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Malosolnye Ogurtsy (Russian Lightly Salted Dill Cucumbers)
Small, crisp cucumbers packed with dill and garlic and covered with hot salt brine, ready overnight: bright green, crunchy, garlicky and only lightly salted, the summer pickle of the Russian table.
Russian · easy · serves 8
prep 15 min · cook 5 min · plus 12 h hands-off time
~24 cal · 1g protein · 6g carbs · 0g fat · 1g fiber · 2g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Malosolnye ogurtsy, lightly salted cucumbers, are the quick summer cousin of the barrel pickles that Russian households put up for winter. Instead of weeks in brine, small, firm cucumbers sit for a day or so, just long enough to take on the salt, garlic and dill while staying crisp and bright green.
The method is simple. The cucumbers are trimmed at both ends and packed into a jar or pot with dill, garlic and, if you have them, horseradish, blackcurrant or cherry leaves, then covered with brine. Hot brine speeds things up, so a batch made in the evening is ready to eat the next day, and the jar goes into the fridge to stop them turning into full sour pickles.
They are a fixture of the summer table and one of the classic zakuski, the little dishes that go with a glass of vodka, and they are chopped into okroshka, the cold summer soup. The brine is prized too.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 8
- 1 kg small, firm pickling cucumbers
- 1 large bunch fresh dill, with flower heads if possible
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
- 1 horseradish leaf, optional
- 4 blackcurrant or cherry leaves, optional
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 litre water
- 2 tbsp coarse non-iodised salt
Instructions
- 1Wash the cucumbers well and trim off both ends, which helps the brine get in.
- 2Pack the cucumbers tightly into a large jar or non-metallic pot, tucking the dill, garlic, leaves and peppercorns between and over them.
- 3Bring the water to the boil and stir in the salt until it dissolves. Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers so they are completely covered.✎ Chef’s noteHot brine gives quick pickles in half a day. Cold brine works too but takes a day or two.
- 4Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for about 12 hours, or overnight, until the cucumbers have turned olive-green and taste lightly salted.
- 5Refrigerate and eat within a few days, while they are crisp, with the meal or as a zakuska.
Russian summer home tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Moscow. Moscow is a capital of sour cream, dill, and long winters, where beetroot borscht, pelmeni dumplings, and layered Olivier salad hold the table. Preserving shaped the pantry: pickles, salted fish, smetana, and rye bread in every form.
🗺️
Russia. Kasha is the spine of the older cooking, buckwheat above all, dry-toasted before it is cooked so it smells nutty, and served under butter or with mushrooms rather than as a side dish. Pelmeni have a Uralic and Siberian lineage, made in huge batches in winter and frozen outdoors, which is why they are small and thin-skinned rather than plump.
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Europe. Europe has written a great deal of its food into law. A regulation of 1992 created the protected designation of origin and the protected geographical indication, tying a name to a place and a method, and an EU evaluation published in 2021 counted more than three thousand registered names across those schemes, from cheeses and hams down to particular shapes of bread.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Russia
Beef StroganoffSeared strips of beef and mushrooms in a mustard-spiked sour cream sauce over noodles, 19th-century Moscow at its most elegant.
Grechnevaya KashaToasted buckwheat simmered until fluffy and served with butter, the quintessential Russian porridge.
PelmeniSmall dumplings of thin dough around a juicy meat filling, boiled and served with sour cream, a Russian staple.
Browse all Russia recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Keeps 2 to 3 days refrigerated. Resteam or warm through gently to serve.
Make it a Russia meal
KvassDrink
MedovikDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Malosolnye Ogurtsy (Russian Lightly Salted Dill Cucumbers)?
Small, crisp cucumbers packed with dill and garlic and covered with hot salt brine, ready overnight: bright green, crunchy, garlicky and only lightly salted, the summer pickle of the Russian table.
Where does Malosolnye Ogurtsy (Russian Lightly Salted Dill Cucumbers) come from?
Malosolnye Ogurtsy (Russian Lightly Salted Dill Cucumbers) is a Russian dish from Moscow, Russia.
Can Malosolnye Ogurtsy (Russian Lightly Salted Dill Cucumbers) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Malosolnye Ogurtsy (Russian Lightly Salted Dill Cucumbers) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Malosolnye Ogurtsy (Russian Lightly Salted Dill Cucumbers) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Malosolnye Ogurtsy (Russian Lightly Salted Dill Cucumbers) take to make?
About 12 h 20 min in all: 15 minutes prep and 5 minutes cooking, plus 12 h of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 8.
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