Pickled Dilled Beans (Dilly Beans)

About this recipe

Crisp, garlicky, dilled green beans. The acidified vinegar+water+salt brine is the same architecture as Quick Fresh-Pack Dill Pickles, but the bean recipe processes only 5 minutes at sea level because raw-packed slim beans transfer heat to brine quickly. NCHFP factsheet recipe; widely reproduced in USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.

Brine architecture: 4 cups white vinegar (5%) + 4 cups water + 0.5 cup canning salt (1:1 vinegar:water with 6.7 % salt brine, yields ~7 pints). Vinegar floor: 5.00% acidity.

Ingredients

• 4 lb fresh tender green or yellow beans (5–6 inches long, snipped to fit pint jars)
• 8–16 heads fresh dill (about 2 heads per pint jar)
• 8 cloves garlic (1 per pint jar, optional)
• 0.5 cup canning/pickling salt
• 4 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes per pint (optional)

Procedure

1. Wash beans thoroughly, drain, snip off ends. Cut to fit upright in pint jars (leaving 0.5 inch headspace).
2. Combine vinegar + water + salt in a saucepan; bring to a boil to dissolve salt.
3. Pack beans lengthwise into clean hot pint jars. Add 1–2 dill heads, 1 garlic clove, and (if using) 1 tsp red pepper flakes per jar.
4. Ladle hot brine over beans, leaving 0.5 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adjust headspace, wipe rim, apply lid + ring fingertip-tight.
5. Process pints 5 minutes (quarts 10 minutes) in a boiling water bath canner at 0–1,000 ft; add altitude minutes per table.
6. Let jars sit at least 2 weeks before opening to develop flavor.

Altitude adjustment

Add 5 min at 1,001–3,000 ft, 10 min at 3,001–6,000 ft, 15 min at 6,001–8,000 ft, 20 min at 8,001–10,000 ft.

• Sea level to 1,000 ft → 5 min
• 1,001 ft to 3,000 ft → 10 min
• 3,001 ft to 6,000 ft → 15 min
• 6,001 ft to 8,000 ft → 20 min
• 8,001 ft to 10,000 ft → 25 min

Safety

5% vinegar is the floor — lower-acidity vinegars do not guarantee safety. Beans must be tender and fresh; over-mature beans become tough and rubbery in the brine. Salt is canning/pickling grade only (no anti-caking).

Other pickle recipes

• Quick Fresh-Pack Dill Pickles
• Pickled Dilled Beans (Dilly Beans) (current)
• Pickled Beets

Source — verify before canning

NCHFP (UGA) — Pickled Dilled Beans factsheet. USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, Guide 6.. This page reproduces the published recipe for reference. Always verify against the current NCHFP / USDA recipe before canning — food-safety guidance can be revised. Information provided for educational purposes only. Last verified 2026-04-30.