Quick old-fashioned Sweet Refrigerator Pickles are a summer staple, perfect for all those garden-fresh cucumbers. Tangy, sweet, and crunchy, this is a no-can recipe with no special equipment needed! Simply chop your cucumbers, onions, and peppers, pour in the brine, and let the pickles marinate for a few days. It’s a classic sweet pickle, just like Grandma used to make!
What is better than a fresh, crunchy garden cucumber? Well, probably nothing. But these Sweet Refrigerator Pickles, also known as Amish refrigerator pickles, come mighty close! When your cucumber plants are producing buckets of fresh cucumbers every few days, this will be your new favorite recipe! My family LOVES sweet pickles. It is my first sweet pickle recipe of the garden season, and it’s our all-time favorite. A must make in our home! And the best part? Super easy! All you need to do is slice the cucumbers, onions, and peppers, mix up your brine, and pour it over your fresh garden mixture. If you have extra cauliflower and small carrots, feel free to throw them in as well for some sweet pickled garden vegetables.
What do you need to make Homemade Sweet Refrigerator Pickles?
Cucumbers – You will need 10 cups of thinly sliced cucumbers, about 1/8 inch thick. I like to slice them with my mandolin slicer; it’s the quickest way. You can slice them by hand as well; it’ll just take longer. For sweet pickles, I use cucumbers that are about 4 inches long and 1 inch thick. Too big for a dill pickle and not quite big enough to peel and eat.
Onions – Use a medium-sized onion from your garden, or a few small ones. I prefer to cut them into slices (a half-moon shape). They tasted so good when pickled. and make the brine taste great as well.
Peppers – I love using red or orange peppers. If you don’t have any ripe peppers from your garden, pick some up at your local farmers’ market. Cut the peppers into thin slices. They add a nice pop of color!
Cane Sugar – For this recipe, I used organic cane sugar. If you don’t have any on hand, regular white sugar works just as well.
Vinegar – Use white vinegar, not apple cider vinegar. If you choose to use apple cider vinegar, the pickles will have a stronger, harsher taste.
Celery Seed – I always have celery seed (not celery salt) on hand for canning season. It adds a nice touch to these refrigerator sweet pickles.
Salt – For salt, you can use pink Redmond salt or pickling salt. Whichever you prefer.
How to make Sweet Refrigerator Pickles
No canning necessary!
Now for the fun part! This is such a fun and easy way to make refrigerator sweet pickles.
1. Wash and chop your cucumbers, onions, and peppers.
Rinse your cucumbers well with cold water. Wash and prepare the onions and peppers. Cut both ends off the cucumber.
Grab your mandolin slicer and slice them about 1/8 thick. Slice until you get a total of 10 cups. You can also go 1/4 inch thick, but I prefer my sweet pickles thinly sliced. Put the sliced cucumbers into a stock pot or large mixing bowl.
Next, cut up your onions into a half-moon shape and add them to the mixing bowl. Cut your red or orange bell peppers into thin slices (1 to 2 inches long) and add to the bowl.
2. Make the sweet pickle brine.
There is no need to cook this brine on the stovetop. If you pour hot brine over your pickles, they will go soft a lot sooner. For extra crunchy pickles, we will combine our brine ingredients and pour the brine over the cucumber slices. No extra steps needed to heat the brine and then let it cool off. (This is partly why I love making these super easy, extra crunchy, sweet refrigerator pickles!) Simply combine the sugar, vinegar, celery seed, and salt in a large glass measuring cup or mixing bowl and mix well. The sugar will not completely dissolve, and that’s ok.
3. Pour the brine over the cucumber mixture.
Pour the entire brine mixture over the cucumbers and mix well. The salt and vinegar will make the cucumber and peppers release water, and it will help the sugar fully dissolve. Let the pickles stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Next, you can either cover the mixing bowl or pot and put it into the fridge to marinate, OR you can fill your canning jars now to store in the fridge. Just stuff the jars with delicious, crunchy, sweet pickles and pour the excess brine over the mixture until fully immersed.
Let the sweet refrigerator pickles marinate for 2-3 days.
Since I’m a busy mama of five, I like to break my canning up into quick sessions. I just put a lid on my mixing bowl or pot and let the pickles marinate in the fridge until I have time to fill up some canning jars. About 2 to 3 days. It works well either way! Just discard any leftover brine.
When to serve Sweet Refrigerator Pickles
​I love making ham sandwiches with fresh sourdough bread and serving sweet pickles on the side. It’s a summer favorite. We eat them for brunch, lunch, and dinner! They are best served with side dishes like these Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites or with my famous Sourdough Cheesy Bread. Sweet pickles also taste amazing alongside my Herbed Sourdough Foccaccia Bread.
How long do Sweet Pickles last in the refrigerator?
These sweet pickles last up to 3 months in the fridge. (Honestly, if I make a few batches, they’ve lasted a few months and were still delicious) Do not store these in the pantry or canning room.
Can I reuse the pickle brine to make more pickles?
Yes, you could do that. I would only recommend using the brine that remains after you have filled your jars. Since the cucumbers released excess water and it’s now in the brine, reusing the brine might mean a milder-tasting pickle. Discard the brine after reusing it once. Always check for spoilage or off-smelling odors before using.
How can I make these into Sweet and Spicy Refrigerator Pickles?
Want to add a kick to these sweet pickles? You can add 1/2 tsp of dried red pepper flakes, OR add fresh jalapeno slices to some of the jars.
Can I add more garden veggies to the sweet pickle mixture?
Yes! My sister actually loves doing this. She adds broccoli, cauliflower, and small baby carrots to the cucumber mixture and stuffs the canning jars full. Just make sure the brine covers all your vegetables. It looks like a garden in a jar with all those fresh garden veggies.
​Do you love this recipe? Check out my other recipes here!
Maybe try some Sourdough Discard Apple Fritters or Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Bread! Delicious summery goodness!
Sweet Refrigerator Pickles – A quick old fashioned recipe
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Mandolin Slicer
Ingredients
- 10 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
- 1 1/4 cups onion thinly sliced
- 2 orange peppers thinly sliced
- 1 3/4 cups cane sugar or white
- 1 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 3 tsp celery seed
- 2 1/2 tbsp salt I use Redmond Salt
Instructions
Wash and chop your cucumber, onions, and peppers.
- Rinse your cucumbers well with cold water. Wash and prepare the onions and peppers. Cut off both ends of the cucumbers.
- Take your mandolin slicer and slice the cucumbers about 1/8 inch thick. You need a total of 10 cups. You can also slice them 1/4 inch thick, but I prefer my sweet pickles thinly sliced. Add to a large mixing bowl or stock pot.
- Cut the onions into a half-moon shape, 1 inch long. Cut peppers into thin slices, 1 inch long, and add to the bowl.
Make the Brine
- Combine brine ingredients, sugar, vinegar, celery seed, and salt in a large glass measuring cup and mix well. The sugar will not completely dissolve, and that's ok!
- Pour the brine over the cucumber mixture and mix well. The salt and vinegar will make the cucumbers and peppers release water and that will help the sugar fully dissolve.
- Let pickles stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionly.
Fill up jars
- Next, you can fill up your jars! Or cover the mixing bowl and let it marinate in the fridge for a few days before filling up the jars. Stuff the jars full and pour the brine over the pickles until they are fully immersed. Let marinate 2 to 3 days before serving for a tangy, flavorful pickle.
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