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Making homemade pickles (and pickled vegetables) is one of the easiest (and most satisfying!) ways to use up fresh produce. With just a quick brine and a few basic ingredients, you can transform your favorite veggies into tangy, crunchy snacks you’ll want to add to everything!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: Just like my Quick Pickled Onions, all you need are fresh veggies and a simple brine made with pantry staples. It’s surprisingly easy to make homemade pickles. No special tools or canning skills required.
- Totally Customizable: This recipe is great for classic cucumber pickles, but we love tossing in a mix of vegetables like cauliflower, peppers, broccoli and even okra for a colorful, crunchy variety.
- Kid-Friendly Kitchen Fun: Making pickles is one of those kitchen projects my kids actually get excited about. They love helping out, and it always gets them more interested in eating veggies later!
- Versatile and Delicious: A jar of pickled veggies in the fridge is perfect for adding bold, tangy flavor to delicious burgers, sandwiches, and even egg salad.
The Ingredients
- Vegetables of choice: Pick your favorites! Cucumbers, cauliflower, carrots, radishes, peppers, and broccoli all work well (there are more ideas below!). Just be sure to cut everything into similar sizes so they pickle evenly.
- Kosher salt: Essential for seasoning and preserving the veggies. It draws out moisture and enhances that classic pickle flavor.
- Sugar: A small amount balances the acidity of the vinegar and rounds out the brine.
- Distilled white vinegar: This gives your pickles that bold, tangy flavor. You can also swap in champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar for something a little milder.
- Water: Helps mellow out the vinegar so the brine isn’t too sharp.
- Garlic cloves: Sliced garlic adds a savory punch that infuses right into the vegetables.
- Fresh dill: The herb that gives classic pickles their signature flavor. Fresh is best here!
- Bay leaves: Optional, but they add a subtle depth to the brine that makes everything taste just a little more special.
How to Make Homemade Pickles
Making homemade pickled vegetables couldn’t be easier. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Grab one pound of your favorite vegetables (I made a list of what we use below). Pack the vegetables, dill, garlic and bay leaves into two clean 16 ounce mason jars. Leave about an inch at the top to have room for the liquid.
Step 2: Combine the salt, sugar, vinegar and water in a small sauce pan over low/medium heat. Stir until salt and sugar have dissolved.
Step 3: Allow the liquid to cool slightly to warm then pour into the two jars making sure all of the vegetables are covered with the brine.
Step 4: Close the jars tightly and refrigerate for 2-3 days before eating.
Best Vegetables for Pickling
You really can’t go wrong with what vegetables you choose to pickle, but here are some of my family’s favorites:
- Carrots
- Lemon Cucumbers
- Green Beans
- Asparagus
- Cauliflower
- Red Onions
- Bell Peppers
- Celery
- Green Tomatoes
- Jalapeños
- Okra
- Pickling Cucumbers
FAQs
Distilled white vinegar is the most common, but white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar also work great for a slightly milder flavor.
Homemade pickles typically last up to 2–3 weeks in the refrigerator. Be sure to store them in a clean, airtight jar for best results.
Use Homemade Pickles with These Recipes
Once you try making homemade pickles yourself, you’ll never want to go back to store-bought! Whether you’re loading them onto burgers, tucking them into sandwiches, or just snacking straight from the jar, these quick pickles are endlessly versatile and totally crave-worthy.
If you give it a try, I’d love to hear what veggies you used and how it turned out—leave a comment or a rating below!
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Easy Homemade Pickles
Ingredients
- 1 pound vegetables of choice, cut into equal sizes
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar (you could also use champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar)
- 1 cup water
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 6 sprigs dill
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Divide the vegetables between 2 16 ounce mason jars.
- Combine salt, sugar, vinegar and water in sauce pan over low heat. Whisk to combine until salt and sugar are fully dissolved.
- Divide the garlic, dill and bay leaves between the jars.
- Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables and cover the jars.
- Refrigerate and start enjoying after 2-3 days.
Notes
- Make rainbow jars as pictured or keep your veggies separate – your choice!
- Homemade pickles typically last up to 2–3 weeks in the refrigerator. Be sure to store them in a clean, airtight jar for best results.
Is it possible that there is an error on the salt measurement for this recipe? I made them this weekend and mine were inedible due to the salt. And we like salt! =)
Just wondering if the amount of salt is necessary for the pickling process or if we could cut back and get same crunchy results? I loved them but they were a bit too salty… I ended up using them in egg salad, tuna salad, grilled cheese and sandwiches bc I couldn’t eat them alone… They were so amazing though!
These turned out so good, so crunchy! Our favorite is the carrots, pure yum. My 4 year old son ate almost the whole jar. They were a little salty for us too, so next time I make them I will cut down on the salt. Thanks for the recipe. Never buying pickles again!
I was pretty nervous to try these on my own (just thought they wouldn’t turn out) but i have to say they turned out great! I think my only thing is that they are *quite* salty. Much more than store bought which tend to be more vinegary. I’d probably lower the salt to 2-3T unless the salt is there at that high amount for a particular purpose. Thanks for the great recipe!
I made these and they were great. Now we’ve got a TON of cukes from our garden and I want to put them up. Can you use this recipe to can them in a a canning pot? Any idea how long to boil?
Costco sells Agave Necter
Yes they do, kenya loves these!
Do these stay crispy? I love Claussen pickles because they stay so crisp. No other store bought pickle has ever come close but I’d love to try making my own.
You can substitute the agave for the same amount of honey or maple syrup.
Agave nectar isn’t available where I live (at least not that I’ve found). So I use sugar (ugh, i hate it too!). You wouldn’t happen to know the amount of sugar I would use for this recipe would you? Thanks!
Hi! Just wondering what the agave nectar adds to this recipe – trying to determine if it is optional. Thanks, Ginny