The BEST Half Sour Pickles recipe there is! These easy homemade pickles taste just like New York Crunchy pickles. No canning is needed to make these delicious pickles, just throw them in the refrigerator for a few days! Make them to find out why they’re so popular!
If I could stand on top of a mountain I would yell “I love pickles!”. I really do. They’re pretty, they’re crunchy, they’re full of flavor, they hit the right spot in the afternoon when you need a snack, they’re great on a burger, they’re great at 4AM standing in front of the refrigerator.
How to Make Half Sour Pickles
Pickles, they’re just really good.
With the cucumber plants in full producing mode right now we have been picking (and pickling!) quite a few kirby cucumbers. Did you know cucumbers are one of the easiest vegetables to grow? We currently have 6 mason jars full of pickles in the refrigerator!
If you are in Brooklyn and are in need of a pickle, I’m your girl! I have been trying to get the perfect half sour pickles after years of swooning at all the NYC pickle places. Finally, I got it just right!
Half Sour Pickles Recipe
A few notes about these half sour beauties:
-These don’t have vinegar in them. You see I have a fear of the smell of vinegar, I just get freaked out. So I have been desperately trying to figure out how to make delicious pickles with seasonings to make up for the lack of vinegar. THIS IS IT! In this one instead of using vinegar we use sea salt water!
-I would leave these in your refrigerator at least 4 days before you bite into one. After that, good luck not finishing the jar in a day or 2. If you have control of your fingers going in the pickle jar though, these last for weeks.
-Kirby cucumbers are the best for pickles.
Refrigerator Pickles Recipe
-If you don’t have Kirbies, that’s totally ok, but I recommend if you are using big cucumbers to cut them up into spears first (they will fit better into the jar most likely too).
-Please don’t skip on the seasonings. These pickles soak alongside delicious garlic, fresh dill, peppercorns, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and bay leaves.
-This recipe uses a half gallon mason jar. The ingredients and amount of water to salt ratio in this recipe is for this sized jar.
-If your pickles are soft and not crunchy when done, please check out Ball Pickle Crisp. It works great to keep that fresh crunch!
Fresh kirby cucumbers just picked from the garden!
One of the yummy herbs in this recipe is coriander seeds. If you have a cilantro plant and you neglect it, it will turn into coriander seeds. Awesome, right? I always do this every year so I get fresh coriander to last until next harvest season.
You can use a mortar and pestle to crush your dry ingredients or you can be like me and just use a tool (I don’t know the name of this so let’s just go with “tool”) to bash it all together. A rolling pin works great too. So does a hammer.
Put your cucumbers in the jar, then add your garlic.
Then your crushed dry ingredients.
Pick a few pieces of fresh dill. Doesn’t it smell great?
Then add your salt water and fresh dill.
Keep filling your jar with water until your cucumbers are completely covered. In the jar above, a little bit of the salt water still needs to be added.
Now it’s the hard part.. waiting for a few days to eat them!
But when it’s time… it will be worth it!
If you are making batches as you harvest, and you use similar jars sometimes it gets confusing to keep track of the ones that have been sitting the longest. To do this I use chalk or a Sharpie and write on the lid. #1 = eat first, #2 = eat next, #3 = eat next next.. etc.
Enjoy! 🙂
Looking for more cucumber recipes? Try my Sugar Glazed Cucumber Bread (yes you can bake with cucumbers!), Frosted Cucumber Cookies and Cucumber Tomato Salad!
Update: I shared my favorite Pickled Okra recipe!
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If you try this Half Sour Pickles recipe, please leave a comment or share it on Instagram with tag #brooklynfarmgirl – I’m always looking for photos to feature and share!
Half Sour Pickles
PrintIngredients
- 5 kirby cucumbers or however many you can fit into your jar
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
- few pieces of fresh dill
- 3 bay leaves
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup sea salt
- 6 cups water
- additional whole coriander seeds and peppercorns to add on top
Instructions
- Wash your cucumbers.
- Dissolve your sea salt in the water.
