Is your garden overrun with zucchini? These homemade Refrigerator Zucchini Pickles are just what you need.
Zucchini ribbons, pickling brine, and a day or two in the fridge produce the most amazing quick DIY pickles ever.
Quick fridge pickles are crisp and tangy. Super easy to make and a great way to preserve fresh zucchini. The perfect pickle recipe for beginners.
Zucchini pickles are a delicious topping for burgers and sandwiches. Have you tried grilled zucchini burgers? Perfect for summer.
Pickled Eggs are still my most popular recipe on the blog. If you have read that post, you would know I am NOT a canner/preserver per se. Quick pickles are my way to a great-tasting condiment.
You can never have too many ways to use the zucchini crop this time of year. Although they are delicious, we can only eat so many zucchini muffins.
Refrigerator Pickled Zucchini Is Easy
No-cook refrigerator pickles are perfect for people (like me) who don’t want all the work involved in the traditional canning method.
- Slice the zucchini into ribbons.
- Remove excess liquid (see recipe).
- Boil brine (this takes 5 minutes).
- Pack zucchini into jars.
- Add brine.
- Put the lid on the jar.
- Place in refrigerator.
- In a few days, you will have pickled zucchini.
To cut the zucchini into ribbons I used a spiralizer (affiliate). Do you have one? This really is a fun kitchen gadget.
It is great for making zoodles too. Greek Zoodle Salad is a favourite around here. If you are looking to cut some carbs out of your diet, try Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp for an easy weeknight dinner. Have you tried Zucchini Gazpacho?
If you are a fan of Caesar salad, then this Zucchini Caesar Salad is right up your alley. The perfect raw zucchini salad.
Quick Pickling Tips
- Prepare the jars and lids (wash with hot, soapy water, rinse and dry).
- I even poured boiling water in mine just to make sure I got all the soap out.
- Wash and dry the zucchini before slicing.
- Tightly pack the ribbons into jars (leaving a bit of room at the top).
- Pour the HOT brine into the packed jars (chances are you will have extra brine).
- Lightly tap the jars to remove air bubbles, and top off with additional brine.
- Tightly seal the jars.
- Let the jars cool before placing in the refrigerator.
- Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before eating (pickles improve with age).
Feel free to experiment with the brine. Some recipes will use equal amounts of vinegar and water. For this pickled zucchini recipe, I used more vinegar than water.
The type of vinegar you use will produce different results as well. I used rice wine vinegar, but you can experiment with white vinegar, cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or a combination. It is best to avoid concentrated kinds of vinegar like malt or balsamic.
I omitted salt in my brine (but feel free to add some) since I used salt to remove excess liquid in the zucchini ribbons before placing them in the jar. I added a small amount of sugar, but you can omit that if you like.
Pickling spice is the flavouring in this recipe. Feel free to experiment with fresh herbs such as dill, thyme, or rosemary (add them to the jar before pouring in the brine).
Whole spices such as mustard seed, peppercorns, or chili flakes work great in the brine (especially if you want to add a bit of spicy heat). If you like garlic, by all means, add that too.
Here is a great article on common pickling mistakes.
After a few days in the fridge, I was eager to see how these tasted. Hubby grilled up some Octoberfest sausages for the taste test. I stuffed a bun with that juicy sausage, topped it with honey mustard, and piled on these zucchini pickles. WOW! They had a nice tang, and are the perfect alternative to sauerkraut.
Easy homemade pickles are perfect in so many ways. Try making quick pickled onions, they are ideal for burgers and sandwiches. Check out this Homemade Burger Roundup!!
This pickle roundup is packed with lots of great ideas. Did you know you can pickle fruit too?
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Normally about two months. They will begin to lose some crunch over time. They should always be kept in the fridge.
White distilled vinegar is the norm for pickling vinegar.
Yes, you can reuse it to make another batch of refrigerator pickles, but not canned/fermented pickles.
Refrigerator Zucchini Pickles
Ingredients
- 25 ounces zucchini (sliced into ribbons)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
For the Brine:
- 1 cup rice wine vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons pickling spice
Instructions
Prepare The Jars:
- Wash jars and lids with hot soapy water and rinse well.
- You can also then pour boiling water into the jars to ensure all the soup is out.
- Let air dry, or dry with a cloth.
To Prepare The Zucchini:
- Wash and dry zucchini.
- Slice into ribbons.
- Place in a colander, sprinkle with salt, mix with your hands to distribute.
- Let sit for 10-15 minutes to drain excess liquid.DO NOT RINSE (that is why I did not add salt to the brine).
- Place zucchini ribbons in a kitchen towel, and squeeze to drain the liquid.
- Pack tightly into jars, leaving a bit of room at the top.
To Make The Brine:
- Combine vinegar, water, sugar and pickling spice into a small pot.
- Bring to a boil, and boil for about 2 minutes (to dissolve the sugar).
- Remove from heat, and let cool for a couple of minutes.
- Pour over the zucchini ribbons in the jar. (I used a knife to move the zucchini a bit so the brine could get all the way down and around the zucchini.)
