Dill Pickle Canning Recipe
Learn how to make delicious homemade pickles with this easy cucumber recipe! I'm sharing my expert tips for how to make cucumber pickle, achieving the perfect crunch, using a water bath canner, and more. Impress your taste buds (and friends!) when you pop open a jar of your very own dill pickles!
Equipment
- water bath canner
- jar lifter
- 6 quart mason jars, lids & rings
Ingredients
- 8 cups 5% distilled white vinegar
- 8 cups filtered water
- ¾ cups canning salt
- 12 cucumbers or ¼ bushel
- 2 bulbs garlic
- 6 teaspoons dill seeds
- 6 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 1-2 jalapeños optional
Instructions
- Prepare the cucumbers by washing them thoroughly under cool running water and trim off the ends if desired. I recommend soaking the pickles for thirty minutes in a sink or bucket filled with ice water before starting this recipe.
- Next, decide whether you prefer sliced pickles or pickle spears. Trim off both ends and any flawed areas. For slices, use a sharp knife or a mandolin slicer to cut the cucumbers into evenly sized rounds. If you prefer spears, slice the cucumbers lengthwise into quarters or eighths, depending on your desired thickness.
- In a non-reactive pot, bring the vinegar, water and canning salt to a boil. This is creating the brine. Heat until the brine and simmer until the salt has dissolved, about 2 minutes.
- Divide the dill, garlic, mustard, and jalapeños or banana peppers evenly between the quart jars. Add the cucumbers to the jar, fitting them snugly together. Your jar should be packed nice and tight!
- Ladle the hot brine into the jars using a funnel. Leave ½ inch of headspace. Use a chopstick or knife to release any air pockets in the jars. Wipe the rim with a paper towel and place the lid on the jar. Finger tighten the ring and use a jar lifter to lower the jar into the water bath canner. The jars need to be covered by at least one inch of water.
- Bring the water bath canner to a rolling boil and start a timer for 10 minutes. Remove the jars from the canner and transfer them to a heat-safe surface, like a baking sheet lined with a towel. Leave them alone for 12 hours (or even 24 hours). Remove the rings and test the lid seals before labeling and storing.
- The dill pickles will taste best if they sit for 6-8 weeks before opening to taste. Once the jar has been opened, store the pickles in the refrigerator.
Notes
VARIATIONS FOR THIS DILL PICKLE RECIPE
For those looking to experiment with flavors, there are various optional ingredients and variations to consider. You can enhance the taste of your pickles by adding herbs like dill, garlic cloves, mustard seeds, black peppercorns, red onions, or red pepper flakes. We love to make spicy pickles by adding garden jalapeños and other hot peppers. I add the pepper seeds for a really hot batch! Feel free to get creative and adjust the ingredients to suit your preferences, making each batch of pickles uniquely yours.Do dill pickles need to be refrigerated after opening?
Yes! Even though this is a cucumber pickle recipe made with a vinegar brine, it still needs to be refrigerated after the jar is opened. As long as the jar seal is unbroken, they are shelf stable.
Do pickles need to be pressure canned
Pickles in a vinegar brine are an acidic food, and do not need to be pressure canned. Today we are using a simple water bath canner while we learn how to make cucumber pickle.
What are optional add-ins to help keep pickles crisp?
While it isn't necessary to include any of these leaves in your pickle jar, here are a few ingredients that are known to keep cucumbers crisp during pickling.
Crunchy pickles, in my experience, are more likely due to the variety of cucumber and the length of heat processing.
- grape leaves
- maple leaves
- bay leaves
- black tea leaves
- maple leaves
- bay leaves
- black tea leaves
Nutrition
Calories: 16kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.03gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 12mgPotassium: 145mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 79IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 0.3mg
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