Low Sodium Dill Pickles Recipe
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Jump to RecipeThis low sodium dill pickles recipe is a great way to enjoy the classic flavor of pickles, but without added salt! Cucumbers are sliced and jarred up, and topped with a tangy flavorful ‘brine.’
These pickles are flavorful, herby, and a great salt-free alternative to traditional store-bought pickles! A tasty, crunchy, and satisfying snack you can enjoy anytime!
Serve these no-salt-added dill pickle spears with low sodium burger patties, with low sodium BBQ chicken thighs, or chopped up and added to low sodium tuna salad!
Dill pickles can be back on the table with this tasty salt-free recipe! It’s the end of July and our garden is booming with fresh cucumbers, and these pickles are the perfect way to enjoy cucumbers for weeks. You can try these dill pickles or our sweet low sodium bread and butter pickles!
This recipe only takes about 20 minutes start-to-finish, and 1 day for the pickles to marinate in the pickle juice. I adapted this recipe from an old family recipe, so while these certainly aren’t traditional pickles, they taste amazing! There are so many great spices and additions to the ‘brine’ you won’t miss the salt.
Why This Recipe Works
- The pickle ‘brine’ has vinegar, fresh herbs and spices – making it taste close to traditional pickles, without added salt!
- It’s a great way to use fresh cucumbers – in the summer, or just when they are on sale. Make these all year long!
- These pickles are inexpensive, and rely on many pantry staple spices you can use again and again.
- They are easy – cooks of any skill level can make these pickles, very little cooking required!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cucumbers – you can use any variety you have on hand, but pickling cucumbers, or Kirby cucumbers, are traditional. I like using English cucumbers too.
- Fresh Dill – brings a delicious flavor to these pickles. You can also use dried dill, but fresh has a better flavor.
- Fresh garlic cloves add a ton of great taste to the brine.
- Sugar – for a little added sweetness. I don’t add much, but you can omit if desired.
- White Wine Vinegar
- Spices – I use dill seed, coriander seed, fennel seed, mustard seed, and chili flakes for a little heat.
Substitutions and Variations
- If you don’t have or can’t find all the spices (dill seed, coriander, fennel seed) you can omit it, and add extra mustard seeds.
- For a spicier variety, you can double the chili flakes for extra heat.
Note: This isn’t a long-term canning pickle recipe, it’s a refrigerator pickle recipe that lasts up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: In a sauce pan, heat the white vinegar over low heat.
Step 2: Add in the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Step 3: Add the garlic, fennel seed, mustard seed, dill seed, and chili flakes to the pot, and remove from heat.
Step 4: Slice the cucumbers into spears, and place them into a jar. Add in the fresh dill into the jar with the cucummbers.
Step 5: Pour the brine over the jars of pickles, until the brine reaches the top of the cucumbers.
Step 6: Add an airtight lid to the jars of pickles, and refrigerate overnight. Allow the pickles to brine for at least 1 day before enjoying!
Recipe FAQs
The brine for these low sodium pickles is made from white wine vinegar, fresh dill, and spices. I also add a bit of sugar and chili flakes for extra flavor.
These pickles last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. This is not a long-term canning recipe, but rather a fresh refrigerator pickle recipe.
These low sodium pickles have 11 mg of sodium per 3-spear serving.
Expert Tips
- Instead of pickle spears, you can cut the cucumber into slices instead, if desired.
- If you dont’ like dill, you can omit the fresh dill and the dill seeds in this recipe. You’ll get a more sour pickle instead.
More Low Sodium Pickle Recipes
- Low Sodium Bread and Butter Pickles
- Low Sodium Pickled Beets
- Spicy Low Sodium Pickled Carrots & Jalapeno Peppers
- Low Sodium Pickled Onions
- Low Sodium Pickled Eggs
Let’s keep in touch – don’t forget to follow over on Instagram, Facebook, & my Youtube channel for more easy low sodium recipes.
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Low Sodium Dill Pickles
Equipment
- Pot
- Mason Jars
Ingredients
- 6 cucumbers sliced into spears
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups white wine vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 6 cloves garlic diced
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon coriander seed
- ½ teaspoon dill seed
- ½ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- ½ cup fresh dill
Instructions
- In a sauce pan, heat the water and white wine vinegar over low heat. Add in the sugar, and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the garlic, fennel seed, mustard seed, dill seed, and chili flakes to the pot. Stir and remove from heat.
- Slice the cucumbers into spears, and place them into a jar. Add in the fresh dill into the jar with the cucumbers.
- Pour the brine over the jars of cucumbers, until the brine reaches the top and completely covers the cucumbers.
- Add an airtight lid to the jars of pickles, and refrigerate overnight. Allow the pickles to brine for at least 1 day before enjoying! Pickles will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
*Please note, all nutrition content is estimated based on the ingredients we used, it may vary based on your ingredients. Always check your nutrition labels to verify sodium amounts.
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I THINK YOUR RECIPES ARE GREAT FOR SOMEONE with kidney problems.
These are super delicious
A perfect addition to any meal or sandwich. A great snack anytime
for this recipe, how many mason jars (and what size) would I need for the 6 cucumbers ?
Hi Pam, it depends on how large the cucumbers are, but I would guess 2 or 3 quart-sized mason jars would do the trick for the 6 cucumbers. If you make these, please let me know how many jars yours yielded!
– Kelly
This is a fantastic receipe. I love pickles but being on a low sodium diet I had to give them up. This receipe was a life saver and now I can enjoy pickles again. I didn’t have enough rice vinegar so I used one cup of rice vinegar and 2 cups white vinegar and they still came out great. Firm and crunchy and super tasty!
Hi Robyn, thank you so much for the rating and review! I am so happy you enjoyed these pickles – they are a favorite of our as well. We make them almost weekly in the summer with all the fresh cucumbers we get from the garden 🙂 I have a sweet bread & butter pickles recipe on this site too that is also excellent if you like sweeter pickles.
– Kelly
I just saw your bread and butter pickle recipe and that will be my next set of pickles! Thank you for all your low sodium recipes, they are a game changer!