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This Easy Sweet Refrigerator Pickle Recipe is easy to make and great to have stored in the fridge for whenever a sweet and crunchy craving strikes. Made with simple, wholesome ingredients, this sweet pickle recipe is a healthy snack or topping you’ll want to keep on hand!
If you like making recipes from scratch, you’ll love this Easy Applesauce Recipe, this Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe, this Easy Teriyaki Sauce, and this Homemade Chimichurri Sauce Recipe.
Why I Love This Sweet Pickle Recipe
I grew up eating these sweet refrigerator pickles and now my kids love them as much as I do. They’re a crispy, crunchy, sweet pickle that tastes great on hamburgers or as a side dish.
Enjoy!
– Becca
Ingredients in Sweet Refrigerator Pickles
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Cucumbers: We like to slice our cucumbers thin, but it’s totally up to you. Thicker slices will give you a crunchier bite.
- White vinegar: The vinegar is the ingredient that turns the cucumber slices into pickles.
- Sugar: Although we usually avoid using refined sugars in our recipes, this one uses granulated sugar. It dissolves easily and adds the perfect touch of sweetness to the pickles.
How to make Sweet Refrigerator Pickles
Step 1: Thinly slice cucumbers using a mandolin, knife, or any other tool you’d like. These crinkle cut knives are fun to use for pickles and other vegetables.
Step 2: Add sliced cucumbers and all the remaining ingredients to a large container with a lid and stir it up a little.
Some cucumbers will stick out of the liquid that you added. The cucumbers will make a bit more liquid, and they’ll also get a bit softer, allowing them to all fit under the liquid in a day or two.
After a few days you can transfer into a smaller jar.
Step 3: That’s it. You’re done. Seriously. Put the cucumber mixture in the refrigerator and wait patiently (or not patiently). You’ll be tempted to add more liquid to them, but it’s not necessary. Shake the container a few times a day for the first few days and you’ll be good. Trust the process.
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Recipe Tips
- The hardest part of this recipe is the waiting. The pickles will be ready to eat in a few hours, but will taste so much better after about 48 hours. As the pickles sit, they’ll add more liquid to the container. Eventually they’ll get soft (but the skins will stay crunchy!) and they will wilt a little, making room for you to add more sliced cucumbers.
- We keep a jar of these sweet refrigerator pickles in the fridge all summer long—from March to October here in Arizona! I usually slice more cucumbers every week or so, and every 3–4 weeks, I add a little more celery seed, vinegar, and sugar. Even if you’re not adding more or refreshing them, the pickles will still stay good for a few months.
Sweet Pickle Recipe FAQs
In this sweet pickle recipe we use granulated sugar to sweeten the pickles.
Dill pickles are more sour, tangy, and savory, while sweet pickles have a milder, sweeter flavor and are less savory.
I prefer white distilled vinegar because it’s neutral and won’t compete with the sweet pickle seasonings.
The pickles will be ready to eat in a few hours, but will taste so much better after about 48 hours.
We love bringing our pickles to BBQs to share with family and friends. Some of my favorite barbecue recipes to serve with these pickles are Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf bites, Healthy Baked Beans, Ground Turkey Burgers, and this Dill Pickle Chicken Salad.
If you tried this Easy Sweet Refrigerator Pickle Recipe or any other recipe on my site please leave a rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
Easy Sweet Refrigerator Pickle Recipe
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Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Kitchen Knife
- Half Gallon Jar or Container
Ingredients
- 7-10 cucumbers washed, skin left on
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons celery seed
Instructions
- Thinly slice the pickles using a mandolin, knife, or any other tool you'd like. 7-10 cucumbers
- Add the ingredients to a large container and stir it up a little. 1 cup white vinegar, 2 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons salt, 2 tablespoons celery seed
- That's it. You're done. You'll be tempted to add more liquid to them, but it's not necessary–they make their own. Just stir them up a few times in the next few hours.
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Notes
Nutrition
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These sound so yummy. Jack’s a smart kid! :)
Do you have to use pickling salt or can you use regular salt for the refrigerated sweet pickles?
I use regular salt!
How long do they stay good for….? Thinking of making some as a Christmas presents!
I usually keep them for a few months. I have never had “bad” ones, though, so I’m not sure! My grandmother used to can them and keep them in the basement–I think they would keep longer that way!
Do they sit on the counter for 48 hours or in the fridge?
In the fridge, Monica!! They are much better when they’re cold :)
I LOVE homemade pickles (used to make them all the time with my grandparents). Better believe I will be trying this out shortly. My True T-49 fridge is going to be stocked with so many goodies like this in the coming weeks! Great post, great memories.
Can you use green tomatoes instead of cucumbers?
I’ve never done that but I’d encourage you to try !
I’ve never tried this but would love to! I think my son would love helping.
Yum, this would be great for summer sides/salads!
These are so delicious! When I was a kid my parents had this huge garden and we would make pickles like this too and eat them all summer & fall.
We do refrigerator “pickles” too but not sweet. It’s just thinly sliced cucumbers and onions with white vinegar and water (2/1). I can’t keep them in the house.
My grandmother used to make something with sour cream or something and it was delicious — unfortunately, I never was able to get the recipe :(
Thanks for sharing!
Don’t know if this is your grandmothers recipe. . .Peel and slice 3 cucumbers. Diced one half onion. Dill weed, salt and pepper to taste, and about 3 tablespoons of sour cream. Mix all together and refrigerate for an hour.
I need a helper like Jack…send him my way! I love what kids say when they start cooking and seeing just how much sugar and such is in our food. It’s a better lesson than just telling them. I’ll be making these very soon.