Kosher Pickle Recipe: Garlicky Dill Pickles, Fridge or Canned

By Aquarium Guides Editorial Team · Updated November 10, 2026

Last Updated: November 10, 2026

A kosher-style dill pickle is loaded with garlic and fresh dill. The name describes the New York Jewish deli tradition of seasoning, not a religious certification. This recipe makes crunchy spears in a vinegar brine, using either a refrigerator method or a boiling water bath. Plan on seven pint jars of whole small cucumbers, or fewer jars of spears.

Canning Safety Note

For pantry storage, use a tested recipe and processing time from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, USDA, or a university extension service. Use vinegar with 5 percent acidity, keep the vinegar-to-water ratio, and do not reduce the vinegar, add extra low-acid vegetables, or shorten processing. Brine-fermented kosher pickles (made with salt water alone) are a separate method with their own safety steps. The version below is a vinegar-based fresh pack, which is simpler and more predictable.

Ingredients (Makes About 7 Pints)

• 8 pounds small pickling cucumbers (3 to 5 inches long)
• 6 cups white vinegar (5 percent acidity)
• 6 cups water
• 6 tablespoons pickling or canning salt
• 14 cloves garlic, peeled (2 per jar)
• 7 heads fresh dill or 7 tablespoons dill seed
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon mustard seed
• Optional: red pepper flakes, bay leaves, or grape leaves for crunch

For a single-jar refrigerator batch: 5 to 6 small cucumbers or spears, 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 garlic cloves, a few dill sprigs, and 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns.

Instructions

1. Prepare cucumbers. Wash well and scrub off any soil. Trim 1/16 inch from the blossom end, which carries softening enzymes. Leave small cucumbers whole or cut into halves or spears.
2. Chill (optional). Soak cucumbers in ice water for 1 to 2 hours to increase firmness.
3. Prepare jars. Wash jars and keep them hot. Place 2 garlic cloves, 1 dill head or 1 tablespoon dill seed, a few peppercorns, and a pinch of mustard seed in each jar.
4. Pack tightly. Stand cucumbers or spears upright, wedging them snugly with 1/2 inch of headspace.
5. Heat brine. Combine vinegar, water, and salt in a pot and bring to a boil.
6. Fill. Pour hot brine over the cucumbers to 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles and wipe the rims.

Refrigerator Method

Cool, cap, and refrigerate. Wait at least 48 hours; they taste best after 5 to 7 days. They keep about 1 to 2 months.

Boiling Water Bath Method

1. Apply lids and bands to fingertip tight.
2. Process in a boiling water bath. Tested fresh-pack dill pickle recipes commonly list about 10 minutes for pints and 15 minutes for quarts at elevations up to 1,000 feet, with extra time at higher altitude. Check your source.
3. Turn off the heat and wait 5 minutes before removing jars.
4. Cool for 12 to 24 hours, then check seals. Let the pickles cure 4 to 6 weeks for best flavor.

Whole, Halved, or Spears?

Crunch Tips

• Choose firm, small, freshly picked pickling cucumbers (Kirby types). Avoid waxed supermarket slicers.
• Always remove the blossom end.
• Do not exceed the tested processing time. Overheating softens pickles.
• Add a clean grape leaf, oak leaf, or black tea bag per jar if desired. Tannins can help firmness, though the effect is mild.
• Use pickling salt without anti-caking agents. Iodized salt can cloud the brine.
• Use filtered or soft water if your tap water is very hard.

Variations

• Extra garlic: Use 3 cloves per jar for a more assertive deli taste.
• Spicy kosher dills: Add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or a dried chile per jar.
• Horseradish: Add a small slice of fresh horseradish root to each jar.
• Coriander and bay: Add 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed and half a bay leaf per jar.
• Half-sour style: A true half-sour is salt-brine fermented for only a few days and kept refrigerated. That is a different technique from this vinegar recipe.

Serving Suggestions

• Beside a pastrami or corned beef sandwich
• Sliced on burgers and fried chicken sandwiches
• Chopped into tuna salad, potato salad, or relish
• Fried in batter as a bar snack
• Splash of brine in a pickleback shot or marinade

Storage

Processed jars store in a cool, dark place for around a year at best quality. Refrigerate after opening and eat within about two months. Discard pickles that are slimy, smell off, or came from a jar with a bulging lid or broken seal.

Fresh Pack Versus Fermented

Deli kosher dills are traditionally made by fermenting cucumbers in a salt brine with garlic and dill, where naturally occurring bacteria produce the sour flavor over days or weeks. The recipe above is a fresh pack with vinegar, which is faster and uses acidity from the vinegar rather than fermentation. Both are legitimate pickles, but they taste different. Fermented pickles have a more complex, lactic sourness. Vinegar pickles have a sharper, cleaner tang.

Choosing Garlic and Dill

Use firm, fresh garlic heads and peel the cloves just before packing. Fresh dill heads with their flowering umbels give the strongest classic flavor. If you grow dill, harvest the heads when the yellow flowers have just opened, and use them the same day.

Jar Packing Checklist

• Cucumbers cut to fit with 1/2 inch of headspace
• Garlic and dill at the bottom, with a few seeds on top
• Brine at a full boil when it goes into the jar
• Rims wiped clean before lids go on
• Bands tightened only to fingertip tight, then left alone after processing

Label jars with the date. Pickles that are stored for a few weeks before opening develop the best garlic and dill flavor.

FAQ

What makes a pickle kosher?

In the pickle world, kosher-style means seasoned with garlic and dill, following the New York deli tradition. It is not a statement about certification.

Why are my pickles hollow?

Hollow centers often come from cucumbers that were too mature, stored too long, or grew unevenly. Use fresh, small cucumbers.

Can I reuse the brine?

For another refrigerator batch, you can reuse brine once within a week or two. Do not reuse brine for canning.

How long until they taste like deli pickles?

Refrigerator jars reach good flavor in about five days. Canned jars improve over a few weeks.

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