Easy Instant Pot Refrigerator Pickles: Quick, Crisp & Flavorful Homemade Dill Pickles
Embrace the vibrant flavors of summer by transforming your abundant cucumber harvest into a batch of irresistibly crisp and tangy pickles! These **Instant Pot Refrigerator Pickles** offer an exceptionally simple and efficient method for home preservation, requiring no specialized canning skills or elaborate equipment. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener with overflowing vines or simply want to make the most of fresh farmers market produce, this recipe provides a stress-free path to delicious homemade pickles.
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The Joy (and Toil) of Traditional Home Preservation
Before the beautiful chaos of motherhood entered my life, gardening was a profound passion. There was an immense satisfaction in cultivating fresh vegetables, nurturing them from seed to harvest, and then preserving that bounty for the colder months. Descending into my basement to gaze upon rows of beautifully organized jars, each one a testament to the summer’s hard work, brought a unique sense of accomplishment and a touch of old-world charm. This impressive larder, brimming with preserved goodness, felt truly enchanting.
However, this romantic vision often came with a dose of harsh reality. Achieving that impressive collection of jars involved hours of grueling labor, typically in the sweltering heat of summer. I can distinctly recall sweating profusely in my non-air-conditioned kitchen, large pots bubbling away, steam filling the air, and my back aching from endless standing and lifting. By the end of a canning day, I would be utterly exhausted and “pooped” as the saying goes. While I genuinely love the art of canning and consider it a rewarding hobby, I confess to a slight resentment that the peak harvest season invariably aligns with the hottest time of the year. And **cucumbers, those prolific green wonders, wait for no one.** They demand to be processed and preserved promptly, or their crispness and flavor will quickly diminish.
A Cooler, Easier Way to Preserve: Enter the Instant Pot
This is precisely why I’ve fallen head over heels for this incredibly simple and efficient recipe for **Instant Pot Refrigerator Pickles**! It’s not just a fantastic method for making a small batch of homemade pickles; it’s a revolutionary way to keep my kitchen wonderfully cool during the process. All the heat generated during brine preparation is contained within the Instant Pot. Furthermore, since the pressure cooking time is only about 2 minutes, it uses minimal electricity. I can still stock my fridge with delicious, vibrant pickles, but without any of the traditional sweat, toil, or stovetop heat!
I don’t know about you, but that sounds like an absolute win in my book!
Understanding Canning with an Instant Pot: Safety First!
A frequent and important question that arises in Instant Pot enthusiast groups is whether this versatile appliance can be used for traditional canning. The unequivocal answer, at this time, is no. **The Instant Pot is not designed or tested for safe pressure canning of foods.** Traditional canning is a precise science that relies on specific temperatures and pressures to destroy harmful bacteria, and it requires both experience and adherence to rigorously tested recipes and equipment. The Instant Pot, while a fantastic pressure cooker, has not undergone the necessary safety testing for canning foods, and therefore, it should absolutely be avoided for such a purpose to prevent the risk of foodborne illness.
However, this does not mean your Instant Pot isn’t incredibly useful for other types of food preservation! You can certainly leverage it to prepare delicious freezer and refrigerator versions of your favorite preserved foods. This recipe for Instant Pot Refrigerator Pickles is a perfect example of such a safe and convenient application. You can even whip up your very own Instant Pot Strawberry Jam using a similar refrigerator preservation method. The key benefits are numerous: you avoid hauling out a bulky collection of canning equipment, and you can typically enjoy your freshly made preserves much sooner after preparation.
Key Ingredients for Perfect Instant Pot Refrigerator Pickles
Crafting delicious refrigerator pickles begins with selecting high-quality ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need and some tips for choosing the best:
- Cucumbers: For the best results, especially during peak harvest season, seek out small, firm pickling cucumbers. These are typically around 4-6 inches long and have thinner skins. Ideally, they should have been picked within the last 24 hours for maximum crispness. If local pickling cucumbers aren’t available, the mini cucumbers sold in flats or bags at most grocery stores (approximately 5-6 inches long) are an excellent alternative. Avoid large, watery slicing cucumbers as they tend to become soft.
