Polish Dill Pickles (Ogórki Kiszone)

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
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Updated on 07/13/21
Polish Dill Pickles (Ogórki Kiszone)

The Spruce / Ana Maria Stanciu

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Fermentation Time: 1,000 hrs
Total: 1,000 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
34 Calories
0g Fat
8g Carbs
2g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 34
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 760mg 33%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 6mg 29%
Calcium 36mg 3%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 303mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This easy recipe for Polish dill pickles, or ogórki kiszone (oh-GOORR-kee kee-SHOH-neh), results in a tangy, fermented pickle that is so much better than store-bought. Salt and naturally occurring lactic acid are the only preservatives in these pickles, so using bottled water and pickling or kosher salt are critical, and are what make the pickles crisp. Canning or water-bath processing is not required but you do need a sterilized jar at the ready.

The beauty of this recipe lies in its adaptable yield. You can make just a 1-quart batch, which will serve 8 to 10 people or as many quarts as you like, and they come out perfectly every time. The pickles will be ready to eat in five to six weeks unless you use the quick-eating pickle technique, which means the pickles are ready in half the time.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon mustard seeds

  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled, divided

  • 1 stem dill (with seeds)

  • 8 to 10 pickling cucumbers, washed and dried

  • 2 tablespoons pickling salt (or kosher salt)

  • 1 quart bottled water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Polish Dill Pickles (Ogórki Kiszone) ingredients

    The Spruce / Ana Maria Stanciu

  2. Place mustard seeds, 1 clove garlic, and dill in a sterilized 1-quart jar. Tightly pack pickling cucumbers in jar, positioning the last one horizontally to help keep cucumbers below brine. Top with remaining garlic clove.

    Place mustard seeds, garlic, and dill in a jar

    The Spruce / Ana Maria Stanciu

  3. Dissolve salt in bottled water.

    salt and water in a jar

    The Spruce / Ana Maria Stanciu

  4. Fill jar with saltwater to within 1/4 inch from the top. Cover jar loosely with a sterilized cap and keep in a cool, dark place (55 F to 60 F) like the basement. The jars must not be closed too tightly because as fermentation takes place, the accumulated carbon dioxide must be able to escape. Some oozing of brine is unavoidable, so place jar on a plate or tray and store in a place where seepage won't be a problem.

    pickles with salted water in a jar

    The Spruce / Ana Maria Stanciu

  5. Fermentation typically takes five to six weeks. When fermentation is complete, tighten lids. If lids are tightened too early, trapped carbon dioxide will make pickles mushy; if lids are not tightened after fermentation, spoilage can occur.

    fermented dill pickles in a jar

    The Spruce / Ana Maria Stanciu

  6. Once opened, place pickles in refrigerator, where they will last four to six months.

    Polish Dill Pickles (Ogórki Kiszone) in a jar

    The Spruce / Ana Maria Stanciu

Quick-Eating Pickle Version

Quick-eating pickles (ready in two to three weeks) and can be made by reducing the salt to 1 1/2 tablespoons per quart of bottled water and allowing fermentation to take place at room temperature (70 F to 75 F).

Can I Fix Pickles That Are Too Salty?

If your pickles came out overly salty, don't toss them out—there is an easy fix. Remove the pickles from the brine and place them in water for 10 to 30 minutes. The water will pull out the salt, so taste the pickles after 10 minutes to see if they are to your liking. If you leave the pickles in water too long, they will lose their "pickle" taste. If you need to speed up the process, you can cut the pickles into quarters or slices.


If you don't plan on eating the pickles right away, you can replace about half of the brining liquid with water and let the pickles sit. Taste every so often to see if you need to add more water.

Source: Adapted from a recipe by Marcin Filutowicz, professor of bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.