If you have ever experienced the joy of eating a Wickle’s Pickle, then you know how bold of a statement it is to make that my homemade version is better. But it is. Cheaper too. And more fun to make. And did I mention healthier? This was so much easier than I ever imagined making a pickle could be, and the results were ten ZILLION times better than I could ever have expected.
The funny thing is I had no desire to try this. This one was my fiance’s idea and he bugged me until I gave in. He randomly gets the weirdest unyielding motivation to try a new recipe. But I have to hand it to him, and I almost hope he doesn’t read this beacuse I will never live it down, he has rarely steered us wrong. He is the one that made me try a White Russian cocktail when I didn’t want to – which is now my favorite drink. He convinced me to make banana pancakes when I thought they sounded weird, but now I eat them for dessert on almost a daily basis (see the video on my YouTube page too). The most life changing suggestion, that I am almost too embarrassed to say, is that he is also the one that convinced me to get back into spiralizing vegetables. I had a spiralizer and used it a couple times, but then started cooking mostly with spaghetti squash. But I quickly got tired (literally!) of how hard those things are to cut. He reminded me I had my spiralizer my mom gave me way back when, I reluctantly switched, and haven’t cooked a spaghetti squash since. I obviously LOVEEE my spiralizer. You can probably tell through my recipes. So kudos to Neil, this is the one time I’ll say it 😛 and these pickles were a phenomenal idea. So back to it.
Homemade Benefits
You may have seen in one of my recent posts that I actually mention pickles as a zero calorie food fraud. That is because although extremely low in calories, store bought pickles can carry a ton of sodium, plus a good amount of added sugar. Neither of which are good in excess. However, that is one of the benefits of making these yourself. You get to control how much salt and sugar go into your recipe, and you will quickly learn that you don’t need as much as you’d think. We went through a bunch of recipes looking for one we wanted to base ours off of. And I vetoed every single one because of the sugar and salt content. So we just decided we were going to halve what was called for and see what happened. We also used my Whole Earth Sugar Blend rather than straight sugar. And our pickles – as I’ve said – were phenomenal! No regrets whatsoever. I’d even argue that we could take out a teeeeny bit more of the sugar. But these are amazing following the exact recipe below.
Sweet & Spicy Simplicity
One of the awesome things about this recipe is that it is SO. SIMPLE. Anyone can do it! Even if you don’t think you can. And it doesn’t require you to go out and buy a zillion ingredients. Just some cucumbers and a few spices. And I will admit that I definitely recommend going out and getting some mason jars to store them in. Not because it is necessary, if you have well sealed glass containers at home feel free to use those instead, but just because they make for a really pretty presentation 🙂 And we all know we love serving a great looking dish (or gift idea!).
So once you’ve got everything you need, you are ready to go! You will never go back to store bought pickles after trying these.
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Better than Wickles – Homemade Pickles
- Total Time: 10 days til ready to eat
- Yield: 1 batch 1x
Description
Gluten Free, Vegan
If you have ever had Wickles Pickles you know they are one of the greatest gifts to this world – but dare I say it – these homemade pickles are even tastier! And made with better ingredients you can feel good about.
Ingredients
- 3 Large cucumbers (or a package of small cucumbers)
- Mason jars
- 2 cups water
- 1.75 cups white vinegar
- 1/4 cup Whole Earth sugar blend (could do a little less)
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1.5 tbsp salt
- Chopped fresh dill weed – we just bought a package from Publix and used the entire thing (0.66 oz)
- 2 tbsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine cucumbers, water, vinegar, dill, sugar, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes
- Let stand at room temp for about 2 hours, until sugar and salt dissolve
- Put in mason jars, filling to the top with liquid and seal lids
- Refrigerate 10 days before using
- Good for one month*
Notes
We used large pickles and after about 3 weeks they started getting a little soggy. Still tasted great and definitely still edible! But it is because they are consistently soaking up the juices and these are bigger. So my advice is if you make these with thicker cucumbers to eat sooner rather than later. Little ones will last a little bit longer!
