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. That’s why I posted this Claussen pickle recipe several years ago.
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.
Recipe for Claussen Pickles at Home
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. :)
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.
When you perch the kid on your jars, you want air to be able to get in and gases to be able to escape.
I actually put my pickles in one big pot now and then move them to a large covered glass container in the fridge instead of using jars now. Someone in the comments asked for a picture of perching the lid, you can see that above.
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!
Troubleshooting your pickles
Scum or film on top – During your first few days, fermentation takes place. You will probably see bubbles rising to the surface and may see some “scum” forming on the surface. Skim this off and discard. This is a completely normal step in the fermentation process.
White sediment at the bottom of the jar – According to Colorado State University, “A white sediment at the bottom of the jar may be caused by anti-caking agents in the salt or by the fermenting bacteria. Neither cause is harmful.”
According to Colorado State University “…factors that lead to spoilage include failure to remove blossom ends, failure to thoroughly wash products to be pickled, not removing the scum that accumulates on curing brines, using a weak brine or vinegar solution, not keeping the pickles covered with brine throughout the curing process, using deteriorated ingredients such as moldy garlic or decayed spices, or storing the pickles at too warm a temperature.”
You can download the complete PDF document from The Colorado State University here.
Important Tips to Note
The Blossom End
The blossom end of the cucumber (the end opposite from the stem) contains an enzyme that can make your pickles turn mushy. Always cut it off, I cut off both ends for good measure and to keep them uniform.
Vinegar
Use vinegar that has at least 5% acidity. Don’t reduce the vinegar in this recipe.
Salt
Only use pickling salt or coarse (NOT flaky) Kosher salt, though I always use pickling salt. Table salt contains an anti-caking agent that causes the brine to get cloudy. If you use table salt, it’s still safe, but you will have a cloudy jar of pickles with white sediment at the bottom.
Cucumber Types
Use cucumbers that are of the knobby variety, grown specifically for pickling. Check seed catalogs to find the different varieties. Cucumbers with a wax coating are not recommended as the brine will not be able to penetrate them. When selecting cucumbers, be sure that they are firm and not soft.
Wash Your Hands!
It’s tempting to reach in and turn your cucumbers, but please make sure you wash your hands first. Introducing any foreign oil or material from your skin could cause problems with your brine.
When your pickles are all gone, do you pour the pickle juice down the drain? Instead, try these ideas for reusing pickle juice! Looking for a unique recipe to try with your freshly make pickles? Here’s a Grilled Tomato Relish that’s great on burgers and dogs!
This Claussen pickle recipe was originally published here on September 18, 2012
More Related Recipes
- Cucumber Salad
- Sweet Corn and Chickpea Salad
- Grilled Corn and Zucchini Salad
- Pickled Beets
- Pickled Onions
Homemade Claussen Pickles Copycat
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 20-25 small to medium pickling cucumbers
- 2 quarts cold water
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ⅓ cup canning/pickling salt or coarse Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed
- ½ teaspoon mustard seed
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon dill seed
- ¼ 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 1 day, then move to the refrigerator for 2-3 more days, or until the cucumbers taste like pickles throughout.
- Secure lids on jars and refrigerate for up to six months.
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
Latest posts by Amanda Davis (see all)
- Watergate Salad - November 21, 2024
- Sweet Potato Pie - November 18, 2024
- Roasted Turkey - November 14, 2024
Kimberly says
I just made this recipe last week, I finally cracked open a jar and my lord they are absolutely delicious! This is only one jar out of the 7 I made so I can’t say that all the batches are perfect as of yet but the one I opened so good. They are super crunchy a perfect spice to them. I will say they are not 100% the same flavor as the Claussen from the store, but let’s be real they use machines and lord knows what else. I eat pickles constantly and at $4.00 a jar I saved a bunch of money by making my own. I will say I was a little bit intimidated but once I did it and they began to smell more and more like pickles and even tasting I knew I did something right. All I can say is follow the instructions and it’ll be fine. I know it says you can wash by hand etc… however I was already in my canning process with apples and peaches I decided to just go ahead and boil the jars and lids just to ensure they were clean. Thank you to whoever created this recipe I found my new favorite!
Pamela Newcomb says
can i slice the pickles into sliders for sandwiches instead of hust slicing them in half?
Amanda Formaro says
Yes
William Jenner says
Im wondering once they are done can I mail them to my family without them being cold, and will they be ok when they arrive like 3 days later?
Aaron says
Overall very similar to Claussen’s. I added between and 1/8-1/4 cup additional vinegar. Also rather than doing the spices individually I found a pickling spice blend that has a close ratio. This is my 4th batch following this recipe…overall very good.
Jessica Bond says
May I ask what pickling spice blend you found? I plan to use this recipe for pickled eggs. I’m always putting hard boiled eggs in my left over claussen brine. Im excited to try it
Drake Robbins says
These are fantastic….