- White Vinegar: This is the backbone of your pickle brine. Ensure you use a white vinegar with at least 5% acidity, but no more than 8%. This acidity level is crucial for both flavor and preservation. Do not substitute with lower acidity vinegars.
- Fresh Dill: An absolute essential for classic dill pickles! The vibrant, aromatic flavor of fresh dill weed and fronds is incomparable. You can find it at most grocery stores, but farmers’ markets often have the freshest bundles available, frequently alongside pickling cucumbers. If possible, opt for the farmers market variety.
- Garlic: How much garlic is entirely up to your preference! Since I adore an intensely garlicky pickle, I typically use 6-7 large cloves. For a more subtle garlic note, 2-3 cloves will be perfectly sufficient. Feel free to adjust to your taste.
- Pickling Spice: This convenient blend of whole spices (often including mustard seeds, peppercorns, dill seed, coriander, and allspice) adds depth and complexity to your pickles. You can often find it in the bulk bins of natural food stores or in the canning supplies section of your local supermarket during harvest season. If it’s hard to find, you can easily make your own pickling spice blend with common pantry spices.
- Mustard Seeds: These are a staple in pickling spice, but adding a bit extra enhances that classic pickle flavor. Look for them in the seasoning aisle of your grocery store, in bulk bins, or at health food stores. Both yellow and brown mustard seeds work wonderfully.
- Kosher Salt: A coarse, flaky salt like kosher salt is ideal for pickling because it dissolves well and doesn’t contain anti-caking agents that can cloud your brine. Pickling salt is also an excellent option if you have it on hand. If your only option is regular table salt, you *can* substitute it, but be sure to cut the amount in half as table salt is denser and can lead to an overly salty brine if not adjusted.
- Granulated Sugar: While these are decidedly *not* sweet pickles, a small amount of granulated sugar plays a vital role in balancing the sharp acidity of the vinegar. It rounds out the flavors beautifully without making the pickles sugary.
- You will also need some **drinkable quality cool water** to dilute and cool down the brine.
Step-by-Step Instructions: Making Instant Pot Refrigerator Pickles
Follow these simple steps to create your own batch of delicious and refreshing refrigerator pickles:
- **Prepare the Brine:** Begin by adding the specified amount of white vinegar and kosher salt to the inner pot of your Instant Pot. This ensures the salt begins to dissolve early.
- **Heat the Brine:** Whisk the mixture well to help dissolve the salt. Secure the lid on your Instant Pot, ensuring the valve is set to “sealing.” For heating, you can either use the “yogurt” setting (if your Instant Pot has a “boil” or “high” function within it) or simply set it for **2 minutes on manual (high) pressure**. The goal here is to bring the brine to a boil quickly.
- **Release Pressure Safely:** Once the cooking time is complete and the Instant Pot beeps, immediately hit the “Cancel” button to stop the heating process. Carefully use a long spoon or oven mitt to switch the sealing valve to **”Venting”** for a **full manual pressure release**. Allow all the steam to escape completely until the float valve (pin) drops down. This indicates that all pressure has been released and it’s safe to open the lid.
- **Cool and Sweeten the Brine:** Once the pin drops, you can safely open the lid. Add the granulated sugar to the hot liquid and whisk thoroughly until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- **Add Cold Water:** Next, pour in 2 cups of cool, drinkable quality water. This step is crucial for two reasons: it helps to cool the brine down quickly, and it dilutes the concentrated hot brine to the perfect strength for pickling. Whisk again to combine.
- **Chill the Brine:** For optimal crispness in your pickles, it’s essential that the brine is chilled before it comes into contact with the cucumbers. Transfer your prepared brine from the Instant Pot into a heat-proof glass bowl or pitcher and place it in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly while you prepare your cucumbers and jars. This step helps prevent the cucumbers from becoming soft when the hot brine is poured over them.
- **Prepare Your Jar:** While the brine chills, prepare your chosen jar. Add the mustard seeds, pickling spice, and peeled garlic cloves to the bottom of a clean, wide-mouth glass jar. I personally find the stout quart-sized jars, particularly those with swing-top lids (like ones often found at IKEA), to be excellent for this recipe, but any clean glass jar with an airtight lid will work.
