Quick Pickled Cucumbers
Inside: How to pickle cucumbers in under an hour with a basic 5-ingredient brine, plus my tips for keeping them crisp, ideas for swapping in other veggies, and answers to the questions you’re all asking in the comments.
Learning how to pickle cucumbers at home couldn’t be easier — this quick pickled cucumber recipe is a simple way to bring a tangy pop to sandwiches and more. These pickled cucumbers aren’t too sour OR too sweet, and they’re ready to use in about an hour. There’s no special equipment needed, no canning required, and you probably already have all five ingredients in your pantry.
Sure, you can buy pickles at the supermarket (and I do), but when you want something a little more subtle than a full-on garlic-dill spear, this is my go-to.
It’s the quick pickle recipe I reach for when a dish needs brightness without stealing the show — a little acid, a little crunch, without turning everything into a deli sandwich.
Once you taste the difference between this and the jarred stuff, you’ll understand why this is the one I reach for to add just the right tangy pop without overpowering everything else.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Five ingredients, zero fuss. No canning, no special equipment — just a bowl, a knife, and about 5 minutes of hands-on time.
- Ready in an hour. Most pickle recipes make you wait days. These are snackable before dinner’s even on the table.
- Perfectly balanced flavor. Not too sour, not too sweet — just enough tang to brighten whatever you’re serving them with.
- Endlessly customizable. Swap in different vinegars, add herbs or spices, or use the same brine on other vegetables.
- Keeps for over a week. Make a batch on Sunday, and you’ve got a ready-to-go condiment all week long.
Ingredients For Quick Pickled Cucumbers:
- English Cucumber–The naturally thin skin means no peeling and a clean, crisp slice. They’re also mostly seedless, so it cuts down on prep. Regular cucumbers work too; just peel them and scoop the seeds first.
- Sugar–Balances the vinegar’s bite so the pickles land tangy, not puckery-sour. Regular granulated sugar is all you need.
- Kosher Salt–I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt; it dissolves cleanly and won’t cloud the brine the way iodized table salt can. If you’re using fine or iodized salt, cut the amount back slightly.
- Apple Cider Vinegar–adds a little fruity depth compared to plain white vinegar. White vinegar or rice vinegar both work fine if that’s what you have on hand.
- Water–straight from the tap; it dilutes the vinegar so the brine stays tangy without going sharp. This is what makes these “quick” pickles milder than a classic dill spear.
How to Pickle Cucumbers
This is so easy, I really struggle to call it a recipe, but since you’re here and you clearly want to know…
- In a small (non-reactive) bowl (I recommend glass or plastic), whisk together the sugar, kosher salt, cider vinegar and water until the sugar and salt dissolve. That’s your pickle brine.
2. Thinly slice the cucumber (no need to peel — English cucumber skin is thin enough to eat).
3. Add the sliced cucumbers to the brine and press them down with the back of a spoon so they’re fully submerged. Let them soak for at least an hour before using.
4. Any pickled cucumbers you’re not using can be stored in a glass or plastic receptacle for 7-10 days.
That’s it. Quick pickled cucumbers.
Pro-Tips:
- Slice them evenly. If you’re not comfortable free-handing with a sharp knife, a mandoline gives you thin, uniform slices so every piece pickles at the same rate — no soggy ends and crunchy middles in the same jar.
- Use cold water in the brine. A cold brine helps the cucumbers hold onto their snap. If your kitchen runs warm, pop the brine in the fridge for a few minutes before adding the cucumbers.
- Salt them first for extra crunch. Toss the sliced cucumbers with a pinch of salt, let them sit in a colander for 10 minutes, then pat dry before brining. It draws out excess water so the pickles stay crisp instead of watering down the brine.
- Double the brine. It’s just pantry staples, so make extra and keep it on hand — it’s ready to go the next time you want to quick-pickle onions, radishes, or any of the veggies below.
