Skip to main content
These easy, spicy pickles are great for snacking and will elevate any sandwich or charcuterie board—no canning equipment required.
To me, the best pickles are the easiest pickles. I love making quick pickled red onions for tacos and salads, as well as pickled cauliflower and cucumbers for side dishes. Just about anything can be pickled, from asparagus to okra, beets and Brussels sprouts. When compared to the seemingly endless roster of pickling recipes, these spicy pickles from Taste of Home reader Pat Heitmeier offer something different.
While you only need a few ingredients to make these spicy pickles, each one brings a lot to the party. Cucumbers are the star of the show, so choose the right cucumber variety to ensure a crispier pickle. White vinegar is the go-to for pickling, whether it’s for canning or a quick pickle like this recipe. Sugar and water mellow out the sharpness. Aromatics like dill, garlic and pickling spice add the backbone of flavor.
Serve spicy pickles as a burger topping or alongside spicy pickled garlic and other condiments on your next charcuterie board. They make a zingy picnic side dish or a great snack on their own.
Ingredients for Spicy Pickles
- White vinegar: Some types of pickles call for milder vinegars, such as white wine vinegar or rice vinegar, which creates a mellower bite. Stick with white vinegar, which adds just the right amount of sharpness.
- Sugar: Sugar balances vinegar’s bite and gives the pickles a mellow flavor. It also enhances texture and color, and serves as a preservative, working in conjunction with the salt and acid.
- Kosher salt: Kosher salt is best for pickling because it’s non-iodized, free of caking agents, and keeps the brine clear. Not all kosher salt is the same; some varieties are saltier than others. Morton’s kosher salt is saltier than Diamond Crystal, for instance. If you use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, you may need more. Taste and adjust your brine accordingly.
- Dill: Fresh dill is best, but dried dill works as well. The ratio for using dried dill is 1 teaspoon of dried to 1 tablespoon of fresh.
- Fresh garlic cloves: Fresh garlic cloves make all the difference here. Some tips for easily peeling garlic include popping it in the microwave for a few seconds.
- Crushed red pepper flakes: The dried chile pepper seeds bring all the heat to this pickle party.
- Pickling spices: Store-bought pickling spice usually includes coriander, allspice, cloves, ginger, mustard seed and even cinnamon. Make homemade pickling spice for more control.
- Pickling cucumbers: Choosing the best cucumbers for pickling is key. Choose a fresh garden or pickling cucumber, or any variety with thicker skin. Don’t use cucumbers with a shiny wax coating. The wax is edible, but it will change the texture of your pickles. Persian cucumbers will work, but they’ll soften at a faster pace.