Cook · Pickles · November 2026

The Pickle 25

This is the year of the savory snack: pickle plates, pickles on pizza, pickle everything. So here are 25 jars worth buying from the people who make them, from a Lower East Side barrel shop to a Haitian pikliz in South Carolina. Each one has who makes it, where to order it, what to eat it with, and Chef's own quick version you can make tonight. Save any recipe and it lands in your recipes, laid out the way we cook.

1. No.1Photo: The Pickle Guys

   Dill and sour

   Full Sour Pickles

   From The Pickle Guys · Lower East Side, New York · @pickleguys

   Fermented○○○No heat$15 a jar

   The last of the Lower East Side barrel men. Cucumbers sit in salt brine with garlic and spices in barrels on the sidewalk, the way the neighborhood did it a hundred years ago, and the shop is kosher.

   A full sour is a pickle that has gone all the way: olive-green straight through, garlicky, soft snap. If you only buy one jar on this list, make it the one that tastes like the Lower East Side.

   Eat it withPastrami on ryeA cold beerChopped liver and crackers

   Order from The Pickle Guys ↗

   Chef's quick version

   Five-day full sours

   20 min, then 5 to 10 days · makes 1 quart (about 6 pickles) · Salt, garlic, time. No vinegar: the sour comes from the brine fermenting. Taste from day 5; the longer it goes, the more it turns from half sour to full.

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   You need

   • 6 small Kirby cucumbers (about 1½ lb / 680 g), very fresh
   • 4 cups (950 ml) cool filtered water
   • 2 tbsp (36 g) fine sea salt or kosher salt with no additives
   • 6 garlic cloves, smashed
   • 1 tbsp pickling spice
   • 2 dill heads or a big handful of fresh dill
   • 1 grape, oak or bay leaf (keeps them crisp)

   How to make it

   1. Scrub the cucumbers and cut a thin slice off the blossom end (the end opposite the stem).
   2. Stir the salt into the water until it dissolves.
   3. Pack the cucumbers upright in a clean quart jar with the garlic, pickling spice, dill and the leaf.
   4. Pour in brine to cover by an inch. Weigh them down with a small zip bag of brine so nothing floats.
   5. Cover loosely and leave at cool room temperature, out of the sun. Skim any white film every day or two.
   6. From day 5, taste one. Half sour at 5 to 6 days, full sour at 8 to 10. When you like it, close the lid and refrigerate. Keeps a month.

   Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't The Pickle Guys's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

   Open this one, and the maker's card →

2. No.2Photo: McClure's

   Dill and sour

   Spicy Whole Pickles

   From McClure's · Detroit, Michigan · @mcclurespickles

   Vinegar●●○Hot$13 a jar

   A family recipe turned into a Detroit company. The spicy ones get chili, garlic and dill, and the brine is so good people drink it.

   These are the pickles that taught a lot of people a jar could be a gift. Garlic first, then the heat comes up behind it.

   Eat it withA smash burgerA Bloody Mary (use the brine)Fried chicken

   Order from McClure's ↗

   Chef's quick version

   Spicy garlic dills

   15 min, then 1 day · makes 1 quart · A hot vinegar brine poured over raw cucumbers keeps the crunch. Chili flakes and a split fresh chili give both the quick heat and the slow one.

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   You need

   • 5 or 6 Kirby cucumbers (about 1¼ lb / 570 g), quartered into spears
   • 1 cup (240 ml) distilled white vinegar
   • 1 cup (240 ml) water
   • 1 tbsp kosher salt
   • 1 tsp sugar
   • 5 garlic cloves, smashed
   • 1 fresh red chili, split
   • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
   • 1 tsp mustard seeds
   • A big handful of fresh dill

   How to make it

   1. Pack the spears into a clean quart jar with the garlic, split chili, pepper flakes, mustard seeds and dill.
   2. Bring the vinegar, water, salt and sugar to a boil, stirring until dissolved.
   3. Pour the hot brine over the spears to cover. Tap the jar to knock out air bubbles.
   4. Cool to room temperature, close and refrigerate.
   5. Good after 24 hours, best after 3 days. Keeps 3 weeks in the fridge.

   Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't McClure's's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

   Open this one, and the maker's card →

3. No.3Good Food Award winnerPhoto: Real Pickles

   Dill and sour

   Organic Garlic Dill Pickles

   From Real Pickles · Greenfield, Massachusetts · @realpickles

   Fermented○○○No heat

   A worker-owned co-op in western Massachusetts. Organic Northeast vegetables, salt and time; everything is fermented, nothing is pasteurized, so the jar is alive.

   This is what a pickle tasted like before vinegar took over. Clean, salty, sour, a lot of garlic. Keep it cold; it's still working.

   Eat it withA grilled cheeseBoiled potatoes with butter and dillSmoked fish on toast

   Order from Real Pickles ↗

   Chef's quick version

   Fermented garlic dills

   20 min, then 4 to 7 days · makes 1 quart · The same method as the barrel men, made smaller and garlic-heavy. Keep the jar cool (65 to 72°F) and the pickles under the brine and you can't go wrong.

