How to make Manhattan-style, Fermented Pickles with Garlic and Dill! An easy step-by-step guide to making the most flavorful, crunchy, tangy pickles full of healthy probiotics, with only 20 minutes of hands-on time! The pickle brine is like a “tonic” -drink a shot of it daily to help build immunity!
What happens when people open their hearts? They get better. ~Haruki Murakami
I’ve been chomping at the bit to share this easy recipe for Fermented Pickles with you! If you are a crunchy pickle lover like me, you are going to be in heaven. Seriously, these are the best!
These Manhattan-style “half-sour” pickles, are crispy, crunchy, flavorful and ohhhhhh so alive! They are not for canning, but rather live happily bubbly lives in your refrigerator.
These pickles are fermented in a salt brine, not in vinegar and get their delicious tanginess from light fermentation rather than vinegar.
Full of healthy, gut-healing, immunity-boosting probiotics these little guys are perfect as a low-calorie snack, or sliced and added to sandwiches or served as a tasty side.
Not only are they delicious, and incredibly EASY to make, they are also incredibly good for us!
And as crazy as this may sound to some, the fizzy brine itself is like a healing tonic to me – I love to drink a shot of it- especially when I feel like my immunity needs a boost! So flavorful and totally energizing.
How to make Fermented Pickles| 45-second video
What type of cucumbers to use in fermenting?
- Pickling Cucumbers are small and short ( 4-6 inches) with thin bumpy skin, crisp texture, small seeds, a blocky shape and color gradient from light to dark. Varieties include Kirby, Calypso, Royal, Pickalot, National Picking, Adam Gherkin, Sassy, Eurika, Jackson, Boston Pickling, Northern Pickling… to name a few.
- You’ll need 2 lbs of “pickling cucumbers”. This recipe makes one large 1/2 gallon jar (or use two quart-sized jars) – a relatively small batch.
- They are most easily found at your local farmers’ market. Ask the farmers if they have “pickling cucumbers” they can help direct you to the right ones.
- Your pickles will only be as good as your cucumbers, so choose wisely!
- Make sure they are roughly all the same size -all about 4-5 inches long with 1 1/2-inch to 2-inch diameters – to fit in the jar nicely and to ferment at the same rate. Handpicked each one. They should be fresh and crisp with no soft spots.
How long does it take to ferment pickles?
- These half-sour crunchy pickles take 3-5 days.
Wash them, and soak them in an ice bath for 15 minutes to firm and crisp them up.
Gather your fresh Garlic and Dill and pickling spices.
Spices to use in Fermented Dill Pickles:
- Use fennel seeds, mustard, peppercorns, coriander seeds, allspice, dill seeds and celery seeds. Feel free to change or embellish! I added a couple of chilies for a little heat.
- Fresh Dill and lots of garlic!!!
- Fermented cucumbers need tannin to help keep their skins from going soft. Traditionally, a few grape leaves are used but bay leaves work well too!
Because these fermented pickles are left whole, you really want the brine to be extra flavorful.
I add a lot of garlic… 10 cloves! Layer the cucumbers, spices, garlic, dill and bay leaves in a large two quart jar (half-gallon).
Carefully measure and mix salt and water to create the saltwater brine- then pour this brine over the pickles.
How salt works in fermentation:
- In a nutshell, using the right ratio of salt in fermentation encourages the growth of healthy bacteria, while at the same time kills off bad bacteria. You want to be precise when measuring the salt and water in these kinds of recipes.
- Too much salt may kill off ALL of the bacteria -preventing fermentation.
- Too little salt will allow bad bacteria to keep on living. It is a fine balance. 😉
SALT TO WATER RATIO (fermented dill pickles):
- This recipe is a 2.5 % salt water brine, which is considered “safe”. It equals 6 grams of salt per one cup of water. This ratio allows one to drink the brine (like a shot) because it is not too salty.
- If you want a stronger brine, feel free to go up to 3.5% So for example, 3% ratio = 7 grams salt per 1 cup of water. 3.5% Ratio= 9 grams of salt per 1 cup of water.
- Use unprocessed salt (sea salt) and unchlorinated, filtered water for best results.
Leave an inch or two of room at the top.
Weigh down the cucumbers so they are completely submerged under the liquid, using fermentation weights, or a small zip lock bag filled with a little water. Here I’m using a sterilized river stone.
If the cucumbers are not submerged under the brine and become exposed to air- they can develop mold.
