Versatile and delicious, these pickled green beans are easy to make and can be kept long-term by canning or turn them into a quick pickle for an easy, quick treat.

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Pickling is one of the oldest forms of food preservation, dating all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia around 2400 B.C. While we haven’t pickled many things here for long, we do have a few favorites like pickled green tomatoes and pickled carrots… but these pickled green beans are quickly moving their way up the list.

These pickles can be simple refrigerator pickles or water bath canned for longer-term storage, but regardless of the method of pickling, they are absolutely delicious. Packed full of flavor with dill, garlic, red pepper flakes, and mustard. Simple, perfectly spicy, and the best dilly beans you’ll ever taste.

The Best Beans for Pickling

Fresh green beans being washed to make pickled green beans.

Any type of fresh green beans, snap bean, string bean, or wax bean can be used for pickling. These beans come in green, of course, but also in shades of yellow and even purple and they can all be pickled. While all varieties of green beans can be pickled, string beans will stay crispest.

Pickled Green Beans Recipe

Pickled green beans, or dilly beans, are super easy to make. As I mentioned, you can make quick pickles and just refrigerate them after putting them together if you’d like. However, I will include canning instructions that will enable you to store the dilly beans in the cabinet for several months.

Prepare Jars. Whether canning or not, you’ll need to wash some jars and lids in hot soapy water. If you’re canning the beans, go ahead and fill the jars 2/3rds full of water and place them in a water bath canner filled with water and turn the heat on low to begin warming them up to 180°F while you prepare everything else.

Prepare the brine. Combine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar of at least 5% acidity), water, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling until the salt is dissolved and then keep it warm while you prepare everything else.

Trim beans and wash and peel garlic. Wash all of the fresh beans in water, remove stem ends, and trim them to be the same length as the jars, allowing for half inch of headspace. Peel garlic cloves so you have one to two for each jar you’ll be preparing.

Pack the jars. Pour in 1/2 teaspoon of dill seed and mustard seeds, a quarter teaspoon of hot red pepper flakes and black peppercorns, and one to two cloves of garlic into the bottom of a glass jar. Then, begin packing the green beans in lengthwise to fit tightly in the jar.

Pickled green beans in jars on a counter

Add the brine. Pour the hot brine over the beans and spices, leaving 1/2″ of headspace. Using a bubble remover, remove any trapped air bubbles and adjust for headspace if necessary. If you’re making refrigerator pickles, lid them, allow the jars to come to room temperature, and place the unprocessed jars in the fridge waiting a minimum of three days and seven days for the best flavor before enjoying.

Process (if canning). If you’d like to have shelf-stable pickled green beans, you can can them in a water bath canner. Using a lid with a screw band, wipe the rims of the canning jars, center the lids and tighten the screw bands to finger tight.

Load the jars into the prepared boiling water bath canner and make sure the jars are covered by at least 2″ of water. Place the lid on the canner and bring to a full rolling boil. Process pint jars at a full, rolling boil for 10 minutes, adjusting processing time for altitude if necessary.

Turn off the heat and remove lid after processing the jars and allow them to sit in the canner for 5 minutes before carefully removing them to a towel-lined counter. Allow them to sit, undisturbed, for 12 to 24 hours before checking for proper seals. If sealed properly, remove screw bands, label, and store in a cool dark place for up to 18 months.

How long can pickled green beans last?

In our house? Not long! But in all seriousness, refrigerator pickles will keep for approximately one month in the refrigerator. If you can them, they’ll keep, properly stored, for up to 18 months.

Ways to use pickled green beans

Add to a Bloody Mary – pickled green beans are a popular addition to this classic cocktail.
Serve on a charcuterie board or appetizer platter
Straight out of the jar, of course
Folded into a delicious potato salad or any salad, really… but this particular potato salad recipe is tasty
Antipasto platters

Making Tender Quick Pickled Green Beans

If you choose not to can these beans, they can be a little on the crisp side. If that’s not your favorite, you can blanch them first by boiling them for 2-3 minutes and them placing them in an ice bath for 2 minutes before packing them into jars.

6 Pints

Pickled Green Beans (Dilly Beans)

Name: Pickled Green Beans (Dilly Beans)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 3 Tbsp Canning Salt (sub Kosher salt); 3 Cups White Vinegar (sub 5% apple cider vinegar); 3 Cups Water; 4 1/2 lbs Green beans, stems removed and trimmed into jar-length pieces; 3 tsp Dill Seeds (divided, can sub sprigs of fresh dill); 3 tsp Mustard Seeds (divided); 1 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (divided); 1 1/2 tsp Black Peppercorns; 6-12 Cloves Garlic

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Easy recipe with the perfect amount of brine and spice these pickled green beans can be made into quick pickles by refrigerating or taking it a step further and canning for a shelf stable side dish or the perfect addition to salads or cocktails.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp Canning Salt (sub Kosher salt)
3 Cups White Vinegar (sub 5% apple cider vinegar)
3 Cups Water
4 1/2 lbs Green beans, stems removed and trimmed into jar-length pieces
3 tsp Dill Seeds (divided, can sub sprigs of fresh dill)
3 tsp Mustard Seeds (divided)
1 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (divided)
1 1/2 tsp Black Peppercorns
6-12 Cloves Garlic

Instructions

Wash jars and lids in hot soapy water, prepare the water bath canner, and place jars filled with 2/3rds water into the prepared canner and heat to 180°F if canning. If you're not canning, just wash the glass jars you're going to use.
Prepare the brine by combining salt, vinegar, and water in a medium saucepan and bringing the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Continue boiling until salt is dissolved, then reduce heat to keep the brine hot.
Meanwhile, prepare the beans by washing them, removing the stem end, and trimming them to fit into the jars length-wise allowing for 1/2" of headspace. Prepare the garlic by peeling 6-12 cloves.
Pack the jars by placing 1/2 teaspoon each of dill seeds (or a sprig of fresh dill) and mustard seeds, a quarter teaspoon each of red pepper flakes and black peppercorns, and 1 to 2 cloves of garlic in the bottom of the prepared jar. Then, tightly pack the green beans in lengthwise.
After the jars are packed, pour the prepared brine over the ingredients, leaving 1/2" of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and adjust for proper headspace if necessary.
If making quick pickles, simply lid the prepared jars, allow them to come to room temperature and then place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 days before enjoying. Seven days will provide more flavor.
If canning, wipe jar rims, center the lid, tighten screw bands to finger tight and place in the prepared boiling water bath canner. Make sure the jars are covered by at least 2" of water, place the lid on the canner and bring it to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, process pint jars for 10 minutes, adjusting processing time for altitude if necessary.
After processing, turn off the heat and remove the lid and allow the jars to sit in the canner for 5 minutes before removing to a towel-lined counter. Leave the jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours before checking for proper seals. Remove the bands of the proper sealed jars and store them for up to 18 months.