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!
How to Make Half Sour Pickles
If I could stand on top of a mountain and yell one thing, it would be “I love pickles!” Seriously, I can’t get enough of them — they’re crunchy, briny, and just hit the spot any time of day. Whether I’m grabbing a quick snack or adding them to a burger, they’re always my go-to. If you’re a pickle lover like me, don’t miss out on my tangy, heartwarming Polish Dill Pickle Soup! It’s the perfect comfort food that’s packed with all the pickle goodness.
Right now, my cucumber plants are in full swing, and we’ve been busy picking and pickling those fresh kirby cucumbers. Did you know cucumbers are one of the easiest veggies to grow? I currently have 6 mason jars full of pickles in my fridge! And it’s not just cucumbers — I also love experimenting with other pickled veggies, like Pickled Red Onions, spicy Pickled Okra, and some classic Pickled Green Tomatoes. Each of them brings something unique to the table!
If you’re ever in Brooklyn and find yourself craving a pickle, you know where to come! After years of swooning over the pickles at all the NYC pickle spots, I’ve finally perfected the art of making the perfect half sour pickle. Trust me, it’s totally worth it!
Half Sour Pickles Recipe
A few notes about these half sour beauties:
- Half sour pickles are made using a saltwater brine instead of vinegar, which gives them a milder, less acidic flavor. The saltwater helps draw out the natural flavors from the cucumbers while encouraging fermentation, which is what gives half sours their signature tang. This method allows the pickles to retain a more crisp texture and fresh taste, unlike the more tart, preserved flavor found in traditional vinegar-based pickles.
- I recommend letting these pickles sit in the fridge for at least 4 days before digging in. After that, they’re so irresistible, you might find yourself finishing the jar in just a day or two. However, if you have some self-control, they can last for several weeks in the fridge.
- Kirby cucumbers are the best for pickles, but honestly any cucumber if you can fit it into the jar will work.
Refrigerator Pickles Recipe
-If you don’t have Kirby cucumbers, no worries! For larger cucumbers, it’s a good idea to cut them into spears so they fit better in the jar. Just keep in mind that cutting the cucumbers exposes more surface area, which means the pickles may taste saltier as the flesh absorbs more brine.
-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.
-For premium crunch and crispness, I suggest using Ball Pickle Crisp. It works great to keep that fresh crunch and prevents they from becoming soft.
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! 🙂
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!
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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. If you're using pickle crisp for extra crunch (see recipe notes), I put them in right now.
- Make sure your cucumbers are completely covered in water and close the jar. Give the jar a shake to mix.
- 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.
KPJ says
Do you need to keep cucumbers whole?
Pamela Reed says
If you need to cut them up into spears to fit into the jar that’s totally ok!
KPJ says
Thank you I’m excited to try! I couldn’t find whole coriander seeds wondering if ground could be substituted in a different measurement???? I love your recipes!
Casey says
Hello! I know that you don’t need to can for this recipe, but would it work if I wanted to?
Melissa Majorowski says
I would suggest not canning a recipe without vinegar.
Sander Zulauf says
Simply the best homemade half sour pickles ever! Fresh cukes from the garden and perfection four days later in the fridge. Thanks Brooklyn Farm Girl!
Pamela Reed says
So happy to hear you liked them Sander! Thanks for stopping by, keep on enjoying them pickles! 🙂
Ed B says
Does the water and salt need to be cool before putting it in the jar
Melissa Majorowski says
This is a no heat recipe
Molly Morrisey says
I loved everything about this recipe except the saltiness. Did I do something wrong? After five days they were practically inedible. But my daughter tried them after 2 days and said they were perfect. What happened? Do they just continue to get saltier?
Jean Marc ùbérubé says
I enjoyed the half sours and the fact that they are so easy to make. Let me share this recipe for potato cucumber salad. Boil new potatoes to al dent statutes. Cool and cube. Slice lengthwise an English cucumber (I keep the peel on), slice out the seeds and cube and add to cubed potatoes. Add sliced green onions (optional), lots of chopped dill and your favourite vinaigrette (I mix olive oil, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, bit of sugar, thyme and salt and pepper). Enjoy
Pamela Reed says
Thanks for sharing the cucumber salad recipe Jean! Happy to hear you liked the pickles! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Pamela G MacNeill says
It’s the best recipe I’ve found so far for half sours. Delicious!
