Pickled Green Beans

We're making homemade pickled green beans, my friends. We planted green beans this year and the plant was super productive, so we want to preserve some. Most recipes for pickled green beans cook them half to death so they go soft in the jar. Not here. These give you a crunchy snap when you bite them.

I make these as a refrigerator pickle with a hot brine poured over the raw beans. They're packed tight with garlic, dill, and a few added chilies for a spicy kick. They're ready in 24 hours, and I also include a water-bath canning variation for longer-term pantry storage. I'll cover this below.

You might see these referred to as "dilly beans", which is the same thing, green beans pickled in a brine with vinegar, dill, and garlic. The name comes from the dill used for generations.

I go spicy, because of course I do. I'll give you options for mild to wild with specific suggestions in the recipe card.

Let's get to it.

Ingredients You'll Need

The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Green Beans. If you're buying from the store, test one by bending it. It should snap, not bend. Snappy and firm is ideal.
• Vinegar. Distilled white vinegar at 5% acidity. It is printed on the label and important if you plan on canning. Apple cider vinegar is great for more tangy and fruity flavor. White vinegar is cleaner and lets the garlic and chilies come through.
• Water. Equal parts with the vinegar. Use a filter if your tap water is heavily chlorinated.
• Pickling Salt or Kosher Salt. Non-iodized. Iodized table salt clouds the brine and can darken the beans.
• Sugar or Honey. Optional. A bit of sugar or honey balances out the sharpness of the vinegar without making them sweet. Omit for a sharper bite.
• Garlic. Three cloves per jar, smashed just enough to crack them open and infuse the brine.
• Dill. Dill seed, a dill head, or fresh dill sprigs all work. Dill seed is the most consistent and the easiest to keep on hand. Fresh dill looks gorgeous in the jar.
• Mustard Seed and Black Peppercorns. Extra flavor and pretty classic in pickles.
• Chilies. For a touch of heat. See the heat section below to make it your way.

How to Make Pickled Green Beans

Trim the beans to about 4 inches, or whatever height leaves you half an inch of headspace in your jars. Stand a bean up in an empty jar and cut to fit.

Blanch the beans. Optional. See "The Crunch Factor" below.

Load up the jars. To the bottom of each clean pint jar, add fresh garlic, dill, mustard seed, peppercorns, and chilies.

Pack the beans in vertically, cut ends up, as tight as you can. Loose beans tend to float up and you want them to stay below the brine.

Boil the brine. Pour the vinegar, water, salt, and the optional sugar or honey into a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and stir until everything dissolves.

Pour it hot over the beans to cover them completely. Press any floaters down with a spoon. Careful, it's hot.

Cool, lid, refrigerate. Let the jars cool enough to handle, screw on the lids, and refrigerate.

Wait. 24 hours minimum to let them properly pickle. 48 to 72 hours is a sweet spot.

The Crunch Factor

Three main factors determine whether your pickled green beans will be crunchy or soft:

• Blanching. Blanching is good for brighter green color, but it softens the beans slightly. Sixty seconds in boiling water is all you need, then straight into an ice bath. Longer than that and you're cooking them soft. Skip it for maximum crunch, though they will darken in color. If you care about the color, for yourself or for gifting, blanch them.
• Bean thickness. Thicker green beans will stay snappy longer. Thin ones not as long. If all you have are skinny beans, eat them within the first couple of weeks.
• Packing. Tight jars keep beans submerged. Beans that slip above the brine line go soft and off-color.

Can You Can These Pickled Green Beans?

Yes, my friends. This canned version follows the tested NCHFP dilly-bean framework, using equal parts 5% vinegar and water with no increase in the amount of low-acid beans or garlic.

Double the brine for 4 pint jars. You'll need about 2 pounds of beans, 2½ cups distilled white vinegar at 5% acidity, 2½ cups water, 3 tablespoons canning or pickling salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar if you're using it.

Then make three changes to what goes in the jars.

• Cut back to 1 garlic clove per jar. Not three.
• Swap fresh chilies for dried. Red pepper flakes, whole chiles de árbol, or cayenne powder, adjusted to whatever heat you want. A rough guide per jar: ¼ teaspoon flakes for mild, ½ teaspoon or 2 dried árbols for medium, 1 teaspoon flakes or 3 to 4 árbols for hot, and a pinch of dried ghost or reaper for real deal heat.
• Dill. Use 1 dill head or 1 teaspoon dill seed per jar.

