Learn how to make dill pickles with this easy recipe for canning dill pickles in slices or spears! Get crunchy dill pickles without pickle crisp by using this secret ingredients!
Having a few dozen jars of home canning dill pickles in my pantry is one of my favorite sights. And canning them myself with this easy dill pickle recipe is even better!
Since I like to keep my ingredients as pure as possible, this dill pickle recipe for canning pickles is made without pickle crisp!
Yet, the dill pickles in slices or spears are still crunchy and crisp thanks to a secret ingredient!
Dill Pickle Recipe for Canning
I grew up on store bought pickles. In fact, I could take down a jar of kosher dill pickle spears all by myself!
And when I started canning sweet pickles a few years back, I knew that dill pickles were going to be next on my canning list!
After a bit of experimenting, I came up with an easy and delicious dill pickle recipe that rivals any store bought pickle out there! Crisp, crunchy, with just the perfect blend of dill spices.
Fortunately, our garden produces cucumbers like crazy and I'm also looking for ways to use them!
This is just ONE day of harvesting our cucumber bed. From 3 plants we get this many cucumbers every day, from May through November!
Step One:
Wash and drain cucumbers in a strainer to let the extra water drain away before canning.
Depending on how you like your pickles, you can slice them for hamburger dill pickles, or cut them in quarters lengthwise for dill spears.
Meanwhile, combine salt, water, and vinegar in a large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low while you pack the jars.
Step Two:
Before packing the cucumbers into the hot jars, you need to add the spices. To each quart jar add 2 heads of dill, contents of 1 bag of black tea (not the bag itself), 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, and 2 peppercorns.
Then, you can pack cucumbers into the jars. If you are packing spears, I find that if you tilt the jar sideways, you can fit more in!
Next, cover the cucumbers with the warm vinegar mix. Be sure to leave a 1/4" headspace.
Step Three:
Remove air bubbles with a plastic canning knife and add additional liquid if needed to come back up to the 1/4" headspace. Wipe rims, then place and tighten 2-piece lids.
Process 20 minutes in a water bath canner. Remove the jars from the canner and place on a folded towel. Allow the jars to cool completely before storing.
If the jars are sticky after they have cool, wipe them down with a wet rag and dry before storing.
Note: If you have not successfully used tea in place of pickle crisp, you might want to use grape leaves instead. The black tea brand I have linked in the recipe works perfectly, but others may not.
Dill Pickles
Ingredients
- 4 pounds cucumbers cut lengthwise into quarters
- 6 tbsp canning salt
- 4 1/2 cups water
- 4 cups vinegar
- Organic Black Tea (we use this brand) 1 bag per jar
- Fresh dill 2 heads per jar
- 3 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- 14 whole peppercorns
Instructions
- Wash and drain cucumbers, then slice. Combine salt, water, and vinegar in a large sauce pot and bring to a boil.
- To each quart jar add 2 heads of dill, contents of 1 bag of black tea (not the bag itself), 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, and 2 peppercorns. Pack cucumbers into hot jars and cover with vinegar mix, leave a 1/4" headspace.
- Remove air bubbles with a plastic canning knife, add additional liquid if needed. Wipe rims, then place and tighten 2-piece lids. Process 20 minutes in a water bath canner.
Notes
PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER
Norma says
Is the secret ingredient tea? Is that what keeps it crunchy?
Also, if I don’t have fresh dill, can you give me the approximate amount of store dill?
I can’t wait to have some of these on my pantry shelves!
Victoria says
Hi Norma! Great questions, the amount of dried dill for one head would be 1 tablespoon of dried. So, for this recipe that would mean 2 tbsps per jar.
I haven’t tried it with dried dill, so I’m not sure if the toast might change, but it should be fine!
As for the secret ingredient, yep! It’s the tea! Black tea has worked the best of anything I’ve tried before at keeping pickles crisp. Delicious!
Let me know how it goes for you!
JJo says
Friend told me that, to get crisp pickles, to use grape leaves with wild vines being best. I put in 1 or 2 depending on size. It worked!
Victoria says
Yes! Those same tanins in the grape leaves are present in the black tea leaves. Since the tea leaves are more readily available for people, that’s what we use. So cool that you have access to grape leaves!
Nancy Toledo says
How long do these jars need to sit before they are ready to be eaten? I’m anxious to try the recipe and then try the pickles!
Victoria says
Hi Nancy! You can eat them right away since they are canned! Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Billy says
This looks like a great recipe! Can’t wait to give it a try – thank you for sharing!
Victoria says
Haha, thanks Billy! We love the Bubbies pickles too, of course, and we ate them for years! Just wish they were organic. Let me know if y’all ever go that way! I’d love to work together :-)
KATHLEEN ALEXANDER says
Do the pick;es taste like tea?
Victoria says
Hi Kathleen! The black tea lends to the overall flavor of the pickles, however, NO they do not taste like tea :-)
Let me know if you try them!