Cover with a loosely with a lid, place in a bowl or pan to catch any overflow, and place them in a cool dark place for 3-7 days, like the basement. I’ve found a slower, cooler fermentation works best here.
Check after 3 days. Look for signs of life: bubbles/ cloudy water. This took me about 4 days. I let it go one more day (5 days) then placed the jar in the fridge to further slow the fermentation.
Basically the longer you ferment them (unrefrigerated), the tangier they will get. But they will also get softer. I like them crisp, but you may want them tangier and softer. You can taste them at any point after you see bubbles.
I prefer to refrigerate before tasting. After refrigerating, if you decide you want more tang, you can always pull them out again and ferment for a few days longer.
If you want to create a “fizzy” brine for drinking, tighten the lid, and burp daily if leaving out. You can tighten the lid in the fridge, but burp weekly. This will create a little pressure and give it some effervescence.
Once they are cold, give them a taste. They should be crunchy and flavorful!
The brine is deliciously tangy, salty, and effervescent -so tasty!
Let me know how you like this one in the comments below.
xoxoxo
RELATED: How to make Kimchi! How to make Fermented Hot Sauce!
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Fermented Pickles with Garlic and Dill
- Prep Time: 4 days
- Total Time: 4 days
- Yield: ½ gallon
- Category: fermented, preserved
- Method: fermented
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
How to make Manhattan-style, Fermented Pickles! A simple recipe for making the most flavorful, crunchy, tangy, garlic dill pickles with only 15 minutes of hands-on time. Full of healthy, gut-healing probiotics these little guys are perfect as a low-calorie snack, or sliced and added to sandwiches.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pickling cucumbers– all similar size (4–5 inches)
- 6 cups filtered water (non-chlorinated- tap water may have chlorine which can inhibit fermentation)
- 2 tablespoons fine sea salt or Himalayan salt — or basically one teaspoon salt (6–7 grams) per one cup of water for a 2.5% brine (see notes)
- 8–12 garlic cloves, sliced (or double for extra garlicky)
- 1 teaspoon each: fennel seeds, coriander seeds, allspice, peppercorns, dill seeds, mustard seeds, celery seeds- and feel free to add more peppercorns!
- big handful fresh dill
- 1–3 fresh red chilies – or dried arbol chilies, or add chili flakes (all optional)
- 3–4 bay leaves (or a grape leaf)
You’ll need a 1/2 gallon mason jar, crock, or 2 quart-sized jars- clean and sterile.
Instructions
- Rinse the cucumbers and place in an ice-water bath, to crisp them up (10-20 minutes).
- Warm up one cup of the water on the stove, and stir in all the salt until dissolved. Let cool to room temp. Mix this cup with the remaining 5 cups water. You will end up with 2.5% saltwater brine.
- In a large, clean two quart jar, layer the cucumbers, garlic slices, fresh dill sprigs, bay leaves and all the whole spices.
- Pour the salt water brine over top, leaving an inch of headroom.
- Weigh down the cucumbers if need be, so they are submerged under the brine. (Use a fermentation weight, or a small ziplock back with a little water in it, or a sterilized river stone-see notes. ). Place a lid on it, loosely tightened. Place in a pan or bowl to collect any overflow and leave it in a cool dark place for 3-7 days (a basement, or lower kitchen cupboard).
- After 3 days, check for signs of life: bubbles, clouding. Tap the jar, and see if tiny bubbles rise to the top. I usually ferment for 5 days. Longer ferments will yield tangier pickles. They also get softer as they ferment, so if you go too long, you’ll lose the crispness. Up to you. You can taste them at any point after you see bubbles, and ferment longer if you like. Once you see active bubbles, you can at this point place the jar in the fridge, where it will continue to ferment, but much more slowly. Keep the pickles submerged.
- Once chilled, give them taste. They should be crispy and flavorful with a little tang. (At this point, if you want a tangier or softer pickle, you can absolutely pull them back out again and ferment for a few more days longer if you want.)
- If you like a fizzy brine, tighten the lid, burping every week or so. If you don’t want to think about it, give the lid one loose twist, so it’s on there, but gases can escape.
Notes
If you need more brine, make sure you use the same ratio- 1 teaspoon sea salt per one cup of water.
If using a grape leaf, place it on the side of the jar, then layer remaining ingredients.
BRINE: This recipe is a 2.5 % saltwater brine, which is considered “safe”. It equals 6 grams of salt per one cup of water. I’ve had really good luck with this ratio – and this ratio allows me to drink the brine (like a shot) because it is not too salty. If you want a stronger, saltier brine, feel free to go up to 3.5%.