- Be sure to add some of the pickling spice throughout the jar.
- Tap the jar slightly to release any air bubbles. You will likely be able to add a bit more brine to the jar at this point.
- Tightly seal.
- Let cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator.Let sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours (the longer the better).
Claudia Lamascolo
I cant think of a better way to use zucchini in abundance during the summer. I love the ease of this and great instructions. The best part is this is even so pretty to serve and eat!
Homemade & Yummy
Well if it wasn’t quick and easy…I for sure would not be making pickles.
Nicolas Hortense
I like to slice zucchini this way using a speed peeler, then add the zucchini ribbons to burgers, salads, sandwiches etc. What an awesome idea to pickle the zucchini though! That hot dog sounded amazing with the pickle on top. You could use this pickle for so many different things! Thanks for sharing! (:
Homemade & Yummy
Yup…this is a great and easy condiment for sure. Hope you give it a try.
Carmy
I am LOVING all your pickled recipes! I never thought to pickle zucchini before. I think the last thing I pickled were carrots. These look like they’d be perfect for a summer BBQ and has such a satisfying crunch. I can’t wait to make these Gloria!
Homemade & Yummy
HAHAH….so glad you are going to give this easy pickle recipe a try. ENJOY!!
Linda
Growing up, I used to make my own pickle and reading this post made me realize how much I miss pickling. Thanks for sharing this recipe and I should check out pickled eggs too!
Homemade & Yummy
Well enjoy….my mom was the canner…I am more of a “quick pickle” gal!!
Nicole
Oh, I love pickled vegetables and this sounds just perfect. Love the spiralized zucchini! Bookmarking this one, for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Homemade & Yummy
This is a fun and delicious condiment. Hope you give it a try.
Valerie
These would go great with so many meals. I have a friend that loves zucchini that will appreciate this simple recipe.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes this is perfect topping so many things for sure.
Sally
What a great recipe! I’m so glad I found this because, thanks to a very nice neighbor with a prolific vegetable garden, I have zucchini on my counter pretty much from here on out for the rest of the summer. Love the ribbon method, super pretty. And thanks for the special tips for success. I’m definitely going to be checking out the pickled eggs too (we have 5 backyard chickens so I also always have plenty of eggs)! Great post, Gloria! I’m also pinning this so others can find it. Two thumbs up!
Homemade & Yummy
So glad you like the recipe. If it wasn’t easy…I would not be making them. Hope you like the pickled eggs too….my husband LOVES them. Have fun, and thanks so much for stopping by.
Adriana Lopez Martin
What a lovely idea! Zucchinis are a very nice veggie and pickling really works making them even more tasty. I recently did spirals of pickled beets seems that you and me are on the same train of thought =)
Homemade & Yummy
YES….this is a fun way to pickle for sure. LOVE my spiralizer!!
Veena Azmanov
I love pickles but I am so lazy I only slice them up. I love how you spiralized them I am going to use the spiralizer you sent me to make this one soon. Sounds so yum. LOVE!!
Homemade & Yummy
You will love the spiralizer…so much fun. ENJOY!!
Kelly Anthony
Great way to use the extra summer squash. The pickled zucchini looks amazing on the hotdog and I can’t wait to give this a try.
Homemade & Yummy
So good on burgers, hot dogs, sausages and sandwiches.
Amanda
I love pickled vegetables, and I can’t believe I’ve never had pickled zucchini! Those zucchini ribbons are so gorgeous. I need to use my spiralizer more often! What a great idea to serve this pickled zucchini with Oktoberfest sausages. YUM! They sound so easy to make, too. I’m going to have to try them with the zucchini we bought at the farmer’s market!
Homemade & Yummy
Believe me, this recipe is super easy. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be making pickles!!
Stine Mari
Ohhh boy these look so tasty I could eat them alone! I love pickles and I’m so not the canning type of girl either. This is just perfect, I love anything quick pickled!
Homemade & Yummy
Yup…if it’s not quick and easy…it’s not happening.
Jolina
I’m not a preserver or canner myself ha ha but you made this look so easy! We do love condiments especially since we’ve been having our fair share of sausages and hotdogs and burgers lately. Delicious!
Homemade & Yummy
Honestly, I hope you give this a try….it is super easy. If it wasn’t…I wouldn’t make pickles either.
Lisa
Oh, Gloria — these pickled zucchini look so fabulous. I love the style of spiral you made too. My husband gave me a spiralizer a few years ago and all I can say is IT SUCKS. The hardest contraption to use and the resulting “spirals” are the ugliest things on the planet. What brand is yours — because I need to replace mine? Our family loves pickled vegetables and with the sheer volume of zucchini we’ve been dealing with, this recipe looks like the answer!
Homemade & Yummy
There is a link above the recipe card. IT WORKS AWESOME!!
Joyce
Perfect way to use up all the summer squash! Can’t wait to try this recipe out!
Homemade & Yummy
You can never have too many zucchini recipes this time of year that is for sure.