How To Can Dilly Beans
If you have OCD and you’d like to give canning a try, than this is the recipe for you. Not only is it an easy peasy recipe because you are cold packing your vegetables, but for me, being able to line my beans up in the jar was a total rush. I loved every second of it!
Just remember, after canning these bad boys, you won’t be able to eat them for a few weeks. You need to wait a bit and let the flavors develop. But don’t worry, they’re worth the wait. I promise.
Here’s my tried and true recipe for how to can dilly beans I’ve been using for years.
Happy canning,
~Mavis
Canning 101 – How to Can Dilly Beans
Ingredients
3 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 head of dill
6 cloves garlic
3 3/4 cups white vinegar
3 2/4 cups water
1/3 cup pickling salt
Instructions
- Fill your boiling water canner 2/3 with water and bring the water to a boil.
- Fill 6 washed and sterilized jars, with 1 clove of garlic, 1 head of dill and 1/4 teaspoon cayanne pepper. Then add about 1/2 pound of trimmed beans {until the jar is packed tight}.
- In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, water and salt and bring to a boil.
- Once the water had been brought to a boil, pour the boiling brine over the beans, making sure to leave 1/4 inch headspace. Make sure all bubbles are removed before adding a lid and band.
- Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
- Wait 4-6 weeks before cracking open a jar to allow the flavor to fully develop.
Looking for a few more canning recipes? Search my Full List of Canning Recipes
Looking for a good canning book? Here’s a list of my favorites:
- Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
- The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook
- Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It
- Food in Jars
- The Amish Canning Cookbook
- Not Your Mama’s Canning Book
Also, check out these tutorials if you’ve never used a canner before:
Tutorial: Hot Water Bath Canning
Tutorial: How to Use a Pressure Canner
Sarah says
That looks awesome! Are the beans very spicy when you eat them? I can’t do much spice.
Mavis says
No, not really. 🙂
Crystal says
These are spicy. I love it! But if you aren’t a fan I would omit the cayanne!
Christa says
great minds must think alike…or just on the same gardening schedule. 😉 my beans are just starting to come in and i am taking on canning this year. I was planning to do dilly beans with my green beans too. so far i have canned strawberry rhubarb jam, blueberry apple jam, and spiced apple butter. looking forward to getting some veggies done. thanks for the post.
Christa says
ok, now i have a question about the dill…. the dill heads you use, do you use ones that are in bloom or before bloom and does it really matter/
carol says
I use dill heads that are in bloom (flowers) in pickling. Some may be more mature than others–I think they just should be fully developed.
Lori Van Den Bogart says
Can you use Dill seed if dill heads are not available?
René says
Question: I thought green beans had to be pressure canned. Does the vinegar allow you to water bath can it?
Mavis says
Yes! 🙂
Jamie says
This is probably a silly question….. but I’ve never had them this way. How do you eat them after canning? Do you heat them up as a side dish or just eat them cold out of the jar, in a salad ? I want to try this but wasn’t sure how they taste best after canning. Thanks!
Mavis Butterfield says
Most people eat them straight out of the jar. 🙂 They are delicious!
Darin L Miller says
They are also excellent in a bloody mary, Caesar, or red beer
Debbie B says
Do they stay crisp without alum?
Mavis says
I’ve never used it and they always stay crisp and delicious.
Jane says
My beans were shriveled after ten minute water bath should they have done that?
Annette says
Mine did also, I was wondering the same ?
Patricia Lewis says
I canned a batch of these today. One of my jars seems to have not sealed properly. What should I do with this jar? Can I put it in the fridge? How long will they stay good without being sealed?
Mavis says
Just put it in the fridge and use it up in the next week or so. Don’t try to reprocess it.
Marj says
I couldn’t find dill flowers, can I use the dill without the flowers?
Sally says
Is the recipe for quarts or pints?
Mavis Butterfield says
Pints.
Sherry says
Can you use dillweed instead and if so how much?
N says
My grandmother has a similar recipe. She notes that 1/2 tsp of dill SEED may be substituted per pint jar.
Kristin says
Everything I’ve read said you shouldn’t can beans in a water bath, they have to be pressure canned. I’ve also tried a water bath once before with beans and they tasted not good which is one reason why pressure canning is recommended. I would totally recommend pressure canning for better tasting beans!
Erinne says
You have to pressure can regular green beans, not Dilly beans like these.
Annie says
The use of vinegar in the recipe makes it so that these can be canned in a water bath. I used to help my grandma make these every regular (non-pickled) green beans, you are right, they must be pressure canned.
Linda says
These beans are pickled just like your cucumbers you pickle. Pressure canning is not required.
amber benson says
is it ok if they seem to have risen a little out of the brine? they kind of look like they are floating.
Diana gulley says
My beans shriveled up are they safe to eat?