Pamela Reed says
So happy you liked the pickles Pamela! (nice name btw 😉 )
Carol A says
Just made my 3rd batch from this recipe. They are fantastic! And I can make them with farmer’s market kirbys for half the price of buying a jar in the store.
Kenneth J Krasko says
I just made 4 jars of your pickles. I will let you know in a few days how they turn out.
Can you tell me how long they will last refrigerated?
Also will the taste change drastically over time?
Debra lilly says
Can these pickles be made shelf stable with a water bath?
Amy Rebekah Galyon says
I honestly thought everyone was exaggerating when they said this recipe makes the best half sour pickles ever but THEY ARE AMAZING! Truly the best EVER
Pamela Reed says
Hahaha, so happy you made the pickles Amy! Thanks for stopping by, keep on enjoying! 🙂
Deborah H. says
This is an excellent recipe but it should include the salt weight (60g to 65g per 1/4 C. of fine sea salt, depending on the conversion website viewed) along with the volume amount given.
1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal salt = 10g
1 Tbsp. non-iodized table salt or fine sea salt = 15g
1 Tbsp. Diam. Crystal = 1 ½ tsp. table/sea salt
When measuring salt by weight, you will get the expected result. If cooking using volume measurements (Tablespoons, teaspoons, etc.) with different types of salt, the end result may be different than expected.
Marilyn says
Exactly!!!’ Different salt, different weights, different results. I’ve been on a campaign to have all writers of pickle recipes list the salt by weight. Then results would be consistent. Thank you for posting this!
Marilyn Adams says
Ok. So…..given the recipe calls for 1/4 cup of sea salt….. approximate weight of that is @60 g of salt. Given that, Diamond Crystal would be 6 tablespoons (at 10 g per tablespoon) to equal the same amount of saltiness as that 1/4 c sea salt. Right? I usually try to keep Diamond Crystal as a common factor. It’s easier that way.So many different salts out there so converting a recipe to weight will allow us to weigh our salt we want to use to get common results.
Mick Emery says
I grew up in NJ & had pickles, from the barrel, A LOT until I was in my 40s. We always referred to them as Jewish Pickles. Half Sour & Full Sour never came up until I got older. I now live in the mountains in SW PA. These pickles are non existent here. I’ve been making them for 17 years & except for my 1st batch, they all sucked! I fermented them in crocks, buckets & jars trying all sorts of recipes. Yours was next in line…
I wasn’t quite sure how they could ferment/pickle in the fridge but what did I have to lose?
At 5 days my wife & I tried one & it was CLOSE, but needed more time, and for us, needed more spice. But I’m pretty sure fermenting in the fridge gives a much more pleasant taste.
I started using metric measurements when I started baking bread so instead of 1/4 cup salt I use 61.3 grams of salt for a 4.25% brine solution. (much more accurate).
Thank you for posting your recipe. I think you’ve solved my problem.
BTW>>> Are you going to do a recipe for Full Sour? I’m trying to figure out if it’s just more time or a higher brine solution.
Once again THANKS!
Mick
Dennis K says
Can I substitute kosher salt for the sea salt? This recipe is perfect. For some reason the last batch I made came out just a little too salty with the sea salt. I used course sea salt.
Pamela Reed says
Yeah, you absolutely can. Enjoy the pickles!
Dennis K says
How much pickle crisp would you use?
Pamela Reed says
For a crunchy pickle add 1/4 teaspoon pickle crisp.
Ray Zimmermann says
Made this yesterday, I used Boston pickling cucumbers. They were 4-5 inches, and used two quart jars with your salt ratio in a pitcher and used your amount of spices for each jar and poured the brine to the top of each jar. Should I have cut the spices in half for each jar? Making more before my 4 day wait and didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. Any thoughts?
Solomon says
The recipe was simple and amazingly easy to use
Pamela Reed says
Thanks Solomon! 🙂
April says
I’m about to make these for the first time, was wondering can you make them sliced? Or spears? I have 50 cucumbers that have come off the vine in the last week ! I need some variety!!!
