Basic Pickle Brine Recipe With Vinegar

So, read on to learn all about this process so you can make your own pickles too. Start with our quick pickled cabbage if you want!

What Is Pickle Brine?

In the simplest explanation, pickle brine is the liquid used to help pickle (and ultimately preserve) fruits and vegetables. Yes, all types of fruits and vegetables!

This pickling liquid is made with a combination of water, vinegar, sugar and salt. There are some additional flavoring and functional ingredients. But, these four are essential in a basic pickle brine recipe.

They help create a liquid in which fresh vegetables and fruits can be preserved for a long time. It creates an environment that is unlivable for mold. And simultaneously, they are flavored and get an uber-crisp texture too.

It is so easy to make homemade pickle brine that you don't really need to buy it from store. Let's see what we need.

Ingredients 

A classic brine for pickles recipe always includes at least these four ingredients: water, vinegar, salt, and sugar.

Water: It is added to help achieve the perfect pickling brine ratio, which is 50% water and 50% vinegar. It helps you have the right amount of acidity to work as a pickle (and prevent bacterial growth) but not overwhelm the flavor.

The remaining ingredients are more functional.

Vinegar: In this recipe, we use regular apple cider vinegar with a 5% acidity. But you can substitute it with any vinegar except balsamic vinegar or malt vinegar. Distilled white vinegar, white wine vinegar and rice vinegar work fine. Just keep in mind that the vinegar's flavor will be transferred to the pickling vegetables. 

If you don't like the taste or smell of vinegar, you can use the same amount of lemon juice. If you are not sure about the acidity of the lemons, add in a little citric acid too.

Salt: Use kosher salt, sea salt or pickling salt. Don't use table salt for a brine as it contains iodine, anti-caking agents and additives, which might effect the quality of pickles you are making.

Sugar: This is not a sweet pickle brine recipe. It is more on the tangy side. A little sugar in our recipe gives a subtle sweetness to the tangy brine and pickles. Of course, you can completely leave it out if you don't want any sweetness.

Alternative Add-Ins

There is an endless amount of simple add-ins that will completely change the flavor of your brine. They can be added directly into the jars with the vegetables or into the brine liquid when it heats. Either way, you will add their flavor.

Some of the best pickling spices to add are whole spices like mustard seeds, coriander seeds, celery seeds, dill seeds, black peppercorns, allspice berries, cinnamon sticks. Also spices like red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and turmeric would be great additions. And, if you want to make it spicy, you can add some dried or fresh chili peppers too. And, to make your life easier, you can find pre-made pickling spice blends at the store.

Herbs are great additions too. Our favorites are fresh dill, parsley, rosemary, thyme or oregano. We don't recommend boiling them with the brine liquid. Place the herbs you want directly in the jars along with the vegetables and then pour the brine over them.

For even more flavor, you can also add aromatics like garlic, green onions (aka scallions), shallots or ginger into the jars.

How To Make

Now let's learn how to make an easy pickle brine from scratch. You only need a couple of ingredients to start with. But, the recipe we've developed allows you to play around with the spices and herbs as much as you'd like!

Boil the pickling liquid: To start, combine 2 cups water, 2 cups vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar and 3 tablespoons kosher salt in a medium saucepan. If you want to add spices like mustard seeds, coriander seeds or dill seeds in your brine, add them in the saucepan at this step. Then bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Double-check that all the sugar and salt are dissolved before moving on.

Cool the liquid slightly: Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow it to cool for about 5-10 minutes. Use it immediately to pickle vegetables like carrots, onions, cucumbers, radishes, green tomatoes or zucchini. We also love pickling beets with this brine.

How To Store

If you are not planning to use your pickle brine right away to make pickles, let it cool completely and store it in jars or containers with lids in the fridge to use later. It keeps well for up to 2 months. 

When you are ready to use, heat it a bit if you are planning to make quick pickles aka refrigerator pickles. If you are planning to make fermented pickles, use it cold.

How To Use It For Pickling Vegetables

Our recipe can be used to make canned dill pickle recipe or as a quick pickle brine to make refrigerator pickles like our pickled cabbage.

This is an incredibly easy brine to use for virtually any vegetable. If you follow our recipe, you are making easy and fast pickles, which are ready in 1-2 days. These are uber-crunchy, flavorful, and tender to the core.

Before starting to make pickles, prepare your jars. Wash them in hot soapy water, rinse well and let them dry. You don't need to sterilize the jars for quick pickles.

To quick pickle your vegetables: Place the vegetables into a jar. If you want, you can add a few cloves garlic and fresh dill in the jars. Then pour the warm brine over them, leaving about ½-inch space at the top. Tap the jar on a counter to remove any bubbles. Place the lids. Let them sit on the counter until they cool completely. Store them inside the fridge. Your pickles will be ready after 24 hours. They taste even better after 48 hours.

Enjoy your pickles in your sandwiches, burgers or hot dogs. They make great additions on salads too.

Reusing The Brine

Can you reuse the pickle brine when you finish the pickles in the jar? Yes, you can if it still looks good. To reuse the leftover brine, you need to heat it to make refrigerator pickles. Pour it in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. 

If you think it won't be enough for the vegetables you want to pickle, you can use it to make a new batch of brine. For a small batch, combine it with 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. The leftover brine will give a richer taste to your new brine.

Alternatively, you can use that leftover brine in salad dressings. It would be such a great addition in our creamy cucumber salad.

Tips

• The basic pickle brine ratio is 50:50, meaning equal parts of water and vinegar. But you can play with this ratio depending on your taste. 
• The acidity of the vinegar you use should be at least 5%.
• You can use a combination of vinegars if you want.
• You can use less vinegar if you use another acidic ingredient like citric acid.
• Always use glass containers like mason jars to store your pickle brine or your pickles.
• Sugar is an optional addition but it balances the tangy flavor of vinegar, so we recommend it.
• Make sure to use kosher salt, sea salt or pickling salt.
• Pour the brine over the veggies in jars when it is still warm. This is necessary when making quick pickles.
• Make sure that all the veggies in jars are coated with the brine and leave a little space (½ inch) on the top. 
• Let them cool completely and reach room temperature before storing in the refrigerator.
• Always use fresh vegetables when making pickles. 

FAQs

More Recipes with Brine

• Feta Cheese In Brine
• How To Brine Olives

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