August 13, 2019July 1, 2020 by Tracy Cleland

Dad’s Famous No Cook Refrigerator Pickles

Name: Dad's Famous No Cook Refrigerator Pickles
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 375 min
Ingredients: 3 lbs cucumbers; 1 lb onions; 2 C white vinegar; 1/4 C salt; 3 1/2 C sugar

The end of summer marks a special time of year, No, I don’t mean back to school, although I’ve got that covered for you here in Nine Ways to Make the First Day of School Special . For many people with backyard gardens, it’s harvest time. And, while I don’t have a garden due to amount of trees in my yard, my parents do. Luckily for me, they gift me with plenty of tomatoes, cucumbers, and other goodies. When I’m really lucky, Dad will give me a big jar of his homemade no cook refrigerator pickles.

About two years ago, I finally asked for the “secret” recipe so I could make my own pickles. When I did, I was amazed to learn how easy it was to make no cook refrigerator pickles. First, I didn’t even realize that you didn’t have to cook anything. Nothing. Nada. Plus, I learned that the pickles really don’t take that much time to make.

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The Secret Recipe: Dad’s No Cook Refrigerator Pickles

The recipe is actually really simple. First, gather your ingredients. You’ll need three pounds of cucumbers (about 7 medium cukes) one pound of onions (two large onions), two cups of white vinegar, three and a half cups of white sugar, and 1/4 cup of salt.

Next, slice your cucumbers and onions. I used a Pampered Chef Mandoline Slicer this time, but I’ve used a food processor to slice when I was a making double or triple batch of the no cook refrigerator pickles. With the Pampered Chef Mandoline Slicer, I used the number three setting for the cucumbers and the number two setting for the onions.

Slicing the cucumbers is the most time intensive task of making no cook refrigerator pickles, but the job goes quickly with a mandoline slicer.

After you slice the pickles and onions, layer them by turns in a large stainless steel pot.

Next, mix up the brine. I start with the vinegar and then add in the sugar and salt. Stir well to make sure that the sugar and salt dissolve as much as possible.

Pour the brine over the cucumber and onion mixture and refrigerate for six or more hours, stirring occasionally. Don’t worry if the mixture doesn’t cover the pickles at first. The cucumbers and onions will shrink as they begin to break down. After the pickles have marinated for several hours or overnight, divide them into smaller containers. Keep a jar in the refrigerator to enjoy now and freeze the rest for another day.

Notes

Glass jars are great for in the refrigerator. You can use Mason jars or recycled pickle or spaghetti type jars; it doesn’t matter. However, if you are going to freeze your pickles for later, I recommend using plastic. This time, I used medium Ziploc Twist n Loc containers. I like these containers because they are leak resistant and the lids won’t pop off accidentally. However, you can just use old sour cream or cottage cheese containers. Also, if you are freezing your pickles, don’t fill the containers too high. I filled mine to the three cup mark on each container.

My mother says that you can double the cucumbers, add two more cups of vinegar, and leave everything else the same if you are trying to lower the sugar and salt content. The pickles taste great every time I eat them, whether it’s the lower sugar and salt recipe at Mom and Dad’s or the original recipe at home.