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 10 days
- Category: snacks and side dish
- Method: No bake
Keywords: pickles, wickles pickles, homemade pickles, healthy pickles, healthy side dish
If you make this recipe leave a comment below letting me know what you think! If you remake on Instagram don’t forget to tag me at @donutworry_behealthy so I can see your creation and send my love!
↓PIN ME FOR LATER↓
These sound so simple and delicious! My mom used to make pickles when I was a kid but I always thought it was a much more complicated process. I gotta try these soon!
★★★★★
Homemade pickles are the best! I enjoy making these with garden fresh cucumbers. Excited to make this recipe this summer!
★★★★★
I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoy your site. It has such great information. I love to visit because I always learn something new. For example, I have never made pickles and keep buying them. You convinced me to try. Your recipe looks easy, and I bet they taste so much better than store-bought. Thanks so much!
★★★★★
This is a fabulous recipe for homemade pickles. After waiting 10 days to try them, they were finished within 10 days. Making again soon!
★★★★★
Homemade pickles are so easy and simple to make and this recipe is a copycat gem! Perfect for snacks or in sandwich wraps.
★★★★★
We could barely wait the 10 days to eat these but it was soo worth it! They were crispy, flavorful and one of the best homemade pickles I’ve had.
★★★★★
I’ve never had a Wickle’s pickle, but pickles are my favorite food so I am pretty picky about them. These were absolutely incredible. I loved the addition of red pepper flakes to get some spice in there.
★★★★★
My family loves pickles and this recipe has me convinced to make them myself. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
I can’t believe I have never made homemade pickles until today! Thank you so much for sharing, I may not go back to buying pickles ever again!
★★★★★
These pickles came out soooo good! I did reduce the sugar to only about a tbsp and added a pinch of chilli flakes for an extra kick. Delicious and super easy to make!
★★★★★
I would be doing us both a diservice if I did not acknowlege and support your efforts. Women are the fabric of the world upon which life plays out.
Years ago, women had sewing bees. Each woman brought her own colors and designs and they melded them into quite wondrous works. They loved, supported and acknowledged one another and produced the “fabric” of their combined lives.
We need to do more of that.
wow I love that SO much!
My Grandmother made “Icicle Pickles”. which were much the same as Pickles. She canned them and I remember her saying she would adjust the alum to keep the pickles crisp. They were phenomenally addictive, ( she only served them on holidays), which made them such a treat. I was astounded to find a pickle on the market that even approached hers. I had despaired that she took the recipe to her grave, and was amazed at finding Wickles.
I don’t think I will make your recipe as I live alone and could not use them up before they got soggy, but I do applaud your inventiveness and creativity. However, it sounds to me that you should listen to hubby more often. He’s got great instinct and taste. He picked you, didn’t he?
oh those sound so good! Definitely a great memory too. And yes I agree Wickles are so good! Let me know if you do ever get the chance to try these ones 🙂 and thank you for the kind words!
What is a sugar blend
Sorry looks like my link wasn’t functioning in the recipe card itself. I used Whole Earth’s sugar blend. It is a mixture of sugar and stevia so it cuts down on the refined sugar a bit. But you could use just cane sugar as well!
I WILL HOT WATER BATH MY PICKLES. That must be an option for me. My CUCUMBERS are n. This must be an option, since Wickles are obviously stored the shelves.
Would this spoil if they are not refrigerated?
I would recommend keeping them in the fridge!
Is the measurement still a 1/4 cup if I have regular sugar on hand and not the blend? Or would I use more? I’m anxious to try it and don’t want to wait to order the blend.
yes I am sure that would work pretty much the same!
My son loves wickles but if i make your version i need to use a water bath canner for long term preservation…..how about updating your recipe to include that option?
I didn’t consider long term since we ate them so fast! But that is a great idea and I will definitely look into it, thank you for the feedback 🙂