This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure here.
Our cucumber plants in our raised bed garden have been thriving this season, so we are picking between 5-10 cucumbers a day. We’ve made cucumber salad, passed cucumbers onto our friends, and dipped them in homemade hummus, but my favorite way to use them up is to make refrigerator pickles. I’ve shared my recipe for quick pickled vegetables before, and those are also good, but recently I have been experimenting with new seasonings. The winner at our house is curry powder—these curry refrigerator pickles have a bit of spice but add so much to burgers, sandwiches, or just eating them plain!
Curry Refrigerator Pickles
We used fresh cucumbers picked from our garden, but you could also use pickling cucumbers from the store.
I wasn’t sure how many I’d need to fill up two jars, so I always wash them and add them to the jars until I have enough.
The great thing about refrigerator pickles is that you don’t need to use Mason jars, because you’re not going to be canning them. This time I used two recycled pasta sauce jars.
The pickling liquid will go on the stove until it boils. You may have a little more than you need, but better too much than enough.
While you wait for the liquid to boil, put the jars in the sink so that anything that splatters doesn’t scald you. You can also use a funnel to help get the liquid in.
Once it’s boiling, let it boil for about a minute.
Then pour the liquid over the pickles. These were a bit over-filled, but again, the level doesn’t matter because you’re not going to can. Just make sure that a lid will fit on top without the liquid spilling out.
You’re going to want to let the jars sit on the counter until they reach room temperature (use a hot pad or towel to get the jars out of the sink, because they will be hot!). Once they cool off, put the lids on and store them in the fridge. You can eat them right away, but the flavor and crunch will be best if you wait about 24 hours before trying them.
Ingredients
- ~3 cups sliced cucumbers
- 1.5 cups water
- 1.5 cups white vinegar
- 1 tbsp. curry powder
- 2 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1.5 tbsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
Directions
- Place the sliced cucumbers in two quart-sized glass jars until they almost reach the top.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Let boil for approximately 1 minute, then carefully pour the liquid into the two jars.
- Let the jars sit without a lid until they reach room temperature.
- Place the lids on the jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks.
