Fermented pickles are a great place to begin (or expand) your home fermentation journey. With a few easy steps and a little patience, you will be enjoying delicious crunchy pickles. Pickles, like sauerkraut, are often super easy to work into meals and snacks you’re already making- plus, your kids will probably be open to giving them a try!
Unlike refrigerator pickles, fermented pickles take a couple of days, instead of a couple of hours. More on the differences between fermented and refigerator pickles below!
Tips & FAQ for Fermented Pickles
-Use your favorite type of cucumber- pickling cucumbers or gherkins work particularly well.
-If you want to leave your cucumbers whole in the jar, you can, but cut off the “blossom end” (opposite end of the stem). If you leave it on, the pickles are more likely to mush.
Why Make Lacto-fermented pickles?
Lacto-fermentation is an ancient method of preserving food. It involves placing food into an environment (often a saltwater brine) that promotes the growth of good bacteria and inhibits the growth of bad bacteria. Consuming fermented foods is an amazing way to promote your gut health and ingest healthy probiotics! The process of fermentation also improves the bioavailability of nutrients in food, meaning that the vitamins and minerals already present in the fruit or vegetables become easier for your body to use effectively.
More on the benefits of consuming fermented foods here.
Fermented pickles are made using the “brining” method of fermentation, meaning they are submerged in a saltwater brine that contains the right amount of salt to promote the growth of good bacteria and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. If you’re curious about using this method to ferment other types of vegetables, check out this post!
How should I store homemade fermented pickles?
The short answer is in the fridge (after you’re done fermenting them). If they stay at room temperature, the fermentation process will continue indefinitely.
What other seasonings can I use?
The sky’s the limit! Some suggestions:
- Celery seeds
- Coriander seeds
- Red pepper flakes
- Garlic cloves
- Bay leaves
What’s the difference between lacto-fermented pickles and homemade vinegar pickles?
Fermented pickles have been allowed to undergo a fermentation process which promotes the growth of lactic acid bacteria and inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria.
Vinegar pickles, or refrigerator pickles, have simply undergone a quick-pickling process. You may still prefer these to store-bought pickles- you have more control over the ingredients and they’re super fresh- but they’ll lack the additional health benefits and beneficial bacteria of the probiotic pickles.
Taste wise, vinegar pickles tend to taste more acidic. Fermented pickles have a more complex flavor that develops during the fermentation time.
Tools & Equipment for Lacto-fermented Pickles
- Quart jar or other wide mouth mason jar- you can actually use any glass jar of your choice, but I prefer these because they are both easy to use & fit most fermentation weights and lids, if you choose to use them
- Glass fermentation weight– optional, but effective
- Fermentation lid, like airlock lids or similar- these are definitely optional, but some people like to use them. They will release the carbon dioxide, whereas if you cover the jars with a regular lid you will need to do this yourself.
- Cutting board & knives
Ingredients for Lacto-Fermented Pickles
- Fresh cucumbers: Pickling cucumbers, gherkins, or English cucumbers all work fine
- Kosher salt or sea salt: I generally do not recommend using table salt to make ferments because of the added iodine.
- Filtered water
- Mustard seeds
- Fresh dill weed
- Or, alternative seasonings of your choice: See ideas above!
The process: How to make homemade fermented pickles
Prep
Start by sterilizing your jar: You’ll want to let it come back down to room temperature before you begin filling it. To do this, I place a clean towel on the counter and my jars in a clean sink. Pour boiling water over the jars and use tongs to move them to the towel on the counter.
Alternatively, fill the sink with boiling water and submerge the jars. Let jars cool to room temperature on the counter before using.
Cut your cucumbers: You can do slices or spears, or leave them whole if you are using gherkins. I do recommend cutting off the “blossom end”- the opposite of the stem- if you are using whole cucumbers. If the blossom end is left on the cucumber it can cause the pickles to be mushy.