- For crispy pickle cucumbers, use them the first day– the longer they sit in the brine, the more the brine permeates, and they’re not quite as crisp; the color dulls to a more muted green, commonly associated with pickles.
Mistakes to avoid:
- Slicing them too thick. Thick rounds won’t fully absorb the brine in an hour — you’ll end up pickled on the edges and plain in the middle. Keep slices thin so the brine reaches all the way through.
- Not fully submerging the cucumbers. Any slices poking above the brine line won’t pickle evenly. Press them down with the back of a spoon, or weigh them down with a small plate if your container is shallow.
- Rushing the soak time. An hour is the minimum, not a suggestion — pull them too early, and they’ll taste more like plain cucumber than pickle.
- Storing them at room temp. This brine is mild and low in vinegar by design, which means it’s not shelf-stable like a traditional canning brine. Keep these refrigerated and use them within 7-10 days.
- Reusing the brine indefinitely. Fine to reuse once or twice for another quick batch, but after that it’s lost both its punch and its safety margin — make a fresh batch instead.
This pickled cucumber recipe is the most basic form because I promised you a 5-ingredient recipe, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add other ingredients.
Swaps and Variations:
- Add fresh herbs–dill, thyme or tarragon dropped into the brine; they turn these into a different pickle entirely. Dill especially lends that classic deli-flavor.
- Spice them up. A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or a sliced jalapeño adds heat without changing anything else about the recipe.
- Go floral. Whole coriander seeds and peppercorns — or a tablespoon of pickling spice — add depth if you want something closer to a bread-and-butter pickle.
- Add garlic. A smashed clove or two infuses the brine with a little bite, especially good if these are headed for a sandwich or burger.
- Swap the vinegar. White vinegar gives a sharper, more classic pickle; rice vinegar mellows it out further if you want something closer to a Japanese-style quick pickle.
- Sweeten it differently. Swap the sugar for honey or a spoonful of maple syrup — just whisk until fully dissolved.
FAQs
Let the cucumbers soak in the brine for at least an hour before using, but a longer soak is fine.
Absolutely. Just let the cucumbers brine, then transfer them to a storage container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate until ready to use them. They’ll stay good in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Pickles are the common name for pickled cucumbers. Most pickle recipes use whole cucumbers submerged in a brine with dill, garlic and other ingredients for a week or longer. The beauty of this quick version is that they’re thinly sliced, soak up the brine much faster, and are ready to use the same day; perfect for sandwiches, burgers, tacos and more.
Yes, but they’re not the best. Regular cucumbers have a thicker skin, which should be peeled before pickling, and they’re seedier than English cukes, which are seedless.
Yes — I recommend it. Iodized table salt can taste harsh and metallic in a quick brine like this, and it can cloud the liquid. If it’s all you have, cut the amount back slightly.
Yes, both work fine. White vinegar gives a sharper, more classic pickle flavor, while rice vinegar mellows things out even more than apple cider vinegar does.
Stevia and Splenda will work, but they can leave a slightly mushy texture and an odd aftertaste compared to regular sugar. If you’re keto, it’s a fair trade-off — just know the texture won’t be identical.
You can reuse it once or twice for another quick batch of cucumbers, but after that it loses both flavor and its safety margin — make a fresh batch instead.
This recipe is designed as a quick refrigerator pickle, not a shelf-stable canning recipe, so I haven’t tested it that way. If you’re an experienced canner, you could adapt it, but be sure to follow proper canning protocol and ratios rather than this brine as-is.
Cucumbers can be pickles, but pickles aren’t necessarily cucumbers. Confused? Don’t be. That pickling brine isn’t exclusive to cucumbers. It’s also great for lots of other vegetables, like these pink pickled onions.
