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
Margarita says
Hi, I’m curious about the veggies and the salt water and letting them sit. Most recipes I’ve looked at call for them to sit for a while(from a couple of hours to overnight). Is that to draw out the extra moisture from the cucumbers or to add flavor? By the way I will be using your recipe today. Minus the turmeric(I don’t have any) and maybe less sugar( I will probably go by taste). Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Margarita! Yes, the purpose of letting them sit in salt water is to draw out the water in the cucumbers. That’s critical otherwise when you can the relish there will be excess water that will dilute the brine, lower the pH level (not enough acid) which will render the relish unsafe for canning (ie, it will spoil). The purpose of the turmeric is mostly for color (there’s a small flavor element).
Blake says
Lowering the PH would actually increase the acid. Excess water would increase the PH level most likely. Also, the posted nutritional numbers seem to be incorrect.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Blake, the nutritional numbers are for the entire batch, 4 pints.
Anonymous says
This is my first time making relish I’m almost done. Fillings jars now. Wish me luck. 😃
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Terrific and congratulations on your first ever batch! :)
Alysia says
I cannot find Dill Seed at the store. Can I substitute with fresh dillweed? If so, how much would you suggest? Thanks.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Alysia, you can substitute with 2-3 heads of dill or 2-3 tablespoons of fresh chopped dill weed. Without trying it myself I can’t make a recommendation for specific quantities, but there’s a ballpark estimate.
brandy says
I was also wondering how long I should wait before opening it, but caved in and tried it before I read this! I made it yesterday. So how will the flavor change after it sits a week? I didn’t rinse it very much, so I’m not sure if its saltier than its supposed to be, and I used slightly less sugar. But its pretty good so far!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Brandy! Yes, it’s probably very salty if you didn’t rinse it but whether something too salty is in the eye – or rather the mouth – of the beholder :) There’s no rule about how long you should wait to use it. I generally say to wait about a week just so the flavors from the spices can penetrate the relish a bit more, but this last batch I made I used the next day and everyone loved it. So just dig in! :)
Denise Geisler says
Made a batch of this relish today! Can’t wait to try it! After it’s processed how long should it be left sealed before trying it?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Denise! For the best results I wait about a week or two to eat it. And though this relish can be stored for a very long time without any safety risks (I just opened up a jar that I canned 3 years ago!), for best flavor it should ideally be used within 6-8 months.
Suz says
Thanks!!!
Suz says
Question . Why do you have to cook the cucumbers for relish but not for pickles?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Suz, it’s a texture thing: Pickles are supposed to be crunchy-crispy whereas relish is generally a little softer but still with a little crunch. Cooking the relish a little achieves that. If you prefer a relish that is really crunchy and aren’t interested in canning it for long-term storage then you can experiment with skipping the cooking step and see if you prefer it that way.
Jen Ely says
This is my second year making this recipe and the other half insisted i make more than last year. He absolutely loves this relish and I love the ease of it. Thank you so much for sharing!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Jen, I’m so happy to hear that – thank you!
debbie says
thanks, any thoughts on reducing the sugar a little anyway?
appreciate it!
deb
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Debbie, yes, you can reduce the sugar by however much you want. The vinegar content alone should be sufficient to get the pH level where it should be.
debbie says
i usually make sweet pickle relish (just made some this weekend), and would like to make some dill for my 90 yr old stepdad who hates sweet pickled stuff. how pronounced is the sugar in the finished relish? can i use less sugar?
thx
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Debbie, I also make (and prefer) sweet pickle relish but yes, this dill pickle relish is far less sweet. I’d say it’s not even as sweet as most brands of store-bought dill pickle relish.
Heather Ammon says
I’m wondering how well this would work in smaller jars. How long do you think to process them? I was thinking about jelly jars or even smaller. We don’t use a lot of relish, but I had some cucumbers left after canning pickles.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Heather! Yes, you can absolutely use as small of jars as you like and the processing time is the same no matter the size.
Daniel says
Are you supposed to refrigerate the veggies and salt water or leave them out?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Daniel, just leave them out at room temperature.
Karen says
I was wondering if you could double the recipe? Would it do anything to the out come?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Karen, yes you can absolutely double it. I just made a double batch myself two days ago :) Just be sure to follow the steps to let the chopped veggies soak in salt water (preferably overnight) and then rinse and thoroughly drain.
Barbara says
Can I substitute Zucchini for the cucumbers?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Barbara, I haven’t used zucchini for this specific recipe but zucchini relish is wonderful and I don’t see why it wouldn’t work just as well here.
Chris says
Hi, this recipe looks good and I’m going to give it a crack next week. Apologies if you’ve already answered this but how long would a jar keep once opened?
Cheers
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Chris, that’s awesome! That’s such a hard one because stuff like this will always last vastly longer than the “official recommendations.” However long you normally keep your store-bought relish open, this should last just as long because of the vinegar/sugar content. If it’s bad there will be mold on top so just a keep a lookout for that.