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Home » Recipes » Side Dish Recipes

Refrigerator Sweet Pickles with Cinnamon and Cloves

Published: Sep 5, 2020 · Modified: Mar 28, 2023 by Nicole B.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
4 hours 20 minutes

These refrigerator sweet pickles with cinnamon and cloves are delicious and easy to make. They are crunchy, sweet, tart and subtly flavored with cinnamon, clove, black peppercorns, bay leaf, mace and mustard seeds.

Two jars with cinnamon clove sweet pickles.
Jump to:
  • What are refrigerator sweet pickles?
  • Ingredients needed:
  • Ingredient notes:
  • Special kitchen tools needed:
  • Recipe notes & tips:
  • How to make the pickles:
  • How to use the pickles:
  • Frequently asked questions:
  • More delicious condiment recipes:
  • Full Printable Recipe
  • Comments

What are refrigerator sweet pickles?

Refrigerator sweet pickles are sweet pickles that are not canned. Instead, they are prepared simply by putting cucumber slices and spices into a jar, then adding a brine made from water, vinegar, salt and sugar. After a few hours of chilling in the fridge, the pickles are ready to eat.

Ingredients needed:

Ingredients for sweet pickles with cinnamon and cloves on a table.
You need a bay leaf, an English cucumber, cinnamon sticks, water, white wine vinegar, sugar, salt, peppercorns, mustard seeds, cloves and mace blade to make this recipe.

Ingredient notes:

  • Vinegar: if white wine vinegar is not available, you can substitute unseasoned rice vinegar.
  • Salt: to keep the solution from turning cloudy, try to use a salt that doesn’t contain any anti-caking agents. Sea salt is a good option.

Special kitchen tools needed:

You will need either 2 two-cup capacity canning jars with lids OR 1 four-cup capacity canning jar with lid.

Empty pickle jars on a kitchen counter.

Recipe notes & tips:

  • Cut the blossom end of the cucumber off and discard because the flower contains an enzyme that softens this end of the cucumber.
  • The reason why you need canning jars is because of their heat resistance.

How to make the pickles:

See full ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below!

Cinnamon clove pickle preparation in four steps.

Step 1. Rinse the insides of the jar(s) and lid(s) with boiling water. Set aside.

Step 2. Slice the cucumber (you want about ⅛ inch thick slices). You can use a knife or a mandoline.

Step 3. Add cucumber slices and all spices to the jar(s).

Step 4. Add water, white wine vinegar, sugar and salt to a small saucepan. Bring the mix to a boil and boil (uncovered) for 2 minutes, then fill it into the jar(s). (If you have more liquid than fits comfortably, discard the excess.) Let the jars cool to room temperature. Put on the lids (but not too tight) and refrigerate the pickles for 4 hours before serving.

How to use the pickles:

  • These pickles are great for sandwiches along with this oven-baked pulled chicken.
  • You can also use these pickles to make a delicious sweet pickle tartar sauce (pictured below). To do that, finely dice 20 pickle slices (this should yield about ½ cup) and mix with ¼ cup of mayonnaise. The subtle sweetness and spice flavors of the pickles add a delicious complexity to the tartar sauce!
Sweet pickle tartar sauce in a bowl.

Frequently asked questions:

When are refrigerator pickles ready to eat?

These refrigerator pickles are ready to eat after 4 hours in the fridge.

How long are refrigerator pickles good for?

Unlike canned pickles, refrigerator pickles don’t last for months in the fridge, they have to be eaten within about a week. I find that the pickles are best during the first 24 hours because that’s when they are the crunchiest.

Why are my pickles cloudy?

Cloudiness can come from the minerals in the water you used or from anti-caking agents in the salt that you used. But even if your solution is cloudy, the pickles are still fine to eat!

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    Homemade Seasoning Salt (sugar-free)
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    Cook Time5 Minutes
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Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Thanks!

Full Printable Recipe

Two jars with cinnamon clove sweet pickles.

Refrigerator Sweet Pickles with Cinnamon and Cloves

The Spice Train
These refrigerator sweet pickles are full of delicious flavors and easy to make.
4.16 from 13 votes
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Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Chill Time: 4 hrs
Total Time 4 hrs 20 mins
Course Condiment
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories (estimated) 25 kcal

Equipment:

  • measuring cups and spoons
  • knife and cutting board OR mandoline
  • 2 two-cup capacity canning jars OR 1 four-cup capacity canning jar*
  • small saucepan
  • funnel

Ingredients:
  

  • 1 English cucumber
  • 1 bay leaf (cut the leaf in half if using 2 jars)
  • 1 long or 2 short cinnamon sticks (use 2 short sticks if using 2 jars)
  • ½ teaspoon mace blade
  • ½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
  • ½ teaspoon whole cloves
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 cup white wine vinegar**
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons salt***

Instructions:
 

  • Rinse the inside of the jar(s) and lid(s) with boiling water. Set aside.
  • Cut the blossom end of the cucumber off and discard because the flower contains an enzyme that softens this end of the cucumber.
  • Slice the cucumber into ⅛-inch thick slices using a mandoline or a knife.
  • Add the cucumber slices and all spices to the jar(s).
  • In a small saucepan combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Bring the solution to a boil and boil uncovered for 2 minutes. 
  • Transfer the solution to a container with a spout or use a funnel to pour it into the jar(s). (Discard any excess liquid.)
  • Let the jar(s) cool to room temperature. Put the lid(s) on (not too tight).
  • Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.
  • Store in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes:

*You need canning jars because of their heat resistance.
**You can also use unseasoned rice vinegar instead of white wine vinegar.
***To keep the solution from turning cloudy, try to use a salt that doesn’t contain any anti-caking agents. I like to use sea salt.

Nutrition Information (Estimated):

Calories: 25kcal

Nutrition values provided on this website are generated from a nutrition database and are estimates only. The accuracy of the nutrition information for any recipe on this website is not guaranteed. Nutrition values can vary quite a lot depending on which brands are used.

Keywords: refrigerator sweet pickles, sweet pickles, sweet pickles with cinnamon and cloves

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda

    September 19, 2022 at 1:21 pm

    These pickles are so easy to make and sooo good

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      September 19, 2022 at 6:33 pm

      So happy to hear that, Linda! :)

      Reply
  2. Becky

    January 03, 2021 at 8:50 pm

    How long do these keep in the refrigerator?

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      January 04, 2021 at 9:25 am

      They will keep for about a week in the fridge but are crunchiest right after the first 24 hours.

      Reply
  3. Jeannette Cole

    August 26, 2017 at 12:07 pm

    omg….these pickles are the BEST!!!! They deserve more than 5 stars in my opinion.

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      August 30, 2017 at 11:26 am

      That is so lovely to hear, Jeannette! Thank you so much for leaving such a nice comment! :)

      Reply

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