- **Add Initial Dill:** Place a few sprigs of fresh dill weed into the jar on top of the spices and garlic.
- **Trim and Cut Cucumbers:** Carefully trim both ends of your cucumbers, paying special attention to removing the blossom end (the end opposite the stem). The blossom end can contain enzymes that may soften your pickles. Hold a cucumber spear against the side of your chosen jar to gauge its length. Cut the cucumbers so that they will stand approximately 1 to 1 ½ inches below the top rim of the jar when upright. Then, quarter each cucumber lengthwise into even spears.
- **Pack the Jar Tightly:** Begin to fit the cucumber spears tightly into the prepared jar. The goal is to pack them firmly but not so tightly that you can’t easily pull them out later. A snug fit helps keep the cucumbers submerged in the brine and ensures even pickling.
- **Add Remaining Dill:** Tuck the remaining dill sprigs strategically among the cucumber spears. This helps to distribute the dill flavor throughout the jar and also keeps the dill from floating to the top when the brine is added.
- **Pour in Brine & Remove Air Bubbles:** Retrieve your thoroughly chilled brine from the refrigerator. Transfer it to a glass measuring cup for easy pouring. Slowly pour the brine over the packed cucumber spears, ensuring it fully covers them. Use a butter knife or a thin skewer to gently slide down the sides of the jar and dislodge any trapped air bubbles. It’s crucial that all cucumber spears are completely submerged in the brine for proper preservation and flavor development.
Preparing the Cucumbers for Pickling
Storage and Enjoyment
Once your pickles are assembled, securely place the lid on the jar, ensuring an airtight seal. Immediately move the jar to your refrigerator. Patience is key here: **allow the pickles to rest for at least 3 days before sampling** to allow the flavors to fully meld and the cucumbers to properly pickle. For optimal taste and texture, consume your Instant Pot Refrigerator Pickles within one month of preparation. As these are refrigerator pickles, they must always be stored in the refrigerator.
Helpful Substitutions for Dietary Needs
This recipe is naturally adaptable for various dietary preferences:
- Sugar-Free, Keto, and Low-Carb: To make these pickles suitable for a sugar-free, keto, or low-carb diet, simply substitute the granulated sugar with an equivalent amount of a keto-friendly sweetener. Look for granular sweeteners that measure cup-for-cup with sugar, such as Swerve granulated sweetener, erythritol, or a monk fruit blend.
- Gluten-Free: All the core ingredients in this recipe (cucumbers, vinegar, salt, spices, dill, garlic, sugar, water) are naturally gluten-free. As always, for those with severe gluten sensitivities or celiac disease, it is advisable to double-check the labels of any packaged ingredients, particularly pickling spice blends, to ensure they do not contain hidden gluten or cross-contaminants.
Exciting Variations to Explore
Once you’ve mastered the basic recipe, don’t hesitate to experiment with these delicious variations:
- Apple Cider Vinegar Pickles: If you prefer a pickle with a bolder, fruitier, and slightly more robust flavor profile, you can substitute a portion of the white vinegar with apple cider vinegar. I recommend starting by replacing about ¼ to ½ cup of the white vinegar with apple cider vinegar. Substituting all of the vinegar might create an overly strong or undesirable flavor, so it’s best to use it in combination.
- Zucchini Pickles: Expand your pickling repertoire to include zucchini! Choose small zucchini (ideally 5-6 inches in length) that are firm and relatively seed-free. Prepare them just as you would standard cucumber pickles: trim the ends, then quarter them into spears. The texture will be slightly different but equally delicious.
- Jalapeño Pickles: For a zesty, spicy kick, try pickling fresh jalapeño peppers. Slice the jalapeños into even rounds and pack them tightly into a quart-sized jar. Cover them with the prepared brine. You have the option to omit the pickling spices, mustard seeds, dill, and garlic if you want the pure, fiery flavor of the jalapeños to shine through, or keep them for a more complex profile. Consider adding a few thinly sliced onions or carrots for additional flavor and texture.