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   You need

   • 1½ lb (680 g) small pickling cucumbers
   • 4 cups (950 ml) filtered water
   • 2 tbsp (36 g) fine sea salt
   • 10 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
   • 2 dill heads or a handful of dill fronds and stems
   • 1 tsp black peppercorns
   • 2 grape or oak leaves, or 1 black tea bag (for crunch)

   How to make it

   1. Soak the cucumbers in ice water for 30 minutes so they firm up. Trim the blossom ends.
   2. Dissolve the salt in the water.
   3. Layer the leaves, garlic, dill and peppercorns with the cucumbers in a clean jar, packed tight.
   4. Cover with brine and weigh them down so they stay under.
   5. Leave at cool room temperature. Bubbles and cloudy brine by day 2 or 3 are good signs.
   6. Taste from day 4. When they are sour enough, refrigerate. They keep getting better for a week in the fridge.

   Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Real Pickles's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

   Open this one, and the maker's card →

4. No.4Photo: Mama Lil's

   Peppers, beans and more

   Mildly Spicy Peppers in Oil

   From Mama Lil's · Seattle, Washington · @mamalilspeppers

   Pickled, then in oil●○○A little heat$24 a jar

   Sweet-hot goathorn peppers, pickled and then packed in oil. A Seattle cult item that cooks keep in the fridge door and put on everything.

   The jar that makes a sandwich taste like a deli made it. Chop them, spoon the oil on too, and stop thinking about it.

   Eat it withPizza after it comes out of the ovenAn egg sandwichMozzarella and bread

   Order from Mama Lil's ↗

   Chef's quick version

   Quick pickled peppers in oil

   30 min, then 1 day · makes 1 pint · Pickle first so they keep their tang, then drain and cover with oil so they turn silky. Fresno or Hungarian wax peppers work.

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   You need

   • 10 oz (280 g) Fresno, Hungarian wax or banana peppers, sliced into ¼-inch rings
   • ¾ cup (180 ml) white wine vinegar
   • ¼ cup (60 ml) water
   • 2 tsp kosher salt
   • 2 tsp sugar
   • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
   • ¾ cup (180 ml) olive oil, more to cover
   • ½ tsp dried oregano

   How to make it

   1. Bring the vinegar, water, salt and sugar to a boil. Add the peppers, bring back to a simmer, then turn off the heat.
   2. Let them sit in the hot brine for 20 minutes, then drain well (keep a spoonful of brine).
   3. Pack the peppers into a clean pint jar with the garlic and oregano.
   4. Add the spoonful of brine and pour in oil to cover completely.
   5. Refrigerate overnight. The oil firms in the fridge; let the jar sit out 10 minutes before using. Keeps 2 weeks.

   Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Mama Lil's's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

   Open this one, and the maker's card →

5. No.5Good Food Award winner, 2026 and 2023Photo: John's Super Foods

   Kimchi and kraut

   Kimchi Batch #3

   From John's Super Foods · Oyster Bay, New York · @johnssuperfoods

   Fermented●●○Hot$10 a jar

   A small Long Island fermenter whose Batch #3 kimchi has won a Good Food Award twice, in 2023 and again in 2026.

   Two Good Food Awards for one kimchi is a lot. It's bright, fizzy and properly hot. Eat it cold out of the jar or fry it with rice.

   Eat it withKimchi fried riceA fried eggPork belly or a grilled cheese

   Order from John's Super Foods ↗

   Chef's quick version

   Quick cabbage kimchi (mak kimchi)

   1 hour 30 min, then 1 to 3 days · makes About 2 quarts · Mak kimchi means cabbage cut up first, so it's faster than whole-leaf kimchi. Salt pulls the water out; the paste goes on; a day or two on the counter starts the sour.

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   You need

   • 1 napa cabbage (about 2 lb / 900 g), cut into 2-inch pieces
   • ¼ cup (70 g) kosher salt
   • 1 tbsp sweet rice flour (or all-purpose flour) cooked into a paste with ½ cup water
   • ¼ cup (25 g) gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), more for hotter
   • 6 garlic cloves, grated
   • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
   • 2 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
   • 1 tsp sugar
   • 4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
   • ½ small daikon or 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks

   How to make it

   1. Toss the cabbage with the salt in a big bowl and leave for 1 hour, turning every 20 minutes, until the thick parts bend.
   2. Rinse the cabbage three times in cold water and drain well, pressing out water.
   3. Stir the cooled flour paste with the gochugaru, garlic, ginger, fish sauce and sugar.
   4. Wear gloves. Mix the paste through the cabbage with the scallions and daikon until every piece is red.
   5. Pack tightly into jars, pressing down so juice rises, leaving an inch of space at the top.
   6. Leave on the counter 1 to 3 days (press down once a day) until it tastes sour and fizzy, then refrigerate.

   Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't John's Super Foods's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

   Open this one, and the maker's card →

6. No.6Photo: Brooklyn Delhi

   Around the world

   Roasted Garlic Achaar

   From Brooklyn Delhi · Brooklyn, New York · @brooklyndelhi

   Spiced, in oil●●○Hot$12 a jar

   Chitra Agrawal makes the Indian pickles she grew up on, achaar, with a Brooklyn hand. Roasted garlic, chili, mustard seed and fenugreek in oil.