- 2.5% ratio = 6 grams salt per one cup of water. ( 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, per 1 cup water)
- 3% ratio = 7 grams salt per 1 cup of water. (1 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, per 1 cup water)
- 3.5% Ratio= 9 grams of salt per 1 cup of water. ( 1 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, per 1 cup water)
To use a smooth river stone as a weight in the jar, sterilize in boiling water for 20 minutes.
Keywords: fermented pickles, fermented cucumbers, kosher dill pickles, lactose-fermented pickles, how to ferment pickles, fermented dill pickles, kosher dill pickle recipe
I don’t have any mason jars so I am trying this using a new ziploc bag. I live in the tropics so will keep a beady eye on the fermentation. I excluded the air from the bag by submerging it in water first. The cucumbers are a Thai variety, very crispy when fresh and I just used whatever spices I had to hand, black and white peppercorns, bay leaves, fresh garlic and fresh birdseye chillies. I’ll let you know what happens.
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Can i use the Persian mini cucumbers that I found at Sprouts? Also, did anyone comment on the crispness if the ends are trimmed? And, one more question….can I use “pickling spice” that I bought in bulk? It seems to have all the ingredients except the celery seeds and I can always add them, right?
I tried this with Persian Cucumbers and they got a little mushy/slimy. Of course, you are welome to try. Pickling spice is great!
Just got another case of quart Mason jars, for my next pickling adventure.
Note: when grape or bay leaves not avail., I have used white oak leaves (that have similar tannin strength).
For top weights I have used the cut-off bottoms of coffee shop cups to hold down jar contents below the brine. As the pickles are consumed, cup bottoms can be cut at longer heights from new cups.
Thanks again for the spoon measurements.
I have too many cucumbers in my garden. They are the smooth skin variety about 8 to 10 inches. So can I use other than pickling cucumbers?
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I have not tried the smooth skin cucumbers so not sure how they would work.
I’d like to comment about your pickle making contribution. I’m so glad to see it.
I’m in my eighties and when I was a young boy, my Grandfather had a large garden. My Grandmother’s brother would drive over and make pickles in a barrel next to the garden. He put in alternate layers of pickles, dill, and NON-IODIZED salt. (Nothing else, and he probably knew how much salt for that size barrel) He sealed the barrel and then laid it on it’s side and placed it on a wooden rack. There was a small hole in the side of the barrel which is now on top. He filled the barrel with well water and then used something I will call a ‘hydrometer’ for lack of a better description. (I would think any hydrometer that measures specific gravity would work.) He would check the brine solution daily by floating the hydrometer in the hole and adjusting the brine by adding salt or water as needed. He left the hole open. The water would ooze out of the hole and run down the sides of the barrel. Us kids would stick our finger in the hole and taste the brine. It was great! The barrel was left outside in the open in central Minnesota summer weather until the pickles were ready. I’m sorry I don’t know how long, but it seemed like about two weeks. That is merely a guess. He then sold the whole batch to the cafe in town to use for hamburgers.
I absolutely loved reading this. Thanks for sharing. Beautiful!!!
Thanks for giving the exact ratio of salt and water .I have tried this receipe with fruit raw mangoes.
Oooooo fun!
Hi Sylvia,
Excited to try this recipe! Have made a few batches of sauerkraut and exploring more fermenting; love the option of pickles without vinegar.
I’m not able to find any “pickling cucumbers” near me at the moment. Can I use regular cucumbers cut into spears, or will they end up too mushy?
Thanks much – Deb 🙂
Well, I was just going to try that myself because the pickling cucumbers are out of season. My guess is the skin might get mushy… are you thinking thin-skinned like English or little Turkish?
Great recipe , very tasty!
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Several +questions: Will these taste like the wonderful Klaussen pickles? Can I use the glass airlock fermenting tops to the Mason jars that I use to make sauerkraut? Can you suggest the best online sources for all the seeds needed in this recipe to insure freshness? Last of all, one of the comments mentions celery seeds, but I don’t see them in the recipe itself…how much is used?
Sorry about that, added to the recipe. All the seeds are linked to sources. Yes, the airlock should work great here. I think they come close to clausens. 🙂
I have been looking everywhere for Kirby cucumbers to use for fermenting but unfortunately, they are out of season at the moment. Would the fermenting still work if I used mini cucumbers as substitute? Thanks in advance!
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They don’t turn out as crispy- but they do ferement. Just a little softer.
