Half Sour Pickles
Make crunchy, deli-style half sour pickles at home in just 3-4 days, using a simple salt brine, fresh dill, and garlic cloves. No canning, no vinegar, and no special fermentation equipment needed.
Craving The Recipe Details?
What it is: Crunchy, salty half sour pickles made by lacto-fermenting fresh cucumbers in a simple salt brine with fresh dill, garlic, and black pepper.
Why you’ll love it: These deli-style pickles are crisp and tangy without any vinegar or canning. They’re easy to make with a few simple ingredients and no special equipment.
How to make it: Pack fresh pickling cucumbers into jars with dill, garlic, and pepper. Cover with a measured salt brine, keeping the cucumbers submerged and ferment at room temperature for 3-4 days. Start tasting around day 3, then refrigerate when they reach your preferred level of sourness.
There’s something really good about a brined pickle. That first salty, sour, crunchy bite is hard to forget – and somehow one pickle always turns into three, and then all of a sudden you’re standing in front of the fridge wondering where the rest of the jar went. (Not that I would know….)
Fermented pickles are one of my favorite ways to satisfy a craving for something savory and salty. Their bright, punchy flavor is especially good alongside rich foods, like Traeger smoked burgers or on a smoked pulled pork sandwich, or added to a charcuterie board where that little hit of acidity can cut through all the good, fatty stuff!
And honestly, having the skills to make delicious pickles in your repertoire is never a bad idea.
This half sour dill pickles recipe is dedicated to good ideas.
Jump to:
What Are Half Sour Pickles?
Half sour pickles are a unique pickle that never seems to quit gaining popularity. These crunchy treats are staples in many delis and are tasty when used to garnish pastrami sandwiches and burgers.
They’re often associated with kosher deli style pickles, but the term “half-sour” refers to the process is used to make these pickles, which involves a combination of fermentation and brining, rather than their kosher status. Half sour pickles are made by fermenting fresh cucumbers in a salt brine, which gives them their characteristic mild tang. Regular dill pickles are preserved in a vinegar brine giving them a strong, acidic, vinegary taste.
During the lacto-fermentation process, naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria convert the sugars in the cucumbers into lactic acid, which gives the pickles their distinct flavor, each day the pickles are left in the brine their sourness increases.
Half Sour Vs Full Sour Pickles
The difference between half sour pickles and full sour pickles lies in their fermentation time, texture, and taste.
Half-sour pickles receive a shorter fermentation time, which works to clarify the flavor but does not fully mature it. This makes them fresh tasting with a crisp texture.
Full-sour pickles on the other hand are submerged in its brine for significantly longer, and this interaction intensifies the flavors and produces an acidic sensation upon consumption. The full-sour pickle has a much more intense, almost-puckery flavor, and its texture is softer than that of its half-sour counterpart.
Generally, half sours are fermented for 3-4 days while full sour pickles are fermented for much longer.
What Is Lacto Fermentation?
If lacto-fermentation sounds scary, I promise you it’s not! It’s one of the easiest preservation methods around and I’m guessing you already have everything you need to do it in your kitchen!
Here’s the short version, cucumbers (like all fresh produce) naturally carry a beneficial bacteria on their skin. If you submerge them in a salty brine you’ll create the exact environment the bacteria wants – low oxygen and plenty of natural sugar to feed on. As it feeds, it converts those sugars into lactic acid, which is the source of that irresistible tang and where the “sour” in half sour pickles comes from.
The tanginess isn’t just flavor, either, as lactic acid builds up, it acts as a preservative by naturally acidifying the brine helping to preserve them. No heat, no vinegar, no added preservatives required. It’s the same basic principle behind sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented hot sauce, and my sourdough starter.
The Science Behind The Brine
Salt does more than season a pickle. During fermentation, salt helps create an environment where the desirable lactic acid bacteria can thrive while discouraging other microorganisms. It also affects the texture of the cucumbers. Don’t adjust the level of salt in this recipe.
I use 38g of salt for every 1000g of water, giving this recipe a 3.8% salt to water brine ratio. I weigh the salt rather than relying on tablespoons because each type and brand of salt can have different weight by volume.
This approach is similar to the equilibrium brine method described in The Noma Guide to Fermentation (page 60). Noma recommends calculating salt based on the combined weight of the water and vegetables, then adding enough salt to reach a final target of 2%. Their example uses 40g salt in 1000g water to cover 1000g cauliflower – a 4% brine that equilibrates as salts move into the cucumbers and out of the brine.
