Quick Gherkin Pickles

Call them gherkins, baby pickles, or cornichons – all three names apply here, but don’t forget to describe these Quick Gherkin Pickles as delicious and crave-worthy! No canning equipment or canning knowledge is necessary here because this is a quick pickle recipe. It’s easy to prepare just one large jar and store it in your fridge ready for your snacking needs and charcuterie plating!

Quick Gherkin Pickles are a make-at-home recipe that is a replica of the store-bought little pickles in a jar that everyone seems to love. They are extremely popular on charcuterie boards, especially if I’m preparing that charcuterie board in our home, because we love them. You see, Dear Reader, in our home, a charcuterie board is something we do sometimes for a meal. We pile it with crackers, bread, cheese, meats, dips, and of course, lots of sweet and sour bites like these pickles, sweet onions, beets, etc.

Because we love gherkins – also very commonly known as cornichons – so much, I decided to grow some this year with the goal of pickling my own. There are two reasons for this. First of all, the store-bought kind are a hit and miss for me. Even though we do love them, sometimes they can taste a little too sweet for my liking. Secondly, we live in a very small town with a small grocery store that serves a few little communities. That grocery store is oftentimes limited with stock making it hard to pick up a jar of gherkins when needed.

For example, last Christmas I wanted to make some Newfoundland Hors D’oevres and for the life of me I couldn’t find gherkins anywhere. I had to settle for a brand that wasn’t our regular brand, but they had to make do. And, don’t even get me started on the whole covid fiasco! There might have been shortages of toilet paper and whatnot, but did you know gherkins were off the shelves for months!?

IT’S A QUICK PICKLE YOU SAY?

Quick pickle is a term that is often applied to a fruit or vegetable that is pickled in a quick brine mixture. Usually, the brine will consist of water, vinegar, sugar, and some seasonings. Quick pickle-type recipes are very popular and most of the time can be completed in less than thirty minutes. In this case, my Quick Gherkin Pickles are a quick pickle recipe.

Quick pickle recipes are great for the non-canning/preserving home cook because they require no long-term canning process, and no special equipment, and they can be stored in the refrigerator for a period of time. In this case, these gherkins can be safely stored in the fridge for 8-12 weeks. Keep in mind that they are not shelf-stable like traditional canned pickles, so they must be kept in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Cucumbers – You will need to use a smaller pickling cucumber that is associated with gherkins or cornichons. The packet of seeds I used were called cornichons. This recipe will also work with mini canning cucumbers; you just won’t fit as many into your jars.
• Garlic – Use a fresh garlic clove.
• Pearl Onions – These are very small onions, sometimes called cocktail onions. The are a nuisance to peel, so look in your grocers freezer section for a bag of peeled and blanched pearl onions.
• Peppercorns and Cloves
• Bay Leaf
• White Vinegar – Usually I’ll suggest substitution options for vinegar flavours, but in this case, I would not recommend using anything else. The taste will completely change and I can’t guarantee it will be any good.
• Pickling Salt – If you use regular table salt or sea salt, you run the risk of the liquid becoming super cloudy.
• Sugar 
• Water

HOW TO MAKE QUICK GHERKIN PICKLES

Begin by washing the gherkins well. Transfer them to a large mason jar, layering them with the halved garlic clove, pearl onions, and bay leaf. Place the whole peppercorns and whole cloves into the jar as well. Set the jar aside.

Next, measure the vinegar, water, sugar, and pickling salt into a saucepan. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Stir until the salt has fully dissolved. Ladle the hot brine into the jar of gherkins. Remove any air bubbles. Top up the brine, making sure that there is enough brine in the jars to cover the gherkins. Allow the jar of gherkins to rest at room temperature for one hour.

Next, place a lid on the jar and refrigerate. The gherkins need to sit undisturbed for at least 48 hours before they are ready to eat. The longer you allow the gherkins to sit in the brine, the better they will taste!

WHAT ARE GHERKINS?

According to Cooked Best, here’s what you need to know about gherkins, or what they are otherwise known as – cornichons. In most English-speaking countries, these small pickles are sold under their French name, cornichons, but the English call them gherkins. So you may be wondering what are cornichons. They come from a few different types of gherkin plants that are generally small and picked when quite young. The most popular varieties of cucumber used for cornichons are Parisienne cornichon de Bourbonne and fin de Meaux cucumber.

Gherkins have a striking resemblance to cucumbers, but they are not true cucumbers. They are a close relative to the cucumber but have a bumpy exterior. They are one to two inches long, and their width is about the size of a child’s finger. The texture of this little cucumber cousin is crunchy, and the taste is tart and mildly sweet.

In French cooking, pickles do not have a huge part, but the crunchy bite of cornichons balances out pâté, cured meat and cheese. Moreover, terrines, charcuterie items and raclettes welcome this tiny crisp pickle with open arms. They are great on appetizer platters, added to salad and sandwiches and chopped up in classic deviled eggs.

MORE PICKLING RECIPES

I love to pickle things! There are two types of pickling recipes. One is a quick pickle, which is what you just read. The other requires that either a water bath or a pressure canning method be applied. In terms of a quick pickle, I have a Pickled Red Onion recipe that is wonderful and these Pickled Green Tomatoes too! Of course, I can’t forget about my Pickled Sweet Peppers, my Dill Pickled Eggs, or my Onion Pickled Wieners!

In terms of canning and preserving, I have a few more options. Start with my Pickled Beets. I swear, Dear Reader, these are so easy and so delicious. It’s just like eating candy! My Newfoundland upbringing makes me proud to have a pantry stocked with these Mustard Pickles! Finally, I have two types of pickles. The first, this Sweet Sandwich Pickle, is great with just about anything. And there’s this Bread and Butter Pickle, which is made with zucchini. I could make a meal with those!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!