Pickled Green Beans (Dilly Beans, Quick or Canned)

What Makes This Recipe Work

Trimming the beans to fit upright keeps them whole and crunchy, while a hot vinegar brine poured over raw beans lets them pickle without turning limp. A touch of sugar softens the vinegar edge, and the dill, garlic, and pepper flakes build a savory background that makes each bean snackable straight from the jar.

Ingredients for Pickled Green Beans (Dilly Beans, Quick or Canned)

• 1 lb (450 g) fresh green beans, trimmed to fit your jars
• 2 garlic cloves, halved
• 2 fresh dill sprigs, or 2 tsp dill seed
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes or 1 small dried chile
• 1 cup (240 ml) distilled white vinegar, 5% acidity
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 1 tbsp pickling salt, or 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp mustard seed

How to Make Pickled Green Beans (Dilly Beans, Quick or Canned)

1. Rinse the beans and trim the stem ends, then trim the other ends so each bean fits upright inside a clean pint jar with about 1/2 inch to spare.
2. Pack the beans upright and tightly into two clean 1-pint jars, adding a garlic half, a dill sprig, some pepper flakes, peppercorns, and mustard seed to each jar.
3. In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve.
4. Pour the hot brine over the beans to cover, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace, and tap the jars to release trapped air. If any beans stick above the brine, trim or press them down.
5. Cool the jars to room temperature, about 1 hour, then cap and refrigerate at least 24 hours before eating.
6. After a day, the beans should be crisp, lightly salty, and fully dilly. They are best between 3 days and 2 weeks.
7. To make shelf-stable dilly beans instead, follow a tested recipe and process the jars according to its directions.

Tips for the Best Pickled Green Beans (Dilly Beans, Quick or Canned)

• Use the freshest, snappiest beans you can find; older beans pickle into soft, hollow pods.
• Pack beans snugly so they stay under the brine, but leave the full 1/2 inch of headspace.
• For a tested canned version, process pints in a boiling-water bath for 5 minutes at 0 to 1,000 feet elevation, adding 5 minutes per 1,000 feet above that, and never change the brine ratio.

Variations and Substitutions

• Swap the green beans for the cucumbers in the Refrigerator Pickles recipe, or pair them in a jar with the onions from the Pickled Red Onions recipe.
• Add a halved jalapeño or a strip of lemon peel to each jar for a different edge.
• Use the same brine on beets by following the Pickled Beets recipe.

How to Store and Reheat

• Refrigerator dilly beans keep about 3 to 4 weeks when kept cold and covered in brine.
• Tested water-bath canned dilly beans store sealed up to 1 year in a cool, dark place; refrigerate after opening.

Pickled Green Beans (Dilly Beans, Quick or Canned) FAQ