Save that jar of pickle juice! This recipe for homemade pickles with leftover pickle juice is so easy to make. In as little as 24 hours, quick refrigerator pickles are crisp and ready. Summer never tasted better.
Why this Pickle Recipe is Amazing: Fresh crisp pickled cucumbers couldn't be easier or more amazing than this recipe. I love this cooking hack because it saves money, is so simple to do, & tastes amazing.
I created this recipe because my kids love pickles. To be honest, the store-bought jars are pretty expensive for the simple cheap ingredients. So when we go to Costco or have our own cucumber from the garden, the big crop of cucumbers becomes pickles in our house.
My amazing Dill Pickle Deviled Eggs use leftover brine & is why I save it in my fridge. Both make a great side dish to another super easy recipe, Grilled Cheese made in the Toaster Oven. Ok, now let's get pickling!
Jump to:
Ingredients
All you need are 2 ingredients for this no-cook pickle recipe. Use items that are as fresh as possible for best results. No limp, soft cucumbers or pickle juice that has been hiding in the back of your garage fridge for a decade.
Here are the ingredients needed to make this recipe:
- Leftover Pickle Brine - any jar of store-bought pickle juice; sweet, spicy, dill, kosher, etc. Brands such as Claussen, Vlasic, or Mt. Olive are most popular but it also works with tubs like Grillo's.
- Cocktail Cucumbers - any small thin-skinned cucumber works, such as Persian, English, or Armenian.
See the recipe card for quantities & substitutions/variations.
Recipe Video
How to Make Pickles with Leftover Pickle Juice
t is as simple as these 3 steps to make this fresh pickle recipe. This is a simple basic 24-hour pickle recipe, not exactly artisan or fancy but still really delicious. There is no easier way to make homemade pickles.
Here are the easy steps for making refrigerator pickled cucumbers.
- Wash & Slice the Cucumbers
- Add Cucumbers to Pickle Juice
- Refrigerate
See the recipe card for full instructions.
1 - Wash & Slice the Cucumbers
The key to pickling anything quickly is the size of vegetable. Smaller pieces & more exposed edges means the salty brine can work its magic faster.
Star by washing and removing the stems and ends (if you prefer) of each cucumber. Next, slice each cucumber lengthwise down the middle. Exposing the inside which is more tender allows the "pickling" process to begin immediately.
2 - Add Cucumbers to Pickle Juice
Once all the pickles are cut, add them to the jar of brine. Make sure they are covered completely. The more cucumbers you add the more full the jar is which is what you want.
3 - Refrigerate
Depending on how salty, soft, & preserved you want your cucumbers, the days to refrigerate may vary. We like them still crisp so 1-2 days is all we need.
Also for example, the size of the cucumber slices will determine this. Thin round slices can be ready faster than large spears or halves.
TIP: Cucumbers can get soggy or mushy if they sit in the brine for weeks. Enjoy them as fresh as possible. Trust me, they are gobbled up fast in our house so this rarely happens!
Serving Suggestions
There are many ways to enjoy this recipe. They are great as a snack, condiment, or side dish with so many foods.
What to Serve with Pickles : what season, what events etc to serve this. Plus include links to internal recipes.
Recipe Tips & Behind the Scenes
Here is my recipe for success - including what I learned when testing, funny stories or bloopers, and more.
- #1 TIP: Use your favorite pickle juice no matter what flavor or type so this becomes your #1 favorite recipe.
- Make sure to wash & cut the pickles to they "process/marinate" quickly in the refrigerator.
- Thin-skinned pickles with tiny or no seeds work best.
- No special canning equipment needed, yeah!
- Did you know you can drink pickle juice for an electrolyte boost?
- When my kids take the last pickle they now place the jar on the counter as a passive aggressive way of asking me to make more!
- Are you a sweet, sour, dill, or bread & butter kind of pickle fan?
FAQ
Once a jar of pickles is opened, you have to refrigerate them. They will last from 1 -2 years in the refrigerator after being opened. The shelf life for unopened pickles is the same. Either way, they will last up to 1-2 years even after the expiration date.
Same as with the jar of opened pickles, the juice as well will last from 1-2 years in the refrigerator. So you can keep pickle juice for a long time to reuse it later to make homemade pickles.