   Achaar is the pickle the rest of the world should know. A teaspoon wakes up plain rice, eggs, avocado toast, anything that needs a punch.

   Eat it withDal and riceScrambled eggsCheddar on a cracker

   Order from Brooklyn Delhi ↗

   Chef's quick version

   Quick garlic achaar

   30 min, then 1 day · makes 1 cup · Garlic cooked slowly in oil goes sweet; the spices bloom in the same oil; lemon and vinegar do the pickling. It keeps in the fridge for a month.

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   You need

   • 2 heads garlic, cloves peeled (about 30 cloves)
   • ½ cup (120 ml) neutral oil or mustard oil
   • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
   • ½ tsp fenugreek seeds, lightly crushed
   • ½ tsp cumin seeds
   • ¼ tsp asafoetida (optional)
   • 1 to 2 tsp Kashmiri or other mild chili powder
   • ½ tsp ground turmeric
   • 1 tsp kosher salt
   • 2 tbsp lemon juice
   • 1 tbsp white vinegar

   How to make it

   1. Cook the garlic cloves in the oil over low heat, stirring now and then, until golden and soft, 12 to 15 minutes.
   2. Push the garlic aside and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the fenugreek, cumin and asafoetida for 20 seconds.
   3. Off the heat, stir in the chili powder, turmeric and salt.
   4. Let it cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice and vinegar.
   5. Spoon into a clean jar with all the oil. Leave on the counter a day, then refrigerate.

   Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Brooklyn Delhi's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

   Open this one, and the maker's card →

7. No.7Photo: Wickles

   Sweet and hot

   Wicked Pickle Chips

   From Wickles · Dadeville, Alabama · @wicklespickles

   Vinegar●○○A little heat

   An Alabama family recipe that, in Wickles' own words, was 90 years in the making and kept a secret until 1998. Sweet first, then a little kick.

   The sweet-and-hot chip the South keeps passing around. Put them on a sandwich once and plain dills will feel shy.

   Eat it withPimento cheese sandwichesPulled porkTuna salad

   Order from Wickles ↗

   Chef's quick version

   Sweet-hot pickle chips

   20 min, plus 1 hour salting, then 1 day · makes 1 quart · Salting the slices first keeps them crisp in a sweet brine. Turmeric gives the color, red pepper flakes the kick.

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   You need

   • 1½ lb (680 g) Kirby cucumbers, sliced ¼ inch thick
   • ½ small onion, thinly sliced
   • 1 tbsp kosher salt
   • 1 cup (240 ml) apple cider vinegar
   • ½ cup (100 g) sugar
   • 1 tsp mustard seeds
   • ½ tsp celery seeds
   • ½ tsp ground turmeric
   • ½ to 1 tsp red pepper flakes
   • 2 garlic cloves, sliced

   How to make it

   1. Toss the cucumbers and onion with the salt and a handful of ice. Leave 1 hour, then drain and rinse.
   2. Boil the vinegar, sugar, mustard, celery seeds, turmeric, pepper flakes and garlic until the sugar dissolves.
   3. Pack the slices into a jar and pour the hot brine over them.
   4. Cool, close and refrigerate. Ready the next day; keeps 3 weeks.

   Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Wickles's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

   Open this one, and the maker's card →

8. No.8Photo: Good Girl Snacks

   Dill and sour

   Hot Girl Pickles, Original Dill

   From Good Girl Snacks · Los Angeles, California · @goodgirlsnacks

   Vinegar○○○No heat$8.99 a jar

   The pickle TikTok made famous. A young Los Angeles brand with Middle Eastern flavors (a turmeric twist in the dill, a honey harissa) that went from a viral video to Whole Foods and Erewhon.

   This is the pickle on your feed. Bright yellow from turmeric, crunchy, not too sour, made for eating straight out of the jar on the couch.

   Eat it withHummus and pitaA pickle plateShawarma or a falafel wrap

   Order from Good Girl Snacks ↗

   Chef's quick version

   Turmeric dill spears

   15 min, then 1 day · makes 1 quart · A mild, bright refrigerator pickle. Turmeric and a little coriander make it taste warm without heat.

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   You need

   • 5 Kirby cucumbers, cut into spears
   • 1 cup (240 ml) distilled white vinegar
   • 1 cup (240 ml) water
   • 1 tbsp kosher salt
   • 2 tsp sugar
   • 1 tsp ground turmeric
   • 1 tsp coriander seeds
   • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
   • A handful of dill

   How to make it

   1. Pack the spears into a jar with the coriander, garlic and dill.
   2. Boil the vinegar, water, salt, sugar and turmeric, stirring until dissolved.
   3. Pour over the spears to cover.
   4. Cool, close and refrigerate. Ready in a day; keeps 3 weeks.

   Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Good Girl Snacks's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

   Open this one, and the maker's card →

9. No.9Photo: Dilly Dally Provisions

   Peppers, beans and more

   Dilly Beans

   From Dilly Dally Provisions · Chicago, Illinois · @dillydallyprovisions

   Vinegar○○○No heat$12 a jar

   Jordan Queen spent North Carolina summers canning with his grandma Agnes. Now he makes her recipes in Chicago with Midwest produce, and the dilly bean is the flagship: pretty much grandma's recipe.

