Pickles are a preserve made by soaking a vegetable or fruit in brine or acidic liquid. They can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months and have a signature sour taste that’s become a favorite around the world. Pickling is also one of the oldest forms of food preservation. The New York Food Museum claims that the earliest known instance of pickling occurred around 2030 BC when cucumbers were imported to the Tigris Valley.
Pickling can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on which method is used. It also depends on how long you intend to keep the pickles shelf-stable and safe to eat.
If you’re interested in making your pickles, stick around. There are several different methods to choose from, according to what kind of pickles you want to make. Please keep reading for everything you need to know about how long it takes to make pickles.
How Long Does it Take to Make Pickles?
Some pickles are ready to eat after just a few days of pickling, while others can take ten days. It all depends on the technique and what you’re pickling.
Quick Pickles
Quick pickles are, of course, the fastest pickling method, requiring only a few days (usually two to five) to produce their final product. This method can work on a variety of produce, including cucumbers, beets, peppers, and carrots.
Quick pickles are usually produced in glass canning jars. The fresh vegetable is packed into the jar with optional spices and flavor additives, then wholly submerged in a usually vinegar-based brine. The jars are then sealed and heat-processed to preserve. These pickles tend to have a lighter, more straightforward flavor profile.
Quick pickles won’t last as long on the shelf, given the high concentration of water in the product when it’s introduced to the brine, but it’s the easiest method for beginners to use. It can be as simple as one step and is a set-and-forget method that doesn’t require constant attention during the preservation process.
Salt-Brined Pickles
Salt-brining is a slightly more complicated pickling method, and so takes a bit longer, at roughly a week to ten days.
It’s generally used for products with higher water content, as they need to be dried slightly before they can be pickled so that they don’t spoil or soften. Eggplants, cabbage, and zucchini all make excellent salt-brined pickles.
Salt brining begins by completely covering the produce with salt, or by submerging it in a salt and vinegar solution. They are left that way until enough moisture has been drawn out that they can be pickled following the same steps as the quick pickling process.
The extra step of the salt brine allows for the final brining mixture and spices in the jar to penetrate more deeply into the product, allowing it to develop a more classic, complex flavor. This is the process to use if you’re trying to emulate a store-bought pickle, as it will have a similar flavor and shelf life.
Vinegar-Brined Pickles
Vinegar-brining is one of the most complicated pickling methods, and therefore takes the longest so far. It can take as long as two weeks to produce a proper pickle with this method. Most of the produce listed above works, especially with this method, as well as softer fruits like watermelon.
Vinegar brining follows the same steps as salt-brining but takes them to a more extreme degree. The produce is put in a vinegar bath, drained, and then bathed again before jarring.
This is done to draw as much moisture out as possible, drying the produce entirely before it’s introduced to the final flavor brine. This allows the product to pick up as much of the brine’s flavor as possible, absorbing it entirely as a replacement to the water that was drawn out.
Vinegar brining is considered the most traditional method and offers an unmistakable flavor and texture in the final product.
Fermented Pickles
Fermented pickles are an entirely different process. This is the healthiest version of a pickle, as the fermentation allows for the development of beneficial bacteria and probiotics within the pickle.
To make a fermented pickle, submerge your produce completely in a saltwater brine, making sure to leave a small air pocket between your brine and the lid of your container. Use a pickling weight to keep your produce below the surface to ensure they’re fermenting equally. Keep your container in a relatively cool, stable place (at roughly 70-degrees Fahrenheit if you can).
With this method, the natural gasses produced by the fermentation process will need a way to escape the container. This can be done by “burping,” or slightly opening the container to release pressure before closing it again, or with an airlock in a specialized lid if you prefer a lower-maintenance approach.
This process takes the longest of any pickling method, meaning that it may take nine days, twelve days, or upwards of two weeks, depending on your flavor and texture preferences. Still, it also produces the most complex and richly-flavored pickles. It might be worth the challenge if you are looking for the perfect customizable pickle flavor profile.
For a more detailed explanation of the different methods of pickling, you can read this fantastic article from Mountain Feed.
How Long Until Pickles are Ready to Eat
The process of making pickles is a long one if you’re doing it right. It’s quite different than, say, making a sandwich that you can make and eat in minutes. Pickles have to be carefully crafted to ensure they’re delicious and safe for eating.
The exact time until pickles are ready for human consumption depends on a few different factors. Each one plays a critical roll in the overall pickling time. The most crucial factor is the actual method of pickling.
This table outlines the time that it takes for each method of pickling to be completed, with pickles that are ready to eat:
| Method | Time Required |
| Quick Pickling | 3-5 days |
| Salt Brining | 7-10 days |
| Vinegar Brining | 9-12 days |
| Fermented Pickling | 9 days – 2+ weeks (by preference) |
Some foods also take longer than others to be done pickling. Some things have thicker skins that lengthen pickling time, while others soak up the brine like a sponge.
Another element to pickling time and readiness is the texture that you’re going for with your final product. Some pickled things lend themselves to a crunch and a snap, like regular pickled cucumbers. Others are better with a softer bite, like pickled cauliflower.
The longer something sits in the pickling juices, the less crunchy it becomes. However, there is such a thing as too pickled. This is when pickles become mushy and lose that perfectly briny taste.
The flavor is just one more component that impacts the pickling time. Different ingredients in the brine can either add or take away from pickling time.
Final Thoughts
Pickling can be a fun, rewarding process if you’re willing to put in the time and effort. If you grow your produce, it can be an excellent way of preserving any excess, and it means having easy access to delicious, homemade pickles.
Pickling is an excellent way to make personal gifts for family and friends or to make pickles for your own family to enjoy.
Whether you’re brand new to preserving or are a seasoned pro, there’s a method for anyone who wants to try their hand at making one of the oldest kinds of food in the world.