BEST Dill Pickle Relish
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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. They’re much cheaper than English cucumbers (the ones that come shrink-wrapped) or pickling cucumbers and taste exactly the same. I prefer to peel them since the peel is fairly tough. We’re also going to remove the seeds.
So peel the cucumbers and thinly slice them lengthwise. Slice them into strips, discarding the inner strip of seeds. 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: There are no green bell peppers shown in the pictures and they weren’t added to this particular batch, but they belong in it. Okay, now that that’s clear, let’s move on.
Place the diced vegetables in a large bowl along with the salt. 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. 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. 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. 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 the hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 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.
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. In addition, the relish needs to sit to give it time to absorb some of the liquid and to thicken.
It’s so satisfying to see the end result of your labors – and you can enjoy this relish all the year long!
For more pickled vegetable recipes be sure to try my:
- Giardiniera
- Corn Relish
- Sweet Pickle Relish
- Branston Pickle
- Pickled Red Onions
- Pickled Pepperoncini Peppers
- Sweet Pepper and Onion Relish
- English Pickled Onions
- Pickled Banana Peppers
- Pickled Okra
- Pickled Green Beans
- Pickled Asparagus
- Pickled Turnips
- Pickled Peppers
- Pickled Beets
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BEST Dill Pickle Relish
Equipment
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 roughly 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. In addition, the relish needs to sit to give it time to absorb some of the liquid and to thicken.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet February 15, 2014
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
This is a good recipe if you like a sweet relish. I reduced the sugar by half but it still tastes more like a sweet relish. Maybe increase the dill seed? It made exactly 4 pints.
I made this recipe but it did not make 4 quarts. It turned out WAY to runny. If you cut down how much liquid you put in each jar it will not make close to 4 quarts.
Hi Linda, this makes 4 pints, not quarts. Also, did you allow the salted diced cucumbers to sit for at least 6 hours or overnight? That is critical for drawing out all the excess liquid. Also, note the instructions about allowing the relish to sit for at least a week before using. This is not only to allow the flavor to develop and to mellow out the vinegar, but as the relish sits it will also absorb some of the liquid and thicken.
This recipe makes pints not quarts. And drain the soaked vegetables to reduce water. I squeeze them out some then cook.
I’ve made your recipe for years! love it! I messed up this batch and added all the spices, vinegar, and sugar to the cucumber mix before boiling. if I boil it all then let simmer do you think it will still be okay?
Hi Amanda, thank you and yes that’s fine! The flavors are going to continue to develop anyway as the jars sit.
Is ok to double the recipe?
Hi Marilyn, yes you sure can!
My neighbour brought me 7 pounds of cucumbers lol so I looked up what to do with 7 pounds of cucumbers. This is the most amazing recipe. I highly recommend making this relish. How wonderful for gifts. Thank you so much.
Fantastic! I’m so glad you found a good way to put all those cucumbers to use, Kelly, and am thrilled that you enjoyed the relish – thank you!
I loved this recipe, I made 8 batches. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you, Jerry, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve been making this relish for 7 years and it is a staple in our home. I make at least two large batches of it every year for our family and then another batch to give away. Everyone who has ever tasted it loves it and always asks for the recipe. Thank you for this recipe and for so many others that have become go-to’s in our family.
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Cathy, thank you very much!
So I need to get the bottles hot before putting the relish in? And after the relish is in the bottle I put them in boiling water for 10 mins? Sorry new cook here and I don’t understand the terminology. Sorry for the inconvience. Let’s see how my first batch comes out. Thanks for the recipe!!
Hi Eric, yes, the bottles need to be sterilized first to ensure no bacteria. The easiest way to do that is to boil the empty bottles for several minutes. Then you’ll fill them with the relish, wipe off the jar rim area so no residue is present, and add screw on the canning lids (these are specially made for canning and consist of a sealable lid and a screw-on rim). Then you’ll carefully lower the jars into a boiling pot of water – there are canning pots made for this purpose that have a rack inside that holds the jars in place so that they don’t knock against each other or make contact with the bottom of the pot. Alternatively you can fold a dish towel and place it on the bottom of the pot so that the jars can sit on it without touching the metal pot and scrunch up some aluminum foil to place between the jars so that they can’t knock against each other while boiling. Note, this process is only if you intend to store the relish long-term, meaning for several months or up to a year. You can skip this process if you plan on refrigerating the relish and plan to consume it within a couple of months or so.
I made this and added jalapeños to it using only 1/2 the sugar. I made 2 miad batches as it was so good. Tuna fish salad to burgers and hot dogs! Yummo! Love it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Brenda, thanks so much for the feedback!