Maximizing Your Leftover Brine from Instant Pot Pickles
This recipe is thoughtfully designed to produce a bit more brine than you might strictly need for a single jar of pickles. This intentional surplus ensures that you won’t come up short, especially if you happen to use a slightly different sized jar or if your cucumber packing isn’t quite as tight as mine. While you can certainly discard any leftover brine, it’s far too flavorful to waste!
Instead, consider it a valuable resource. You can easily use this extra brine to prepare any of the delightful variations mentioned above, or simply make an additional jar of classic Instant Pot Refrigerator Pickles. It’s perfect for quick-pickling a few more cucumbers, slicing up some onions, or even experimenting with other vegetables like carrots or bell peppers. Just ensure the vegetables are fresh and packed into a clean jar before pouring over the chilled leftover brine.
Scaling the Recipe: Doubling and More
One of the great advantages of this refrigerator pickle recipe is its flexibility. If you’re fortunate enough to have a large harvest of cucumbers or simply want to prepare more than one jar, feel free to easily double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe. Simply scale all the ingredient quantities proportionately to match the amount of cucumbers you wish to preserve. Just ensure you have enough jars to accommodate your larger batch!
Recommended Products for Your Instant Pot Adventures
For those who love expanding their kitchen capabilities, an Instant Pot with a yogurt setting is a fantastic investment! I absolutely adore using mine to make homemade Instant Pot yogurt, which not only yields incredibly creamy results but also saves a significant amount of money in the long run. This particular Instant Pot is the model I use for both my yogurt and many other recipes. Its generous capacity allows me to easily fit a full gallon of milk or other liquids, making it incredibly versatile for a wide range of cooking and preserving projects.
More Refreshing Instant Pot Recipes for Summer:
Looking for more ways to use your Instant Pot during the warmer months? Check out these other refreshing recipes:
- Instant Pot Iced Tea
- Instant Pot Lemonade (Coming Soon!)
- Instant Pot Passion Tea Lemonade
Instant Pot Refrigerator Pickles
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Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup white vinegar 5-8% acidity
- 3 tablespoons kosher or pickling salt
- 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
- 2 cups cold water
- 6 mini cucumbers about 1 ½ – 2 pounds
- 2-3 garlic cloves trimmed and peeled
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon pickling spice
- 6-8 sprigs of fresh dill weed
Instructions
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Add the vinegar and kosher salt to the inner pot of an Instant Pot.
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Whisk well to dissolve the salt.
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Set the Instant Pot to “boil” by using the yogurt setting OR cook on manual pressure for 2 minutes.
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Once the timer has beeped, indicating the Instant Pot has finished the cooking time, hit the cancel button. Use a long spoon to move the valve to “venting” and allow the pressure to manually release.
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Once the pin drops, indicating the pressure is completely released, carefully open the lid.
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Add the sugar to the hot liquid and whisk well to dissolve the sugar into the brine.
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Pour in 2 cups of cold water and whisk again. Pour the contents of the Instant Pot into a heat safe glass bowl and chill in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
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Add the mustard seeds, pickling spice, and garlic cloves to the bottom of a clean wide mouth glass jar. A like to use the stout quart sized ones from Ikea with the swing top lid, but you can use anything you have on hand.
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Add in a few sprigs of fresh dill weed.
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Trim your cucumbers to size by removing the blossom ends and testing them against the size of the jar. Cut them so that they will be 1-1 ½ inches below the top of the jar when standing upright. Then, quarter each cucumber into spears.
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Fit the spears tightly into the jar. They should be firm, but not packed so tightly you can’t pull them out easily.
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Add the remaining dill sprigs and tuck them into the cucumber spears so they don’t rise when you pour in the brine.
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Transfer your chilled brine to a glass measuring cup and pour the brine into the cucumber spear packed jar. Use a butter knife to remove any air bubbles that appear. The brine should fully cover the cucumber spears.
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Place the lid on the jar and seal so it is airtight. Move to your refrigerator. Let rest for at least 3 days before eating, and use within one month of preparation.
Video
Notes
Unless your jar is a larger jar, you will likely have some leftover brine after preparing your Instant Pot Pickles. You can discard the brine, or you can make another jar of pickles. Try making sliced cucumber pickles, or even jalapenos.
Nutrition
