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
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Megan says
Can these be canned also, or are they strictly fridge pickles. Ive been looking for a good clausen recipe but it seems they are all fridfe ones. Your reviews keep me coming back to yours but I really wanted to can them as I don’t have enough room in my fridge for the tons of cucumbers coming out of my garden.
Amanda Formaro says
I am sure you could can them, but this recipe is meant for the fridge. I don’t know anything about canning, so I’m not comfortable giving you advice on this. I DO know that they won’t be as crunchy if they are processed because that involves heating them up.
Pascake Hardy says
Hi Amanda, I was wondering, most of the Claussen recipes I see on the Internet use a boiled brine! Your recipe does not, right? How is it different since both methods seem to have the same result of storing them 6 month in the fridge! Looking forward to your reply!
Amanda Formaro says
Hi there! This is considered a “refrigerator pickle” which means that it’s a cold brine method. The ones that you saw, I’m curious do they boil the brine and then cool it completely? Refrigerator (cold pack) pickles tend to have more of a crunch over those that use any sort of heat method. :)
pascale Hardy says
Thank you for your reply.Yes they boil the brine and then let them stand for two days or so before storing them in the fridge! Anyway I use your cold pack recipe, had to keep them submerged . After two days they were perfect and ready for consumption! Delish!!
Amanda Formaro says
Awesome so glad you loved them!
David Plante says
Wow! Thank you Amanda!
My fiance and I have made this recipe twice now, with great success. To those who aren’t SEEING the fermentation, don’t fret – just follow the instructions to the letter and you’ll be fine.
Modifications I’ve found useful: minced garlic and dried onion flakes, though my jars have been getting a SMIDGE cloudy (no problem with taste) so I think that the dried onion flakes may have an anti-caking agent.
Question, Amanda: our recent pickling cucumbers and slicing cucumbers (which we are going to attempt – not waxed, from our garden) are SO big that instead of spears, we want to try slices, perhaps 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Do you think that might work?
Best,
Dave
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Dave! First of all, thank you for the positive review! So glad you are enjoying them :) And yes, I totally think the sliced will work great. They may even be done sooner since the brine will have less surface to soak into :) And yes, the dried onion flakes will make it cloudy. If you want to use them in the future, rehydrate them by soaking in water, then drain and rinse them a couple times before adding to the brine :)
Alan Vanartsdalen says
I followed the instructions and the pickles have been sitting in the refrigerator for a couple of days but they taste flat. Is there anything I can do to get more of a vinegary, saltier flavor like a true Claussen?
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Alan! It usually takes longer than a couple of days for the flavor to really kick in. Sorry I’m just now seeing this!
Lauren R. says
Were making these this week!!!! I’m so excited!!!!! Were gonna use mccormick pickling spice and fresh garlic though!!! Will let you know how turns out. I am a pickle lover, eating pickles and drinking juice!!! I will sit and eat a whole jar….so i hope this recipe will make me happier than happy!!!!! ???
Amanda Formaro says
I hope you love them!
Lorrie says
Can I half everything for smaller batch and be fine?
Amanda Formaro says
Yes that should work!
Kim says
So I hate throwing anything away. If I want to make 4 quarts, using the same amount of water, should I double the spices?
Amanda Formaro says
Yes that should work fine!
Carrie says
What happens if you dont see any fermentation? I’m on day 2, but not seeing any so far.. I followed the recipe. Does this mean my pickles will be bad?
Amanda Formaro says
They should be fine! Just keep following the instructions and refrigerate when it says to. Let me know how they turn out!
Nancy says
So glad I found this recipe .I’ve been trying different pickle recipes for years and this one is by far the BEST !! I did add fresh dill to my jars but other than that i didnt change a thing . Thank you Amanda :)
Amanda Formaro says
That’s awesome Nancy! I’m getting ready to make a new batch myself :)
Ell says
Quick question, most of the recipes similar to yours has a full 2 cups vinegar. I want to try yours but wanted to double check to make sure that isn’t a typo? I dont want to feed my family something that will make them sick. When fermenting I know the salt and vinager ratio needs to be high so it doesn’t spoil or grow dangerous mold of some such.