   A green bean that snaps like a pickle. Stand one in a Bloody Mary, put a handful on a board, or eat them like fries.

   Eat it withA Bloody MaryA cheese boardGrilled sausages

   Order from Dilly Dally Provisions ↗

   Chef's quick version

   Dilly beans

   20 min, then 2 days · makes 1 quart · Blanch the beans for 30 seconds so they stay bright, then a hot dill brine. Trim them to fit the jar standing up.

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   You need

   • 12 oz (340 g) fresh green beans, trimmed to the height of the jar
   • 1 cup (240 ml) white vinegar
   • 1 cup (240 ml) water
   • 1 tbsp kosher salt
   • 1 tsp sugar
   • 3 garlic cloves, halved
   • 1 tsp dill seed (or a handful of fresh dill)
   • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
   • ½ tsp black peppercorns

   How to make it

   1. Drop the beans into boiling water for 30 seconds, then into ice water. Drain.
   2. Stand the beans upright in a jar with the garlic, dill, pepper flakes and peppercorns.
   3. Boil the vinegar, water, salt and sugar and pour over the beans to cover.
   4. Cool, close and refrigerate. Best after 2 days; keeps a month.

   Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Dilly Dally Provisions's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

   Open this one, and the maker's card →

10. No.10Photo: Choi's Kimchi

    Kimchi and kraut

    Spicy Radish Kimchi

    From Choi's Kimchi · Portland, Oregon · @choiskimchi

    Fermented●●○Hot

    A family kimchi company in Portland making it the traditional way. The spicy radish is kkakdugi: cubes of Korean radish that stay crunchy and get fizzy.

    Radish kimchi is the one people forget, and the one that goes with everything fatty. Crunchy, sweet, sour, hot.

    Eat it withKorean fried chickenA bowl of rice and an eggSoup (seolleongtang or any beef soup)

    Order from Choi's Kimchi ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Kkakdugi (radish kimchi)

    50 min, then 2 days · makes About 1½ quarts · Korean radish (or daikon) cut into cubes, salted briefly, then dressed. It ferments fast, so taste it after a day.

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    You need

    • 2 lb (900 g) Korean radish or daikon, peeled, in ¾-inch cubes
    • 1½ tbsp kosher salt
    • 1 tbsp sugar
    • 3 tbsp gochugaru
    • 4 garlic cloves, grated
    • 1 tsp grated ginger
    • 1½ tbsp fish sauce
    • 3 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces

    How to make it

    1. Toss the radish with the salt and sugar and leave 30 minutes. Drain the liquid but do not rinse.
    2. Add the gochugaru and mix until the cubes are red, then add the garlic, ginger, fish sauce and scallions.
    3. Pack into a jar, pressing down, and leave an inch of space.
    4. Leave on the counter 1 to 2 days until it tastes sour, then refrigerate.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Choi's Kimchi's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

11. No.11Good Food Award winner, 2026Photo: The Tipsy Pickle

    Dill and sour

    Vermont Malt Whiskey Spears

    From The Tipsy Pickle · Essex Junction, Vermont

    Vinegar●○○A little heat$13 a jar

    A Vermont maker that pickles with spirits. The whiskey pickles won a 2026 Good Food Award, alongside their Demon Seed pickles.

    Whiskey in the brine gives a rounder, almost caramel edge to a garlicky spear. A pickleback without the shot.

    Eat it withA burgerA Manhattan or an Old FashionedCheddar and apples

    Order from The Tipsy Pickle ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Bourbon-maple spears

    15 min, then 2 days · makes 1 quart · A splash of whiskey and a little maple in a dill brine. The alcohol mostly boils off; the flavor stays.

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    You need

    • 5 Kirby cucumbers, cut into spears
    • ¾ cup (180 ml) apple cider vinegar
    • ¾ cup (180 ml) water
    • ¼ cup (60 ml) bourbon or other whiskey
    • 1 tbsp kosher salt
    • 1 tbsp maple syrup
    • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
    • 1 tsp black peppercorns
    • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
    • A handful of dill

    How to make it

    1. Pack the spears into a jar with the garlic, peppercorns, pepper flakes and dill.
    2. Boil the vinegar, water, whiskey, salt and maple for 1 minute.
    3. Pour over the spears to cover.
    4. Cool, close and refrigerate. Best after 2 days; keeps 3 weeks.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't The Tipsy Pickle's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

12. No.12Photo: Pickled Pepper People

    Around the world

    Pikliz

    From Pickled Pepper People · Greenville, South Carolina · @pickledpepperpeople

    Vinegar●●●Very hot

    Kelly Desmangles started making pikliz, the Haitian pickled slaw of cabbage, carrots and Scotch bonnets, in Greenville in 2022. It's the relish that goes with fried pork at every Haitian table.

    Pikliz is hot, sour and crunchy, and a spoonful cuts anything rich. If you like a hot sauce, you'll put this on everything.

