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    Home » General

    Reusing brine to make refrigerator pickles

    Published: May 26, 2023 by Susan Moncrieff · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Refrigerator pickles are pickles (or cucumbers) that are put into brine and are NOT canned or processed.   They are refrigerated. The brine is a seasoned mixture of vinegar and salt (in specific proportions). The cucumber slices or spears take on the flavor of the brine in a couple of days.  

    cucumber spears in a jar to make refrigerator pickles this to Pinterest

    I think of these as making a mix of marinated and pickled pickles or cucumbers. These are super easy to make, use up excess cucumbers you have (yes you can use full-sized ones, plus you get to reuse a jar full of delicious pickle brine)! We also enjoy marinated cauliflower.

    Table of contents

    • Why I love making these.
    • Ingredients and Supplies
    • Instructions
    • How long do these last?
    • Other recipes to use pickle brine with

    Why I love making these.

    My family loves pickles! When we reuse the brine, the pickles are not quite as strong as the original pickles. That's perfect when we want to use cucumbers as a side to a meal. My kids love eating pickles (cucumbers) brined in pickle juice!

    When cucumber plants are doing well, they produce much! This is a great way to use up excess produce. Sometimes, it might just be the extra cucumbers that I bought at Costco that I don't want to go to waste!

    Have you seen how much the good pickles cost? This is a nice way to save some money too.

    Ingredients and Supplies

    Extra garden cucumbers (or, extra cucumbers from Costo)
    Jars - You can reuse the original pickle jar, or canning jars you already have
    Brine from store-bought pickles or from home made pickles.

    Helpful Hint

    We LOVE the taste of Clausen pickles! They are purchased in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. So, I guess they are already refrigerator pickles? It's the flavor we like and that's why I tend to have this on hand and then reuse the brine to make refrigerator pickles or to marinade vegetables.  These are not processed (canned) pickles but more like marinated pickles for a side dish.

    Instructions

    Step 1
    I usually partially peel my cucumbers because I like the striped effect. It also makes the cucumbers more tender. If using English cucumbers (burpless cucumbers) it is not as necessary to take the skin off nor to take the seeds out .

    If you prefer to remove seeds, just cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.

    cucumbers cut in half with seeds scooped out

    Step 2
    Fill the jar with the store-bought pickle brine (or as we call it, pickle juice). Make sure you add some of the good stuff, like the garlic, onions, peppercorns or dill you find in the original jar.  

    pickle spears filling a canning jar

    Sometimes I add a splash of fresh white vinegar, a clove or two of fresh garlic and some sliced onions.

    topping off the cucumber spears with chopped garlic and pepercorn.

    Once you have the jars filled, put a lid on and you are almost done!

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    cucumber spears in a jar

    Helpful Hint  

    I always put the filled jars into the fridge upside down for the first day and then turn them right side up after that.  If we have these in the fridge longer than a few days, I will occasionally turn the jar upside down so that the bottom gets immersed in the brine.

    How long do these last?

    I've never really had any left for longer than a couple of weeks. We eat them as snacks, or in place of pickles. We even like them as a veggie side if having burgers or brats. They are kind of like marinated cucumbers (they absolutely count as a veggie!)

    Since these refrigerator pickles | cucumbers are NOT processed, they are not intended to be stored long term. Use common sense. Keep them for a few weeks. If they get mushy, look or smell odd, it's time to toss them! This is a great way to reuse leftover pickle juice and extra produce.  

    How often can you reuse brine?

    I only use it twice. Each time it is used, the acid level of the vinegar and the salt level decreases in the brine.

    Can I can these?

    NO! Canning is a scientific process where specific proportions of vinegar and salt are used. You need to use and measure fresh ingredients to do that. Reusing the brine in the way I describe is more like marinating the pickles or cucumbers.

    What if the cucumbers look or smell funny?

    Don't take chances. Throw them out!

    Other recipes to use pickle brine with

    • a big piece of cauliflower with a text overlay saying make cauliflower last longer.
      Marinated Cauliflower (refrigerated pickled Cauliflower)
    • Creamy dill pickle pasta salad
      Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
    • My Mom's German Potato Salad
    topping off the cucumber spears with chopped garlic and pepercorn.

    Reusing pickle brine (to make refrigerator pickles)

    Easiest refrigerator cucumbers | pickles, using brine from store purchased pickles.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish, Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Refrigeration time: 2 days days
    Total Time: 2 days days 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 6cal
    Author: Susan Moncrieff

    Ingredients

    • 1 jar pickle brine Jar and brine from store-bought pickles
    • 1 large Cucumber I peel and will remove seeds from regular cucumbers. Not necessary for English cucumbers - aka burpless cucumbers

    Instructions

    • Cut cucumbers into spears or coins.
    • Fill jar with either cucumber spears or cut into coins.
    • Add as much brine from the storebought pickles as you can.
    • Put a lid on the jar.
    • Refrigerate for two days then enjoy!

    Notes

    I would keep these for only 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator.  They are not processed (canned) so must be refrigerated until eaten.  Do not reuse the pickle brine more than twice since the vinegar becomes too diluted.
    Do NOT reuse brine to process (can) pickles or any other vegetables.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1g | Calories: 6cal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.002g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 34IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.1mg

    Like this idea? You can do something very similar with marinated/pickled cauliflower! I love that too!

    Too much zucchini?  Here is an easy way to grill zucchini!  Doesn't get quicker, easier or more delicious to prepare zucchini this way.

    Please pin this to Pinterest.

    close up of partially peeled cucumbers in a jar

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    I'm Susan Moncrieff! I love sharing easy recipes, especially those that take less than 30 minutes and have less than 5 ingredients. I'm passionate about gardening and creating flower planters. My home is 100 years old and sometimes you will see it in my posts! It was a true fixer upper and I love it!

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