Cornichons (say KOR-nee-shons) are tiny French pickles, about the size of your little finger, tart, crunchy and flavored with tarragon. They are the pickle that comes with pâté, and a regular on cheese and charcuterie boards. Their best partner on that board is another small pickle with a bigger flavor: pickled crimini mushrooms.
Here is what cornichons are, what they taste like, what to eat them with, and what to use when you don't have any.
What are cornichons?
Cornichons are gherkins, a small, bumpy kind of cucumber, picked very young, when they are only an inch or two long, and pickled whole. The name is French for "little horn." In France and the US they are cornichons; in Britain the same tiny pickles are called gherkins.
How cornichons are made
The traditional French way is to salt the gherkins overnight to draw out water, soak them in vinegar, then seal them in jars of simmered vinegar with tarragon, bay leaves, cloves, thyme and pearl onions. Most jars you buy are vinegar pickles, which is why they are so sharp.
What do cornichons taste like?
Tart and crisp, with a little sweetness and a hint of tarragon, but much less sour and salty than a dill pickle. Their small size means they stay crunchy all the way through.
The other small pickle for your board
If you love cornichons, pickled mushrooms are the next jar to try. They do the same job on a board, cutting through rich cheese and salami, but they bring savory depth that a cucumber can't. Our pickled crimini are whole caps in white wine vinegar with garlic and thyme, and they sit happily in the bowl next to the cornichons.
"Bought these for a small cheese board and everyone kept asking where the mushrooms were from. The crimini were the first jar we finished."
— Chris M., Golden Grove customer
What to eat with cornichons
Pâté and charcuterie
The classic. Cornichons traditionally go with pâté, terrines, cured sausages and cold cuts, and with a dab of Dijon mustard and good bread. Put them in a small bowl so the brine stays off the crackers. For the rest of the board, see the best pickles for a charcuterie board.
Raclette
In Switzerland, melted raclette cheese comes with potatoes, cornichons and pickled onions. The acid is what makes all that cheese manageable.
A ploughman's lunch
Bread, butter, cheese, an apple and a pile of small pickles. Cornichons and pickled crimini both belong.
Chopped, in sauces and salads
Chopped cornichons go into steak tartare, tartar sauce and rémoulade, and add crunch to egg salad, potato salad and deviled eggs.
In a martini
A cornichon on the pick gives a martini an extra tart edge. So does a pickled mushroom: try our pickled mushroom martini.
Cornichons vs gherkins vs pickles
- Gherkin is the cucumber: a small, bumpy variety grown for pickling. In Britain the word also means any pickle.
- Cornichon is the French name for gherkins picked very young and pickled in vinegar, usually with tarragon. They are smaller than most jars sold as gherkins, and sometimes called French gherkins.
- Pickle, in the US, is any pickled cucumber, from a cornichon to a dill spear.
So all cornichons are pickles, but not all pickles are cornichons. See all the types of pickles for the rest of the family.
Cornichon substitutes
- In sauces and salads: finely chopped dill or sour pickles, or dill pickle relish, with a splash of the brine.
- Whole, for snacking: mini or baby dill pickles.
- On a board: another small, sharp pickle in a bowl. Pickled crimini are bite-sized and just as sharp, with more savory flavor. Caper berries and small olives work too.
How to make cornichons at home
You need the right cucumbers: small pickling gherkins, picked when they are no longer than your little finger. Farmers markets have them in midsummer. The usual fridge method:
- Scrub the gherkins, trim the blossom ends, and toss them with coarse salt. Leave them overnight to draw out water, then rinse and dry.
- Pack them into clean jars with a few sprigs of tarragon, a bay leaf, peppercorns, mustard seed and a few pearl onions.
- Bring white wine vinegar to a simmer, let it cool slightly, and pour it over to cover.
- Seal and refrigerate. They need one to two weeks for the flavor to come through.
Kept in the fridge, these are refrigerator pickles, not canned ones. For the general method and how long fridge pickles keep, see our refrigerator pickles recipe.
How to store cornichons
Keep unopened jars in a cool, dark cupboard and follow the label once opened; most say to refrigerate. Keep the cornichons covered in their brine and use a clean fork, not fingers, so the jar lasts.
Cornichon questions
How do you pronounce cornichons?
KOR-nee-shons. The French ending is a soft nasal "shon."
Are cornichons just mini pickles?
Yes. They are small pickled cucumbers, picked young and usually pickled in vinegar with tarragon.
What is a substitute for cornichons?
Chopped dill pickles or dill relish in recipes, mini dill pickles for snacking, and other small pickles like pickled mushrooms or caper berries on a board.
What are cornichons good with?
Pâté, charcuterie, cheese, raclette, steak tartare, egg and potato salads, and martinis.
Are cornichons sweet?
Mostly tart, with only a slight sweetness. Sweet gherkins are a different pickle, made with sugar.
The short version
Cornichons are tiny French gherkins pickled in vinegar and tarragon, tart and crunchy, and made for pâté and charcuterie. On your next board, put them next to a bowl of pickled crimini, or build a mixed board with a Build Your Variety Pack.