    Eat it withGriot (fried pork)Fried plantainsTacos or a fried fish sandwich

    Order from Pickled Pepper People ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Pikliz

    20 min, then 1 day · makes 1 quart · Shredded vegetables, Scotch bonnets and cloves under vinegar and lime. Wear gloves for the peppers; it gets hotter by the day.

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    You need

    • 3 cups (about ¼ head / 300 g) green cabbage, finely shredded
    • 1 large carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
    • ½ small onion, thinly sliced
    • 2 to 4 Scotch bonnet peppers, thinly sliced (seeds in for hotter)
    • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
    • 4 whole cloves
    • 5 black peppercorns
    • 1 tsp kosher salt
    • 1½ cups (360 ml) distilled white vinegar
    • Juice of 1 lime

    How to make it

    1. Wear gloves. Toss the cabbage, carrot, onion, peppers and garlic with the salt.
    2. Pack into a jar with the cloves and peppercorns.
    3. Pour in the vinegar and lime juice to cover, pressing down.
    4. Close and refrigerate. Good tomorrow, better in 3 days; keeps a month.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Pickled Pepper People's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

13. No.13Photo: The Real Dill

    Dill and sour

    Caraway Garlic Dills

    From The Real Dill · Denver, Colorado · @therealdillco

    Vinegar○○○No heat$19.99 a jar

    A Denver pickle maker known for big flavors and their Bloody Mary mix. The caraway garlic dill is the rye-bread pickle: caraway seed in the brine.

    Caraway makes a pickle taste like a Reuben in one bite. Smart, simple, and a jar that disappears.

    Eat it withA ReubenBratwurst and mustardPotato salad (chop them in)

    Order from The Real Dill ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Caraway garlic dills

    15 min, then 1 day · makes 1 quart · A classic refrigerator dill with toasted caraway. Toasting the seeds for a minute makes them smell like rye bread.

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    You need

    • 5 or 6 Kirby cucumbers, halved or quartered
    • 1 cup (240 ml) white vinegar
    • 1 cup (240 ml) water
    • 1 tbsp kosher salt
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1½ tsp caraway seeds, toasted
    • 6 garlic cloves, smashed
    • 1 tsp black peppercorns
    • A handful of dill

    How to make it

    1. Pack the cucumbers into a jar with the caraway, garlic, peppercorns and dill.
    2. Boil the vinegar, water, salt and sugar.
    3. Pour over the cucumbers to cover.
    4. Cool, close and refrigerate. Ready in a day; keeps 3 weeks.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't The Real Dill's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

14. No.14Photo: Gordy's Pickle Jar

    Peppers, beans and more

    Thai Basil Jalapeños

    From Gordy's Pickle Jar · @gordyspicklejar

    Vinegar●●○Hot$12 a jar

    A small pickle company with a cook's sense of flavor, selling straight from its own shop. Jalapeño rings with Thai basil: sweet, herbal and hot.

    Thai basil turns a jar of jalapeños into something you'd put on everything from nachos to noodles.

    Eat it withNachosA banh miFried rice or noodles

    Order from Gordy's Pickle Jar ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Thai basil jalapeños

    15 min, then 1 day · makes 1 pint · Sliced jalapeños in a slightly sweet rice-vinegar brine, with Thai basil and a little fish sauce.

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    You need

    • 8 oz (225 g) jalapeños, sliced into rings
    • ¾ cup (180 ml) rice vinegar
    • ¼ cup (60 ml) water
    • 1 tbsp sugar
    • 1½ tsp kosher salt
    • 1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
    • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
    • A handful of Thai basil leaves

    How to make it

    1. Pack the jalapeños, garlic and basil in a pint jar.
    2. Boil the vinegar, water, sugar and salt; stir in the fish sauce.
    3. Pour over the peppers to cover.
    4. Cool, close and refrigerate. Ready the next day; keeps 3 weeks.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Gordy's Pickle Jar's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

15. No.15Photo: The Brinery

    Kimchi and kraut

    Stimulus Package Sauerkraut

    From The Brinery · Ann Arbor, Michigan · @thebrinery

    Fermented●○○A little heat

    A Michigan fermenter working with farms around Ann Arbor. Raw, live sauerkraut and kimchi, and krauts with a lot more going on than cabbage.

    Kraut with ginger and garlic in it is the easiest way to make a weeknight bowl taste like you planned it.

    Eat it withGrain bowlsHot dogs and sausagesAvocado toast

    Order from The Brinery ↗

    Chef's quick version

    One-jar ginger garlic sauerkraut

    30 min, then 1 to 3 weeks · makes 1 quart · Cabbage and 2% salt, squeezed until it makes its own brine. Ginger and garlic go in from the start.

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    You need

    • 1 small green cabbage (about 2 lb / 900 g), outer leaves saved
    • 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp (18 g) fine sea salt (2% of the cabbage weight)
    • 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
    • 3 garlic cloves, grated
    • 1 small carrot, grated

    How to make it

    1. Quarter and core the cabbage and slice it thin. Weigh it; use 2% of that weight in salt.
    2. Toss with the salt and squeeze hard with your hands for 5 to 10 minutes, until it is wet and limp and there is brine in the bowl.
    3. Mix in the ginger, garlic and carrot.
    4. Pack into a jar a handful at a time, pressing down until brine covers it. Fold a saved leaf on top and weigh it down.
    5. Leave at cool room temperature, pressing down daily. Taste from day 7; refrigerate when sour enough (1 to 3 weeks).