I’m using the same basic idea – starting with a salt concentration that accounts for the water and cucumber’s weight during fermentation.
Key Ingredients
Cucumbers: Choose an unwaxed, pickling variety for your half-sour pickle recipe. My favorite are Cool Breeze cucumbers. Aim to use the fresh cucumbers as soon as possible after harvesting for best results. Discard any spoiled, bruised, rotting vegetable. If you don’t have a bountiful garden, check out the farmers market and specialty grocery stores during cucumber season!
Salt: Salt is critical to the fermentation process, its presence helps to prevent undesirable bacteria from affecting your pickles. Choose mineral sea salt for the best flavor profile or coarse kosher salt for the most neutral salt flavor. Skip salts that have iodine or anti-caking agents.
Water: Spring water or well water works great in fermenting recipes. Avoid chlorinated water wherever possible as chlorine can affect microbial activity. I use straight well water or well water run through my RO system for all my ferments.
How To Make Half Sour Pickles
Prepare Supplies + Ingredients:
- Step 1: Wash your fermentation vessel in hot soapy water and rinse well. It does not have to be sterilized but should be washed well with hot soapy water. Set aside to dry.
- Step 2: Scrub and rinse 2 lbs pickling cucumbers under cold water – avoid hot water or soap. Slice blossom end from each cucumber. Peel and slice 8 fresh garlic cloves.
- Step 3: Wash 2 dill flowers and 8 fresh dill sprigs in cool running water and spin dry in a salad spinner or blot dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Step 4: Place 1 dill flower and 4 sprigs of dill in the bottom of each jar along with 4 sliced cloves of garlic and 5 whole black peppercorns. I like to use regular mouth quart sized jars for this recipe as the natural taper of the jar helps to hold all the ingredients under the brine.
- Step 5: Pack your jars tightly with cucumbers.
Prepare The Brine:
- Step 6: Combine 1000g (4 cups) of water with 38g (~2 tablespoons) of coarse kosher salt. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved.
- Step 7: Pour salt brine into the packed jars, ensuring everything is covered.
Why weigh the salt?
A tablespoon of fine salt and a tablespoon of coarse salt don’t weigh the same. Salt concentration matters when fermenting, so measuring 38g gives a much more consistent brine than relying on volume measurements.
- Step 8: Weigh down the ingredients before securing the lid tightly. Set it aside to ferment.
Ferment The Pickles:
- Step 9: Keep your ferment out of direct sunlight, but somewhere where you’ll see it daily to observe. Open the lid and burp the built up carbon dioxide once a day if using a regular lid, this is not necessary if using self-venting fermentation lids.
- Step 10: After a day or so, you should start to notice fermenting activity. There will be small bubbles that rush to the top of the jar when you tap it, the jar may hiss slightly when opened, the color of the cucumbers will dull from bright green, the brine will be cloudy, and the brine may leak over the top of the jar and run down the sides.
- Step 11: Ferment at room temperature for about 3 to 4 days, beginning to taste at day 3. The exact timing depends on temperature, cucumbers, and how sour you like your pickles. Once they have the mild tang and crunch you’re after, refrigerate them.
In my kitchen: I personally like to let them rest in the refrigerator for another week before eating them, which gives the flavours time to meld. That refrigerated resting time is optional.
Expert Tips
- Keep em under. Cucumbers need to stay submerged in the brine during fermentation. Anything poking above the brine is exposed to air and creates an opportunity for mold or other microbes. A pickle weight makes this easy, but a small ziplock bag filled with brine also works.
- Read the bubbles. Small bubbles, cloudy brine, a little fizz, and even some overflow are signs that fermentation is underway. The cucumbers will also lose some of their bright green color. Keep an eye on the whole ferment, rather than just one change at a time.
- Taste is the timer. Start tasting around day 3. Temperature, cucumber size and fermentation environment all affect how quickly these pickles sour, so the calendar is only a part of the process.
- Burp the jar. Fermentation produces carbon dioxide, so pressure can build in a tightly sealed jar. A self-venting fermentation lid is the easiest option, but if you’re using a standard mason jar, don’t forget to loosen the rings once a day to release built up CO2.
- Make them yours. Garlic and dill are classic, but there’s plenty of room to play. Try mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, dill seeds, celery seed, coriander seed for different flavor profiles.
Why This Recipe Works
A measured salt brine helps shape the fermentation. Salt creates an environment that favors desirable lactic acid bacteria while discouraging other microorganisms. NCHFP specifically notes that salt is important to both the safety and texture of fermented pickles.
