Homemade fermented cucumber pickles definitely bring a taste of childhood to my table. Every summer, I love making lacto-fermented pickles using salt brine, similar to the ones my father and grandma used to make.

These naturally fermented Cucumbers are super tasty and perfectly crispy. They are packed with beneficial probiotic microorganisms that are important for gut health. This easy pickles recipe is a go-to for the summer and only requires three basic ingredients.

Ingredients for lacto-fermented cucumbers

For this easy homemade lacto-fermented cucumbers recipe, you will need the following ingredients: 

• Cucumbers
• Sea salt or Himalayan salt
• Water
• Herbs and spices (optional) – dill, bay leaves, black peppercorns, mustard seeds.

Choosing the best cucumbers for fermenting

My favourite cucumbers for fermenting are pickling cucumbers. In Croatia, farmers usually sell them in two sizes – the super tiny ones that are the best for regular vinegar pickles, and the medium-sized ones that are great for lacto-fermenting.

Pickling cucumbers are firm and crunchy with a lower water content than other cucumber varieties, which makes them perfect for fermenting. Because of their firm and crisp structure, they won’t turn soggy after the fermentation. 

These cucumbers will give you that perfect crunchy result that I believe most of us prefer. 

In case you cannot find pickling cucumbers where you live, here are some varieties that will also work in this recipe:

• English cucumbers, also called seedless cucumbers – the crispy ones with thin skin that are usually sold by piece in stores.
• Cocktail cucumbers – very similar to the English cucumbers, but smaller. Just like the English cucumbers, these work great because of their thin skin and crisp texture.

Regular cucumbers are usually my last choice and I will only use them if cannot find any of the other three varieties. The combination of thick skin and somewhat soft flesh makes these cucumbers less ideal for lacto-fermenting. 

Yes, they will ferment well and taste nice like the other ones, but they will most likely turn a bit soggy. If that is something that does not bother you, you can absolutely use regular cucumbers in this recipe.

The perfect amount of salt for the fermentation brine

After many years of making these fermented cucumber pickles, I have come to the conclusion that a 3% salt solution gives me the best results in terms of taste and texture.

If you follow this recipe, your cucumbers should turn out nicely sour, a bit salty and crunchy.

I’ve seen some people use up to 4 per cent salt in the recipe, but having tried many different percentages, I have to say that I personally find anything above 3.5% way too salty. 

If using less than 3%, you risk getting soggy pickles. Also, a 3% salt concentration makes a good environment for fermentation to happen without harmful microorganisms in your end result.

The best herbs and spices for fermenting cucumbers

These fermented cucumbers are great just as they are, but you can also enhance their flavour with some fresh herbs or spices. These are some of my favourites:

• Dill leaves and flowers – dill is a classic when it comes to pickled cucumber recipes. Whether it’s normal pickles or the fermented ones, you cannot go wrong with adding some of this aromatic summer herb.
• Bay leaves – great for homemade lacto-ferments because they contain tannins – tart substances that will help you achieve a crunchy texture. Also, bay leaves have a beautiful aroma that reminds me of Mediterranean summer.
• Oregano and thyme – also classic Mediterranean spices that will enrich your pickles’ flavour.
• Fresh or dried garlic
• Mustard seeds
• Black pepper.

You can use only one, two, or a mix of more herbs and spices. There is no right or wrong, just what works best for your taste. No herbs or spices is also a good option and it won’t leave your pickles tasting any less good.

Making the fermented cucumber pickles

Before you start making fermented pickles, prepare your jars. Pickling jars should be sterilised in order to minimize the possibility of mould contamination.

Check out this post to learn how to properly sterilise the jars at home.

Wash the cucumbers with water to remove any leftover dirt from them. Remove the blossom ends from the cucumbers. If you are not sure which one is the blossom end and which one is the stem end, you can remove both.

The blossom tips of the cucumbers contain enzymes that can cause the cucumbers to soften and turn soggy after a while.

Slice the cucumbers in fourths lengthwise and put them into a jar. Fill the whole width of the jar with cucumbers – put as many as you can without squishing them or fitting them too tightly.

Add the salt to the water and mix to dissolve. Pour this brine over the cucumbers. The level of the brine should be over the level of the cucumbers so that they stay submerged. 

It is good to leave at least one or two centimetres of empty space above the brine level because there will be bubbles of carbon dioxide forming during fermentation. This will make the brine level grow a bit.

Make sure your cucumbers will stay submerged through the whole fermentation process by putting a fermentation weight, or simply a small glass jar or a ceramic dish on top of the cucumbers before closing the jar.

Cucumbers will naturally ferment because of the Lactobacilli that are naturally present on their skin. Those same bacteria are also the reason why these pickles will be a fantastic health food. 

These cucumber pickles usually take up to two weeks to ferment, but if it is hot outside, they can take as short as a week. Keep an eye on them, and when they have changed colour to a dull and yellowish green, you can give them a smell and taste test.

If they smell and taste acidic and have a nice, pickled flavour, they are done. It is really hard to miss with this, so don’t worry if it is one of your first fermentations. If they would go bad, you would feel it.

If they do smell bad, don’t eat them because it is likely that something didn’t go well in the fermentation process.

Tips for getting super crispy pickles

To make your homemade fermented cucumber pickles as crispy as possible, follow these few tips.

• Choose the cucumbers that are fresh and firm. Even if you are using pickling cucumbers or other crisp varieties such as English cucumbers, make sure they don’t feel soggy or dehydrated to the touch.
• Remove the ends of the cucumbers because they contain enzymes that can soften them in the process.
• Add a couple of bay leaves to your fermentation. The tannins in the leaves will help with keeping the cucumbers crisp.
• From my experience, medium-sized pickling cucumbers will turn out best if you cut them in fourths length-wise. That is how I usually get the crispiest result with these.

Mould or not?

While the fermentation happens, it is normal to see a thin, white, wrinkly pellicle form on top of the fermentation liquid. This is NOT mould. 

It is a normal and common growth of wild yeasts that can often happen when making fermented cucumber pickles. Just remove it before eating the cucumbers and you are good to go.

Moulds, on the other hand, can be easily recognised by their fuzzy white, blueish-green, dark or pink spots. 

If you follow all the steps as described, it is hard to get a mould or harmful bacteria contamination. The amount of salt in the brine will keep the pickles protected while also allowing the fermentation to happen.

If, however, you see a mould on the surface of your pickles or notice a foul smell, do not eat them. Just discard the batch, sterilise the jars and start over.

How to use this recipe with different quantities

The amounts written in the recipe card below are perfect for a litre (~34 fl. oz) glass jar. If you are using, for example, two smaller jars, or just want to make pickles from a different amount of cucumbers, here is how to easily calculate everything.

Glass jars come in different shapes and sizes, so the amount of water needed can vary. The exact ratio of water to cucumbers is less important in this recipe. The only important thing is to keep the salt concentration as close to 3% as possible. 

An easy way to do it would be to put a glass jar onto a scale, tare the scale to zero and fill it with cucumbers and water. Measure the weight of cucumbers and water together and multiply by 0,03 to get the weight of salt that you need (it will not be exactly 3%, but it will be close enough). 

Add that salt to the jar, close the jar with a lid and gently shake or turn upside down until the salt dissolves. 

This is an easy method to prevent any miscalculations related to the amount of brine needed to fill the jar.