Amanda Formaro says
The measurements are correct :) I’ve made these multiple times and they are always great!
Chris Hays says
I have bought a jar of Claussen kosher dill pickles. I went as far a taking a spoonful of the seasoning at the bottom of the jar out. When you look very close there is fennel seeds, celery seeds, minced garlic, pepper corn and I’m not sure what the flakes of red is. However, I’m trying to figure out how much of each to put in the recipe. Plus it says on the jar never heated. So how do they get all the ingredients to mess in cold. If you have any idea of what to do I would love it. I have followed a lot of the copy cat recipes but I can’t get them to turn out.
William Snyder says
Tell the truth, I usually drink most of the pickle juice from Claussens Pickles before all the pickles are gone. The only Ingrid better is opening the 2d jar.
Wendy Holguin says
William, I’m looking at recipes specifically for that reason- to drink the pickle juice. It helps with my stomach (I’ve had my gallbladder removed) and the pickle juice helps with excess stomach acid. I drink it daily and it’s getting expensive to buy pickles every day, so I’m going to try and make my own pickle juice. Wish me luck.
Lori says
Tried this recipe and they turned out tasting horrible!
Amanda Formaro says
Sorry it didn’t work for you Lori. I have a large jar of these in my fridge right now and they taste great.
Lisa says
Hi, I as wondering where’s the best place to get pickling pickles?
Iam going to start my first batch.I also just bought rubbber ids with pipes to release air so I don’t need to stir.
Thank you!
Lisa
Amanda Formaro says
You can buy pickling cucumbers at the grocery store, but I would check a farmer’s market first! :)
Kit says
Best recipe I’ve tried! I added a couple cloves of garlic to my jars. Already bought a 6 months supply of cukes and ready to make em tomorrow!
Amanda Formaro says
This year’s batch is on day 3 on the counter right now :) Love these!
Julie Heinen says
Is there a way to make this recipe water bath canning safe? I want to make a lot of jars and store them for the year.
Amanda Formaro says
I’m afraid I cannot give advice on canning as it’s not something that I do or have vast knowledge in. This recipe is meant for refrigerator pickles, sorry!
AK says
These were spot on! I substituted pickling spice for most of the spices, added a whole bulb of garlic, 1/2 cup pickling salt. Tbps each of onion and garlic powder “i love garlic pickles”. They came out just like claussens!
Amanda Formaro says
Yay so glad you enjoyed them!
Mike says
AK, can you please tell me what brand of pickle spice you used? I love claussen pickles! And to be able to make them! OMG!
THANK YOU! !
C says
The pickles arent fermenting,that takes weeks sometimes a month. This is called fresh pack,and you should really heat the liquid almost to a boil,then let it cool and fill the jars,then leave on the counter for a few days before moving to the fridge.that will kill the bacteria and make them safer. There shouldnt be any slime,foam or FUZZ. That is mold or bacteria and you can get sick.
Amber says
Hi, these are amazing. We love them. I’ve been told that they’re even better than Clausen! Do you have any tip on how to keep the Pickles from floating up out of the brine so they don’t mold? They’re floaters! Thanks again!
Amanda Formaro says
Ahh yes, they are floaters for sure! I haven’t tried this, but I was trying to think of a vegetable that has really mellow flavor that you could put on top and a chunk of zucchini came to mind. That would hold them down :)
Laurie says
I do not have dried garlic. Will fresh work?
Amanda Formaro says
Yes fresh will work. You will have to change the measurement for this recipe to one clove or 1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic.
For future reference here’s the substitution guide:
1 clove garlic is equal to:
1/2 teaspoon fresh or jarred (in liquid) minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
David says
I have made 4 batches of these so far and we love them. After the first few batches I modified the recipe. I have doubled all spices but not the liquid. I also only add the salt to the liquid and the spices direct to the jars. It seems easier. Thank you for this recipe!