Dilly beans are a special treat. Garlic or spicy, you determine the flavor.

These dilly beans (pickled beans) are a hit with my pickle lovers.

Dilly beans are made with sprigs of dill weed. Fresh dill heads or plain dill seed can be substituted.

Remember, usually green beans need a pressure canner for processing. This recipe is for pickled beans. Pickled products can be processed safely in a water bath canner because of the added vinegar, which adds acid and makes it safe.

I’ll repeat…when you are canning green beans without pickling, you need to process in a pressure canner. (Just because I know I’m going to get this question.)

This recipe for dilly beans makes 4 pints. Make it once. If you really love it like we do, double or triple the recipe.

An open jar of dilly beans with a serving of beans to the side.

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This Page Includes:

Dilly Beans: Extended, Step-By-Step Directions
Recipe Card
{FAQ} How Do You Serve Dilly Beans?
{FAQ} How Long Do Dilly Beans Need to Sit Before Eating?
{FAQ} How Long Do Pickled Beans Last?
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Dilly Beans: Extended, Step-By-Step Directions

Gather Your Canning Supplies:

water bath canner
canning jars
canning lids and rings
jar lifter and canning funnel
large pot
bowls
large spoons
sharp knife
towels and dish cloths
ladle

Ingredients:

Green beans – enough to make 4 pints, about 2 pounds of beans
4 sprigs of fresh dill weed or 4 heads of dill.
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup canning salt
2 cups vinegar
2 cups water
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional, but you can add it to make this is a spicy dilly beans recipe)

How to Make Dilly Beans

Wash beans. Snap off ends and snap (break or cut) to jar length.

Putting heads of fresh dill into canning jars with a bowl of beans in the background.

Add sprig of dill weed (or substitute head of dill, or 1 tsp. dill seeds) and 1 garlic clove to each jar. If you like spicy, try adding 1/8 tsp. cayenne to each jar. (I personally like mild.)

Packing beans lengthwise into a canning jar with more empty jars waiting in the background.

Pack each jar with beans lengthwise. You can also cut your beans short and pack them that way. I just think it looks nice to have them long and lengthwise. An easy way to do this is to tip the jar in your hand and fill it. This way, the beans stack nicely.

Combine vinegar, water, and salt to make the pickling solution or brine. Bring this to a boil. The best way to do this is in a stainless steel tea pot. It makes it so easy to just pour the brine into each jar without having to use a ladle.

Turn the heat off your brine. When bubbling stops, cover beans with pickling solution, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. I let the bubbling stop. Otherwise, it tends to splatter coming out of the spout of the teapot.

Using an orange peeler to remove bubbles from jars packed with beans.

Remove air bubbles with a plastic knife or other small tool. Just push the tool gently between the dilly beans, moving things around just enough to let the air bubbles rise. There is a tool you can buy specifically for this purpose, but an orange peeler is what I always turn to. It just fits perfectly and is usually handy.

Wipe rims clean. You don’t want any pickling solution or bean bits on the rim of the jar, as it may interfere with the sealing process. Place your flat lids and screw bands on finger tight.

Then…process according to the times listed just below. If you are not familiar with using a water bath canner, go to water bath canning directions for more general information.

You may notice the image of the black pot I’m using to process my jars. That day I only did a small batch of 4 pint jars. Rather than heat up my big ol canner…I just used a smaller pot. As long as your jars are covered with water and there is a rack of some sort to keep the jars off the bottom, any pot will work. This is my old blancher in the photo.

Lifting the lid to reveal jars of dilly beans in the graniteware water bath canner.

Canning Dilly Beans

Process pints for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude using the chart below. For more information on why this is important, see this altitude adjustments page.

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Dilly Beans

Sharon Peterson

Dilly Beans

Pin Recipe Print Recipe

Course Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings pints

Ingredients

2 pounds green beans
4 sprigs fresh dill weed or 4 heads dill
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup canning salt
2 cups vinegar
2 cups water
1 tsp. cayenne pepper optional, but highly recommended if you like spicy!

Equipment

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.

Raw Pack only

Wash and snap beans.
Combine vinegar, water, and salt. Bring to a boil. Keep hot while you pack your jar.
Add dill (1 head or 1 tsp. seed), 1 garlic clove, and 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper per pint jar.
Pack each jar with beans lengthways.
Pour brine over beans, 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.

Processing

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 (Raw Pack)

Altitude – Pints

0-6,000 – 10 minutes

Above 6,000 – 15 minutes

Adapted from: The National Center for Home Food Preservation

Last Updated: 4/9/2021

Keyword dilly beans, Home Canning, Waterbath Canning

A jar of green beans floating in the dilly brine in the jar.

Dilly Beans: Tips & FAQ

I’ve seen your Dilly Beans canning recipe and I was wondering once they’re canned how do you prepare them for a meal? I love your site.

That is a great question. With unfamiliar foods, sometimes you really don’t know what to do with them.
We just eat them right out of the jar like a pickle. So yummy. They are not like a side dish, more of a condiment to eat with sandwiches or burgers. Or just an evening snack.
And here is a great idea from a reader Bill in Illinois:
“First love your Dilly Bean recipe….A twist that I like to do is when I get tired of eating them right out of the jar…I chop them finely and mix them in cream cheese…this makes a great cracker spread…sounds odd but it is very good…I just use saltines but I imagine it would be good on a wheat cracker as well.”

How Long Do Dilly Beans Need to Sit Before Eating?

You can actually eat dilly beans right away…but you might be disappointed. They won’t be very pickly. The beans do need some time to pick up on the pickling flavors. I’ve never tested it, so I can’t say for sure how long you need to wait for best flavor I’d advise waiting at least a week…longer is probably better.

How long to pickled beans last?

These canned pickled beans will last for at least a year under proper storage conditions, provided they were processed safely and sealed correctly. The quality of pickles will degrade, so that’s why it’s recommended that you eat them within a year. If it’s been over a year, don’t put them in the trash yet! Just move them to the front and make a plan to use them soon. I’ve got more on home canning and shelf life here.

Can I add a different type of pepper instead of a cayenne pepper?

Yes, peppers are generally interchangeable with home canning. If you don’t want the spice of a cayenne, just use a milder pepper. And remember the pepper is optional, you don’t need it at all if you don’t want it.

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