Just finished first batch, they came out great! Once done and at the texture I like which is right at 5 days, how do I store in the fridge? Just transfer entire batch in the brine? Will it cause them to get softer over time stored that way? If so, what other method of storing them in the fridge keeps the proper crunchiness? I’m thinking they will last one month max at our consumption rate.
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Just place the whole jar with the brine and the pickles in the fridge. They will continue to ferment but at a much slower rate.
These pickles were delicious, I followed the recipe exactly, and left to ferment in the relatively cool basement for 5 days, with a very loose lid. I removed a bit of mold and the mold covered pickle from the top of the jar, and stuck the rest of the jar in the fridge. They were so fantastic that the entire one gallon jar was eaten in a week! Thanks for this yummy and easy recipe:)
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Glad this worked for you!
If you can see actual mold ANYWHERE inside the jar, mold spores are ALL THROUGHOUT your ferment and it is unsafe to eat. Discard everything, sterilize everything and start over.
I’m suspecting you saw Kahm’s yeast (flat, whiteish film). Mold is fuzzy; Kahm is not. Kahm yeast will affect the flavor slightly, but it is not harmful.
Google “mold vs kahm” and I’m sure you’ll get tons of information and pictures.
Can I use this same recipe to pickle other vegetables? I don’t see why not, but thought I would ask! I was planning on pickling some green beans as well as cukes and would like to make one recipe.
I don’t see why not?? Give it a go!
Can you re-use the brine?
There is debate about this out there. Some say yes, some say not to. I have tried, with not great results. 😉
You can use it to start new batches of pickles but the brine will be diluted since it extracted water from the original cucumbers 🙂
Hi, I am in the middle of doing this but just noticed that I don’t have bay or grape leaves. Are they necessary?
No- not imperative. You can always add bay leaves in the next few days, after you start fermenting.
Hi, just a minor nitpick, but you have celery seeds listed in the body of the recipe, however you don’t have them in the summary ingredients below.
Thanks!
I added them, thanks!
This is an old recipe my Dad used to make dills when I was a kid, some 70 years ago and I’ve been using it for years and 3 days ago my son and I made a batch for him and was able to helped him with. Just a quick question, after fermenting for 4 days with loose lid, can you just crank down the lids tightly and store jars in the basement along with my other canning, until you want another jar of pickles. Would you also sterilize the lids before tightening them, I never had but just asking.
Because they are fermenting and will continue to ferment, if you crank down on the lids without refigerating, they could actually explode because they are bubbling. So best to keep these kind in the fridge.
Feeling a little silly to have this question and maybe I overlooked it but do you take out the garlic, Dill, Etc out of the brine before you put it in the refrigerator? Or does it always stay with the pickles? The recipe sounds delicious
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Keep them in! 🙂 Not silly at all!
hello! in the middle of doing your recipe – looking forward to the results. Wondering if you have ever trimmed the ends of your cukes? I have read this helps them to stay crispier….I just came across this info so will try with my last jar…
I haven’t but please let me know- super curious!
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Total failure and waste of time, money and good food. The pickles are all soggy and soft and taste awful! The entire batch is headed for the compost.
Oh dear. Sorry about that James. Sounds like the fermentation may not have occurred. Any more clues as to what could have gone wrong?
Fridge too cold, perhaps? It was the only place I could put the big bottle. All I know is that I can not afford to risk trying again.
Appreciate you getting back to me James. Can you tell me how long you fermented before putting in the fridge and what the temp was (on average)? Did you see bubbles or clouding before refrigerating? Thanks, jsut trying to figure this mystery out.
I had bubbles in 3 days and put it in the fridge that day. I believe it was around 70°F in the basement. I have no idea what the fridge temperature was, but probably around 33 or 34. I hope my pickles didn’t start to freeze.
Ok that is interesting. Sounds like it did ferment though. Sometimes when it is warmer like that- the pickles just don’t turn out as well. 55-65F is ideal. The cold fridge may have slowed the fermentation, but it shouldn’t have killed it. If you do ever try this again- I would check the temp of the fermenting jar with a food thermometer. Sometimes it is just as simple as finding a cooler spot and moving it.
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Hi James, comments are moderated, so there is up to a 12-24 hour delay in their posting. 🙂 I responded to your latest post below. 🙂
Sadly, that 70° basement is probably the coolest place I have in the summer, when the cucumbers are available. Oh well… I tried.
I’m sorry it didnt work this time.
Hi just made these pickles. They are super easy. I have one question….. how do you burp these pickles and how often??
