An easy, wonderfully versatile and utterly deeeeelicious homemade dill pickle relish recipe! Canning instructions are included so you can enjoy this relish all year long!
It’s relish like this that makes eating a sandwich or hot dog just that much better.  It also adds a wonderful dimension to your pasta and potato salads. Last Summer I posted my recipe for Sweet Pickle Relish and here is the more savory version with a more pronounced dill flavor.  It’s so easy to make and comes with instructions for canning so you can enjoy it all the year long.
Pickle Relish Recipe
Let’s get started!
We’re going to use regular cucumbers. Â They’re much cheaper than English cucumbers (the ones that come shrink-wrapped) or pickling cucumbers and taste exactly the same. Â I prefer to peel them since the peel is fairly tough. Â We’re also going to remove the seeds.
So peel the cucumbers and thinly slice them lengthwise. Â Slice them into strips, discarding the inner strip of seeds. Â Then very finely dice the cucumbers.
Very finely dice the onions, garlic and red bell pepper.  You can use a food processor, just don’t let the onions and bell pepper get mushy.  I prefer to just do it by hand.
Note: Â There are no green bell peppers shown in the pictures and they weren’t added to this particular batch, but they belong in it. Â Okay, now that that’s clear, let’s move on.
Place the diced vegetables in a large bowl along with the salt. Â Cover with water and let it sit for at least 6 hours or overnight.
(Ignore the fact that some of the cucumber peels are on. Â The second batch I made I peeled the cucumbers and the result was better.)
Put the sugar, vinegar and spices in a large stock pot and bring it to a boil. Â Reduce the heat to a low boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Drain the cucumber mixture in a colander, thoroughly rinse, and drain again.
Add the mixture to the stock pot. Â Return to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Â Discard the bay leaves.
Ladle the hot relish into the hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Â Wipe the rims of the jars clean and seal tightly with the lids. Â Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Ah, the masterpiece is done!
Best eaten at least a week later after the flavors have had time to meld and the vinegar mellows out a bit.
It’s so satisfying to see the end result of your labors – and you can enjoy this relish all the year long!
Be sure to also try our:
- Giardiniera
- Corn Relish
- Sweet Pickle Relish
- Marinara Sauce
- Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish
- Pickled Onions
- Dilly Beans
- Pickled Asparagus
- Pickled Turnips
- Pickled Peppers
- Pickled Beets
BEST Dill Pickle Relish
Ingredients
- 2½ lbs cucumbers (weighed prior to peeling and seeding),peeled, center row of seeds removed, and finely diced
- 1 large yellow onion ,finely diced
- 1 small red bell pepper ,finely diced
- 1 small green bell pepper ,finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic ,finely minced
- ¼ cup kosher or pickling salt (neither of these have additives which is important to avoid when canning)
- 3 cups white vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar (optional or use less according to taste)
- 2 teaspoons dill seeds
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons celery seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Place the diced cucumbers, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a large mixing bowl. Combine with the salt and pour water over the mixture until covered. Let sit for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Drain the cucumber mixture in a colander, rinse thoroughly with water, and drain again.
- In a large stock pot, add the sugar, vinegar, and spices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the drained cucumber mixture and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.
- Ladle the hot relish into hot sterile jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars clean and seal tightly with the lids.
- Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
- Sealed jars will store in a cool, dark place for a year. If the seal is broken, the relish will keep in the fridge for at least a month. Makes 4 pints (you can use pint-sized or half pint jars). Best eaten at least a week later after the flavors have had time to meld and the vinegar mellows out a bit.
Nutrition
Karen Chapman says
I’ve just made this. It’s not very often I make something that looks exactly like a picture in the recipe but this was spot on. Tasted some before canning & it was immediately delish. Even hubby tried & liked it! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. BTW – I’m in New Zealand, it’s that time of year!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Karen, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for your feedback and I look forward to “seeing” you around :) Greetings to New Zealand!