Lacto-fermentation takes place when just two ingredients come together to "pickle" or "preserve" a food item: salt & water. Most store-bought pickles include salt so these are lacto-fermented.
Some jars will have vinegar and other ingredients. Vinegar does not necessarily stop fermentation so you can use it.
As with other fermented foods, they offer health benefits. There are known gut health benefits & help digestion thanks to good bacteria known as probiotics.
They are also keto, low-calorie, diabetic, Whole30, Paleo, vegetarian, vegan, or grain-free diet. To learn more about the health benefits of pickles, you can also check out WHAT PICKLES CAN DO FOR YOUR HEALTH.
Try it as a brine for chicken, pork, or turkey. Add it to cocktails, marinades, & salad dressing - I love a splash in my Ranch Dressing without Mayo Recipe.
Homemade Pickles with Leftover Pickle Juice
Ingredients
- 1 jar leftover pickle juice
- 8 cocktail cucumbers
Instructions
- Wash and slice your cucumbers to the desired shape or size. For this recipe, I cut them lengthwise to make pickle spears. You can also slice them or leave them whole.
- Add the cucumbers to the leftover juice from store-bought pickles and close lid.
- Refrigerate at least 24 hours.
- Pickles can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 years. Enjoy the pickles and you can even make up to 4 batches of homemade pickles using the same jarred leftover pickle juice.
Notes
- Store the pickles for up to a month.
- Leftover pickle juice can be used up to 3 times to make more pickles (each batch may be less salty, briney, tender)
- Add a few sprigs of fresh dill for more intense flavor.
- Add sliced red onion or garlic cloves.
- Add slices of jalapeno or other spicy peppers for heat.
Nutrition
Other Pickled Vegetable Recipes
Here are similar recipes you can also make:
Alpa says
This is an amazing recipe, I never thought it would be so easy to reuse the pickle juice!
Angela says
It is a sort of easy magic that my kids could not believe was so easy. Now when we do not have homemade fresh pickles they are shocked - haha!
Dee | Grammy's Grid says
Interesting recipe! Thanks so much for linking up with me at my #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 17. Shared.
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
What a great idea!! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party. Hope the rest of your week is great!
Mary Gresham says
Help! Can't find cocktail cucumbers - any substitutions?
Angela says
You can use any cucumbers and slice them to make sliced pickles. If you still want spears you can cut a large cucumber in half or a third so that it is shorter and fit into the jar. From that, you can then cut spears. I find that small size at Trader Joe's, Walmart, and Costco mostly so hopefully you can find them there in the future but cutting them different hopefully will help you today. Good luck and let me know how it turns out.
Nisha says
This is such a great idea to re-use the leftover pickle juice for making fresh pickles. Thanks for the wonderful share!
Angela says
You are welcome. This homemade pickle recipe is so easy and sure is a great idea!
Nart at Cooking with Nart says
This is such a great recipe. I've always thrown the pickle juice away. So many ways to reuse it!
Angela says
SAVE that pickle juice!
Relle says
Oh man my husband loves pickles. Thanks for sharing.
LaRena Fry says
What a wonderful idea. Everyone loves pickles. Yum!
Jacqueline Debono says
This homemade pickles recipe is such a brilliant idea. I've never thought to use the left over pickle juice for anything, let alone making my own pickled cucumbers and adding it to bloody Mary's!!
Angela says
SO many great ways to reuse that pickle juice and glad you found this recipe and other ideas. Leftover pickle juice in blood mary's are the best.
Ai says
I love pickles! I had no idea pickles can be kept for 1-2 years!
Angela says
Pickles sure do last a long time so keep that brine / pickling liquid for years and enjoy it many ways!
Angelina says
Even with the positive reviews, these are about as "Homemade" as Marinara Sauce from a jar. I suppose that pickles which you can buy in a jar (and re-use the brine) are ok, IF you never tasted "real" (processed) homemade pickles, or pickles made in a crock (not a crock pot). I'm sure I must have purchased just about every brand out there over time, and there's no comparison to REAL Homemade Pickles. For us, easy & quick VS seriously delicious is a no brainer.
Angela says
Thanks for your comment. With any recipe, people have different tastes and likes. For my family, we like a crisp pickle and find this is the method to get pickles just like we like them. We have had and made processed pickles in the past and for us, they are just too soft and maybe overprocessed but just aren't our personal preference. This recipe is what is seriously delicious for us and hopefully others that like a quick crisp pickle that is brined for a minimal amount of time.
