These kosher-style dill pickles have a well-rounded briny flavor that is a delicious balance between sweet and tart. They are crisp, crunchy, and infused with dill, garlic, and enough saltiness to satisfy your pickle cravings.
Come harvest time, our classic bread and butter pickles canning recipe is one of the most popular articles here at Grow a Good Life. Turning an abundant harvest of cucumbers into shelf-stable jars of pickles is such a great way to preserve them.
However, not everyone likes a sweet pickle. In fact, most prefer the addicting briny taste of dill pickles.
This is a fresh pack, kosher-style dill pickle recipe with a vinegar brine flavored with pickling spices, lots of dill, a hint of garlic, and spicy kick of red pepper flakes. Enjoy these pickles with your favorite sandwiches, as a side to meals, and chop them up to add savory zest to salads.
Tips for Making Dill Pickles
Starting with freshly harvested small pickling cucumbers are your key to preserved jars of dill pickles with a whole lot of crunch. Here are more tips for canning a great batch of kosher dill pickles:
Use freshly harvested pickling cukes
Pickling cucumbers are short, stout, thin-skinned cucumbers that are primarily grown for pickling. Skip the waxed cucumbers at the grocery store. The wax prevents the pickling liquid from penetrating the cucumber.
You will get the best results if you pick the cucumbers and make the pickles the same day. Harvest in the morning while the temperatures are cool to help prevent a bitter flavor. If you purchase from a farm stand, find out if the cucumbers were picked that day.
Harvest small cucumbers that are no larger than 4-inches. The firm flesh and smaller seed cavity help the cucumbers stay crisp when pickled. Use larger or more mature cucumbers for relishes and bread-and-butter style pickles.
You’ll need about 8 pounds of pickling cucumbers to fill 6-7 pint sized jars. The exact amount will vary depending on the size of your cucumbers and if you keep them whole, cut into spears, or slices. You will be able to fill wide mouth jars with more spears or whole cucumbers than regular mouth jars.
Use pickling salt
Table salt contains iodine and anti-caking agents that can darken pickles and cause cloudiness in your jars. Instead, use pickling salt, which is also called canning salt.
Use commercial vinegar with at least 5% acidity
- Apple cider vinegar is made from fermented apples. It has a fruity tart flavor that blends well with vegetables. The color is amber brown and may darken your pickles slightly, but the flavor is worth it.
- White vinegar is clear vinegar made by distilling corn and rye. It tastes more sour and acidic than apple cider vinegar, but this may be just what you love about pickles. Choose an organic brand to avoid genetically modified corn.
Use good quality water
Most city tap water is filled with chemicals that can affect the pickles. Filter your water or use purchased distilled water to make your pickles.
Generously flavor the pickles
Part of the reason these pickles are so addicting is the depth of flavor. First we infuse the pickling brine by simmering it with pickling spices, making a pickle tea of sorts.
Then we will add extra dill and mustard seeds, crushed garlic, and red pepper flakes to the jars with the cucumbers give them lots of flavor. Bay leaves add flavor and tannins to help keep the pickles crisp.
Don’t worry if you don’t have fresh dill flower heads or foliage. The main flavor of dill pickles comes from the dill seeds, so you can skip the fresh dill if you don’t have it.
Follow the recipe
When canning pickles, it is important to use a recipe that has been scientifically tested. This is a tested safe canning recipe from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.
Cucumbers contain very limited acidity and typically have a pH of 5.12 to 5.78. Clostridium botulinum can grow in improperly canned, pickled foods with a pH higher than 4.6. It is important to use scientifically tested recipes for home canning pickles to ensure their safety.
Feel free to experiment with dried herbs as flavorings, but keep the proportions of the vinegar, water, and salt the same to ensure the proper chemistry to can your pickles safely.
Steps for Making Dill Pickles
If you are new to canning, it may be helpful to review this article on water bath canning at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.
A more detailed and printable recipe can be found at the bottom of this article, but these are the general steps for making and canning Kosher-Style Dill Pickles:
Step 1: Gather your canning gear
- Water bath canner and canning rack
- 7 pint sized canning jars
- Canning lids and bands
- Canning tools: lid lifter, jar lifter, canning ladle, funnel, and bubble popper
- Plus basic kitchen supplies such as a large sauce pot, large bowl, small pot, towels, knife, and a cutting board.
Step 2: Prepare the canning equipment
Place the water bath canner with the canning rack on a large burner of your stove. Wash your jars, place them in the canner, add water and boil the jars for 10 minutes to sterilize.
Heat your canning lids in a small pot over low heat. Keep the canning jars and lids warm until they are ready to use.
Step 3: Make the pickling brine
Add the 3 tablespoons of pickling spice to a spice bag. If you don’t have a spice bag, use cheesecloth or a coffee filter to make a pouch and tie with thread or kitchen string.
If you don’t have pre-mixed pickling spice, substitute 2 teaspoons mustard seeds, 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, 2 teaspoons dill seeds, 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, and 1 teaspoons allspice berries. Add this to your bag and tie it off.
