Honey Pickles: Quick Refrigerator Pickles Sweetened with Honey

What makes honey pickles different

Most sweet pickles use white sugar. Honey adds sweetness plus aroma, and its flavor changes with the honey you choose. Light honey keeps pickles bright and clean, while darker honey makes them richer and more complex. Honey also gives the brine a slightly fuller body, which clings nicely to sliced vegetables.

The basic honey pickles brine

Combine one cup of vinegar labeled 5% acidity, one cup of water, two to four tablespoons of honey and one tablespoon of kosher or pickling salt in a small pot. Warm over medium heat, stirring until the salt and honey dissolve. Do not boil hard, which drives off vinegar flavor. This makes enough brine for one quart jar.

Step by step

Wash and slice your vegetables. Pack them tightly into a clean jar with garlic, dill, peppercorns or spices. Pour the warm brine over until everything is covered, leaving a little room at the top. Let cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate. Wait at least 24 hours before eating; flavor keeps improving for several days.

• Slice vegetables evenly
• Pack jar with aromatics
• Pour warm brine to cover
• Cool, cover and refrigerate
• Wait 24 hours

Best vegetables for honey pickles

Cucumbers are classic; use small pickling types such as Kirby for the best crunch. Red onions turn bright pink in a few hours and are wonderful on tacos and salads. Carrots, beets, radishes, cauliflower, green beans, jalapeños and fennel all pickle well. Firm fruits like pears and grapes make interesting sweet pickles for cheese boards.

Flavor combinations

Honey dill cucumbers use fresh dill, garlic and mustard seed. Honey jalapeños use sliced jalapeños, garlic and a little cumin; they are sweet-hot and addictive. Honey ginger carrots use sliced ginger and coriander seed. Honey beets work with cloves, allspice and orange peel. Pickled red onions need only honey, vinegar, salt and a bay leaf.

Choosing a vinegar

Distilled white vinegar is the most neutral and keeps colors bright. Apple cider vinegar pairs naturally with honey and adds fruitiness. White wine and rice vinegar are milder. Whatever you choose, check the label for 5% acidity, the standard used in tested recipes from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, as NC State Extension shares.

Keeping pickles crunchy

Use the freshest, firmest vegetables, ideally picked within a day. Trim the blossom end of cucumbers, which contains enzymes that soften pickles. Chill cucumbers in ice water for an hour before slicing. Adding a grape, oak or black tea leaf to the jar adds tannins that help keep crunch.

How long they keep

Refrigerator honey pickles are not shelf stable. Keep them in the fridge and eat within about a month for the best texture and safety. Always use a clean fork to remove pickles, and discard any jar that smells off, looks cloudy in an unusual way or grows mold.

Canning honey pickles safely

If you want pickles that keep in the pantry, use a tested canning recipe from a reliable source such as the National Center for Home Food Preservation and follow it exactly, including vinegar strength, headspace and processing time in a boiling-water canner. Do not change the ratio of vinegar to water or vegetables, since the acid level is what keeps canned pickles safe. Swapping honey for sugar changes flavor, not acid, but stick to recipes tested with honey when possible.

Honey pickles on the table

Serve honey pickles on burgers, sandwiches, grain bowls and cheese boards. Pickled red onions brighten tacos and avocado toast. Honey jalapeños are great on nachos and pizza. Chop pickles into tuna or egg salad for a sweet-tangy crunch.

Salt and sugar per serving

A few slices of honey pickle contain a small amount of sugar and a moderate amount of sodium. If you watch sodium, reduce the salt slightly in refrigerator pickles, which do not rely on salt for safety the way fermented pickles do.

Which honey to use

Raw Clover Honey, harvested in New York State, keeps pickles bright and classic. Raw Wildflower Honey, also from New York State, adds floral notes to onions and carrots. Raw Buckwheat Honey gives beets a deep, spiced character.

Gift jars

A jar of pickled red onions or honey jalapeños makes a thoughtful host gift. Label it with the date and a note to keep refrigerated and enjoy within a month.

The takeaway on honey pickles

Honey pickles are quick, crisp and endlessly flexible. Use a brine of equal parts 5% vinegar and water with honey and salt, refrigerate and eat within a month, and follow tested recipes exactly if you can them.

Honey for your pickle jar

Start with Raw Clover Honey for cucumbers and Raw Wildflower Honey for onions. Save with a 3 jar or 6 jar pack of any honey, and orders over $50 ship free. Visit our shop.