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't The Brinery's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

16. No.16Photo: Josh's Pickles

    Dill and sour

    Heritage Dill Wholes

    From Josh's Pickles · Utah

    Vinegar○○○No heat$11.99 a jar

    Josh Little makes craft pickles from family recipes a hundred years old, and markets them like a showman: his stunts, a pickle hot tub included, keep going viral.

    Behind the stunts is a very good, very classic dill. Big garlic, a real crunch.

    Eat it withA turkey sandwichPotato chipsA pickle plate

    Order from Josh's Pickles ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Heritage dill chips

    15 min, then 1 day · makes 1 quart · Thin chips take the brine fast, so they're good the next day. Dill seed and fresh dill both.

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    You need

    • 1¼ lb (570 g) Kirby cucumbers, sliced ⅛ inch thick
    • 1 cup (240 ml) white vinegar
    • 1 cup (240 ml) water
    • 1 tbsp kosher salt
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1 tsp dill seed
    • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
    • A handful of fresh dill

    How to make it

    1. Pack the slices into a jar with the dill seed, garlic and dill.
    2. Boil the vinegar, water, salt and sugar.
    3. Pour over the slices to cover.
    4. Cool, close and refrigerate. Ready in a day; keeps 2 weeks.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Josh's Pickles's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

17. No.17Good Food Award winner, 2026Photo: Know Your Roots Pickles

    Sweet and hot

    Blazin' Bread 'n' Butter Pickles

    From Know Your Roots Pickles · Longmont, Colorado

    Vinegar●●●Very hot

    A small Colorado maker whose bread 'n' butter pickles won a 2026 Good Food Award. The Blazin' version adds habanero.

    Bread and butter pickles with a fire under them. Sweet first, then the habanero shows up and stays.

    Eat it withA burgerFried chicken sandwichesPimento cheese

    Order from Know Your Roots Pickles ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Habanero bread 'n' butters

    25 min, plus 1 hour salting, then 1 day · makes 1 quart · The classic sweet brine with onion and celery seed, plus a habanero. Halve the habanero for less heat.

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    You need

    • 1½ lb (680 g) Kirby cucumbers, sliced ¼ inch
    • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
    • 1 tbsp kosher salt
    • 1 cup (240 ml) apple cider vinegar
    • ⅔ cup (130 g) brown sugar
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • ½ tsp celery seeds
    • ¼ tsp ground turmeric
    • 1 habanero, thinly sliced

    How to make it

    1. Toss the cucumbers and onion with the salt and a handful of ice; leave 1 hour, then drain and rinse.
    2. Boil the vinegar, sugar, mustard, celery seeds, turmeric and habanero.
    3. Add the cucumbers and onion, bring just back to a simmer, then turn off the heat.
    4. Spoon into a jar with the brine. Cool, close and refrigerate. Ready the next day.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Know Your Roots Pickles's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

18. No.18Photo: Pacific Pickle Works

    Peppers, beans and more

    Asparagusto

    From Pacific Pickle Works · Santa Barbara, California · @pacificpickleworks

    Vinegar●○○A little heat$11.55 a jar

    A Santa Barbara pickle company with a pun for every jar, whose fans funded its new kitchen on Kickstarter. Asparagusto is pickled asparagus with a little heat.

    Pickled asparagus is the best thing on a pickle plate that nobody brings. Spears, snap, a little spice.

    Eat it withA Bloody MaryProsciuttoDeviled eggs

    Order from Pacific Pickle Works ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Pickled asparagus

    20 min, then 2 days · makes 1 quart · Blanch for a minute so the spears stay green and snappy, then a garlicky hot brine.

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    You need

    • 1 bunch asparagus (1 lb / 450 g), trimmed to the jar height
    • 1 cup (240 ml) white wine vinegar
    • 1 cup (240 ml) water
    • 1 tbsp kosher salt
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 3 garlic cloves, halved
    • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
    • 1 strip lemon peel
    • ½ tsp black peppercorns

    How to make it

    1. Blanch the asparagus 60 seconds, then chill in ice water and drain.
    2. Stand the spears in a jar with the garlic, pepper flakes, lemon peel and peppercorns.
    3. Boil the vinegar, water, salt and sugar and pour over to cover.
    4. Cool, close and refrigerate. Best after 2 days; keeps 3 weeks.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Pacific Pickle Works's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

19. No.19Photo: Olive My Pickle

    Dill and sour

    Horseradish Pickles

    From Olive My Pickle · Jacksonville, Florida · @olivemypickle

    Fermented●○○A little heat$15.99 a jar

    Pickles fermented in salt brine with no vinegar, so they're alive. The horseradish ones have the bite of the jar at a Jewish deli.

    Horseradish gives a sinus-clearing kick that's different from chili heat. Fermented, crunchy, cold.

    Eat it withRoast beef sandwichesBrisketOysters

    Order from Olive My Pickle ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Fermented horseradish spears

    20 min, then 4 to 6 days · makes 1 quart · A fermented dill with fresh horseradish root, which also helps keep the pickles firm.