In a large saucepan, combine the apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, pickling salt, and the pickling spice bag. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the spice bag and keep the brine warm until you are ready to use it.
Step 4: Prepare your cucumbers
Rinse the cucumbers under running water to remove dust and soil. Run your fingers along the fruit to remove the spines.
The blossom and stem ends of the cucumbers contain enzymes that can cause bitterness and limp pickles. Cut off 1/8-inch from each end. Leave the cucumbers whole, cut them into spears, or slice them into coins.
Step 5: Fill the jars
Remove the warm jars from canner. Drain and line up the jars on a kitchen towel.
To each jar add: 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of dill foliage or flower head, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon dill seeds, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
Pack the cucumbers vertically into the jars and pour the hot pickling brine over the cucumbers maintaining a 1/2-inch headspace.
If you are canning cucumber slices, add the slices to the jar, fill the jar half way with the brine, and then give the slices a stir with the bubble popper. This will help separate the slices and combine them with the brine. Top off with more brine while maintaining 1/2 inch of headspace.
Step 6: Can the pickles
Run the bubble popper through the jars to remove air bubbles. Add the lids and process in a water bath canner.
Let the jars cool, test the seals, label and date the jars, and store the dill pickles in a cool, dark location for up to a year. Let the pickles stand for about 4 weeks before opening for the flavors to develop.
These kosher-style dill pickles have a well-rounded briny flavor that is a delicious balance between sweet and tart. They are crisp, crunchy, and infused with dill, garlic, and enough saltiness to satisfy your pickle cravings.
- 4 cups apple cider vinegar 5% acidity
- 4 cups water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup pickling salt
- 3 tablespoons pickling spices
- 8 pounds small pickling cucumbers 3 to 4-inches long
- 7 bay leaves 1 per jar
- 7 dill flower head or sprig of dill foliage, 1 per jar
- 7 cloves garlic peeled and crushed, 1 per jar
- 3 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon per jar
- 3 1/2 teaspoons dill seeds 1/2 teaspoon per jar
- 3 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon per jar
- Wash your jars and lids in warm, soapy water and rinse thoroughly.
- Place jar rack into water bath canner, set jars in the canner, add water to cover jars, and boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize.
- Warm your lids in a small pot of water over low heat. Keep jars and lids warm until ready to use.
- Add the 3 tablespoons of pickling spice to a spice bag, or coffee filter and tie off.
- In a large saucepan, combine the apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, pickling salt, and the pickling spice bag. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the spice bag and keep warm until you are ready to use.
- While the brine is simmering, rinse the cucumbers under running water. Run your fingers along the fruit to remove the spines.
- Cut off 1/8-inch from each end. Leave whole, or cut into halves, spears, or slices.
- Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Use your jar lifter to remove the warm jars from canner. Drain and line up the jars on the towel.
- To each jar add: 1 bay leaf, 1 dill flower head, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon dill seeds, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
- Raw pack the cucumbers vertically into the jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
- Use your canning funnel and ladle to add hot brine over the pickles maintaining 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles with the bubble popper and wipe the rims. Use the magnetic lid lifter to lift lids out of the warm water, center lid on the jar, and screw on band until it is fingertip tight.
- Using jar lifter, place jars carefully into water bath canner on the jar rack leaving space in between them. Once jars are all in canner, adjust the water level so it is 2-inches over the tops of the jars. If adding water, use the hot water from your small pot.
Cover the canning pot and bring the water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Once the pot boils, process pint sized jars of pickles for 10 minutes at attitude of 1,000 feet or less. (Adjustments must be made for altitudes greater than 1,000 ft.)
- When processing time is complete, turn off heat and allow the canner to cool down for 5-minutes.
- Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Use a jar lifter to lift jars carefully from canner and place on the towel. Allow the jars to cool for 12 to 24-hours. You should hear the satisfactory "ping" of the jar lids sealing as the jars cool.
- After 12 to 24-hours, check to be sure jar lids have sealed by pushing on the center of the lid. The lid should not pop up. If the lid flexes up and down, it did not seal. Refrigerate jar and use up within a week.
- Remove the screw on bands and rinse the jars. Label, date, and store in a cool, dark location. Allow 4-5 weeks for the pickles to develop their flavor. Use home canned jars within a year. Makes 6-7 pint sized jars of dill pickles.
This is a tested safe canning recipe from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. Altering the recipe may make it unsafe for canning.
All times are at altitudes of less than 1,000 ft. Adjustments must be made for altitudes greater than 1,000 ft.
Canning Resources
- Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
- Storing Home Canned Goods – National Center for Home Preservation
- Causes and Possible Solutions for Problems with Canned Foods – National Center for Home Preservation
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Brittany says
This recipe looks fantastic! Would it work on other vegetables as well? Thank you for sharing!
©Rachel Arsenault says
Brittany, It is best to use tested recipes to pickle other vegetables. The National Center for Home Food Preserving has a number of approved recipes for pickling other vegetables: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/veg_pick.html