Once your cucumbers are cut and the jar is ready to use, you can place the cucumbers and your spices in the jar.
Make your brine
Mix your salt brine: A salt solution of about 5% salt by weight tends to be an excellent amount of salt for taste & for promoting the fermenting process. I do usually calculate my salt by weight in grams: to do this, zero your kitchen scale with your liquid measuring cup on it, then add water to the cup to obtain the weight of the water. Multiply this by .05: for example, 400g water x .05= 20g of salt.
If you prefer to not use the kitchen scale to calculate this, 1 level Tablespoon of kosher salt per 2 cups of water should be about right. The brine solution is more than forgiving enough for you to use this method instead.
Stir the brine until the salt dissolves, then pour it into the jar, making sure the brine covers the top of the cucumbers. Since vegetables tend to like to float a bit, a glass fermentation weight can be really helpful for this. Jiggle or tap the jar on the counter a couple times: You don’t want to start out with any air bubbles in the jar at all.
Ferment
Leave the pickles on the counter, out of direct sunlight, to ferment for about 2-3 days. I recommend sitting the jar in a shallow bowl to catch any overflow of brine. After about a day to a day and a half, you should start seeing some evidence of fermentation: little bubbles will appear at first. Eventually you may see a little layer of foam at the top of the jar as the bubbles make their way up.
After two days or so, if you are seeing signs of fermentation, you can taste your pickles, cover them, and store them in the fridge. Once they are in the fridge, they are ok to no longer be covered by the brine, so if you need to pour off a little to put a regular lid on the jar, that is perfectly fine.
Homemade Fermented Pickles
Ingredients
- Cucumbers: number depends on which size you use. ie, 1.5 English cucumbers or 6 pickling cucumbers
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1 Tbsp Kosher salt or by weight
- 1 Tbsp mustard seeds
- 2 Tbsp fresh dill weed
Instructions
- Start by sterilizing your jar: You'll want to let it come back down to room temperature before you begin filling it. To do this, I place a clean towel on the counter and my jars in a clean sink. Pour boiling water over the jars and use tongs to move them to the towel on the counter.
- Cut your cucumbers: You can do slices, spears or leave them whole if you are using gherkins. I do recommend cutting off the "blossom end"- the opposite of the stem- if you are using whole cucumbers. If the blossom end is left on the cucumber it can cause the pickles to be mushy.
- Once your cucumbers are cut and the jar is ready to use, you can place the cucumbers and your spices in the jar.
- Mix your salt brine: A salt solution of about 5% salt by weight tends to be an excellent amount of salt for taste & for promoting the fermenting process. I do usually calculate my salt by weight in grams: to do this, zero your kitchen scale with your liquid measuing cup on it, then add water to the cup to obtain the weight of the water. Multiply this by .05: for example, 400g water x .05= 20g of salt.
- If you prefer to not use the kitchen scale to calculate this, 1 level Tablespoon of kosher salt per 2 cups of water should be about right. The brine solution is more than forgiving enough for you to use this method instead.
- Stir the brine until the salt dissolves, then pour it into the jar, making sure the brine covers the top of the cucumbers. Since vegetables tend to like to float a bit, a glass fermentation weight can be really helpful for this. Jiggle or tap the jar on the counter a couple times: You don't want to start out with any air bubbles in the jar at all.
- Leave the pickles on the counter, out of direct sunlight, to ferment for about 2-3 days. I recommend sitting the jar in a shallow bowl to catch any overflow of brine. After about a day to a day and a half, you should start seeing some evidence of fermentation: little bubbles will appear at first. Eventually you may see a little layer of foam at the top of the jar as the bubbles make their way up.
- After two days or so, if you are seeing signs of fermentation, you can taste your pickles, cover them, and store them in the fridge. Once they are in the fridge, they are ok to no longer be covered by the brine, so if you need to pour off a little to put a regular lid on the jar, that is perfectly fine.
Nutrition
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