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If you love pickles and you love green beans, you’ll adore these crunchy, dilly Pickled Green Beans. They’re easy to make and keep in the refrigerator or for canning. Add them to a charcuterie board, salads, or your next snack platter.
Meggan’s notes
I credit (or blame) my German heritage for my obsession with pickled vegetables. After all, Germany is the biggest consumer of pickles in the world (sources: here and here). Pickled beets, pickled asparagus, pickled jalapeños, pickled garlic, pickled red onions, PICKLES. I love to make and eat them, and pickled green beans are one of my favorites.
I love this recipe for pickled green beans because they turn tender-crisp in their salty, sour brine rather than mushy. These quick pickled beans are packed with flavor and ready in just a day or two (if you can even wait that long!). You can also customize with your favorite herbs, spices, and heat.
Dilly beans are great for gift-giving, school fundraisers, and cheese boards. They are also a delicious, surprising garnish on your next Bloody Mary! This sour, salty snack lasts for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator, or process them in a canner for long-term storage.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Green beans: Trim the beans to remove any stems and to ensure the beans fit in the jar. Cut extra-long beans in half to fit.
- Canning and pickling salt: Morton Canning and Pickling Salt is a common brand. Do not substitute table salt for the canning salt.
Step-by-step instructions
- In the bottom of each of the 2 pint jars, add 2 garlic cloves, 5 sprigs dill, and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Stack beans vertically inside so they stand upright in the jar. Pack the beans as tightly as possible, aiming for about 6 ounces beans per jar.
- In a small saucepan, add water, vinegar, and canning salt. Bring to a boil, stirring salt to dissolve. Remove from heat from heat and divide evenly among the two jars leaving at least 1/2-inch headspace at the top.
- Screw on lids and cool jars to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to pickle for at least 48 hours. Or, see Note 3 for instructions on canning the beans.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe will make 2 pints of Dilly Beans.
- Storage: Store the pickled green beans in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or longer.
- Canning: To process the green beans for canning, gently tap the jars against the counter a few times to remove all the air bubbles. Add lids and adjust bands to finger-tight. Process pints for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.
Frequently Asked Questions
I always add a garlic clove, red chili flakes, and fresh dill. But, you can also try dill seed, mustard seeds, cayenne pepper, whole black peppercorns, and cumin seeds in your hot brine.
When it comes to vegetables, the sky is the limit! Some great vegetables for pickling include beets, carrots, cucumbers, jalapeño peppers, asparagus, cauliflower, onions, shallots, whole garlic cloves, and bell peppers.
You can safely store pickled green beans for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
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Pickled Green Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic
- 10 sprigs fresh dill
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 pound green beans trimmed to fit pint jars (see note 1)
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons canning and pickling salt (see note 2)
Instructions
- In the bottom of each of the 2 pint jars, add 2 cloves garlic, 5 sprigs dill, and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Stack beans vertically inside so they stand upright in the jar. Pack the beans as tightly as possible, aiming for about 6 ounces beans per jar.
- In a small saucepan, add water, vinegar, and canning salt. Bring to a boil, stirring salt to dissolve. Remove from heat from heat and divide evenly among the two jars leaving at least 1/2-inch headspace at the top.
- Screw on lids and cool jars to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to pickle for at least 48 hours. Or, see Note 3 for instructions on canning the beans.
Notes
- Green beans: Trim the beans to remove any stems and to ensure the beans fit in the jar. Cut extra-long beans in half to fit.
- Canning and pickling salt: Morton Canning and Pickling Salt is a common brand. Do not substitute table salt for the canning salt.
- Canning: To process the green beans for canning, gently tap the jars against the counter a few times to remove all the air bubbles. Add lids and adjust bands to finger-tight. Process pints for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
- Yield: This recipe will make 2 pints of Dilly Beans.
- Storage: Store the pickled green beans in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or longer.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
This recipe can also be water bath canned as is and makes a quart of “Dilly Beans.” For an extended “crisp” shelf life, add Ball “Pickle Crisp” per package instructions. You may also leave out the red pepper flakes and add them later if desired. Just allow 48 yours for the heat to leech out of the flakes. Give it a swirl now and then.
PS: If you like dill pickles on a peanut butter sandwich, give these a try after they’re well brined.
Thanks for the tips, Dave! – Meggan
How long will these green beans keep in the fridge if I do not want to do a hot water bath?
Hi Patricia, at least two weeks. Hope you love them! – Meggan