Homemade Dill Pickles

Homemade dill pickles are easy to make and delicious. They make a great addition to a sandwich, burger, or on their own. The hardest part about this recipe is waiting 14 days for them to be ready to eat.

Originally published on July 31, 2021. Updated in July 2025. 

These 14-day homemade pickles are crunchy, tangy, and packed with garlic flavour. We make double batches of these pickles to have on hand for the fall and winter, since pickling cucumbers are usually only available in our region in mid-July.

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Easy To Make with Few Ingredients

This recipe is easy to make. And has only six ingredients.

• Pickling cucumbers. These are different than regular cucumbers. These cucumbers have a thinner skin, and they are short and stubby.
• Pickling salt. This type of salt is finer and contains no iodine or anti-caking agents. It helps enhance the flavours of the pickles, and it has a neutral flavour.
• White vinegar.
• Water.
• White sugar.
• Dill seed.
• Garlic.

How To Slice The Cucumbers For Pickles

There is no best way to slice the cucumbers. It is personal preference. We use different slices for every batch we make.

The cucumbers can be sliced into coins or chips. Or slice into long slices for sandwiches and burgers.

Cutting the cucumbers into spears is great for serving at a buffet or just for snacking. Spears are also great for making Bacon-Wrapped Smoked Pickles.

Canning and Storing Homemade Dill Pickles

To make this recipe, you will need to use the jars properly. If you are new to this process, there is a guide to canning on Bernardin’s website, including the tools you will need. You can also find the tools in kits you can buy on Amazon.

This homemade Dill Pickle recipe makes a large batch. We use 1.5 L jars and usually fill 12 jars. We like the larger jars for slices and spears because they fit well in the larger jars. For chips, we use smaller pint-sized jars since you can fit a lot of pickle chips in the smaller jars.

The way you cut the pickling cucumbers to make the pickles will yield different amounts of the finished product.

Tips for making Homemade Dill Pickles

It is best to make sure you have all the equipment ready before you start making this recipe. We usually gather everything and place it all out on the counter in order of how it will be used.

Make sure you read through the recipe before starting to make this recipe. If you are not familiar with canning, we suggest you read up on it before starting to make this recipe. Once you become familiar with canning, it is pretty easy to do.

If you have made these pickles or have any questions about this recipe, we would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below.

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Homemade Dill Pickles

Tangy and packed with garlic flavour, these homemade pickles are easy to make and perfect for burgers, sandwiches, or on their own.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Pickles

Keyword: Pickles

Equipment

• Mason Jars and Lids/Rings
• Canning Pot
• Tongs for canning

Ingredients

• 9 litres pickling cucumbers
• 1 cup pickling salt
• 4 Tbsp sugar
• 8½ cups white vinegar
• 15 cups water
• 12 tbsp dill seed 1 Tbsp for a pint jar, 2 Tbsp for 1 L jars
• 24 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced in half more if desired

Instructions

• Wash all cucumbers and slice into spears, chips or slices. Set aside.
• Wash all canning tools and mason jars in hot soapy water. Then place them in canning pot and fill with water.
• Bring the pot of water and jars to a simmer and keep hot.
• Meanwhile, add pickling salt, vinegar, water and sugar to a heavy bottomed pot and bring to a boil.
• Heat mixture until all salt and sugar is dissolved.
• Remove one jar at a time from the hot water using tongs.
• Divide the garlic halves evenly among the jars.
• Fill the jar with cucumber slices, spears or chips, making sure you pack the jar well. The cucumbers should be tight in the jar.
• Add 1 Tbsp of dill seed to the jar for pint-sized jars. 2 Tbsp of dill seed for 1-litre jars.
• Fill jar with brine to ½ inch from the top of the jar
• Continue with remaining cucumbers until all jars are filled
• Run a plastic knife down the sides of all jars to remove any air bubbles.
• Add additional brine if needed
• Place caps and rings on jars to finger tight.
• Use water bath method to seal jars. (See Notes)
• Allow jars to cool after water bath on a tea towel on the counter. Listen for the clicking sounds, which means the jars are sealing properly.
• Store jars of pickles in a cool, dark space for 14 days before opening.
• Refrigerate a jar after 14 days, then enjoy.

Notes

A water bath helps to seal the jars. You can find information and instructions for water bath on Bernardin's website. For pickles, you should follow the instructions for High Acid Foods.