Short fermentation keeps the pickles crisp. Half sours are fermented for just 3-4 days, giving the cucumbers time to develop tanginess without losing too much of their crisp texture and more intense acidity from a longer ferment.
Cold storage slows fermentation. Once the pickles reach your desired level of sourness, moving them to the fridge slows microbial activity so the flavor can continue to develop without fermentation progressing as quickly.
Half Sour Pickles FAQs
Once they’re fermented to your liking, half sour pickles should be stored in the fridge\. They’ll keep fermenting slowly the whole time, so the flavor will continue moving towards full sour territory over time. For the best crisp, tangy “half sour” flavor, plan to eat them within a couple of months. Trust me, it won’t be hard, we can eat a jar in a few days!
In my kitchen: We’ve also made large batches that have stayed in the garage fridge for over a year and they were still delicious, but I don’t consider that a general shelf-life recommendation.
Totally normal! That fizziness is the lactic acid fermentation at work – the same nature process that gives sour cabbage and homemade kombucha their tang. A little fizz is normal during active fermentation, the bubbles are carbon dioxide produced by the fermenting organisms. As always, when dealing with food safety, pay attention to the appearance, smell, and condition of the ferment as a whole when deciding whether it’s developing normally.
Weighing down the cucumbers keeps every piece fully submerged under the brine. Anything above the brine is exposed to air instead of the acidic, oxygen poor environment the brine creates which means that exposed piece can grow mold, even if the rest of the jar is fermenting perfectly well.
The easiest way to do this is by using a pickle pebble or other fermentation weight. If you don’t have a fermentation weight, you can use a ziplock bag filled with brine and placed on top of the jar to help keep the cucumber submerged.
Yes – spears work well and tend to actually ferment a bit faster than whole cucumbers. Just know that they’ll turn out slightly softer than whole pickles as more flesh is exposed to brine.
Pink Himalayan salt is a fine substitute that will add flavor to your ferment, as is sea salt or even pickling salt. Salt varies by type and brand, so you’re best to weigh the salt to ensure your brine maintains the proper salinity. Aim for 38-40g salt per 1000g water.
Skip table salt and salts with anti-caking agents.
No. This recipe is for fermented refrigerator pickles, not shelf-stable canned pickles, Don’t water bath can this recipe. If you’re looking for shelf-stable pickles, use a tested canning recipe specifically for that purpose.
Recipe Notes
Fermenting Time:
The great thing about making homemade pickles anything is that it’s all about personal taste, and there’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to fermentation time. Most people ferment their half sour pickles for 3-4 days for crunchy pickles, but you can certainly ferment for longer if you want to develop a deeper, more complex flavor.
The key is to experiment and find what works best for your taste buds. If you’re new to fermented food, start with a shorter fermentation time and then taste your pickles each day to see how they’re developing. If you like what you taste, then you can halt the fermentation and enjoy it. But if you want a more sour, tangy flavor, then you can ferment for a little longer next time.
Fermenting Temperature:
The ideal range for fermentation is at room temperature, between 68-75°F.
If the temperature is too low, the fermenting process will take longer and may not be as effective. On the other hand, if the temperature is too high, the fermentation process will occur too quickly and may produce an unpleasant flavor.
Kahm Yeast:
If you notice a white film forming on the surface of your ferment, it’s more than likely kahm yeast – which is generally harmless but tastes terrible.
The presence of kahm yeast will probably affect the outcome of your ferment – though some people say you can scrape it off and continue, I’d advise you to trash it and start again.
Mold:
Kahm yeast is one thing, but mold is another animal completely. Mold looks very different from kahm yeast – it’s fuzzy and can be various colors, including white. If your ferment has mold toss it immediately.
There is no salvaging a ferment that has mold on it. To prevent this in the future, you can ensure your vegetables are weighted and below the surface of the brine, double check that your sanitation process is appropriate, and use a solid lid on the ferment to prevent contamination.
Recommended Equipment
As previously mentioned, fermentation is very accessible – it doesn’t require any specialized equipment.
Fermentation vessel: A clean glass jar works well. During active fermentation, use an airlock or lid that can vent pressure. If you’re using a standard mason jar lid, don’t seal the jar too tightly, and ensure that you’re burping or opening the jar once a day to allow the build up of carbon dioxide to release.
Fermentation weight: While there are specific glass fermentation weights or pickle pebbles, you can use a few different things. A ziplock-style bag half filled with brine placed on top of the ingredients works great.
Lids: I have airlock lids and pickle pipes as well as regular mason jar lids here in the Crave kitchen, but I also don’t have enough of them to keep me in the ferments, SO I often end up using other things from around the house and they work just fine!
