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Danish Asier pickles made with ripe cucumbers, sugar, and warm spices. A sweet, spiced canning recipe perfect for overgrown garden cucumbers.
If you’ve ever discovered a few oversized cucumbers hiding in the garden—fully ripe, yellowing, and packed with mature seeds—you’re not alone. These cucumbers are past their prime for fresh eating or standard slicing pickles, but they’re perfect for making traditional Danish Asier Pickles.
In fact, this recipe is one of the best ways to put up those garden surprises and turn them into something crisp, sweet, and spiced.
Asier pickles are a staple in Scandinavian kitchens—chunky cucumber pickles with warm spice and a tangy-sweet vinegar brine. This recipe calls for a quick salt soak, then a short cook in a flavorful pickling syrup made with brown sugar, turmeric, mustard seed, and ginger.
The result is a tender, flavorful pickle that pairs beautifully with roast meats, cheeses, or traditional open-faced rye sandwiches.
Why You’ll Love It
- Great use for big cucumbers: Finally, something delicious to do with those overgrown garden giants.
- Sweet and spiced: The warm flavor from turmeric, ginger, and brown sugar is uniquely comforting.
- Traditional Scandinavian recipe: A classic way to preserve and enjoy ripe cucumbers.
Ingredients for Danish Asier Pickles
The ingredients for these are very similar to Sunshine Pickles which are popular in the US. The main difference is the brown sugar, which brings in warm notes. This recipe for Danish Asier Pickles is adapted from The Joy of Pickling.
Pre-Soak:
- 3 1/4 lbs Ripe Cucumbers, peeled and seeded (about 3 large)
- 1/4 cup pickling salt
Pickling Brine:
- 3 cups cider vinegar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp celery seeds
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
Use fully mature cucumbers that have started to turn yellow, with large seeds and firm flesh. Peel and seed them before slicing into chunky ¾- to 1-inch cubes. You’ll need about three large cucumbers.
The pickling salt is used to draw out excess moisture during the overnight soak. Helps preserve texture and prepare the cucumbers to absorb the brine.
The vinegar gives the pickles their tang. Cider vinegar adds a mellow, slightly fruity flavor, but white vinegar can also be used if preferred. Be sure to use 5% acidity.
Brown sugar creates a rich, sweet syrup that balances the vinegar. The combination of brown and white sugar gives both depth and clean sweetness.
There are plenty of spices in this pickling recipe, and they’re designed to give the pickles an aromatic warmth that rounds out the flavor.
How to Make Danish Asier Pickles
These traditional pickles are made as a two day recipe, with a salt soak on the first day and then they’re preserved the second day.
Day 1 – Prep and Salt Soak
Start by peeling the cucumbers, then slice them in half lengthwise and scoop out the mature seeds. Cut into strips, then chop into ¾- to 1-inch chunks. Toss the pieces with ¼ cup of pickling salt and place in a non-reactive bowl or container. Cover and let sit overnight at room temperature.
Day 2 – Rinse and Pickle
Drain the salted cucumbers and rinse thoroughly to remove excess salt. Set them aside to drain while you prepare the brine.
In a large saucepan, combine the cider vinegar, brown sugar, white sugar, and all of the spices. Bring the mixture to a hard boil, stirring until the sugars dissolve. Once boiling, add the drained cucumber chunks and return the mixture to a boil. Let it cook for just 1 minute, then remove from heat.
Pack the hot cucumber chunks into sterilized jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers to cover, still maintaining that ½ inch of space at the top. Use a utensil to remove air bubbles and adjust the liquid as needed.
Wipe the rims clean, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner—10 minutes for pints, 15 minutes for quarts. Adjust for altitude as needed (see below). Let the jars cool for 12–24 hours before checking seals and storing.
These pickles are delicious right away but even better after a couple of weeks.
Canning Altitude Adjustments
Water boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes, so jars need to be processed a bit longer as you go up in elevation. Here are the altitude adjustments for canning Danish Asier Pickles:
- For 0 to 1,000 Feet in Elevation – Process pint jars for 10 minutes, and quart jars for 15 minutes.
- For 1,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation – Process pint jars for 15 minutes, and quart jars for 20 minutes.
- Above 6,001 Feet in Elevation – Process pint jars for 20 minutes, and quart jars for 25 minutes.
Danish Asier Pickles
Ingredients
Pre-Soak:
- 3 1/4 lbs Ripe Cucumbers, peeled and seeded (about 3 large)
- 1/4 cup pickling salt
Pickling Brine:
- 3 cups cider vinegar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp celery seeds
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
Instructions
- Start by peeling and seeding the cucumbers. Next, slice them into strips, and then cut each strip into chunks. You should have a pile of 3/4 to 1 inch cubes.
- Toss the chopped cucumbers in the salt and allow them to sit overnight.
- The next day, drain and rinse the cucumbers.
- Combine all the pickling brine ingredients together in a pot and bring to a hard boil. Add the cucumber pieces and return the pot to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- Ladle the cucumber pieces into prepared canning jars and top with brine, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes for pints, or 15 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude.
Notes
Canning Altitude Adjustments
Water boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes, so jars need to be processed a bit longer as you go up in elevation. Here are the altitude adjustments for canning Danish Asier Pickles:- For 0 to 1,000 Feet in Elevation – Process pint jars for 10 minutes, and quart jars for 15 minutes.
- For 1,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation – Process pint jars for 15 minutes, and quart jars for 20 minutes.
- Above 6,001 Feet in Elevation – Process pint jars for 20 minutes, and quart jars for 25 minutes.
Ripe Cucumber Recipes
If you’re looking for other ways to use overripe cucumbers, I have plenty of pickling recipes using those gigantic ripe cucumbers!
- Russian Bear Claw Pickles
- Vermont Cucumber “Tongue” Pickles
- Dutch Pickles
- Ruth’s Pickles (from the American South)
- Senfgurken (German Mustard Pickles)
- Sunshine Pickles
