Sweet Pickled Green Beans
Sweet, tangy, crunchy and absolutely irresistible, these sweet pickled green beans are the perfect side or condiment to batch-make this weekend. Fresh green beans team up with garlic, hot peppers and whole spices in a sweet and tangy brine in this easy quick pickle recipe.
If you love refrigerator pickles, also check out my quick pickled radish and quick pickled red cabbage recipes!
These spicy, tangy green beans are borderline addictive- I know that because I'm absolutely obsessed with them. I've tried making pickled Brussels sprouts and pickled shallots recently and everyone went nuts over how delicious they were.
We used them on our cheese boards along with crackers and my favorite raspberry salsa, and everyone just raved about how beautifully it all worked together. And so, I decided to go a step further and try pickling green beans too.
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 5 mins.
- ⏲️Cook time: 5 mins.
- 👪 Servings: 8.
- 📋Main ingredients: Green beans, whole spices, garlic, vinegar, sugar.
- ♨️Cooking method: Chop green beans 🡢 prepare brine 🡢 pour brine over green beans 🡢 add spices 🡢 refrigerate for 3-4 days.
- ⭐Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Enjoy as a side with any grilled meat or add to a salad bowl for extra flavor.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Recipe Ingredients
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Sweet Pickled Green Beans
- 💭Top Tip
- How to Store Sweet Pickled Green Beans
- Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- How to Serve Pickled Green Beans
- Troubleshooting and FAQs
- More Food Preserves
- Sweet Pickled Green Beans
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Crisp and tangy: Fresh green beans soak up a perfectly balanced brine of vinegar, garlic, and spices.
- Easy to make: Just a few ingredients and minimal prep time for a homemade pickle you’ll love- just like my ginger carrot pickle.
- Versatile: Enjoy straight from the jar, add to charcuterie boards, or serve alongside sandwiches and grilled dishes.
Recipe Ingredients
Green beans: Fresh, unblemished green beans are best!
Garlic + red chilies: The flavor bombs. I love using a lot of these to add lots of deliciousness to the brine- feel free to use as much as your taste buds can tolerate.
Whole spices: Black peppercorns and carom seeds. You can also use whole coriander seeds if you want to- I used them for my Torshi Makhloot recipe too.
Sugar: For the sweetness.
Vinegar: White vinegar works best! You can also use apple cider vinegar if that's what you have.
Dill: Fresh dill- it tastes fantastic in quick pickles.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Use an infused salt like citrus salt or herb salt to enhance the flavors of the pickled green beans.
- You can also add red pepper flakes or some homemade jalapeno flakes to lend some extra heat to the pickle.
How to Make Sweet Pickled Green Beans
Step 1: Wash and pat dry the green beans. Trim their ends and chop them up into long pieces.
Step 2: Combine vinegar, salt, sugar and water in a pot and bring it to a boil. Add black peppercorns and carom seeds.
Step 3: Pack the green beans, garlic and peppers in a glass jar.
Step 4: Add dill and pour the brine into the jar. Let it cool down and come to room temperature before you refrigerate.
💭Top Tip
Allow your green beans to sit in the pickling liquid for at least 24 hours before you serve it! This helps them soften a bit and soak up all those wonderful flavors.
How to Store Sweet Pickled Green Beans
Store your pickled green beans in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. They can also stay fresh at room temperature, but I always prefer refrigerating them, to be on the safe side.
Remember to use a clean, dry spoon to portion it out, and close the lid immediately after you're done.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Selecting good quality beans and peppers is crucial to this recipe. Make sure you pick ones that are firm, ripe and don't have any soft spots on their surface.
- Also clean and pat dry them to remove all moisture before you add them to the jar. This will prevent spoilage.
- You can also add other whole spices like mustard seeds (I used it for my pickled sausage and eggs recipe), cumin seeds or dill seeds- whatever you have at hand.
- If you're avoiding sugar, simply skip adding it and add a little more salt to the brine.
- Make sure there's enough pickling liquid to completely submerge the beans. This will ensure there's no bacterial growth.
- You can also add other veggies like carrots, red onions, shallots, ginger and cabbage to this quick pickle if you want to.
- To lend the brine an extra tangy flavor, you can also add some freshly squeezed lime juice. I used it while making my pickled turmeric and it tasted absolutely fab!
How to Serve Pickled Green Beans
These sweet pickled green beans are the perfect crunchy and vinegary condiment to team up with your burgers, sandwiches and wraps. I actually love them so much, I end up eating them straight from the jar as a snack.
And of course, these are perfect to feature on a holiday charcuterie board too. You can team them up with some of my other favorites like pickled rhubarb, pickled cherries and pickled raisins.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
If you notice any discoloration on the surface or any off-putting smell in the jar, it's possible that the pickled beans have spoiled.
More Food Preserves
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this sweet pickled green beans recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Sweet Pickled Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 cup green beans
- 1 red pepper
- 2-3 garlic
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup vinegar
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds
- 1 tablespoon dill
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the green beans. Trim their ends and chop them up into long pieces.
- Combine vinegar, salt, sugar and water in a pot and bring it to a boil. Add black peppercorns and carom seeds.
- Pack the green beans, garlic and peppers in a glass jar.
- Add dill and pour the brine into the jar. Let it cool down and come to room temperature before you refrigerate.
Notes
- Allow your green beans to sit in the pickling liquid for at least 24 hours before you serve it! This helps them soften a bit and soak up all those wonderful flavors.
- Selecting good quality beans and peppers is crucial to this recipe. Make sure you pick ones that are firm, ripe and don't have any soft spots on their surface.
- Also clean and pat dry them to remove all moisture before you add them to the jar. This will prevent spoilage.
- You can also add other whole spices like mustard seeds (I used it for my pickled sausage and eggs recipe), cumin seeds or dill seeds- whatever you have at hand.
- If you're avoiding sugar, simply skip adding it and add a little more salt to the brine.
- Make sure there's enough pickling liquid to completely submerge the beans. This will ensure there's no bacterial growth.
- You can also add other veggies like carrots, red onions, shallots, ginger and cabbage to this quick pickle if you want to.
- To lend the brine an extra tangy flavor, you can also add some freshly squeezed lime juice. I used it while making my pickled turmeric and it tasted absolutely fab!