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    You need

    • 1½ lb (680 g) Kirby cucumbers, cut into spears
    • 4 cups (950 ml) filtered water
    • 2 tbsp (36 g) fine sea salt
    • 2-inch piece fresh horseradish root, peeled and sliced thin
    • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • A handful of dill

    How to make it

    1. Dissolve the salt in the water.
    2. Pack the spears upright with the horseradish, garlic, mustard seeds and dill.
    3. Cover with brine and weigh down.
    4. Leave at cool room temperature, skimming any film. Taste from day 4; refrigerate when sour.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Olive My Pickle's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

20. No.20Photo: Sunja's

    Kimchi and kraut

    Mild White Kimchi

    From Sunja's · Vermont · @sunjaskimchi

    Fermented○○○No heat

    A Vermont family has been making Sunja's kimchi for over 30 years. The white kimchi has no chili at all: cabbage, pear, garlic and ginger in a cool, sweet brine.

    Baek kimchi is kimchi for people who think they don't like kimchi. Crisp, sweet, gently sour, and the brine is a drink.

    Eat it withNoodlesGrilled fishFried rice for kids

    Order from Sunja's ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Baek kimchi (white kimchi)

    1 hour 30 min, then 2 days · makes About 2 quarts · No chili: the flavor is Asian pear, garlic and ginger. Lots of brine, served cold.

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    You need

    • 1 small napa cabbage (about 1½ lb / 680 g), cut into 2-inch pieces
    • 3 tbsp kosher salt
    • ½ Asian pear, peeled and sliced thin
    • ½ small daikon, cut into thin matchsticks
    • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
    • 1-inch piece ginger, sliced thin
    • 3 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
    • 1 red jujube or ½ red bell pepper, sliced (for color)
    • 4 cups (950 ml) water mixed with 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar

    How to make it

    1. Toss the cabbage with the 3 tbsp salt and leave 1 hour, turning twice. Rinse and drain.
    2. Layer the cabbage in a jar with the pear, daikon, garlic, ginger, scallions and pepper.
    3. Pour in the salted water to cover.
    4. Leave on the counter 1 to 2 days until it tastes lightly sour, then refrigerate. Serve cold with some of the brine.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Sunja's's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

21. No.21Photo: Mauro Provisions

    Peppers, beans and more

    Medium Giardiniera

    From Mauro Provisions · Chicago, Illinois

    Pickled, then in oil●●○Hot$9.99 a jar

    Chicago puts giardiniera on its Italian beef. Mauro Provisions makes a craft version: crunchy vegetables and sport peppers in oil.

    The condiment Chicago would fight you for. On a beef sandwich, on pizza, on eggs, it's the crunch and heat everything was missing.

    Eat it withAn Italian beef sandwichPizzaA sub

    Order from Mauro Provisions ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Chicago-style giardiniera

    30 min, plus overnight brining, then 2 days · makes 1 quart · Brine the vegetables in salt water overnight so they stay crunchy, then into vinegar and oil with oregano.

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    You need

    • 1 cup cauliflower florets, cut small
    • 1 celery stalk, sliced
    • 1 carrot, sliced thin
    • ½ red bell pepper, diced
    • 4 to 6 serrano or sport peppers, sliced
    • 2 tbsp kosher salt dissolved in 3 cups (720 ml) water
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 tsp dried oregano
    • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
    • ½ cup (120 ml) white vinegar
    • ½ cup (120 ml) olive oil (or half olive, half neutral)

    How to make it

    1. Cover the vegetables and peppers with the salt water and refrigerate overnight.
    2. Drain and rinse.
    3. Mix the garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, vinegar and oil.
    4. Pack the vegetables into a jar and pour the dressing over them to cover.
    5. Refrigerate 2 days before eating, shaking the jar now and then. Keeps 3 weeks.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Mauro Provisions's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

22. No.22Photo: SuckerPunch

    Sweet and hot

    Fiery Heat Three Pepper Chips

    From SuckerPunch · Austin, Texas · @suckerpunchpickles

    Vinegar●●●Very hot$7.99 a jar

    A family-run Texas pickle company since 2011. The three-pepper chips are for people who think most spicy pickles aren't.

    The hottest pickle on this list. Three peppers, chips cut thin so every one carries the fire.

    Eat it withBrisketNachosFried fish

    Order from SuckerPunch ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Three-pepper hot chips

    15 min, then 1 day · makes 1 quart · Habanero, jalapeño and chili flakes in a dill brine. Thin chips soak it up overnight.

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    You need

    • 1¼ lb (570 g) Kirby cucumbers, sliced ⅛ inch
    • 1 cup (240 ml) white vinegar
    • 1 cup (240 ml) water
    • 1 tbsp kosher salt
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 1 habanero, sliced
    • 1 jalapeño, sliced
    • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
    • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
    • A handful of dill

    How to make it

    1. Wear gloves for the habanero. Pack the slices into a jar with the peppers, garlic and dill.
    2. Boil the vinegar, water, salt, sugar and pepper flakes.
    3. Pour over the slices to cover.
    4. Cool, close and refrigerate. Ready the next day; it gets hotter all week.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't SuckerPunch's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

23. No.23Photo: Pure Indian Foods

    Around the world

    Organic Fermented Lemon Pickle

    From Pure Indian Foods · Princeton Junction, New Jersey

    Fermented●○○A little heat$14 a jar

    Sandeep and Nalini Agarwal started Pure Indian Foods in 2008 making ghee; now they make family recipes too. The lemon pickle is whole lemon, peel and all, fermented with salt and spices until soft.

