Old Fashioned Pickled Green Tomatoes Recipe
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This pickled green tomatoes recipe is a great way to use up the mass of un-ripe tomatoes that are left over at the end of the season.
You know, the ones that are not getting ripe because the weather is cooling down? Don’t waste them make this easy quick pickle.
Choosing the Right Tomatoes
For this recipe, you will need unripe, truly green tomatoes.
- Make sure you’re not using a variety of tomato that appears green when its actually ripe. It’s the ‘un-ripeness’ that is important.
- Pick just before the first frost. When the vines of a tomato plant get hit by frost, it immediately starts deteriorating. This will affect any tomatoes left on the vine. Even if the tomato still looks crisp and green it is deteriorating and may soften when pickled.
- Use only firm, fully green, unripe tomatoes for this recipe. Avoid tomatoes with even hints of color.
I made pickled green tomatoes from my pear tomato plant—I love how they look in the jar! Green cherry tomatoes would work great too.
This recipe can be processed safely in a Water Bath Canner.
Yield is about 6 pints.
Gather Your Canning supplies ingredients:
Ingredients:
- water bath canner
- pint canning jars (quarts are not recommended – see FAQ)
- canning lids and rings
- jar lifter and canning funnel
- ladle
- large pot
- 5 pounds green tomatoes
- 3 1/2 cups white vinegar (or apple cider is fine) 5% acidity
- 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 per jar)
How to Can Pickled Green Tomatoes
1. Prepare for Canning
- Wash and sterilize your jars. Get water heating in your canner. (See Water Bath Canning Guide for full instructions.)
2. Prep the Green Tomatoes
- Wash tomatoes and cut into desired sizes:
- Small tomatoes (like pear or cherry) → Cut in half.
- Larger tomatoes → Cut in halves, quarters, or smaller pieces as needed.
3. Make the Pickling Brine
- In a large pot, combine vinegar, water, and salt.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and keep hot while you pack the jars.
Either white or apple cider vinegar can be used. They will have a slightly different flavor. Check iour container and make sure it has a 5% acidity. This is what is needed for proper pickling.
Tip: Use a tea pot for this step. It makes pouring the brine into the jars less messy.
4. Pack the Jars
- Place 1 garlic clove and dill (seeds or fresh head) in each jar.
- Pack tomato pieces tightly into the jars.
- Pour hot vinegar brine over the tomatoes, leaving ¼-inch headspace.
- Why is headspace important? → It allows for proper sealing and prevents overflow during processing.
Tip: I find it easiest to put the garlic and dill in the bottom of the jar. It makes it easier to keep that headspace correct. But you can put it on top if you prefer. Just maintain the headspace correctly.
Adaptations
Dill and garlic is standard but you can add other seasonings. Keep to dry herbs and spices.
- Red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
- Mustard seeds or black peppercorns for extra depth.
5. Process
Process in either a Water Bath Canner or a Steam Canner.
Process pints and 8 oz jars in for 15 minutes (adjust for altitude below).
- Wipe jar rims clean, apply lids and rings.
- Place filled jars in the warm canner. Once all jars are in, bring the water to a full boil, then start your processing time (see chart below and adjust for altitude).
- When time is up, turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let jars rest for 5 minutes. Lift jars slightly out of the water, rest another 5 minutes, then place them on a towel to cool.
- Let cool to room temperature before checking seals. 12 hours is suggested. I do overnight.
- Once cooled, remove bands, check seals, label, and store.
There are very specific step by step instructions on how to use a water bath canner here.
If you are not familiar with a steam canner check it out here. I am recommending steam canning more and more. (not to be confused with pressure canning)
Altitude Adjustments
Altitude Adjustments process for the correct time for your elevation.
Process pints and 8 oz jars
- 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
Why is altitude adjustment important? Higher altitudes require longer processing times to ensure food safety. Learn more here – altitude adjustments page.
Do pickled green tomatoes stay crunchy?
Yes. They should stay crisp.
- Use fresh, firm, fully un-ripe tomatoes.
- Avoid using ones that have been sitting for too long after picking. Tomatoes begin breaking down the longer they sit. Same day as picking is best.
Tip – Use Pickle Crisp! This is an ingredient put out by Ball that keeps most quick pickle recipes crispy. I’ve got more on keeping the crunch in pickles in this post. I refer to dill pickles. But most of it applies to any pickled food.
How do You Use pickled tomatoes?
- Eat them as a condiment with hot dogs or burgers.
- Straight out of the jar, just like pickles.
- Chop them up and add them to sandwich spread or potato salad for a little zing.
- We mix tuna, finely chopped pickles, and some miracle whip, grated cheese, a little salt and pepper and serve it as a sandwich on toast.
- Chop them and add to an egg casserole or omelette.
FAQs & Troubleshooting
While you can eat these right away, they taste much better if you wait! Let them sit 4-5 weeks before opening to allow the flavors to fully develop.
The recipe has only been tested for pint. Pint jars allow for better heat penetration and even pickling. Quart jars may result in uneven brine absorption, leading to softer tomatoes.
Yes moving down a size is fine. You’ll still process for the same time as pint jars.
Yes! For quick refrigerator pickles, follow the same steps but store jars in the fridge. No processing needed.
Generally home canning will be shelf stable for 12 months. But this time affects the quality of the product not the safety. After a year quality starts to decline faster. So if you’ve got jars older than a year. Just make a plan to use them up.
After opening: Refrigerate and use within 2-3 months.
Source – Ball Blue Book
Pickled Green Tomatoes
Equipment
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
Adapted from: Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
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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 »
Would pint and a half jars be acceptable?
No the recipe is only for pints.
Hi This is my second year pickling green tomatoes. I grew up with them and decided to try.
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 ?
Yes you can replace the seed with the dill weed. Just use the same amount.
This recipe calls for 2 tsps of dill per pint jar .Do you crush it first or what ?
No I just put it in the jar.
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
Most people just use this as a side condiment. Just like you would pickles. You could also chop them and add them to a potato or macaroni salad (if you like pickles in your salads.)
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!
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
Kerry, this is for pint jars only. And unfortunately, you can’t just double the processing to do larger sizes. Canning just doesn’t work that way. You can go smaller, you’d just still process for the same time as the pints.
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?
I would definitely add pickle crisp or some other brand. The crispness will depend on the tomatoes.