The recipe as is, is perfect, not sure why some people are saying it’s too salty, maybe they used iodized or table salt. If you like spicy, to make them more my style I add 3 dry chilis to every jar, as well as a small sliced garden jalapeño, a handful of fresh dill, and 3 cloves of garlic.
I’ll never buy claussens again. I even used a mixture of standard cucumbers and lemon cucumbers.
Catherine says
I found the brine very salty so I added more water and vinegar. But then I got concerned about altering the salt level and leaving them out on the countertop, so directly into the fridge they went! They are delicious! Any idea if that percentage of salt is necessary to do the 24 hour ferment outside the fridge? Seems like the brine is 3.9% as written and mine was 3.1% after diluting, which is still higher than the 2.5% I use for sauerkraut, a completely room-temperature, vinegar-free endeavor. Thanks!
Natalie says
I make pickles every summer and decided to try a new recipe. But for some reason mine did not turn out at all. The first batch I put in the fridge after 2 days and the second batch after 3 days. All 20 jars are terrible. Super mushy, strong salty cucumber taste. Any idea why this would have happened?
Amanda Formaro says
Was the lid closed? Usually mushy pickles means that the fermentation gases were unable to escape.
Angela Herring says
I love it!
Linda Kenik says
Thank you for this recipe- After making pickles forever (bread and butter, hamburger dills, garlic dills) my husband asked if I could copy the Claussen recipe. You have pretty much done that. We waited a week before tasting. Very good. Just a thought- since this has such a low level of vinegar in the brine, do you think re-using the brine is an option?
Amanda Formaro says
Reusing the brine to make a fresh batch of pickle might be questionable as it may not be strong enough.. I have reused the brine for other things, like boiled eggs and asparagus!
Amanda says
These will now be the ONLY pickle recipe I use!! Almost spot on to Claussen. I used minced garlic instead of powder and I think I’ll add more next time. But I’m a garlic lover! Had trouble finding coriander seeds but luckily found a pickling spice at Wal-Mart for like $2 and it contained all the seeds needed for this recipe. Thanks so much for the recipe!!!!
Bart T says
I am also from BC and have been missing our Claussen pickles for quite a few months now. We have also heard about the jar shortage since pandemic …. although doesn’t seem to be a shortage of canning jars on the shelves lol. I have just prepared your Claussen Copy Cat recipe and have my fingers crossed to try them out in a few days. Certainly easy way to put together!! Thanks!
Cindy says
Looks like a great recipe and mine are in the refrigerator now. I accidentally put the lid on them while on the counter! Is this going to cause a problem?
Amanda Formaro says
As long as they look ok you should be fine. Having the lid on and not allowing the fermentation gases to escape can cause cloudiness and scumm to build up on the surface. If you didn’t experience that, you should be ok!
Mr. Pickle says
Every one always misses the fennel seed in Clausen pickles, I always pull out the spices and taste each one out of every jar!!
John Levitt says
Can the pickles be left whole rather than slicing in half? I prefer a whole dill..
Amanda Formaro says
Yes, they may take longer to soak up the brine
Lorie says
I chose this recipe based on reviews, made four jars following the exact recipe. They are WAY too salty and will have to thrown away. PLEASE don’t give a recipe 5 stars before you taste your batch. Looking back now I can see that many of the 5 star reviews were made by people before their pickles were even ready.
My bad for not paying closer attention to reviewers actual comments. I advise looking for another recipe.
JRG-V says
It’s the claussens I’ve missed and SO easy — thank you!
Jan hopwood says
If you you use fresh garlic, how much per jar?
Stacy Averette says
Hi Amanda! I love Claussen pickles and always have them in the fridge. The problem is we tend to drive the juice faster than we eat the pickles. The Claussen juice is the best! I want to use your recipe to make pickles at some point but I really just want to make the juice right now! Any advice on making just the juice? How long do I need to wait before the brine is ready to drink since I’m not waiting for cucumbers to become pickled? Thanks!
Amanda Formaro says
What an interesting question! I would think 24 hours in the fridge would be sufficient!
Sandy Ford says
Amanda,
I too want to make just the pickle juice. Do I need to add the cucumbers for it to taste like pickle juice? Thank you!
Vicki says
Why leave them on counter for a day???
All other recipes just state to leave out until completely cool. Few hours or so then Refrigerate for 2 to 3 days before eating
Amanda Formaro says
The fermentation process is faster that way. You don’t have to, you can put them right into the fridge if you like.
Kaeleen Gillette says
Just put these together and excited to try them after a couple days! The brine was VERY similar to how a Claussen tastes. I typically add Pickle Crisp granules to my canned pickles, and have never made refrigerator pickles. Will these come out nice and crunchy if I followed all directions carefully, without the crisping granules?
Jack Willison says
What went wrong? I made recipe as directs but after a week in the fridge the top lid cracked up and when I opened them the juice went all over and fizzled out and just kept bubbling? Are they bad now ?