Other vegetables to pickle:
- Bell Peppers (cut into thin strips)
- Onions (yellow, white, red, vidalia)
- Cauliflower (divided into small florets)
- Carrots (sliced into thin spears or coins)
- Radishes (sliced thin)
- Asparagus (spears)
- Green Beans
…and so many more — essentially, any veg that would be a good Bloody Mary garnish can benefit from a quick pickle brine. The nice thing about this brine is that it’s not overly aggressive or sour. The mild flavor won’t make you screw up your face, bracing for impact.
More pickling recipes:
How to use quick pickled cucumbers:
Quick Pickled Cucumbers
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
- glass or plastic bowl
- glass or plastic storage containers
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 English cucumber very thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- ½ cup water
DIRECTIONS:
- In a small to medium bowl non-reactive bowl, combine 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ cup cider vinegar and ½ cup water Stir until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
- Add 1 English cucumber (thinly sliced, no need to peel, the skins are thin enough).
- Use the back of a spoon to adjust the cucumbers so they are submerged in the brine. Let the cucumbers soak for about an hour, then they're ready to use.
- Store in a tight-fitting, non-reactive container, with the cucumbers covered in the brining liquid.
NUTRITION:
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate only and is provided as a courtesy. Values are calculated automatically based on the ingredients and quantities in each recipe and may vary depending on specific brands, exact measurements, and substitutions made. For precise nutritional guidance, especially if you have a medical condition or dietary restriction, please consult a registered dietitian or run the ingredients through your own nutrition calculator.Pin “Quick Pickled Cucumbers” For Later!
Going to make these for Gary next week!!! Along with pickled green beans. Yummmm
Sounds like a bloody mary in the works!
Can I use rice vinegar?
Yes.
Can you use pickling cucumbers?
Of course.
Yummmmyyyyyy so easy! Tks
So quick and easy! My husband ate most of it with a salad!! Time to make another batch ??
LOL! Love it!
RE: Canning
Here are a few fast tips if you want to can any pickle.
For crisp pickles here are a few helpful hints:
1. First soak the cucumbers in ice water for at least 2 hours. Refresh Ice as needed.
2. Ensure that the brine is at a full boil when poured over the dills.
3. Also remove 1/16 inch from the blossom end of each cucumber. Blossoms contain an enzyme which causes excessive softening of pickles.
About the brine and the salt:
1. Always use pickling salt, Morton makes one and it’s available in most grocery stores. The reason you use it is that your brine will not be cloudy when using it. Other salts will give you a cloudy brine. Kosher salt can, but doesn’t always get cloudy.
Hope this helps you. I have my great great aunts pickle recipe from the 1920’s and when I wanted to make them I did a lot of research about canning pickles. These things helped me.
Great recipe I added red pepper flakes and fresh garlic, everyone that tried it liked it.
Does it have to be Kosher salt?
Yes, iodized salt is too harsh for this.
Lisa,
I’d like to know if a Keto friendly sugar like Swerve, Erythritol or Xylitol can be substituted in this recipe?
Sugar substitutes such as Stevia and Splenda will work but may add a mushy texture and have a strange aftertaste.
When you store them what is the life span
Store them in the refrigerator and they’ll last for up to a week to 10 days.
Can you substitute white vinegar for the apple cider vinegar?
Yes, that should work fine.
Can you reuse the brine?
I suppose if you’re going to make another batch of pickled cucumbers it would be ok for one or two more uses.
Can you can these for later ? I do a lot of canning and would love to give these as gifts
I’ve never done it myself, because we eat them too fast to bother with canning, but if you’re an experienced canner, I would think you could– as long as your following proper canning protocol.
These pickled cucumbers make such a great snack! I can’t wait to make them again!
I love how easy these are. And such a simple veggie!
These are so great to have on hand for all sorts of gatherings and dinners! Love how quick and easy this is.
Oh these are so fantastic! I absolutely love that these are quick and easy to make too.
So quick and easy! My children love cucumber so I’m pretty sure they’de be huge and of your pickled cucumbers. Thanks for sharing