In the US, "pickle" usually means a cucumber. But pickling is a way of preserving almost anything, in a salty brine that ferments or in vinegar, and the pickle aisle runs from dill spears to kimchi. Here are 20 types of pickles: the cucumber classics first, then the rest, including the one most lists leave out: pickled mushrooms.
For each one: what it is, what it tastes like, and what to eat it with.
Cucumber pickles
1. Dill pickles
The classic American pickle: cucumbers in a brine flavored with dill, sold whole, as spears or as chips. Jars on the shelf are usually vinegar pickles, while many of the sour dills in the refrigerated case are brined.
2. Kosher dill pickles
Despite the name, a kosher dill is not necessarily kosher in the religious sense. It is a pickle made the way New York's Jewish pickle makers made them, in a salt brine with plenty of garlic and dill. The garlic is the real difference from a plain dill.
3. Half-sour pickles
A kosher-style pickle given a shorter stay in the brine, so it is still crisp, bright green and only lightly sour. Closer to a salted cucumber than a classic dill.
4. Full-sour pickles
The same pickle left until it is fully fermented: softer and properly sour, with a deep, tangy flavor.
5. Bread and butter pickles
Sweet and sour: sliced cucumbers in vinegar and sugar with onions, mustard seed and celery seed. A favorite on burgers and sandwiches.
6. Sweet pickles
Sweeter again, without the savory spices of bread and butter pickles. Sweet gherkins and sweet relish belong here.
7. Gherkins
Small cucumbers, usually 1 to 5 inches long with bumpy skin, pickled whole. In Britain and Australia, "gherkin" is simply the word for any pickle.
8. Cornichons
Tiny French pickles: gherkins picked very young and pickled in vinegar with tarragon. Tart rather than sour, and the traditional partner for pâté and cold cuts. More in what cornichons are and what to eat them with.
9. Spicy pickles
Any of the above with heat added: chili flakes, jalapeños, habaneros or cherry peppers in the brine.
10. Refrigerator pickles
Quick pickles made at home in a vinegar brine and kept in the fridge rather than canned. Ready in a day or two. Our refrigerator pickles recipe shows how.
11. Pickle relish
Chopped pickles, sweet or dill, for hot dogs, tartar sauce and potato salad.
Cucumbers are only the start. The pickle most lists skip is the one with the most savory flavor: the mushroom.
Pickles beyond cucumbers
12. Pickled mushrooms
Pickled mushrooms are a staple in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, and a regular on the Italian antipasto spread. They are sharp like a cucumber pickle, but meaty and savory too, which makes them the pickle that goes furthest: on a cheese board, in a Bloody Mary, in a salad or straight from the jar.
Golden Grove makes five, each with its own brine:
- Crimini: whole caps in white wine vinegar with garlic and thyme. The one to start with.
- White shimeji: bright, delicate and crisp, with dill and garlic.
- Black shimeji: savory and firm, in apple cider vinegar with dill and toasted coriander.
- King oyster: thick, meaty coins in white balsamic with truffle oil.
- Shiitake: the deepest flavor, in oak-aged vinegar with tamari.
"I ended up eating half the crimini straight out of the jar."
— Maya C., Golden Grove customer
13. Giardiniera
An Italian relish of mixed pickled vegetables in vinegar or oil. In Chicago, a version made with peppers, celery and olives goes on Italian beef sandwiches.
14. Pickled onions
Onions in vinegar and salt. Small whole pickled onions are a British pub and chip-shop classic; quick-pickled red onion slices brighten tacos, salads and sandwiches.
15. Pickled beets
Sweet, earthy and deep red. A relish tray regular and good with goat cheese.
16. Pickled peppers
Pepperoncini, banana peppers, jalapeños and cherry peppers. Mild to hot, and a regular on sandwiches and antipasto platters.
17. Pickled garlic
Whole cloves mellowed in vinegar until they are mild enough to eat on their own. See how to make pickled garlic.
18. Kimchi
Korea's fermented vegetables, most often napa cabbage or radish, with chili, garlic and ginger.
19. Sauerkraut
Finely cut cabbage fermented with salt. Sour, crunchy, and essential on a Reuben.
20. Pickled eggs
Hard-boiled eggs in a spiced vinegar brine, sometimes turned pink with beets. A pub classic. Here is how to make pickled eggs safely.
Fermented vs vinegar pickles
Every pickle above is made one of two ways, and it changes the taste.
- Fermented pickles sit in a salt brine while bacteria slowly turn the vegetable's sugars into acid. No vinegar is needed. They taste deep and sour, and the brine turns cloudy. Full-sours, sauerkraut and kimchi are made this way.
- Vinegar pickles, which preserving guides call fresh-pack or quick pickles, get their sourness from vinegar straight away and are not fermented. They taste brighter and sharper, with a clear brine. Many shelf-stable dills, most bread and butter pickles, and refrigerator pickles are vinegar pickles.
Our pickled mushrooms use a little of both: they are lightly fermented, for 21 to 32 days depending on the variety, and packed in a vinegar brine.
Pickle cuts: whole, spears and chips
- Whole: the crunchiest, for snacking or slicing yourself.
- Spears: cut lengthwise into quarters or sixths, for sandwiches and Bloody Marys.
- Chips: round slices, crinkle-cut or flat, for burgers.
- Sandwich slices: long, thin slices cut lengthwise to lie flat in a sandwich.
Which pickle for what
- Burgers: dill or bread and butter chips.
- Deli sandwiches: a kosher dill or half-sour spear on the side.
- Cheese and charcuterie boards: cornichons and pickled mushrooms, in small bowls. Here are the best pickles for a charcuterie board.
- Bloody Marys: a dill spear and a skewer of pickled crimini. More in our Bloody Mary garnish ideas.
- A holiday relish tray: dills, sweet gherkins, beets, olives and pickled mushrooms. See how to make a relish tray.
- Snacking straight from the jar: a full-sour, or pickled crimini.
Types of pickles questions
What are the main types of pickles?
Among cucumber pickles: dill, kosher dill, half-sour, full-sour, bread and butter, sweet, gherkins and cornichons. Beyond cucumbers, the most common are pickled mushrooms, onions, beets, peppers, giardiniera, kimchi and sauerkraut.
What are other names for pickles?
In Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa a pickled cucumber is a gherkin. In France, the tiny ones are cornichons.
What is the difference between dill and kosher dill pickles?
Garlic. A kosher dill is a dill pickle made in the New York Jewish style, with a generous amount of garlic in the brine.
Are all pickles fermented?
No. Fermented pickles get their sourness from bacteria working in a salt brine over weeks. Vinegar pickles, which are most of what is sold on the shelf, are not fermented.
The short version
Dill, kosher dill, half-sour, full-sour, bread and butter, sweet, gherkins and cornichons cover the cucumbers. After that come mushrooms, onions, beets, peppers, garlic, kimchi, sauerkraut and eggs. If you have only ever had cucumber pickles, try the mushroom next: start with a jar of pickled crimini, or try all five in a Build Your Variety Pack.