Elise A Ray says
I loved these pickles so much much last year, I just made them again with cukes & dill from my garden A little bit of Jewish deli in my fridge
Pamela Reed says
They are the best pickles, aren’t they? Can’t wait for our Summer cucumbers to grow so I can make a few batches!!
Erika Thomas says
I made these a few days ago for my husband & he just tried and said they have great flavor but are super crazy salty. Should I rinse them or something before people eat them? I cut larger pickles into spears if that makes a difference but followed the recipe. Thanks!!
Candyce Leighton says
Cut cucumbers will soak up the brine more than whole cucumbers.
Amy Nichols says
Excited to make these! But I would like to cut cucs in half before brining- given Erika’s experience- what would your salt to water ratio be?
Jen says
About to try this. Can you reuse the water after the first batch is eaten (assume 4 days later)? Or do it all fresh? Thanks.
Pamela Reed says
You definitely can, but I find that the 2nd batch is never as strong with flavor. They still taste good, but not as good as the first time around. I would not use more than twice though! Hope this helps!
Dale Robinso says
I couldn’t keep the cukes covered with water. Will they be okay? Should I rotate the jar?
Pamela Reed says
Hey Dale, I would add a little bit more water to the jar to fully submerge them – they should be completely covered by the brine.
Ashley says
Such a great recipe and exactly what I’ve been looking for. Do you use hot water or room temperature water?
Pamela Reed says
Hey Ashley, I use water straight from the tap – not hot. Hope this helps.
Don Cashman says
We moved to Jerusalem 6 months ago and have been unable to find half sours, so I made our own using your recipe. I left out the dill because they sell it it such huge lots and I don’t like it enough to use in anything else. Today was the fourth day of soaking, and the taste and the taste great!
Today we went looking for corned beef, and found half sours at the butcher, a Chicago transplant, but since mine are doing fine we didn’t buy any. The corned beef was shoulder, not brisket, so now I’m looking at corning my own brisket. It’s the same spices! We ended up buying a pastrami brisket.
Pamela Reed says
Hey Don, thanks so much for stopping by. I am so happy to hear you’re enjoying these pickles! Enjoy the brisket – sounds delicious!
Sol Goldstein says
Are you from Albany, NY?If so, I hope you are happily living a Torah life in J’lem, Best wishes Sol Goldstein / Pam Smiler
Kenny Paz says
I’ve used your recipe and only yours for 6 months now and they are just like those Ba-Tempte pickles from Brooklyn . NO VINEGER ! Yay ! we are glad we found you. Thank You for sharing this recipe.
Kim Gagliardi says
im going to make your recipe tomorrow you dont put any vinager in it at all?
Pamela Reed says
No, you don’t use vinegar for these half sour pickles. Enjoy! 🙂
Paula R. says
I moved away from Brooklyn in 2001 and have been on an endless search across the country to find half sour pickles, my absolute favorite kind of pickle in the world. Most people don’t even know what they are, never mind have them available! So I decided to make my own after getting a big batch of Kirby cucumbers. I have to tell you Brooklyn Farm Girl, I doubted you, but was I ever wrong. These pickles are perfect using the exact recipe your provided!!! Now I just have to figure out how to keep myself fully stocked in cucumbers so I never run out. What an unbelievable treat to be able to make these and share them with friends here in the southwest desert who have never had them! I always considered myself to be the Brooklyn Farm Girl, especially now that I have actual cows, chickens, goats, and pigs, but hands down, that title is all yours!!!! Please check out my animal rescue on Facebook or Instagram – We are Old Souls Animal Rescue and Retirement Home. We would love to host you if you ever travel to the Tucson area!!!
Rick Stoeckig says
How long can they stay on the fridge
After 4 days in the fridge can you store them in the pantry and for how long.
Pamela says
No, they need to stay in the refrigerator. They will last for a few weeks.
SMH1014 says
I make these pickles once a week! Thank you so much for this recipe. Can’t buy half sour pickles here in Cali (not easily anyway) so I am happy to have these pickles from my NY childhood. The best.
mimi says
best pickle ever! used many times
Desiree says
My husband asks me to make these pickles all the time. He loves them!