Dilly Beans | Feasting At Home

Dilly Beans are deliciously crisp and tangy pickled green beans infused with garlic and fresh dill; perfect as a snack, side dish, tucked into Bloody Marys, or as a tasty addition to charcuterie boards, cheese platters, or hummus platters.

Dilly beans, aka Pickled Green Beans, are a delightful and tangy pickle made from crisp fresh green beans. No blanching is required! Now is the perfect time to make this dilly bean recipe with all the abundant fresh green beans available. A super simple combination of ingredients creates a mouthwatering batch in just about 15 minutes! White vinegar, with a touch of sweetness from honey or sugar perfectly balancing out the tanginess, and garlic adds a savory note, while coarse sea salt preserves the beans and elevates the taste. Fresh dill and dill flower seed heads (highly recommended if available, ask your local farmers!) their distinct flavor infused the beans with dilly goodness.

Do you love pickled veggies? We do too! Try our popular Pickled Onions and Quick Pickled Vegetables!

Why You’ll Love This Dilly Beans Recipe!

1. Crunchy and Tangy: Dilly beans offer a satisfying crunch with a tangy flavor that is both refreshing and addictive. The crispness of the green beans paired with the tanginess of the vinegar creates a delightful texture and taste.
2. Versatility: Dilly beans are incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed in various ways. They make a fantastic snack on their own, serve as a tasty side dish, or can be added to salads and sandwiches for an extra burst of flavor.
3. Quick and Easy to Make: One of the reasons dilly beans are so loved is because they are quick and easy to prepare. With simple ingredients and a short preparation time of about 15 minutes, you can have a batch of mouthwatering dilly beans ready to enjoy in 24 hours.
4. Preserves Freshness: Dilly beans are a great way to preserve the freshness of green beans. With the combination of vinegar, salt, and spices, the beans stay crisp and flavorful even after pickling.
5. Customizable Flavor: Dilly beans can be customized to suit your taste preferences. You can adjust the amount of sweetness, and spiciness, and even experiment with different types of vinegar to create a unique flavor profile that suits your liking.

Ingredients In Dilly Beans

Ingredient Notes

• Green beans: Choose fresh, firm, vibrant green beans for the best texture and flavor. Most raw pole beans will work here.
• Vinegar: You can use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or even white wine vinegar for a slightly different taste.
• Water: This is used to dilute the vinegar and achieve the desired acidity level.
• Honey or sugar: A touch of sweetness is added to balance out the tanginess of the pickles. You can choose between honey or sugar based on your preference.
• Garlic: Garlic adds a hint of savory flavor to the pickles.
• Coarse sea salt: Salt is essential for proper preservation and to enhance the overall taste. Coarse salt helps to preserve the texture and crispness of the vegetables being pickled. Its larger crystals draw out moisture from the vegetables, resulting in a crunchier and firmer end product.
• Fresh dill and dill flower seed head: Fresh dill and dill flower seed heads are used to infuse the pickles with their unique taste. If no flower heads are available use 1/2 teaspoon dill seeds. Dried dill weed does not work for this recipe.
• Yellow mustard seeds: Mustard seeds provide a mild, slightly tangy flavor that complements the green beans.
• Whole black peppercorns: These provide a subtle hint of spiciness to the pickles. A pinch of cayenne pepper will work too.
• Red pepper flakes: Depending on your spice preference, you can add a little or a lot of red pepper flakes for a spicy bite.

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.     

How To Make Dilly Beans

Start with a clean, washed wide-mouth quart jar, or two pint jars.

Make the brine: Heat water, vinegar, salt, mustard seeds, peppercorns, and red pepper flakes. (If using sugar instead of honey, add that in here now too.) Bring to a boil and turn off the heat.

Assemble: To the jar, put the garlic and honey first (when using honey we add it straight to the jar as boiling it will destroy some of the nutrients).  Fill the jar with raw trimmed green beans, vertically, cutting them to the length of your jar. Tuck in the fresh dill alongside the beans.  Pack the beans in tight. Pour warm vinegar and spice mixture over the beans.  Make sure the beans are covered by the liquid. Seal with a lid and place in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Serving Suggestions

Try them out in your next bloody mary, on a charcuterie board, cheese platter, hummus platter, or just as a simple snack. They also make a great hostess gift!

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We love these Dilly Beans and hope you do too.

~Tonia

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