- Grind up all the dry ingredients (coriander, mustard seeds, peppercorns, 2 bay leaves). If you don’t have a mortar/pestle, throw it in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.
- Put the cucumbers in your jar.
- Put the minced garlic in the jar, then ground up spices, then pour the salt water mixture on top. If you have any water left, disregard it.
- Add a few pieces of fresh dill on top.
- Add in your additional coriander seeds, peppercorns and bay leaf.
- Make sure your cucumbers are completely covered in water and close the jar.
- Put in the refrigerator. Let them sit for at least 4 days before eating.
- Enjoy!
Video:
Notes
For a crunchy pickle add 1/4 teaspoon Ball Pickle Crisp Granules at the end.
April says
I haven’t made this recipe yet but I’m excited to try it! I actually want to make sours. How long should I let them brine to become full sour? TY
Brian says
Do you use brown or yellow mustard seeds ?
Erica says
Just finished my second batch of these and they’re so great! Do you have any advice about what to do with them once they are pickled to your liking? Is there an ingredient I can add to stop the picking process? Thanks
danleep11 says
Your recipe sounds really good but I don’t like the salt. For anyone who wants less salt, then alterations of the recipe would be needed, ie, substitute the water/salt brine into a vinegar/water brine, reducing the salt to any desire and making 50/50 water/vinegar. This then makes pickles to the standard definition of pickles. If there is no vinegar, it not a pickle. Then, use the Ball Crisper (CaCl) and can according to Ball directions. I do like the recipe, though and will use it ‘my’ way.
BrooklynPickleMaven says
Vinegar doesn’t define a pickle. In fact brining is the standard for pickling everything, not just piggies. Corned beef is pickled brine, as is watermelon rind, olives, reappears, etc. If salt is your concern then vinegar pickles are your choice -but they won’t be half sour, sour, or garlic dill.
charleen wuellner says
Does the water need to be warm or just room temperature? I want to make sure I am doing this right. I am a pickle fanatic.
Pamela says
Room temperature water is fine, I never warm it up. Hope this helps!
charleen wuellner says
Thank you for getting back to me. I am so surprised. I have never made pickles but I thought I would give it a try. I love half sours and they are hard to find with that snap. Thank you again
Charleen in Miami
Steve says
Looked around for a recipe when someone gave me way too many cucumbers! I liked yours the best. I didn’t have all the seasonings but I improvised. I couldn’t wait, so I tasted one after two days. (It was for scientific research, of course.) It was tasty but really salty! Next time I think I’ll use half the salt.
Question – what do you do after four days? Do you remove the brine and keep them in water? If you don’t do that, won’t they keep pickling?
Thanks!
Steve says
Answering my own question – the salinity of the solution does matter. Not enough salt will allow bad bacteria to grow; too much salt will kill the good bacteria as well as the bad.
Kelly says
Love this recipe and am making these over and over. We are NYers and my husband says these are better than Katz Deli pickles. Could not be easier to make and ready to eat in a day or two.
Pamela says
That makes me so happy to hear Kelly! Keep on enjoying these pickles! 🙂
Katherine says
These don’t have to be canned but can they be? I have so many cucumbers just thinking about long term storage
Anna Linn says
Can I use this recipe for green tomatoe pickles? My friend gave me a box of green tomatoes and I’d love to make half sour tomatoes. My favorite!
BrooklynPickleMaven says
Yes but pickled green tomatos usually are made with garlic only. No dill
Kevin says
Can I slice up the pickles or should they be whole?
Pamela says
I recommend leaving them whole for the best crunch, but sometimes if I need a squeeze a couple into the jar I will slice them up.
Patty Goodwill says
Yummy. !!!!!
Leslie says
I am inundated with cucumbers this summer. I was looking for a good recipe for half sour pickles and found this one. It was easy and the pickles turned out so good – crunchy, flavorful and just plain yummy. My only slight criticism is that they were just a little too salty so when I make them again, I will try using a tad less sea salt.
