Quick Pickled Cucumber with Lemon is a sweet and sour Asian-style pickle that contains only 5 ingredients and is ready in just 20 minutes.
Do you love pickles, but hate to wait? My Quick Pickled Cucumber with Lemon is that special condiment for your next barbecue or bowl. Because sometimes you need a side dish that is a little bit tart and a little bit sweet to balance all the flavors on a plate... and these pickles are the perfect choice!
Most pickles take days to age before they are eaten. But this pickled cucumber with lemon is ready in minutes and contains just 5 ingredients: cucumber, lemon, water, sugar, and salt. Best of all, you don't need quart jars, mason jars, or any special equipment.
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About This Recipe for Quick Pickled Cucumber
Years ago, I was fortunate to learn a little bit about Asian cooking from a lovely Japanese woman, who was masterful at putting a dinner together that hit every taste you would want in a meal. Her meals always included tsukemono, a preserved or pickled vegetable to balance the salt and savory components on the plate.
Sometimes, it was daikon radish, cabbage, or burdock root. But my favorite was always her quick-pickled cucumber. Added to a meal of rice, grilled meat, and veg, these quick pickles are the perfect refresher for your palate. They refresh your taste buds the same way wine can enhance food and make your palate ready for another bite.
These pickles are not a traditional refrigerator pickle nor do they require a long salting or a soak in brine. Because you slice the cucumber very thin, they only need 15 minutes in the pickling liquid, which means you can make them just before making the rest of your meal, and they will be ready to serve by the time you sit down to eat.
Lastly, please note that this is not a recipe for "lemon cucumber pickles" that uses lemon cucumbers, which are a rounded, yellow cucumber. This recipe is cucumber with lemon, not cucumber lemon.
I love that this particular pickle recipe has lovely lemony acidity and brightness, and they are so quick and easy to make!
So, let's cook!
Ingredient Notes
Here's what you need to make this Quick Pickled Cucumber with Lemon recipe:
These quick Asian-style pickles contain just 5 essential ingredients. The pickling liquid is sweet and lemony and has just 4 ingredients, which is poured over a thinly sliced English cucumber.
The garnishes are totally optional. But since fresh lemon juice is needed for the pickling liquid, I generally remove the zest before juicing the lemon and use it.
Here's What You Will Need for the Pickling Liquid:
- White Vinegar - White vinegar has just the right acidity.
- White Granulated Sugar - For just the right sweetness use white granulated sugar.
- Salt - Simple table salt is perfect for these pickles.
- Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice - Always use fresh lemon juice and not bottled juice.
And For the Pickled Cucumber, You Will Also Need:
- English Cucumber - Also called a "burpless cucumber", the English cucumber has a texture that makes an excellent quick pickle.
Optional Garnishes:
- Lemon Zest or Thinly Sliced Nori - The zest from the lemon is an excellent garnish as it signals the lemon flavor of the pickles. Nori is a dried edible seaweed that adds color contrast and subtle seasoning when thinly sliced and added to the pickles.
Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.
How to Make Quick Pickled Cucumber with Lemon
Make the Pickling Liquid. In a small saucepan, mix together white vinegar, granulated sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil while stirring and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add lemon juice and stir well.
Slice the Cucumber. Thinly slice the cucumber either crosswise in discs or lengthwise into ribbons.
I like to leave a small amount of peel on the cucumber and remove strips of the peel with an old-school rotary peeler. A mandoline slicer makes consistently thin slices in quick time.
Pickle the Cucumber. Place the sliced cucumber in a glass or non-metallic medium bowl or container and pour the pickling liquid over the cucumber. Let the pickles stand for at least 15 minutes before serving. Refrigerate if desired.
Serve and Enjoy. Serve the lemony pickles with a garnish with lemon zest and/or finely sliced nori.
Ways to Use Quick Pickled Cucumber with Lemon
- With Grilled Meats, Vegetables, and Rice.
- On Sandwiches.
- On Your Favorite Rice or Buddha Bowl.
- As a Snack, on Their Own.
- On Burgers, Especially Alternative Burgers like Turkey or Chicken.
- On a Charcuterie Board with Meats and Cheeses.