I honestly would just leave the lid on loose in the fridge ( turn a couple times). But if you must tighten it, burp every week or so?
Hello, just wanted to make sure I followed the recipe correctly. Should it be 2 tbsp of salt per 6 cups of water. I noticed in earlier comments that it was 3.5 tbsp per cup of water. Thanks
Hi you can use either!
Tanya, it would be 2 Tablespoons of salt per 6 cups of water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per cup of water… so for 6 cups of water, you add 6 teaspoons of salt, which is the equivalent of 2 Tablespoons.
What you are doing is creating a brine with 2.5% salinity.
It is much more accurate to use a scale when you are measuring salt, and a general rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon of salt weighs about 6 grams.
Now think metric (I know, I know)… and use a little math and you can figure out any amount of salt for any amount of water. Here’s how:
Take the amount of water in milliliters (236 milliliters per cup) and multiply it by the percentage of salt you seek. Remember to always use metric!
So for a 2.5% brine with 1 cup (236 milliliters) of water:
236 milliliters (1 cup) water * 0.025 = 5.9 (you can round up to 6)
So use 6 grams of salt in 236 milliliters of water for a 2.5% brine.
Percentage must be in decimal form so 2% would be 0.02, 2.5% would be 0.025. If you’re not a math person, you can get the decimal form by simply dividing the percent form by 100. So 2.5 divided by 100 is 0.025.
Thanks for the clarification, helpful!
I love the taste . The water is a little cloudy, should I worry? I let the fermentation go on for 10 days. Many thanks for sharing this easy and tasty recipe.
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Cloudy is a sign that lactofermentation is happening. Not a bad thing at all. Safe and fine to consume!
I’m so excited to try fermenting instead of pickling this year! Is it safe to use frozen dill? Thanks 🙂
That should be fine!
Hi Sylvia! Followed instructions. I live in a warm climate but ac is at 76-78 degrees. I put a few garlic cloves and used peppercorns, dried dill, 3 bay leaves,and mustard powder. I had no other spices on hand. Used cabbage leaves to push into brine. Covered with glass lid and a baggie and rubber band. Towel over all. In 5 days looked almost sour. Let it go to 6 days. No mold. Cloudy, a few bubbles, not a lot. I did use Himalayan salt which did turn garlic blue.
Put in fridge. Went full sour, but a bit mushy and some hollow.
Taste was ok, like a barrel pickle.
I put 2 spears in With whole cures, and they were good.
I have a couple of questions.. should I have put them in frig earlier, and why did they get hollow?
Have you ever used a touch of sugar?
Thanks!!!!
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Hi Peggy! I haven’t tried, but think sugar would be good here. Great idea with the cabbage leaves. 🙂 What kind of cucumbers did you use? Perhaps the warmer temp caused these to ferment faster. Technically as soon as you see bubbles, you could refrigerate- especially if you like that crunchy texture like I do. 🙂
Hi Sylvia I used Kirby clues. My salt was strong at 3T for a quest of water.
That is quite a strong brine. I wonder if too salty?
Can I use dried dill (heads? Seeds? Stems?) instead of fresh? My dill came & went before the cukes produced. Also, do I use dried BAU leaves or fresh?
Yes feel free to use dried dill and seeds. What are BAU leaves? Sorry, my brain is tired right now!
How long do they last in the fridge? Love this recipe!
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I’ve had mine for 6 months- should last as long as they are covered with the brine!
Great tutorial! I also cool ferment, not in fridge but a cooler place in the house. I have found from doing this for years that they will usually be a little crisper. Thanks for sharing!!
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Perfect, thanks!
I made half the recipe because when I’ve used store bought dill pickles it takes me ages to finish the jar. I did them yesterday and already there’s action! Lots of bubbles.:) I like the idea of using Himalayan salt. And using all those pickling spices is going to produce amazing pickles. I don’t come from a family that ever did lacto-ferments. I’m on a quest to heal my digestive system. I find lacto-fermentation to be so creative and satisfying, not to mention yummy. These pickles will be devoured really quickly!
Great to hear! Hope you like them!
Love love love this recipe! My cucumber plants PRODUCED soo many this year and this has been the quickest, easiest to follow and tweak the seasoning. I’m sad to be making my last garden fresh batch but I now have a whole shelf in the fridge filled to last the next few months. Thank you!!!
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I used green tomatoes – not cut it’s 9 days needs more flavor added more brine garlic, garlic, spices & dill @ bay leaves. Hope to try in a couple more days – hope this is nit too long.??