Ryan says
Thanks for staying positive Angela.
Lathiya says
This is a great recipe to use up leftover pickle juice. Never thought of this before.
Karen Bridges says
can u use zucchini instead of cucumbers
Angela says
I have not tried that before but it could be the same concept and work. Let me know if you try it and if it works. Thanks - I do have another post for pickling vegetables that you may want to try for zucchini - it works with any vegetable. https://theshortordercook.com/how-to-make-quick-pickled-vegetables-kids-in-the-kitchen/#lt-recipe
James says
I had a near empty bulk jar of pickles, then was given several home grown cucumbers and sweet peppers. A thought came to mind I could clean them up and simply put in the leftover pickle juice. They've been in there a few days now, so I decided to see if this was viable strategy, and I came across this article. NICE!
Angela says
It is absolutely a viable and delicious strategy. Let me know how yours turn out. I highly recommend slicing them in some shape or form to expose the interior for the "pickling" in the leftover brine to really work. Enjoy.
Chuck Fluri says
I was trying to air dry some habanero peppers. It wasn't happening. I removed the stems, halfed them and dropped them into some pickle brine. I added some cucumber spears. Three days in the fridge and I had some fire hot pickle spears, excellent!
Angela says
Oh, that sounds fantastic. Thanks for sharing your pickling hack that I will need to try also.
Bill says
I was gifted some large cucumbers but got bored of Greek salad after a couple of days and came upon this recipe a week ago. I sliced them and filled the jar with them and now I have fresh pickles nearly the diameter of a hamburger!!! Thanks for sharing.
Also, anyone who doesn't think these are "real" pickles should know that these pickles don't simply sit in brine. The bacteria present on the skin of the cucumber actually cause fermentation to occur, so they're as "real" and pickled as anything else one can make or find.
If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go enjoy a pickle.
Angela says
Thank you for the comment & great information. I love that you have huge slices. I think I will try that next time as my kids love pickles on burgers and if I had ones that large, they would freak and be so excited.
Barbara Mordah says
When you start to " run low" on the pickle juice can u freshen up what's left with some vinegar and dill? Or what else would you need to add, or would it not work.?
Angela says
I have not tried it but you can add a bit of white wine or apple cider vinegar - or even a bit of lemon juice too. Fresh dill can be added but dried dill may be unpleasant and stick to the pickles.
carol macintosh says
THANKS FOR ALL THESE INTERESTING IDEAS, ITS QUITE FASCINATING. I WILL TRY THEM AS I LOVE PICKLES.
Sandra D. Young says
I just made two jars using English cucumbers. I can't wait to taste them.
Angela says
Great! Let me know what you think.
Dr. Sandra D. Young says
Angela, they are DEEEEELISHUS! lol I just ate a few spears with my turkey sandwich. They taste like my favorite Claussen pickles because they still have a nice crisp and fresh crunch to them with the pickle flavor. The English cucumbers are the best because the skin is not as thick as regular cucumbers. I'll be making my pickles this way from now on. Thanks!
Angela says
I am sooo happy you thought these were delish! I just made a batch yesterday and my kids cannot wait for the new ones to be ready. Keep making these & enjoying them. The secret is almost too good to share but yes - let others know so they can enjoy pickles made in their leftover jars of pickles.
Steve says
These are the best! I've been doing this off and on for years and am glad you’re spreading the word. A lot of stores have delicious, if a little expensive, fresh pickles in the refrigerated section, but it’s not such a splurge when you can refill the tubs several times with more cucumbers. If you can find Kirby pickles to cut up and put in the juice, those are ideal, because they aren’t waxed. Red bell peppers are great to add, too, and you can top off the juice as needed with white vinegar or vinegar and water and maybe a little sugar if you like it, and even a chopped clove or two of fresh garlic.
Angela says
Thanks for all the additional ideas - will me trying some & keeping my eye out for Kirby cucumbers.
Each says
Thanks for great website. Where is your click-on subscription button? I could not find it in my browser.
Angela says
It pops up but gently as you scroll - but not impose on the article content you may be viewing. You may have scrolled past it and it closed down as you read on. I have your email from this comment and have added you to the subscription list - the latest one comes out in just a few days!!!
Walter Prevo says
I’m interested