Because fresh chilies and garlic are low-acid ingredients, keep the garlic to 1 clove per jar and use dried chilies for the canned version. Everything else stays the same.

Sterilize the jars then pack the beans raw, cut side up, leaving ½ inch headspace, and don't blanch them. Ladle the boiling brine over, remove air bubbles, wipe the rims clean, and apply lids and bands fingertip tight. Process pint jars for 5 minutes at 0-1,000 ft, 10 minutes at 1,001-6,000 ft, and 15 minutes above 6,000 ft. Let them cool 12 to 24 hours and check that the lids don't flex when you press the center.

Salt Note: Use canning or pickling salt for the canned version. Kosher salt varies in density by brand, so measuring it by volume can give you inconsistent saltiness.

If you're new to water bath canning, the National Center for Home Food Preservation is a great resource.

Don't Toss That Leftover Brine

If you wind up with leftover brine, save it for another use. Unused brine that you mixed but never poured over anything can be refrigerated and used for another batch of quick pickles. Used brine from a finished pickling jar has been diluted and flavored by the vegetables. Use up the used brine within a week or two, and never use it for canning.

Ways to use leftover brine:

• Quick pickle something else. Unused brine only. Great for pickled red onions, cucumbers, pickled carrot sticks, radishes, pickled jalapeños.
• Bloody Marys and Micheladas. A splash of spicy bean brine in either one is outstanding. You need to try my Spicy Bloody Mary and my Michelada Recipe.
• Vinaigrette. Use three parts oil to one part brine. No need for salt. Whisk and BOOM, done.
• Chicken marinade. Pickle brine chicken is a real thing, and you can use it with my chicken marinade recipe, or Nashville hot chicken.
• Pickleback. Shot of whiskey, shot of brine. Better than you think.
• Anywhere else you need a bit of vinegar and salt.

Serving Pickled Green Beans

I love them straight out of the jar for the perfect crunchy snack, but you can enjoy them in many ways.

They are a fantastic Bloody Mary garnish, and they work the same way in a Michelada. Chop them into potato salad, tuna salad, or egg salad for a briny crunch factor. Put them on a charcuterie or relish tray with olives and pickled peppers.

Serve them with barbecue, fried chicken, or a burger for something bright to cut the richness.

They also make a great gift jar. Tie a bow around it and give it to someone you love.

Storage

Refrigerator pickled green beans keep for 2 to 3 months in a sealed jar in the fridge. They usually don't last that long for us. They stay pretty crunchy for a couple weeks, but slowly soften after that, though the flavor keeps getting better.

For best quality, use properly canned jars within 1 year and store them in a cool, dark, dry place. Once you open a canned jar, refrigerate it and treat it like the refrigerator version.

Always use a clean fork to pull beans out. Using dirty fingers or utensils is the fastest way to shorten its life.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this recipe for spicy pickled green beans. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and how you decided to spice it up!

More Pickling Recipes

• Pickled Peppers Recipe
• Refrigerator Pickles
• Pickled Tomatoes
• Classic Chow Chow
• See all of Pickling Recipes

More Green Bean Recipes to Try

• Smothered Green Beans
• Dry-Fried Green Beans (Sichuan Ganbian Sijidou)

FAQ SECTION

Should I blanch green beans before pickling them?

Maybe. Blanching gives the beans a brighter green color but softens them slightly. Skipping it gives you crunchier pickled green beans.

Why are my pickled green beans soft?

Usually one of three reasons. The beans weren't fresh to begin with, they floated above the brine line, or they were blanched too long. Pack the jars tight, use beans that snap when you bend them, and keep the blanch to 60 seconds if you blanch at all.

How long do pickled green beans last?

Refrigerator pickles keep 2 to 3 months. For best quality, properly canned jars last 1 year stored in a cool, dark, dry place. Refrigerate after opening.

What's the difference between pickled green beans and dilly beans?

Dilly beans are pickled green beans flavored with dill, traditionally along with garlic and other pickling spices.

Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar?

Yes, as long as it's 5% acidity. Use it for a mellower, slightly fruity flavor. White vinegar is cleaner and sharper, and lets the garlic and chilies stand out more.