of guineafowl. While in Iowa she directed two food hubs–one direct-to-consumer and one wholesale–where she had the privilege of working with over 250 local farmers. Recently transplanted to Colorado, she now embraces mountain living while trying to maintain a garden at 9,200 feet elevation.

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