Pickled Green Tomatoes Recipe

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This pickled green tomatoes recipe is a great way to use up the green tomatoes that are hanging around at the end of tomato season. You know, the ones that are not getting ripe because the weather is cooling down.

Pick any tomatoes with color showing to try and ripen indoors. Then go ahead and pull some green tomatoes to make your green tomato pickle recipe. Be sure the tomatoes you use for pickling are fully green. You don’t want any color showing.

For this recipe, you will need unripe, truly green tomatoes. Make sure you’re not using a variety of tomato that appears green when ripe, as some heirloom varieties do.

Pickling Course to learn how to make pickles, relishes, and more.

I made pickled green tomatoes out of tomatoes from my pear tomato plant. I like the way they look in the jar.

Garlic and dill make this a great green tomato pickle recipe. My oldest son likes to eat the pickled garlic.

This recipe can be processed safely in a Water Bath Canner.

Yield is about 6 pints.

How to Make Pickled Green Tomatoes

Gather Your Canning supplies for Pickled Green Tomatoes:

Ingredients:

  • 5 pounds green tomatoes 
  • 3 1/2 cups vinegar 
  • 3 1/2 cups water 
  • 1/4 cup canning salt 
  • 6 garlic cloves (one per jar) 
  • Dill seeds (2 tsp. per jar) or fresh dill heads (1 head per jar)  

Please note: My source for this recipe is the Ball Blue Book.

Start by preparing jars and getting water in your canner heating. (See Water Bath Canning for full directions.)

Wash tomatoes. Cut into the desired size. In the case of my small pear tomatoes, I simply cut them in half. Full-size tomatoes can be cut in half or quarters, or smaller if you have very large tomatoes.

Combine vinegar, water, and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil and keep hot while you pack the jars. This recipe calls for pint-size jars. Don’t use quart size. If you want to go smaller you can. Use 8 oz jars but you’ll still need to process for the same time as pint-size.

Place garlic clove and dill in each jar.

Pack tomato pieces into jars and cover with the vinegar solution, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.

Process them according to water bath canning instructions.

You can eat these pickled green tomatoes right away if you like. But the flavor won’t be there right away. If you let your jars sit for 4-5 weeks before opening, this allows the flavors to fully develop.

Wipe rims clean and process according to water bath canning directions.

Process them according to the instructions below. Be sure and adjust this time according to the altitude chart below.

Altitude Adjustments

Altitude Adjustments for Boiling Water Bath Canner

Altitude in Feet – processing time

0-1000 ft – 15 minutes 

1001-3000 ft – 20 minutes 

3001-6000 ft – 25 minutes 

6001-8000 ft – 30 minutes 

8001-10000 ft – 35 minutes 

For more information on why this is important, see this altitude adjustments page.

Pinnable Recipe Card

Pickled Green Tomatoes

This pickled green tomatoes recipe is a great way to use up the green tomatoes that are hanging around at the end of tomato season.
Print Recipe
An open jar of pickled green tomatoes with whole green tomatoes in the background.
Prep Time:30 minutes
Processing Pints (adjust for altitude):15 minutes
Total Time:45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds Green Tomatoes
  • 3 ½ cups Vinegar standard 5% acidity
  • 3 ½ cups Water
  • ¼ cup Canning Salt
  • 6 cloves Garlic
  • Dill 2 teaspoons seeds per jar or 1 head per jar

Instructions

  • Start by preparing jars and getting water in the canner heating.You want the canner hot, but not boiling, when the jars are ready to be processed.
    See full water bath canning instructions here.  
  • Wash tomatoes and cut into desired sizes.
  • Combine vinegar, water, and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil.
  • Place garlic clove and dill into each jar,
  • Pack tomato pieces into pint jars.
  • Cover with vinegar solution, leaving 1/4” headspace.
  • Remove air bubbles, wipe the rim clean, and place on seal and ring. Place jar in the warm canner. Proceed to fill all jars. Process according to the chart below.

Notes

Processing with a Water Bath Canner
Place the jar in the warm canner. Proceed to fill all jars placing them in the canner.
When all the jars are filled, bring the water in the canner to a boil.  When a boil is reached that is when you’ll start your timing.   Process for the length of time on the chart below.  Adjust for your altitude. 
After your time is over, turn the heat off remove the lid and allow the canner to rest for about 5 minutes. Then bring your jars up out of the water.  Allow them to rest for another 5 minutes. Then remove the jars and place them a few inches apart on a thick towel to cool completely.  Leave them alone for about 12 hours.  
When they are cooled remove the metal bands, check the seals, label the jars and store them away! 
Processing Times for Water Bath Canner (Hot Pack) 
Altitude – Pints  
0-1,000 ft – 15 minutes
1,001-3,000 ft – 20 minutes
3,001-6,000 ft – 25 minutes
6,001-8,000 ft – 30 minutes
8,001-10,000 ft – 35 minutes 
Adapted from: Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
Servings: 6 pints

What do you eat with pickled green tomatoes? How do you use them?

You just eat them as a condiment, just like pickles. Or if you can, chop them up and add them to sandwich spread. We mix tuna, finely chopped pickles, and some miracle whip, grated cheese, a little salt and pepper and serve it on toast. You can also chop them and add to an egg casserole or omelette.

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Pickled Green Tomatoes

Page last updated: 5/12/2021

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Tena DiRuocco
Tena DiRuocco
3 months ago

We used to do this with green cherry tomatoes when I was growing up. I loved them and thought of them as a special seasonal treat. Made a batch as an adult years later, and got a lot of funny looks from various acquaintances who had never heard of such a thing. Mom also made a sweet relish called Tomatoes Rachelle, from a recipe she got from the county extension service, using semi-ripe tomatoes, that you brined in salt and vinegar over a couple of days. I wasn’t crazy about it, but I might still have the pickling brochure it… Read more »

Kat
Kat
4 months ago

Would pint and a half jars be acceptable?

claire h press
claire h press
1 year ago

Hi This is my second year pickling green tomatoes. I grew up with them and decided to try.

Penny J Watson
Penny J Watson
1 year ago

I can not find actual dill seed but only it ground up or and dill weed .Can that be used in this recipe and how

much will it take ?

Penny J Watson
Penny J Watson
1 year ago

This recipe calls for 2 tsps of dill per pint jar .Do you crush it first or what ?

Lina
Lina
2 years ago

3 stars
I made a few jars of this recipe, however I am not sure on how to use them. Do you have a favorite dish that uses the green pickled tomatoes. Please advise,
thanks

Maribeth
Maribeth
2 years ago

4 stars
I didn’t have good results using cherry tomatoes and leaving them whole. But cutting small green tomatoes in half and adding a serrano pepper to each jar made a wonderful tomato pickle!

Kerry
Kerry
2 years ago

You did not specify pint jars or quart jars. If pints, what should be doubled for quart jars? (My preference is quarts. And I have a lot of green tomatoes!) Thanks

Lindsey
Lindsey
2 years ago

These look perfect to use up our buckets of green tomatoes! Our family loves pickles with dill and garlic. Thank you for sharing this.
Do these have a crunch or firmness to them at all? If not, do you think I could add some calcium chloride to help keep these more firm?