Skip to content

Top Navigation

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Recipes
  • Cooking 101
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
SUBSCRIBE
Pin FB

Explore Cooking Light

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

      Our 31-day calendar of meals and tips shows you how to cook more and love it with fun, family-friendly meals that come together quickly and deliciously. Read More
    • Dinner Tonight: Quick and Healthy Menus in 45 Minutes (or Less)

      Hundreds of delicious recipes, paired with simple sides, that can be on your table in 45 minutes or less. Read More
    • Our Favorite Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

      Who ever said that chicken wings, doughnuts, and pizza couldn't be healthy? Read More
  • Recipes

    Recipes

    See All Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Recipe Makeovers
    • Quick & Healthy
    • Diabetic
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Cooking Light Live
  • Cooking 101

    Cooking 101

    See All Cooking 101
    • Essential Ingredients
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Meet the Chef
    • Cooking Resources
    • Budget Friendly
    • Smart Choices
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living

    Healthy Living

    See All Healthy Living
    • Weight-Loss
    • Health
    • Fitness
    • Home
    • Travel
    • Nutrition 101
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. How to Pickle Almost Anything

How to Pickle Almost Anything

By Elizabeth Laseter May 16, 2019
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez
This step-by-step guide shows you how to make refrigerator pickles using any vegetable. Sure, you can just buy a jar of pickles from the grocery store, but homemade pickles are tastier, healthier, and much easier to make than you’d expect.
Start Slideshow

1 of 10

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

How to Make Homemade Pickles

Credit: Elizabeth Laseter

Pickles—crunchy, tangy, and a touch sweet—make an addictive, healthy snack and are the perfect way to extend the life of seasonal produce. The method I’m about to show you is for quick refrigerator pickles. I prefer these to shelf-stable pickles because they’re faster and far less of a hassle. You don’t need fancy canning equipment—just a clean container with a lid or cap and five basic pickle ingredients: vegetables, water, vinegar, salt, and sugar, plus four or five spices.

1 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 10

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Basic Pickling Ratio

Credit: Elizabeth Laseter

Refrigerator pickles don’t need to follow a strict vinegar to water ratio like shelf-stable pickles do, because you don't need to ward off bacteria growth—the fridge does that. But I’ve found that using one regardless makes the process a whole lot easier. However, to meet Cooking Light nutrition guidelines, we chose a ratio that minimizes sugar and salt (don't worry, they have plenty of flavor). Cheryl Slocum’s Quick Refrigerator Pickles, serves as the perfect guide:  

½ cup water : ½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar : 2 teaspoons salt (for every 1 cup of total liquid)

This ratio fills one pint-sized Mason jar. You can scale it up however, if you plan to use multiple jars or bigger containers.

2 of 10

3 of 10

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Step One: Choose Your Vegetable

Credit: Elizabeth Laseter

Traditional pickles use cucumbers, but why stop there? When it comes to pickling, the sky is the limit. Is it a vegetable? Is it crunchy? If yes, you can pickle it. Here are a few ideas:

  • Cucumbers
  • Carrots
  • Cauliflower
  • Radishes
  • Green beans
  • Broccoli stems
  • Asparagus
  • Beets
  • Pearl onions
  • Jalapeno

You can also pickle fruit! Peaches, strawberries, grapes, and watermelon rind are all classics. But as you may want to adjust the salt and sugar ratios for sweet pickles, we'll stick to veggies for this particular guide.

3 of 10

Advertisement

4 of 10

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Step Two: Gather the Ingredients

Credit: Photo: Elizabeth Laseter

Now that you know what you want to pickle, let’s round up the other pickling ingredients. Again, this formula is loosely based on Slocum’s recipe:

  • 1 pint-sized Mason jar
  • Vegetable of your choice (such as English cucumber, cauliflower, or carrots)
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • 1 sprig of fresh dill, tarragon, basil, or cilantro
  • 1/2 cup white, rice, or apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

As long as you stick to the basic ratio, you can customize the ingredients however you like. White vinegar gives a more traditional pickle flavor, while apple cider vinegar adds a touch of sweetness. Fresh dill is a classic pickle herb, but you could also try fresh tarragon, basil, or cilantro.

4 of 10

5 of 10

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Step Three: Cut the Vegetables

Credit: Elizabeth Laseter

After you’ve chosen your pickling vegetable, cut it into smaller pieces so that it fits inside your Mason jar. For cucumbers, slice them into about ¼-inch thick coins. If you’re using a whole head of cauliflower, cut it into smaller florets. For carrots, cut them into ¼-inch thick batons (the perfect size for snacking!) or coins.

Cut enough vegetables to fill the Mason jar so that there is about ½ inch of space left from the rim. Add the garlic (I like to crush it first with the side of my Chef’s knife) and fresh herbs to the jar, then pack the vegetables in as tightly as you can without crushing them. Set the jar aside.

5 of 10

6 of 10

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Step Four: Prepare the Brine

Credit: Elizabeth Laseter

Place the vinegar, water, and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring until dissolved. Heating the mixture helps to dissolve the salt and sugar while also infusing the spices. Once the ingredients are fully combined, remove from heat and let stand for about 5 minutes.

6 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 10

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Step Five: Add Brine to Vegetables

Credit: Elizabeth Laseter

Slowly pour the brine into your Mason jar. You should have the perfect amount of liquid to fill the jar nearly to the top.

7 of 10

8 of 10

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Step Six: Cover and Refrigerate

Credit: Elizabeth Laseter

Screw the lid onto the jar and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 days. The pickles are ready when they have a tangy flavor and a crisp-tender texture. Keep in mind, the longer you refrigerate the pickles, the stronger their flavor will be. Keep refrigerated and enjoy within 2 weeks.

8 of 10

9 of 10

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

What to Do With Homemade Pickles...

Credit: Jennifer Causey

The better question is, what can’t you do with pickles? I love to pile them over a burger, stuff them into a pita sandwich, or add a handful to a whole grain or green salad. Try incorporating homemade pickles into these easy recipes:  

  • Juicy Grass-Fed Burgers
  • Grilled Chicken Pitas With Sesame Drizzle
  • Kale, Farro, and Feta Salad
  • Tuna-Quinoa Toss

9 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 10

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

...and Leftover Pickle Juice

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez

If you’re out of pickles, that doesn’t mean the party has to stop. Leftover pickle juice is packed with health benefits and it has a plethora of culinary uses. Try pickle juice as a tangy base for vinaigrettes and cocktails (make this Bloody Good Bloody Mary) or use it as a marinade for tofu or meat.

10 of 10

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Elizabeth Laseter

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 10 How to Make Homemade Pickles
    2 of 10 Basic Pickling Ratio
    3 of 10 Step One: Choose Your Vegetable
    4 of 10 Step Two: Gather the Ingredients
    5 of 10 Step Three: Cut the Vegetables
    6 of 10 Step Four: Prepare the Brine
    7 of 10 Step Five: Add Brine to Vegetables
    8 of 10 Step Six: Cover and Refrigerate
    9 of 10 What to Do With Homemade Pickles...
    10 of 10 ...and Leftover Pickle Juice

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Cooking Light

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    MeredithCooking Light is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Cooking Light may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Cooking Light. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.cookinglight.com

    View image

    How to Pickle Almost Anything
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.