Joan Maslin says
Planning to make this over the weekend. One question, however…. Do I use table salt or kosher salt ? (I am assuming Kosher). Thanks so much. Going cucumber shopping now
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Joan, I’ve used both but most would probably recommend going kosher. Happy relish-making! :)
Susie says
I have started making my own tarter sauce but was using store bot dill pickle relish. In your opinion would this work nicely for making tarter sauce?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Susie, absolutely! Happy relish and tartar sauce making! :)
Erin says
Delicious relish – and so nice to find a savoury relish recipe! Do you test your canning recipes for their acid level? I’ve been reading a couple of blogs that have me a bit spooked about the idea of untested recipes!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Erin, thank you! Yes, you will find plenty of sources out there that will spook you enough to where you’ll never ever want to can! Fortunately our grandmothers and great-grandmothers had more common sense than that as do Western Europeans who continue to can without all the excessive precautions that we take over here. You can buy pH strips to test but I don’t. As much acid (vinegar and sugar) as there is in this recipe – combined with the water bath processing – that bacteria really doesn’t stand a chance. Botulism is so incredibly rare. And of course the sure way to know if a canned recipe has gone bad is if the lid has popped.
Marissa says
I followed your recipe to the T and for some reason my relish did not come out as green as your pictures you posted. Did I do something wrong? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Marissa, I think I left the skins on the pickles for more color for this particular batch. That was merely personal preference and it doesn’t in the least bit affect the flavor of the relish.
Nancy Derenberger says
I put it in roasted chicken salad. Not too dilly. Very good.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Nancy, thanks so much for the feedback!
Beth says
Hi There;
I’m making my first batch of this relish today and the recipe looks tasty and easy :) I was just wondering, if I wanted to make a second “Spicy” batch what would be the best way to do it? Should I just add in a Jalapeno?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Beth, that’s fantastic! Yes exactly, youu either use green jalapeno or red chili for more color.
Anonymous says
I’ve never made a cucumber relish and would like to know i
Caleb says
Hi Kimberly, ive just set my vegetables in the salt water mixture.. and i was curious if there was a maximum amount of time to leave the mixture set i just put it in at 8:00 PM EST would it be okay if it set until 5:00 PM the next day when im off work or should i wake myself up early?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Caleb! Yes, that will be perfectly fine to wait until you get home. I just made a batch of the Homemade Sweet Pickle Relish (we’re huge fans) and am making another batch of the Dill Pickle Relish this weekend as well. Happy relish-making and I hope you enjoy it!
Anonymous says
i was like carol day, I thought it was 2 different recipes because it said sweet and savory dill pickle relish. thanks for sharing this with us ,my grand babies love dill pickle relish an I wanted to try an make it for them .
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
We’re huge fans as well. We love this stuff on sandwiches, in pasta and potato salads and on hot dogs. My personal favorite is the Homemade Sweet Pickle Relish, which may also interest you.
Anonymous says
I forgot to drain the water off and added vinegar and spices then hot water bathed the batch. All jars sealed but I did it wrong. Should I throw jars out. All 21 of them.
Biodynamic Barb says
YES! You should either throw them out or drain and reprocess. The additional water will dilute the acidity and allow botulism to grow.
Carol Daly says
ok, thanks…I thought there were 2 different recipes here..
Carol Daly says
BTW, I am wanting to try the recipe for dill relish, but amounts and ingredient list is not available…Please email this recipe to mommyhugs3@yahoo.com as I might not be able to find this again on here…(not very techy)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Carol! You’ll get an email letting you know that I replied to your comment. The ingredients list is at the very bottom of the recipe post along with the directions. You’ll the recipe box and it has the ability to be printed out.
Carol Daly says
Going to try these today…Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Carol, enjoy!
Evelyn says
I made a batch of this yesterday and kept a little out to try now. It’s fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing this! Looking forward to enjoy all of my jars of it throughout the upcoming months :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
So happy you enjoyed it, Evelyn! It really is so satisfying to have a stash of homemade canned goods you can open up any time to enjoy. This is my husband’s favorite relish. I like using this in pasta and potato salads and slightly prefer the Homemade Sweet Pickle Relish for sandwiches. My husband prefers the dill pickle relish for everything.
Natalie Loftus says
Outstanding relish! Made it as written and I’m already on my second batch – one for me and the rest to give away!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Natalie, thank you!
Wendy VALENTINE says
Is it possible to freeze the relish?
Sarah says
The flavors sound and smell really good, but as I’m finishing I’m a little confused. You are ladling with a slotted spoon in the pictures, so does that mean you do not utilize all the spices vinegar liquid? I’m assuming not because relish typically isn’t very liquidy…other than that factor missing from the details, great recipe! I omitted the turmeric and added minced jalapeños for a little more kick!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sarah! Yeah, how much liquid is added is really just a matter of personal preference. I hope you enjoy the relish!
Anonymous says
Why doesn’t this have a vinegar taste