The advantage to using specific fermentation lids is twofold; they limit oxygen exposure and they allow the ferment to vent carbon dioxide without needing to manually burp them. The lids are designed with a one way pressure release, though each looks different than the next, they effectively function the same – once the pressure is high enough, the lid opens a valve and allows excess carbon dioxide (pressure) to escape.
More Fun Fermenting Recipes
If you tried this Fermented Half Sour Pickle recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Printable Recipe
Half Sour Pickles Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Pickling cucumbers, to fill 2 quart jars
- 8 sprigs fresh dill
- 2 dill flowers, optional
- 8 cloves garlic, sliced
- 10 whole black peppercorns, optional
- 1000 g water, (4 cups)
- 38 g coarse kosher salt or sea salt, (~ 2 tablespoons coarse kosher salt)
Instructions
Prepare Supplies + Ingredients:
- Wash your fermentation vessel in hot soapy water and rinse well. It does not have to be sterilized but should be washed well with hot soapy water. Set aside to dry.
- Scrub and rinse 2 lbs pickling cucumbers under cold water - avoid hot water or soap. Slice blossom end from each cucumber. Peel and slice 8 fresh garlic cloves.
- Wash 2 dill flowers and 8 fresh dill sprigs in cool running water and spin dry in a salad spinner or blot dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Place 1 dill flower and 4 sprigs of dill in the bottom of each jar along with 4 sliced cloves of garlic and 5 whole black peppercorns. I like to use regular mouth quart sized jars for this recipe as the natural taper of the jar helps to hold all the ingredients under the brine.
- Pack your jars tightly with cucumbers.
Prepare The Brine:
- Combine 1000g (4 cups) of water with 38g (~2 tablespoons) of coarse kosher salt. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved.
- Pour salt brine into the packed jars, ensuring everything is covered.
- Weigh down the ingredients before securing the lid tightly. Set it aside to ferment.
Ferment The Pickles:
- Keep your ferment out of direct sunlight, but somewhere where you'll see it daily to observe. Open the lid and burp the built up carbon dioxide once a day if using a regular lid, this is not necessary if using self-venting fermentation lids.
- After a day or so, you should start to notice fermenting activity. There will be small bubbles that rush to the top of the jar when you tap it, the jar may hiss slightly when opened, the color of the cucumbers will dull from bright green, the brine will be cloudy, and the brine may leak over the top of the jar and run down the sides.
- Ferment at room temperature for about 3 to 4 days, beginning to taste at day 3. The exact timing depends on temperature, cucumbers, and how sour you like your pickles. Once they have the mild tang and crunch you're after, refrigerate them. Pickles can be eaten right away, but I prefer to let the flavors meld in the fridge for a week before enjoying.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Keep em under. Cucumbers need to stay submerged in the brine during fermentation. Anything poking above the brine is exposed to air and creates an opportunity for mold or other pathogens. A pickle weight makes this easy, but a small ziplock bag filled with brine also works.
- Read the bubbles. Small bubbles, cloudy brine, a little fizz, and even some overflow are signs that fermentation is underway. The cucumbers will also lose some of their bright green color. Keep an eye on the whole ferment, rather than just one change at a time.
- Taste is the timer. Start tasting around day 3. Temperature, cucumber size and fermentation environment all affect how quickly these pickles sour, so the calendar is only a part of the process.
- Burp the jar. Fermentation produces carbon dioxide, so pressure can build in a tightly sealed jar. A self-venting fermentation lid is the easiest option, but if you're using a standard mason jar, don't forget to loosen the rings once a day to release built up CO2.
- Make them yours. Garlic and dill are classic, but there's plenty of room to play. Try mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, dill seeds, celery seed, coriander seed for different flavor profiles.
I used to live in LA and frequented Jewish delis often. I was in love with their pickles. Although I don’t like fresh cucumbers, I loved the pickles that weren’t strong but had a slight cucumber flavor. Have never been able to find them in a store. I came across your article and recipe for half sours. I’m assuming that’s what I ate in the delis. I’ve never done this before but, at 74, I’m going to give it a try. I don’t understand what the weighting is all about though. Could you explain it more for me? Thank you!!!
Hi Kathy, the reason we weigh the cucumbers down in the brine is to prevent any part of them from floating above the surface of the brine and deteriorating. The brine helps encourage fermentation and halt rotting but only if the cucumbers are fully submerged!