John Doe says
I don’t know if this is your problem but if they are too salty you probably mixed the solution wrong, mix 6 cups of water and 1/4 cup of salt first, don’t put 1/4 cup of salt in then fill it with stuff then top with water it will be too salty then. as you are placing the cucumbers into the jar let the excess fluid spill out, it’s just salt water and some spices but at least the brine will be the right salinity!
Kathleen says
Thanks John. I LOVE half sour pickles, but mine have been too salty… and I have been repeating the recipe and reducing the amount of salt, but to no avail. Thank you soo much for this comment!!! I think THIS explanation will solve my problem. I might also mention that I will only pickle WHOLE pickles, as sliced pickles, by definition being more porus, soak up more salt. Bottom line? Your suggestion: 6 cups water to 1/4 cup salt and only using whole pickles should solve all my issues. I can’t wait to try this. Thank you.
nida says
yummy
CocoBee says
I’m making them today.
FYI Before I make new recipes, I love to read through the comments and answers. It’s so frustrating when good questions are left unanswered.
Sue says
Made theses the other day. They are delicious and so much better than store bought. So glad I found this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe 😊
Christina says
Great recipe. Do you know how long they can last once they finish brining?
Hazel says
I’ve grown cucumbers for the first time. I’ve tried quite a few pickling recipes and yours is, by far, the best! Made me feel like a successful pickler. lol. Thank you!
Jmi says
This recipe is spot on. Easy and they always come out great. Thank you!
Bryan says
FYI, mechanics call that tool a “nut f***er” because they often screw up the edges of nuts and bolts. They don’t work very well but do in a pinch when you have the right wrench. So smashing coriander is probably literally the best thing you do with it.
Lisa says
I grew up loving this type of pickle. Searched on line for “new pickles” and saw your recipe. It’s super easy and fabulous!! Happy to learn I can reuse the brine one time. Thanks for this incredible recipe!!
LNC says
I am trying this for the first time. I don’t have half gallon jars. But I made up the salt water, as per instructions and then added the dry spices and garlic, cut my cuts to fit and poured the salt solution over. They’re in the fridge. Fingers crossed.
jay jenkins says
Great pickles I made 2 gallons
Marie says
Can I use pickling salt in place of sea salt
Mike S says
Thanks for the share. What grain size or brand of sea salt are you using? A quarter cup of finely ground pickling salt for example is much more salt than a quarter cup of coarsely ground salt. This might be why some are noting that there pickles came out too salty. I typically just go by weight when I make a brine. Excited to try this recipe!
Mike S says
Answered my own question. After a little research I found out the 3.5% brine solution
is traditional for half sours (which is just like seawater). So in this recipe, 49 grams of salt is needed for the 6 cups of water called for if u want to make sure an not over salt. your brine.
Irene says
This is by far the best pickle recipe I’ve ever made. I can’t make them fast enough. They are gone in no time. The family is constantly asking me to make more! Thank you!
Marie S says
Can I use pickling spices instead of the individual spices? Not crazy over dill, so can I leave it out?
BrooklynPickleMaven says
Yes. Do whatever you like
K C says
This recipe is amazing!! Do I need to let the water cool before pouring it over the cucumbers or it’s ok for it to still be hot? Thanks!
TW says
Anyone ever tried this with jalapeños? Do you think it would work well?
flocka says
just made my second batch using this recipe. it’s perfect. THANK YOU
Jeanne says
This came out great! I put too much garlic in and came out too salty because I doubled the recipe. I will make this again!
Karen says
Do you have to store them in the fridge? Would like to make some and keep them for a later date and not crowd the fridge. Thanks
Pamela says
Hi Karen, yes, these must be kept in the refrigerator. Hope that helps!
KAren says
Thank you – how long will they last in the fridge if not opened? Asking because I just got a bunch of pickling cucumbers from my CSA and need to figure out how many I should use to make your recipe. I have made your recipe before and loved it!
BrooklynPickleMaven says
Half sours will turn into spurs when left to pickle. I find mine will last 2 to 3 weeks.