Cinnamon Pickles
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Cinnamon pickles are a southern favorite! With a spicy sweet taste, they are the perfect addition to your pickling plans this summer while the cucumbers are fresh.
When you live in the south, it seems you pickle all the things. Then, you find new ways to pickle the same things. These cinnamon pickle rings (also called Christmas pickles) are a family favorite of ours and a recipe passed down through generations.
While I’ve been a part of a lot of pickling in my time, this was the first year that I pickled anything (besides a quick pickle salad) on my own. It definitely gave me a new appreciation for my moms hard work all those years.
Traditional pickling uses a mixture of vinegar, pickling spices and sometimes sugar. For these, you replace the pickling spices with cinnamon sticks and red hots to give them a spicy, sweet taste.
Cinnamon Pickle Frequently Asked Questions
How do you store the pickles? You can seal these in sterile jars using traditional canning methods. Or, put them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. My recipe makes a smaller amount than the original so I find the refrigerator method to work just fine.
What size cucumber should I use? Definitely try to make these when cucumbers are on the larger size for the season. It will make cutting the rings a whole lot easier than with a smaller cucumber.
Where do you find pickling lime and alum? I found both of these items at my local Walmart. You can also find them on Amazon.
Do the pickles need to be refrigerating during the soaking time? No, this is not necessary.
Ingredients for Cinnamon Pickles
- Cucumbers
- Pickling Lime – You can usually find this in stores but it is also available from Amazon. This helps keep the pickle rings crisp.
- White Vinegar
- Alum – This is a salt used in pickling to help maintain crispness.
- Red Food Coloring – This is optional but gives the pickles a great color.
- Sugar
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Red Hots
Essential Items for This Recipe
How to Make Cinnamon Pickles
My mom’s recipe takes a total of three days. But, I’m a total slacker so I condensed it down to one and a half days. I don’t think the taste was affected but she wasn’t impressed that I changed her recipe.
Day 1: You’ll slice and core the cucumbers. Then, combine the pickling lime water and mix until fully combined. Add cucumbers and let them soak for 24 hours. Drain the cucumbers and rinse well.
Day 2 – Part 1: Combine vinegar, alum and red food coloring, if using. Add to pot with drained and rinsed cucumber rings. Then, add enough water to cover the cucumbers. Bring to boil and then simmer for 2 hours. Drain and discard liquid.
Day 2 – Part 2: Heat vinegar, water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and red hots. Turn off the heat and then add the cucumber rings. Cover and let sit 2 hours. Transfer cucumber rings to jars. Add liquid to reach about half full. Store in refrigerator or follow directions for preserving in jars.
More Great Pickle Recipes:
- Spicy Beer Battered Pickles
- Quick Pickled Vegetables
- Quick Pickled Red Onion
- Pickled Watermelon Rind
Cinnamon Pickle Rings
Ingredients
Part 1
- 3-4 large diameter cucumbers
- 1/2 cup pickling lime
- 2 1/8 gallons water
Part 2
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 Tablespoon alum
- 1/2 bottle red food coloring optional
Part 3
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 cup red hots
Instructions
Part 1
- Peel and slice cucumbers 1/2" thick. Create ring by cutting out middle with melon baller. You will need 1/2 gallon of rings.3-4 large diameter cucumbers
- In a large pot, combine 1/2 cup pickling lime with 2 1/8 gallons water. Stir until fully combined. Add cucumbers and soat for 24 hours. Drain and rinse well. Return cucumber rings to pot.1/2 cup pickling lime, 2 1/8 gallons water
Part 2
- Combine 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 Tbsp alum and red food coloring, if using. Add to pot with cucumber rings. Then, add enough water to cover the cucumbers. Bring to boil and then simmer for 2 hours. Drain and discard liquid.1/4 cup white vinegar, 1/4 Tablespoon alum, 1/2 bottle red food coloring
Part 3
- In a large pot, heat 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 3 cups sugar, 3 cinnamon sticks and 1/2 cup red hots, stirring until sugar is fully dissolved. Turn off heat and add cucumber rings. Cover and let sit 2 hours.1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 3 cups sugar, 3 cinnamon sticks, 1/2 cup red hots
- Transfer cucumber rings to jars. Add liquid about half full. Store in refrigerator or follow directions for preserving in jars.
Notes
2) The original recipe calls for letting the pickles soak in the final liquid overnight. Then, reheating the liquid and soaking again for another night. On the final morning, the liquid and cucumbers are reheated and then preserved in sterile jars.
Nutrition
If you make these cinnamon pickle rings or any other recipe from the blog, I’d love to hear about your experience. Let me know in the comments or snap a photo and tag it #MySuburbanKitchen on Instagram or Facebook.Â
Oh! I would love to try this. This looks really nice and interesting. Thank you for sharing this brilliant idea. Can’t wait to start making my own cinnamon pickle rings.
I’d like to try these and would like to can them. What are the instructions for canning? How long and what size jar?
Hi – Unfortuantely, I don’t have any experiencing with canning these. Here is a great article I found for canning. I usually store mine in pint or quart sized jars but you can choose whichever you prefer.
This is just like a recipe that my maternal grandmother made, I can’t wait to try it!
I started making the pickles and looking at making the sauce from the cinnamon and doesn’t look like enough water to cover the slices and fill the jars 1/2 full
I make cinnamon watermelon (white rind ) pickles ! Can’t wait to try these !
Can I leave the peeling on the cucumbers?
Yes
I would like to double the recipe. Would you double all the ingredients?
I have never tried doubling it but you should be able to double everything and it work ok.
I have never tried doubling it but I think it would work ok.
What is pickling lime? I never heard of it until now.
It is used to help keep the vegetables crisp during the pickling process. Here is an affiliate link to the one I use on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Yzbv6x
This recipe has been time tested through generations of my family. While I have shortened the recipe slightly, I also include the full instructions for those that want to try the original version.
In Step 3, the recipe only calls for 1 cup of liquid. Is that enough liquid to cover the rings and then add to jars? I see another comment about this but didn’t see an answer
The rings don’t need to be completed covered in step three. If you want enough liquid to cover them, I would double the liquid and sugar to ensure extra.
I am trying this recipe today. I usually weigh my ingredients for accuracy. So a half gallon of cucumbers is approx 1900 grams. Do we want 1900 grams before or after melon balling?
Hi – It would be 1900 grams of rings (so after the middle is removed).
Planning on making this weekend. How long will they last and how should they be stored?
They will last in the refrigerator for 1-2 months. If you pressure can them, they will last at room temperature for up to a year.
Can I use pickle crisp instead of alum? I am reading that Alum is made with aluminum.
I have never tested the recipe with this substitution. I don’t think it should cause any issues though.
My recipe dies not call for water in the final syrup. Just vinegar, sugar and spices and red hots. ??? I should add equal water to my vinegar?
When I have made them, I add water to the vinegar.