Spicy Sweet and Sour Dill Pickles
Let’s pickle some cucumbers! This spicy sweet and sour dill pickles recipe is our favorite and never disappoints!
When I visited my parents in July all I saw were cucumbers! The garden was packed with them! The pantry as well!
Even though that this year’s fruit and veg harvest has been significantly smaller than previous years’(thanks to the unexpected “touch” of frost in spring) cucumbers and zucchinis seemed to have no problem recovering and growing in such sizes (zucchinis) and numbers (zucchinis + cucumbers).
Apart from giving them away to family and friends, pickling seemed to be the main pastime in the house! I have always preferred my mom’s dill pickles to other peoples’ or shop bought version.
In fact my family has always been self-sufficient when it comes to cucumbers. I guess it’s pretty obvious that if you have a lot of them you pickle them. That is why we wouldn’t buy pickled cucumbers from a shop!
There was no need! It was only when I moved away, to a far faraway country that I started buying them from a supermarket. I’ve tried several brands and so far I like my mom’s recipe.
Her recipe for pickled cucumbers uses a combination of sugar & vinegar. This is the way she has been doing it for years and this is the way we all love it. Sometimes she puts other vegetables there as well (onion, carrots, …) and chili like this time.
This spicy sweet and sour dill pickle recipe requires cooking the jars but there is nothing difficult about that. It only takes 10 minutes.
Also the longer you keep these pickled cucumbers in your pantry the better their flavor. For best results store in your pantry for at least 3 months before opening.
If you are after spicy sweet and sour dill pickles recipe, give this one a go! Dill pickles are a classic in the pickling world!
They are perfect with cold meats, hamburgers/cheeseburgers, in Creamy Potato Salad and Rice Crab Stick Salad as well as various cooked dishes!
If you are looking for more preserving and canning recipes, check these out:
Spicy Sweet and Sour Dill Pickles
Ingredients
- 4 cups Water (2l)
- 2.8 oz Salt (80g)
- 8.8 oz Caster Sugar (250g)
- 24 fl oz Distilled Vinegar (700ml)
- Fresh Dill Flowers
- 2.6-3.3 lb Pickling Cucumbers (1.2-1.5kg)
- 12 Jamaican Peppercorns
- 12 Black Peppercorns
- 8 Bay Leaves
- 4-8 Chili Peppers of your Choice (optional)
Instructions
First things first:
- Wash the cucumber thoroughly. Sterilize your jars and lids. I normally wash them in soapy water and boil for about 10-15 minutes in a large pot. Make sure all your jars are of the same size.
Make the sweet & sour pickling sauce:
- Bring the water + salt + sugar to a boil. Cook until the sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat. Add vinegar & stir.
The pickling:
- Place at the bottom of each jar 1 dill flower, 2-3 Jamaican peppercorns/Allspice, 3 whole pepper corns, 2 bay leaves + optional: coriander seeds, cloves.
- Then fill each jar with whole pickling cucumbers – fit in as many as possible (you could fit it about 400g/14oz) and 1-2 chilies, if you like them hot.
- Pour over the sweet & sour pickling sauce leaving 1cm/0.5 inch headspace.
- Close jars with sterilized lids and place them in a pot. Cover with water but make sure the lids are NOT under water (leave 1cm/0.5 inch space between lids and water).
Oooh, I’m making this recipe this summer! The only part I’m confused about is that you don’t fully submerge the jars when you water bath them? Any idea why? Just wondering. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad to hear that, Kathryn. I actually I did not know the reason behind this until I asked :) So there are 2 reasons for not submerging them fully in water: 1st – this prevents the water from getting inside. 2nd. – this way the by slowly heating up the liquid will be pushed out from the jar. Hope this helps! :)
What kind of sugar are you using in the pickles? Ive never heard of it before.
Hi Amy. Sorry for the confusion. Caster sugar is just a name for superfine sugar (in the UK). If you don’t have it on hand, use granulated sugar (same amount).
Hi Julia, I made this recipe last year already and have done so again this summer! They are, hands down, the very best dill pickles I’ve made. Last year I gave them to friends as gifts and the same comment every time. They are SO good!
Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Femia S.
Hi Femia! Thanks for your feedback! I am delighted to hear that not only you but also your friends love these. I will let my mom know as it’s her recipe. She will be delighted :)
When water bath canning this recipe, the jars lids are not covered with 2 inches of water in the bath? Recipe sounds great, but just checking the processing instructions. Thanks
Hi Sandy, yes. That is how my family has been canning for years. But you can submerge them in water completely if you feel more comfortable doing it this way.
Thanks for the recipe! How long would you leave them to pickle before eating them?
Hi Gerhard, the longer they sit, the better but if you pickle them in summer you can eat them in winter. So at least 4 months. Hope this helps!
Why do you not cover lids with water when boiling?
Hi Kylie. This is the way my mom has been doing it so I had never questioned it before. However, I did find out why: If some of the jars have loose lids or they are not sealed well, this will prevent the water from getting in and give the jars time to seal properly during the cooking process (steam will form inside and a vacuum should form). So basically, this way you should have a lower chance of having unsealed jars. Hope this helps.