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I have always been a Claussen Kosher Dill Pickle fan. Forever. I don’t like sweet pickles or bread and butter pickles, they just aren’t my thing. Claussen just tastes better, in my opinion, I don’t even like the shelf brand dill pickles. They are either too sweet or too tangy.
Refrigerator pickles are a lot easier to make because they don’t require using the traditional canning process. That also means they can’t be stored on a shelf in the basement or in the pantry, they must live in the refrigerator.
Last year I made some pickles with the canning method and the recipe that I used had a very high vinegar to water ratio. So they were far too vinegary for me to eat straight from the jar, which is one of my favorite things, though they were great on burgers and in potato salad!
So I started my search for a Claussen copycat. I found this one but it used apple cider vinegar. I as concerned that would create a sweet pickle, which I don’t like, even though the author of that recipe is just like me. Yuk to sweet pickles! So I looked at the actual Claussen ingredient label and it said they used distilled white vinegar. Some of the ingredients were different too, so I decided to use the recipe that I found as a jumping off point and created my own version.
The verdict? Everyone in this house loves them! They aren’t exactly like Claussen, but pretty dang close! Close enough that they get devoured by everyone in this house. They are actually fun for me to make. So while it would certainly be easier for me to grab a jar of Claussen from the grocery store, and I probably still will now and then, I love making my own.
My first batch was a bit cloudy, and they also had a distinctive mustard flavor. So I cut back the mustard seed in the second batch and I believe we now have a winner. :)
Full printable instructions are below. You’ll make the brine first, it’s easiest to do it in a 2 quart pitcher. You’ll see me mixing the brine in a bowl in the picture above. Don’t, it’s an extra step, just use a pitcher. Put the dill seed and dried garlic in the jars. Now, make sure you give your pickling cucumbers a good rinse, make sure there’s no dirt. Trim the blossom end, I trim both ends, then cut in half lengthwise and distribute in your jars.
Before adding your brine, strain out the solids. Distribute the solids evenly among the two jars, then add brine. You will have leftover brine that can be discarded when you are all done.
This is what they will look like after a day or so. They usually take 2-4 days. My first batch took the full four days while my second batch was ready in two and a half days. I think the difference was that I actually used three jars and they weren’t packed as tightly.
Enjoy – crunch!
Ingredients
- 20-25 small to medium pickling cucumbers
- 2 quarts cold water
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup canning or Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon dill seed
- 1/4 teaspoon dried garlic
- Fine mesh colander
- 4-cup measuring cup
Instructions
- To make the brine, combine water and vinegar in a large pitcher. Add salt, coriander seed, mustard seed, red pepper flakes and black peppercorns. Stir until salt is dissolved. Set aside.
- Wash cucumbers in water and trim 1/8-inch off of the blossom end of each one. Slice each cucumber in half lengthwise.
- Divide the dill seed and dried garlic evenly between two clean quart sized jars. Fill jars with cucumber halves, fitting as many in as you can, they may be snug!
- Stir brine again to mix ingredients. Place a fine mesh colander over a large bowl or measuring cup. Pour brine through the colander, catching the brine solids in the colander. DO NOT discard!
- NOTE: You will not be able to fit all the water in this measuring cup or in the two jars. The goal here is to save the brine solids and use them, you will be discarding the left over vinegar and water mixture when finished.
- Once all the solids have been removed from the brine, distribute them evenly among the jars. Using the brine liquid in the measuring cup, pour into the jars until all the cucumbers are covered.
- Your brine level should cover your cucumbers and reach the bottom of the jar neck where the twisting begins. The cucumbers will also release some liquid as they brine, so don't overfill the jar. Discard any remaining brine liquid.
- Cover lightly with a lid perched on top but do not close and seal. Leave on the counter (out of direct sunlight) for 2-4 days, or until the cucumbers taste like pickles throughout.
- Secure lids on jars and refrigerate for up to six months.
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OMG! I can’t WAIT to make these. Going to the store tomorrow for the cukes!
I make an excellent claussen pickle. Its basically the same but you MUST use fresh garlic and fresh dill. I don’t use the coriander but will give that a try. Enjoy your pickles.
Headed out to the store to get cukes now!
I’m headed to the store to get some cukes right now! Gotta have these!
We LOVE pickles in this home, and I think I could even manage making them homemade. :) YUM!
Homemade pickles are the bomb! These sound great!
oh these look great, my mouth is watering I can just about TASTE them!
What an awesome recipe! LOVE these pickles and now I love that I can make them at home! YES! : )
Hope you like them, we love them here!
This recipe made me sing! “Ohhh, how I love pickles! Ohhh, I could make pickles! These sound like great pickles! Thanks for the re-ci-pe! AAA-mann-da!”
Thanks Sue! I haven’t bought a jar of pickles since discovering this. But I wonder if I’ll be able to find pickling cucumbers at the store come winter :-/ Probably not.
Have you tried this recipe with green tomatoes in place of cucs? I have almost 20 lbs of green tomatoes after finishing my end of summer garden clean up.
No I haven’t, but that’s an interesting idea. I wonder how those would be? I have the same “problem” here, lots of green tomatoes ripening on the counter!
I made these pickles a few days ago and the flavor is spot on. The only thing missing is the signature crunch. Did yours come out crunchy? Also, why is it that we leave out the pickles loosely capped and then refrigerate? Thanks!
Mine did come out crunchy, but not as crunchy as Claussen :) You leave the lid off to allow gases to escape during the marination process.
I currently have 3 batches in the fridge and all have been tweaked and are compared to an open jar of the real deal Claussen. Mine are really close but not exactly in flavor (I’ll have to try the coriander seeds). I use fresh dill and garlic. I also throw in a few allspice berries and fennel seeds as both are in the Claussen jar if you dissect the spices at the bottom of the jar. I think there’s probably a secret ingredient that they don’t list on the ingredients label. I’m making mine one jar at a time so my quantities are way smaller than yours but close to the amount that Claussen uses in 1 jar. Also, to get them really really crispy and crunchy, ice bath them overnight before you slice them up and they absorb the water and really get crunchy. Good luck.
Great idea on the ice bath!