Pickled Green Beans Recipe (Spicy Dilly Beans)

Mike from Chili Pepper Madness holds two jars of Pickled Green Beans (Spicy Dilly Beans) in brine, with vibrant spices visible at the bottom.

5 from 1 rating

Pickled Green Beans Recipe (Spicy Dilly Beans)

These crunchy refrigerator pickled green beans are packed with garlic, dill, and as many chilies as you can handle. Ready in 24 hours, with canning instructions included.

Prep Time20

Cook Time5

Resting Time1

Course: Appetizer, Condiment, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dilly beans, pickled green beans, refrigerator pickles, spicy pickled green beans

Servings: pint jars

Calories: 139kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Ingredients

Beans and Brine

1 lb fresh green beans trimmed to about 4 inches
1¼ cups distilled white vinegar 5% acidity
1¼ cups water
1½ tablespoons pickling salt non-iodized
1 tablespoon sugar OR 2 teaspoons honey (optional, for balance)

Per Pint Jar

3 garlic cloves peeled and lightly smashed
1 teaspoon dill seed or 1 dill head, or 2 large fresh dill sprigs
½ teaspoon mustard seed
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
Chilies to taste see notes

For Spicy Pickled Green Beans, Per Jar

Mild: ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1 jalapeño sliced into coins
Medium: 1-2 serranos halved lengthwise or 2-3 whole dried chiles de árbol
Hot: 1 habanero halved or 3 cayennes slit down the side, or 5 Thai chilies
Wild: half a ghost pepper or more, or other superhot

Instructions

(Optional) Blanch the green beans. Boil the beans 60 seconds, then drain and add them into an ice bath to cool. Drain and pat them completely dry. This softens them slightly and gives them a brighter green color. Skip this step for maximum crunch.
Divide garlic, dill, mustard seed, peppercorns, and optional chilies between two clean pint jars.
Pack the beans in tight, vertically, cut ends up, leaving about ½ inch headspace.
Combine vinegar, water, salt, and optional sugar or honey in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until dissolved.
Pour the hot brine over the beans to cover completely. Press the beans down if they float.
Cool enough to handle, then screw on the lids and refrigerate.
Ready in 24 hours. Best at 48 to 72 hours. Keeps about 2-3 months refrigerated, crunchiest in the first 2-3 weeks.

Notes

Whole chilies left intact infuse slowly and stay pretty in the jar. Halved or slit chilies infuse heat into the brine more quickly and keep building.
Use 5% acidity vinegar. It's printed on the label.
You may have brine left over depending on how tightly you pack your jars. Keep unused brine refrigerated and use it for another quick pickle.

To can these: For 4 pints, use 2 pounds beans, 2½ cups vinegar, 2½ cups water, 3 tablespoons canning or pickling salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar if using. Then make three adjustments per jar: use only 1 garlic clove, and replace the fresh chilies with dried ones (red pepper flakes, chiles de árbol, or cayenne powder to taste), and sse 1 dill head or 1 teaspoon dill seed per jar.. Mustard seed, and peppercorns stay the same. Sterilize the jars then pack the beans raw with no blanching, leave ½ inch headspace, cover with boiling brine, and process pint jars 5 minutes at 0-1,000 ft, 10 minutes at 1,001-6,000 ft, and 15 minutes above 6,000 ft. See the canning section in the post for the full explanation.

Nutrition information includes all the brine, hence the sodium count.

Nutrition