I thought that the ferment total percent salt is supposed to be no less than 2%. With the recipe you post, you aren’t considering the volume and liquid in what you are fermenting. Thus a quart jar of water plus vegetables should have two tablespoons of kosher salt in it (roughly 2 percent). By doing the brine as you do your total salt percentage will be diluted by the water in the vegetables to a lower value. I suggest revising for safety purposes.
Hey Brian, thanks for your comment! I appreciate your concern for safety. I did extensive research before fermenting foods for my family and sharing recipes publicly.
This recipe actually creates approximately a 4% brine (2 tablespoons coarse salt in 4 cups water = ~38g salt to ~1000g water = 3.8%). As the fermentation progresses, osmosis naturally draws moisture from the cucumbers, which brings the total salt percentage down to around 2% – right where it should be for food safety.
This approach is supported by reliable fermentation resources. The Noma Guide to Fermentation (page 60) specifically recommends this method: make a higher percentage brine initially, knowing it will even out as vegetables release moisture during fermentation. Their example uses 40g salt in 1000g water to cover 1000g cauliflower – a 4% brine that equilibrates through osmosis, just like this recipe.
Similarly, The Art of Fermentation (page 124) recommends a 5% brine for sour pickles (3 tablespoons salt per liter) and ~3.5% brine for half-sour pickles (2 tablespoons per liter), which is the exact ratio used here.
The method I’ve shared is well-established and safe when followed correctly. I always encourage people to research fermentation practices, and I’m confident this recipe aligns with professional standards.
Hi Ally,
I haven’t tried this yet, but I was wondering if you could add red pepper flakes or fresh jalapeño to make them spicy?
I used to make a spicy bread and butter pickle that was pretty good.
Thank you,
Lynn
Heck ya! I make a dill pickle hot sauce, so I’m totally on board with a spicy pickle! If you have fresh jalapenos from the garden that would be best cause they’ll be edible after – see fermented jalapenos.
Best Half Sour recipe I have found. Will make often.
So happy to hear you liked the recipe, Kevin!!
So I made these and they taste great and have a great crunchy texture but they taste fizzy. What would have caused this? Do I need to toss them and start over?
Hey Alana, the fizziness is due to the fermentation process. It’s totally normal!
I’m confused on the part to remove the kahm (sp) and continue (with the batch) vs that you would scrap and start over. Are you saying you would throw out your batch and start a new one from square one?
Hey Linda, you bet. Kahm yeast is edible, but it can cause butter flavors in your ferments, so I throw out anything that has had kahm yeast and start over with fresh ingredients. The good news is that with proper sanitation, you’re less likely to have kahm, in fact I’ve only had one jar with kahm yeast in the years I’ve been fermenting. And I always have a few sentient jars on the counter lol
@Ally, thanks a bunch. I added a new note today as I imagined what some past people I’ve known would do with this. I’d give specific examples but feelings might be hurt if they were ever to see them in print. Definitely eyebrow raising. LOL Thanks for the article. Going to try the dill pickle hot sauce soon. It sounds intriguing.
ldr
You’re welcome, let me know how you like the hot sauce!
I’m confused as your total time says 3days 10min but it states to rest in the fridge for 2 weeks before eating. So should the total time be 17 days?
I don’t consider that to be included in the recipe time, because even with vinegar pickles you’re best to wait at least a couple of weeks before trying and it’s not actually time where you need to be monitoring the recipe in any way.
They can be eaten right away, but are definitely best when rested for at least a couple of weeks in the fridge.
Can you slice your cucumber s instead of leaving them whole
I have done spears and it worked great! They may come out a little softer as slices though.
As the pickles ferment will the brine evaporate/reduce and if so do I add more if I notice it’s not covering the cucumbers?
Hey Jennifer, the jar is closed so the brine should not evaporate. If you notice the cucumbers/pickles are floating during the fermenting process, you can always fill a small ziplock bag with a little bit of brine, remove the air and seal it shut, then place on top of the cucumbers. This will help weigh them down and if the bag leaks, it won’t dilute the brine!
The cucumbers may shrink a little bit after the brine time, and I’ve found if they float a bit once placed in the fridge it’s not a big deal!
Thanks so much for this!
And is that all that Brine is, water,and salt? Also can we use coarse pink hemillahian salt?
Hey Mike! Yup, the brine is literally only salt and water, it’s so easy. Go ahead and use the Himalayan salt, it will be just fine. If it’s really coarse, add an extra pinch to make sure the salinity is high enough. Hope you enjoy them! If you’re new to fermenting, you may want to let them mellow out in the fridge for a week or so after you put them in there, it will allow the flavors to meld a bit more!