Description
These lemon cucumber pickles are ready with just 20 minutes of hands-on time! Crisp lemon cucumbers are pickled in a simple brine flavored with garlic, fresh dill, mustard seeds, peppercorns, and cloves. Made with the quick-pickle method, these tangy pickles are ready for enjoying right away though they taste best after 24 hours.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds lemon cucumbers
- 4-6 sprigs fresh dill
- 2 clean wide mouth pint jars
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey, or granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fine grain sea salt, or kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1/2 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
- 1/2 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
Instructions
Prep the cucumbers: scrub the outside skin well (remove any lingering spines if necessary) and then cut off the very ends of the cucumbers and discard. Slice the cucumbers into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Divide the sprigs of dill between both of the jars, followed by the cucumbers. Make sure to pack them fairly tightly.
Combine the water, vinegar, honey or sugar, salt, garlic, and spices in a small saucepan for the brine. Bring this mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the brine to cool at least 15 minutes.
Once brine has cooled a bit, carefully ladle it into the jars over the cucumbers, or add it to a spouted vessel and pour it over the cucumbers. Use a chopstick to help release any air bubbles to make sure to brine is fully covering all of the cucumber slices. Place the lids on the jars (I prefer to use plastic ones here because of the reaction between metal and vinegar) then put them in the fridge. I recommend allowing these to pickle in the fridge for at least 24 hours before eating/enjoying.
Keep the pickles in the fridge and enjoy them within 1-2 months.
Notes
- The recipe was newly updated in August 2025 to reflect how I currently make these pickles after all these years.
- I developed this recipe as a “quick pickle” so it sets up in your fridge and keeps there for 1-2 months. I have not tested it for being shelf stable for canning.
- If you do not have lemon cucumbers, regular slicing or pickling cucumbers will work just fine. Use 1 1/2 pounds of your favorite variety!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cooling Time: 15 minutes
- Category: canning