Pickle Me, Baby, One More Time: Homemade Spicy Mustard Pickles

Ready to pucker up? These homemade spicy mustard pickles bring the heat, the tang, and just the right amount of sass. Warning: they’re so good you might start side-eyeing your sad store-bought jar of pickles.

If you like your snacks hot, zesty, and just a little naughty, you’re in the right place. With Flavor Expedition Co.’s Scorching Afternoon Seasoning (spicy mustard magic at a 4/5 heat level), these pickles are not for the faint of heart. Crisp, fiery, and tangy as hell—they’re the ultimate fridge snack, burger topper, or sandwich sidekick.

Feeds: 16 pickle-loving humans
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute
Chilling Time: 1 day minimum (good luck waiting)
Total Time: 1 day + 11 minutes
Temperature: Medium stovetop heat
Servings: About 4 jars of pure joy

Ingredients

• 12–14 Persian cucumbers or 8–10 pickling cucumbers

• 4 garlic cloves, halved

• 1 tablespoon Scorching Afternoon Seasoning

• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds

• 2 teaspoons peppercorns

• Fresh dill sprigs (a few per jar, because dill = thrill)

• 2 cups water

• 2 cups distilled white vinegar

• ¼ cup cane sugar

• 2 tablespoons sea salt

Instructions

1. Prep your cukes. For spears, slice cucumbers lengthwise into quarters. For chips, cut them into thin rounds. (We went chips—because who doesn’t love a pickle chip on a burger?)

2. Jar it up. Divide cucumbers among 4 (8-ounce) jars or 2 (16-ounce) jars. Into each jar, toss garlic, mustard seeds, peppercorns, Scorching Afternoon Seasoning, and dill sprigs.

3. Brine time. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir just until sugar and salt dissolve—about 1 minute. Let it cool slightly (no one likes melted pickles).

4. Pour and chill. Carefully pour the brine over the cucumbers. Let everything cool to room temp, then slap a lid on it and stick those babies in the fridge.

5. The waiting game. Chips will be lightly pickled in 1 day (aka: snackable AF). Spears take 2 days minimum. But trust us—the flavor really punches through after day 5 or 6. Store in the fridge for several weeks (if they last that long).

Tips & Notes

• Want extra heat? Toss in a sliced jalapeño or red pepper flakes along with the seasoning.

• The longer you wait, the spicier and tangier they’ll get—like the tequila shot of the pickle world.

• Pro tip: Hide a jar in the back of the fridge if you live with pickle thieves.

These homemade spicy mustard pickles are crisp, tangy, and unapologetically bold thanks to Flavor Expedition Co.’s Scorching Afternoon Seasoning. They’re the ultimate way to add fire to your fridge snacks and flair to your sandwiches.

Feeling brave? Try this recipe, then check out our other flavor-packed adventures with Flavor Expedition Co. seasonings. Your taste buds deserve a vacation too.