    Indian lemon pickle is sour, salty, bitter and spiced all at once. A sliver with yogurt rice is a whole meal.

    Eat it withYogurt riceDalRoast chicken

    Order from Pure Indian Foods ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Quick lemon pickle

    25 min, then 3 days · makes 1 cup · A short version of a slow pickle: simmering the lemons softens the peel, then they sit in salt and spice.

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    You need

    • 4 lemons, scrubbed, cut into small pieces, seeds removed
    • 2 tbsp kosher salt
    • 1 tsp ground turmeric
    • 1½ tsp Kashmiri or mild chili powder
    • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
    • ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds, crushed
    • 2 tbsp neutral or mustard oil
    • 1 tbsp sugar or jaggery (optional)

    How to make it

    1. Simmer the lemon pieces in water to cover for 8 minutes, until the peel is tender. Drain.
    2. Toss with the salt, turmeric and chili powder.
    3. Heat the oil, add the mustard seeds; when they pop, add the fenugreek for 10 seconds. Pour over the lemons with the sugar.
    4. Spoon into a jar, close and leave on the counter 3 days, shaking once a day, then refrigerate.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Pure Indian Foods's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

24. No.24Photo: Brooklyn Brine

    Dill and sour

    Half Sours

    From Brooklyn Brine · Brooklyn, New York

    Fermented○○○No heat

    A Brooklyn pickle maker that helped start the borough's craft pickle wave. The half sour is the New York deli pickle that's still bright green and crunchy.

    Half sours are the fresh, salty, crunchy side of the deli pickle. Eat them cold and fast; they're best in the first week.

    Eat it withCorned beef on ryeA bagel with loxMatzo ball soup on the side

    Order from Brooklyn Brine ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Three-day half sours

    15 min, then 2 to 3 days · makes 1 quart · Same as a full sour, but you stop early, when they're still green inside. Keep them cold after.

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    You need

    • 6 Kirby cucumbers, very fresh
    • 4 cups (950 ml) filtered water
    • 2 tbsp (36 g) fine sea salt
    • 5 garlic cloves, smashed
    • 1 tsp pickling spice
    • A handful of dill

    How to make it

    1. Trim the blossom ends.
    2. Dissolve the salt in the water.
    3. Pack the cucumbers with the garlic, spice and dill, cover with brine and weigh down.
    4. Leave at room temperature 2 to 3 days, until the outside turns olive but the middle is still green.
    5. Refrigerate. Best within a week.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Brooklyn Brine's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

25. No.25Photo: Pickled Pink Foods

    Peppers, beans and more

    Smokin' Okra

    From Pickled Pink Foods · Peachtree Corners, Georgia · @pickledpinkfoods

    Vinegar●○○A little heat$7 a jar

    A Georgia company built on old handwritten family recipes, no preservatives and no dyes. Smokin' Okra is Southern okra pods in their brine with a hint of heat.

    If you think okra is slimy, pickled okra will change your mind: crisp, tangy, and the pod holds a little brine.

    Eat it withA Bloody MaryFried catfishPimento cheese and crackers

    Order from Pickled Pink Foods ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Pickled okra

    15 min, then 3 days · makes 1 quart · Small, firm pods only; leave the caps on so they stay crisp and not slimy. A pinch of smoked paprika for the smoke.

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    You need

    • 12 oz (340 g) small fresh okra pods (3 inches or less), stem caps on
    • 1 cup (240 ml) apple cider vinegar
    • 1 cup (240 ml) water
    • 1 tbsp kosher salt
    • 1 tsp sugar
    • 3 garlic cloves
    • 1 dried red chili or ½ tsp red pepper flakes
    • ½ tsp smoked paprika
    • 1 tsp mustard seeds
    • ½ tsp dill seed

    How to make it

    1. Rinse the okra and trim just the very ends of the stems, without cutting into the pods.
    2. Pack them in a jar, alternating up and down, with the garlic, chili, mustard and dill seed.
    3. Boil the vinegar, water, salt, sugar and paprika and pour over to cover.
    4. Cool, close and refrigerate. Best after 3 days; keeps a month.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Pickled Pink Foods's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

    Open this one, and the maker's card →

How we picked

One jar per maker, all independent, all things you can order today straight from the people who make them. Fermented and vinegar both, sour to very hot, and a few from further away (Indian achaar, Korean kimchi, Haitian pikliz). Awards are named only where we checked them. Every order page, photo and Instagram handle was checked on November 4, 2026; the photos are the makers' own.

More lists like this

Nobody on this list paid to be here, and Order goes straight to the maker's own shop (we count the taps, that's all). The quick versions are Chef's own, in our words, and say so.