These pickled green beans are a great way to preserve a summer harvest for the winter pantry. They’re crisp and delicious, and with an easy boiling water bath process, they’re shelf stable.
Not ready to start canning quite yet? Try these refrigerator dilly beans.
Serve these pickled green beans as a snack, use them to stir a bloody Mary, or add them to your favorite three bean salad.
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Making pickled green beans
The basic recipe for pickling brine — vinegar, water, salt — can be used to make either dill beans or spicy green bean pickles. Choose the spice combination you like!
Prepare the beans by washing and trimming them to fit into pint size canning jars, then pack them in snugly. The more tightly they’re packed into the jar, the less the beans will tend to float once they’re processed.
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Filling the jars
If you’re new to pickling and filling jars, worry not. It’s easy. Just tilt the jar as you fill it, to keep the beans pointing in mostly the same direction. This allows you to get more in the jar than just putting them in all catty-wampus.
This is considered a “raw pack” method, meaning that you won’t cook the beans before packing them into the jar. The bright green raw beans will darken after being processed. This is normal.
After heating the brine, pour it over the green beans in the jar. If there are some beans sticking up too high, I’ve found the easiest way to deal with this is to snip them off with kitchen shears.
Canning Safety
Canning is an excellent way to preserve food for the pantry, but there are some important safety considerations to keep in mind.
- Know the difference between water bath canning and pressure canning. Low acid items must be pressure canned for safety.
- Altering ingredients may change the recipe’s pH, posing a safety issue. I highly recommend investing in pH paper to test your products for acidity level when canning. Note: The Hawaii Master Food Preservers suggest a pH of 4.2 or lower in the tropics. In other regions, the recommended pH is 4.6 or lower.
- Use the proper jars and lids. Never reuse lids, with the exception of the Tattler lids that are intended for such a purpose.
- For more on canning equipment, please go here.
- The recipes on this site have been made following safe canning procedures by a certified Master Food Preserver.
Water bath canning
Green beans are a low-acid food. The addition of vinegar creates an acidic environment making this recipe safe to process in a water bath canner. If you wish to can green beans (not pickled) you MUST use a pressure canner to create a safe product. This recipe has been adapted from one on the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s website.
When the processing time has elapsed, remove the jars from the water and set on a sturdy surface to cool. You may hear each jar seal with a “tink!” Once cooled, check the lid by gently pressing in the center. It should feel solid. If it flexes, it did not seal. Place any unsealed jars in the refrigerator and use those first.
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Easy Pickled Green Beans for Canning
Crisp and delicious, these pickled green beans are easy to make for the pantry! Serve them as a snack, use them to stir a bloody Mary, or add them to your favorite three bean salad.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh tender green or yellow beans (5 to 6 inches long)
- 1/4 cup canning or pickling salt
- 2 cups vinegar (5 percent - I used apple cider vinegar)
- 2 cups water
- 4 cloves garlic
For dilly beans:
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 heads fresh dill or (4 teaspoons dill seed)
For spicy pickled green beans:
- 3 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 4 teaspoons chile pepper flakes
- 4 allspice berries
- 2 teaspoons dill seed
Instructions
- Wash and trim ends from green beans. Cut beans into 4" lengths.
- Put one garlic clove into each of four pint jars. Divide spices between the 4 jars.
- Pack beans upright into jars, leaving 1/2" headspace.
- Combine vinegar, water, and salt in a saucepan, bringing the liquid to a boil.
- Pour hot liquid over beans.
- Run a butter knife around the inside of the jar to release any air bubbles. Add more liquid to the jar if necessary to maintain 1/2" headspace.
- Wipe the jar rims and set a flat lid in place. Screw a canning ring on, firmly tight.
- Use a jar lifter to transfer filled jars into a boiling water bath canner.
- Process for 10 minutes. (15 minutes if you are situated above 6,000' in elevation.
- Remove jars to a flat surface and allow to cool.
Notes
A full sized water bath canner takes about 30 minutes or so to heat up, so get it started before you start to make this recipe.
