Sweet and Spicy Refrigerator Pickles
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If you’ve got cucumbers coming out of your ears, try these delicious sweet and spicy refrigerator pickles! No canner required! They are a perfect condiment for the summer grilling season!

Refrigerated bread and butter pickles are amazing, but adding a spicy twist makes them extraordinarily amazing!
As another way to preserve cucumbers, these pickles are a quick and easy way to put up a lot of cucumbers when the height of the gardening season has hit, and you’ve got cucumbers replicating before your very eyes!
These would be awesome on hamburgers, as a side to a lazy Saturday lunch, or even dehydrated for a sweet treat!
Sweet and Spicy Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients
Pickling Cucumbers: These work best, and while they should only be about 4-5 inches, a few whoppers made it in.
Sweet: You can definitely reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe if you want something less sweet. And use all granulated sugar if you don’t have brown sugar or don’t want to use it. By the way, brown sugar is so easy to make yourself!
Spicy: I use a jalapeno because that’s what was available in the garden, but you can use red pepper flakes, red chiles, or something else of your choice.
Directions
Sweet and Spicy Refrigerator Pickles
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Medium Saucepan
- Airtight container
Ingredients
- 7 Pickling cucumbers 1/4 inch slices
- 2 tablespoons Kosher salt No table salt
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 cup White vinegar
- 1/2 cup Apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Celery seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon Ground turmeric If desired.
- 1 cup Onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Jalapenos, sliced thin Remove the ribs and seeds if desired, but they are what adds the spice.
Instructions
Cucumber Preparation
- Slice cucumbers into 1/4 slices, no peeling required
- Combine cucumber slices and salt into a large bowl, stirring well.
- Place bowl in refrigerator for about an hour.
- Rinse the cucmbers well under running water.
Prepare Pickle Brine
- Combine both sugars, both vinegars, all seeds, and turmeric into a medium sized sauce pan over low heat. Stir occasionally until sugar has dissolved fully.
Create Pickles
- Place pickles and onions into a jar.
- Pour brine into jar until pickles and onions are covered.
- Debubble jar with a chopstick or canning debubbler
- Let stand at least 30 minutes at room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours to allow flavors to meld. Lasts about one month.
Video
Darcy’s Tips
- Use any cucumber for this recipe, but pickling cucumbers work best.
- If desired, you can reduce the sugar content for your preference.
- You can use red pepper flakes or other chilis if you desire.
- Brine is enough for one-quart canning jar.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only. Nutrient information for dehydrated foods is based on fresh. Use 1/4 of the servicing size for the same nutrient information. Thus 1 Cup of fresh fruit has the same sugars as 1/4 dried.
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Can this recipe be used for canning or is it only safe for refrigerator pickles?
As mentioned, only refrigerator safe. There may be other recommendations for safe canned ones.