We love green beans: from cooking them into a delicious dinner to a cool and hearty salad, green beans are incredibly versatile. But, if you’ve loaded up on green beans at the farmers market or just harvested your green bean crop, it can be a bit overwhelming to use them all up before going bad. To extend the life of your produce, try pickling your green beans.
Psst! Before you hit the market or garden, learn how to pick the best green beans.
Pickled green beans can last up to a year, meaning you can indulge in a crisp, briny snack long after green bean season is over. Keep reading to get our step-by-step instructions for pickling green beans, plus some guidance from our Test Kitchen experts.
How to Make Pickled Green Beans
This recipe comes to us from Marisa McClellan or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She cranks up the heat of her pickled green beans by adding a teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1-3/4 pounds fresh green beans
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 teaspoons dill seed or 4 fresh dill heads
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2-1/2 cups water
- 2-1/2 cups white vinegar
- 1/4 cup canning salt
Equipment:
- 4 1-pint jars and lids
- Large saucepan
- Ladle
- Canner
Yield: 4 pints
Step 1: Prepare the jars
After washing and trimming your green beans, split them evenly between four 1-pint jars, leaving about 1/2 in. of headspace. Then, divide the cayenne, garlic and dill seeds or heads evenly and add them to the jars as well. If heat isn’t your thing, feel free to skip the cayenne. While you’re preparing, be sure to avoid the most common canning mistakes.
Test Kitchen Tip: Before you begin, make sure your jars clean and sterilize. If you’re reusing jars, here’s how to sterilize them: wash the jars, lids and bands in hot, soapy water. Dry off the bands with a clean kitchen towel and place the jars in a pot of boiling water where they’re completely submerged. In a separate pot, boil the lids in 180° water. Allow the jars and lids to boil for at least 10 minutes. Keep the lids and jars in their respective pots until they’re ready to be used.
Step 2: Prepare the brine
In a large saucepan, combine the water, white vinegar and canning salt over medium heat. Give the mixture a good stir, then let it come to a boil.
Test Kitchen Tip: This recipe uses standard white vinegar, but that’s not the only choice. Using apple cider vinegar will leave some sweetness in your green beans while 10% white vinegar will make your green beans extra crisp.
Step 3: Add brine to the jars
Once the brine is ready, carefully ladle it into the jars, being sure to leave 1/2 in. of headspace. Give the jars a few taps and shakes to release any air bubbles and add more brine, if needed. By the way, this is why you shouldn’t follow grandma’s canning recipe.
Step 4: Process
When the jars are prepared, add them to a canner with simmering water, making sure the jars are completely submerged. Let the green beans process for 10 minutes, then remove them from the water and cool. Read up on why you should try steam canning next.
Test Kitchen Tip: This processing time is for altitudes of 1,000 feet or less. For altitudes up to 3,000 feet, add 5 minutes; 6,000 feet, add 10 minutes; 8,000 feet, add 15 minutes; 10,000 feet, add 20 minutes.
Step 5: Enjoy!
After the green beans have cooled overnight, enjoy them with a sandwich for lunch, bring them along on a picnic or enjoy them on their own as a refreshing snack.
How long do pickled green beans last?
Unopened, pickled green beans will last about a year when stored in a cool, dry place. Once opened, try to use leftover pickled green beans within two weeks (if they last that long!).
How long do you have to wait to eat pickled green beans?
While it’s best to let pickled green beans sit overnight to cool and let the flavors blend, you can eat them right after being processed.
What is the best way to preserve green beans?
While we think pickled green beans are the best, there are other ways to preserve them. Some other methods include freezing, fermenting and dry freezing.
Now that you’ve mastered these pickled green beans, try these other tasty pickled recipes.
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With sweet, tangy and spiced flavors, these pickled beets are so good that they'll win over just about everyone in your house. Jars of colorful beets make great gifts, too! —Edna Hoffman, Hebron, Indiana
Pickled Green Beans
This recipe produces zippy little pickles, preserving my green beans for months to come...if they last that long. I crank up the heat a bit with cayenne pepper. —Marisa McClellan, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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You can enjoy a small batch of these sweet crunchy pickles anytime without the work of traditional canning methods. They're loaded with flavor and so easy to make. —Marie Wladyka, Land O'Lakes, Florida
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Pickled Bell Peppers
Everyone around here knows me for this colorful, tasty dish. I serve the peppers with a lot of meals and other times I'll turn it into a salad for a weeknight cookout. —Heather Prendergast, Sundre, Alberta
Fire-and-Ice Pickles
These sweet and spicy pickles are great on a sandwich or all by themselves as a snack. The recipe is an easy way to dress up store-brought pickles and make them a special treat! —Myra Innes, Auburn, Kansas
Refrigerator Garden Pickles
Canning isn't necessary for these crisp-tender, tangy pickles. Keep them in the fridge and eat them up within a month. —Linda Chapman, Meriden, Iowa
Pickled Green Tomato Relish
When I'm left with green tomatoes at the end of summer, I reach for this recipe. Friends and family are so happy to receive the sweet-sour relish that they often return the empty jar and ask for a refill! —Mary Gill, Florence, Oregon
Tangy Pickled Mushrooms
Home-canned pickled mushrooms are a handy addition to your pantry. They’re ideal for cocktails, appetizers, salads and relish trays.—Jill Hihn, Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms, West Grove, Pennsylvania
Christmas Pickles
A dear family friend made these pickles for decades. I've adapted the recipe a bit over the years, but in my heart they are still “Dr. Rhodes’ pickles.” These morsels are delicious any time of year, but the green, red and white hues of the pickles, cherries and onions make them ideal for Christmas gift-giving—and it's a tasty twist on the classic Christmas pickle tradition. —Patricia Martin, Shelby
Sweet and Sour Zucchini Pickles
To use up all those green beauties in your garden, make these unexpected zucchini pickles. Preserve them now to share as a holiday gift from your kitchen. —Tina Butler, Royse City, Texas
Spicy Pickled Garlic
Here's a delicious condiment for the garlic lover on your list. You'll be pleasantly surprised how pickling mellows out the garlic, making it a tasty sandwich topper. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Refrigerator Jalapeno Dill Pickles
I’m passionate about making pickles. My husband is passionate about eating them. He's too impatient to let them cure on the shelf, so I found this quick recipe to make him happy. Add hotter peppers if you like. —Annie Jensen, Roseau, Minnesota
Watermelon Rind Pickles
"Waste not, want not" has always been smart advice—especially when it produces picked watermelon rind that's so refreshing. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Favorite Bread & Butter Pickles
I made these pickles while growing up and love them because you can eat them with just about anything. Now, both of my children love these pickles, too. I think you'll enjoy them as much as we do! —Linda Weger, Robinson, Illinois
Sweet & Spicy Pickled Red Seedless Grapes
Most people don't think about grapes when creating a canned pickle recipe. The pickling liquid for these grapes includes red wine, vinegar, and common pickling spices like coriander, mustard seeds and hot pepper; it also contains warm spices like cinnamon and star anise along with brown sugar. These flavor-packed grapes are unique and delicious on an antipasto, pickle or cheese tray. —Cheryl Perry, Hertford, North CarolinaThe post How to Make Pickled Green Beans appeared first on Taste of Home.
Caroline Stanko