Easy Homemade Cucumber Pickles
Crisp, Sweet, and Sour! How to Make Easy Cucumber Pickles at Home
When you’re not feeling hungry or tired of rich foods, homemade sweet and sour cucumber pickles make a fantastic side dish. It’s surprisingly not difficult. All you need to do is boil a delicious pickle brine and pour it over the cucumbers! Learn how to make delicious pickles right now.
Main Ingredients
- 9 cucumbers
- 1 Tbsp pickling spice
Pickle Brine
- 6 cups water
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 cups vinegar
For Preparing Cucumbers
- 1 cup coarse salt
- 6 cups water
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 cups vinegar
For Preparing Cucumbers
- 1 cup coarse salt
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Make crisp, sweet, and sour cucumber pickles with ease! They pair wonderfully with salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, and more.
Step 2
Wash the cucumbers thoroughly. Instead of baking soda, I used coarse salt to scrub the cucumber skins, then rinsed them once with cold water. It’s a good idea to trim off the ends of the cucumbers as they can sometimes be bitter.
Step 3
Slice the cucumbers into bite-sized rounds. Using a crinkle cutter or a wavy knife can create a more visually appealing pickle.
Step 4
Now, let’s make the pickle brine. Combine water, sugar, and vinegar in a 2:1:1 ratio (e.g., 2 cups water, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup vinegar). Bring to a boil in a pot, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the pickling spice and boil briefly to infuse the flavor.
Step 5
Sterilizing your glass jars is crucial. You can do this by boiling them in water or by heating them in the microwave until completely dry. Once dry, pack the prepared cucumber slices snugly into the sterilized jars.
Step 6
Add the vinegar to the brine you just boiled, bring it back to a boil for a moment, and then turn off the heat. Adding the vinegar later helps preserve its fresh, sour flavor.
Step 7
You can let the pickle brine cool completely before pouring, but I poured it over the cucumbers while it was still hot. This allows the hot brine to penetrate the cucumbers, creating a more flavorful pickle. Pour the hot pickle brine generously over the cucumbers in the jars.
Step 8
Seal the jars tightly and let them sit at room temperature for about a day to let the flavors meld. After a day, store them in the refrigerator. They will continue to develop flavor as they chill.
Step 9
For even better flavor and longer storage, you can strain the pickles after 3 days, re-boil the brine (cooling it before pouring), and pour it back over the cucumbers. Repeating this process enhances the crispness and deepens the flavor. When doing this, make sure to strain out the pickles and only re-boil and pour the brine.
Step 10
I had a few cucumbers left after making a large jar, so I decided to pickle them in a smaller jar to avoid waste. The jar on the left contains pickles that have been aged for 3 days, while the smaller jar on the right contains freshly made pickles. You can clearly see the difference in color!
Step 11
These sweet and sour pickles are wonderfully crisp, making them the perfect accompaniment to pasta or pizza. You can also finely chop them to add a delightful texture and flavor to your children’s sandwiches. They’re so delicious, I might end up eating them all myself! Haha!