Equipment Note
A mandoline slicer makes thin accurate slices and takes just minutes to cut the cucumber. I purchased mine around 40 years ago and it still works great. It is a kitchen tool I can't imagine not having, as it significantly cuts my work time in the kitchen when I need to thinly slice vegetables like cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, and beets.
If you choose to use a mandoline, be sure to always use the food guard and/or a hand protector to prevent serious and painful cuts.
Variations & Substitutions
Add Red Pepper Flakes. For a pickle with sweet heat, add up to ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes when you add the pickling liquid.
Substitute Rice Vinegar. Instead of white vinegar, you can use rice vinegar. Both seasoned and plain rice vinegar work well.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Make-Ahead. These pickles are meant to be eaten within minutes of them being made for the freshest taste. So, this particular pickle recipe is not meant to be a make-ahead recipe since the thinly sliced cucumber is pickled so quickly. But, here are two ideas to make it in advance:
You can make the pickling liquid in advance, to have it ready when you need it. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
If you want to make this pickle recipe a day in advance, cut the cucumber slices thicker, add them to a glass jar with a lid, and pour the cooled pickling liquid over the sliced cucumber. Close the jar and store it in the fridge.
Storage. If you have leftover quick pickled cucumber, you can store them in a covered non-metallic container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. However, the cucumbers will have a softer texture.
More Delicious Side Dish Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Quick Pickled Cucumber with Lemon
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Equipment
- Small Saucepan
- Large Spoon
- Mandoline Slicer
- Glass Bowl
Ingredients
- ½ Cup White Vinegar
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, Freshly Squeezed
- 1 Large English Cucumber
Garnish
- Lemon Zest or Thinly Sliced Nori Seaweed
Instructions
- Make the Pickling Liquid. In a small saucepan mix together white vinegar, granulated sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil while stirring and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add lemon juice and stir well.½ Cup White Vinegar, ½ Cup Granulated Sugar, 1 Teaspoon Salt, 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- Slice the Cucumber. Thinly slice the cucumber either crosswise in discs or lengthwise into ribbons.1 Large English Cucumber
- Pickle the Cucumber. Place the sliced cucumber in a glass or non-metallic medium bowl or container and pour the pickling liquid over the cucumber. Let the pickles stand for at least 15 minutes before serving. Refrigerate if desired.
- Serve and Enjoy. Serve the lemony pickles with a garnish with lemon zest and/or finely sliced nori.Lemon Zest or Thinly Sliced Nori Seaweed
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Per 1 serving. All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.
Encharted Cook™ or Jan Nunes shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result.
© 2018-2025 Encharted Cook, Jan Nunes. All rights reserved.
Renee says
Hi Jan I just discovered your recipe for lemon pickles while looking for a canned sweet lemon pickle recipe. I would like to find a recipe to be able to can those from my cucumbers. Do you have such a recipe? This one above looks great and I will also use it but it doesn't say that it can be used for canning. Thank you!
Jan Nunes says
Hi Renee,
Thank you for your comment and question. Unfortunately, this recipe as written is a quick Asian pickle and not meant to be canned. I have also looked at other blog sites (Macy's does tell Gimbels!) and did not find a pickle recipe with lemon that is water processed. (Wow!) However, there is this one which is a refrigerator pickle: https://mykoreankitchen.com/cucumber-pickles/.
That being said, if you want to experiment with this recipe to can it, I can give you some tips of how I would do it. I would crinkle cut regular pickling cucumbers in thicker slices and salt them. Let them sit at least 90 minutes. Then rinse them, pack into a sterilized jar, fill jar with hot pickling liquid, and process according to your jar manufacturer.
When I have a free moment, I will check my mom's handwritten recipe book and my personal library for a recipe and reply in this thread if I have one.
Have a wonderful day! ~Jan
Jan Nunes says
Hi Renee,
Just want to follow up on the search for a pickle recipe with lemon that is water processed. Unfortunately, I don't seem to have anything like this in my cookbook library, nor do I have a water processed recipe that could be adapted. So sorry, I can't provide more guidance.
Have a wonderful day! ~Jan