I just love this pickled green tomatoes recipe! Because I don't process them, the tomatoes retain their crunch and make a wonderful snack. They also make a lovely addition to Chicago style hot dogs!
I always look forward to these tangy pickled green tomatoes come late fall. Here in Montana, there's usually a mad dash to harvest all the tomatoes left on the vine before the first frost. I'm sure some of your can relate.
While ripe home-grown tomatoes are perfect to use in cherry tomato confit, tabouli salad, and sun-dried tomatoes, what can you do with unripe red tomatoes? Here's just some possibilities:
- Bake them in a green tomato pie (it tastes very similar to apple pie).
- Sliced and breaded green tomatoes can be used to make fried green tomatoes. They're very popular in the south.
- Unripe tomatoes can also be used to make tomato jam.
- Substitute green tomatoes for tomatillos to make Chili verde, and tomatillo green chili salsa!
However, one of my favorite green tomato recipes are these pickled green tomatoes! The recipe is simple, quick, and oh so tasty!
Jump to:
- 🧐 Why This Recipe Works
- 🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
- 🔖 Recipe Ingredients & Substitutions
- 🫙Helpful Tools
- 🍅 How to Make Pickled Green Tomatoes
- 🔪 Slicing Suggestions
- 🥫Canning Instructions
- ⛰ Adjust Processing Time For Altitude
- 🌭 Ways to Use Pickled Green Tomatoes
- 🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
- 👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- 🥒 Related Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
🧐 Why This Recipe Works
- Pickled green tomatoes are delicious and easy to prepare! Definitely a beginner recipe!
- The tomatoes can be served with many Middle Eastern and Assyrian dishes, which are usually served with pickles (torshi) on the side.
- Pickled tomatoes make a great, low-calorie, low-sugar snack!
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Recipe Ingredients & Substitutions
- Tomatoes: To make crunchy pickled tomatoes, you'll need firm, green tomatoes. If the tomatoes have started to ripen, they will get mushy once pickled!
- Dill: I like to use fresh dill, including sprigs of dill and heads of dill (flowers). If you need to, you can use 1 tablespoon of dill weed per jar.
- Vinegar: Use distilled white vinegar with 5% acidity.
- Salt: Pickling salt or sea salt.
- Sugar: A small amount of sugar is needed to balance out the acidity.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves lend a wonderful flavor!
- Peppers: You can add Serrano peppers, jalapeños, or cayenne peppers, or leave them out if you prefer mild pickles.
Optional Ingredients
Although I love the simplicity of this recipe, feel free to add any of these optional ingredients:
- mustard seeds
- coriander seeds
- peppercorns
- bay leaves
- red onions
- celery seeds
🫙Helpful Tools
- 8 half-pint mason jars
- sharp knife
- water bath canner (if canning, more on that in the post).
🍅 How to Make Pickled Green Tomatoes
Sterilize Jars
Wash jar lids and collars in hot soapy water, then sterilize jars in boiling water for ten minutes
Prepare Vegetables
Wash tomatoes, core, and slice into quarters. Peel and slice garlic cloves in half. Slice peppers into slices or slice in half, down the middle. Finally, wash fresh dill.
Pro Tip: If you're using garden-grown dill, make sure you inspect it closely for aphids before adding it to the pickles! Aphids seem to love dill.
Pack Jars
Divide tomatoes, garlic, dill, and peppers tightly inside the sterilized jars, taking time to layer all the ingredients.
Prepare Pickling Solution
Add water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a small saucepan. Whisk to dissolve the salt and sugar, as you bring the solutions to a boil over medium high heat. Cool brine.
Can Pickled Tomatoes
Pour pickling liquid into the packed jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe the rims and seal the jars. Refrigerate for 3 days to allow the flavors to come together.
Looking for other tasty tomato recipes? Be sure to check out this delicious and vegan tomato fennel soup from Janelle at Plant Based Folk!
🔪 Slicing Suggestions
Does slicing the firm green tomatoes into rings as apposed to quartering them make a difference? In my opinion, yes it does. Although sliced tomatoes are easier to stack into the jars, they don't stay as firm as wedges, especially if you plan on processing them.
For best results, core the tomatoes, then slice in half, quarters, or wedges, depending on their size.
Should You Can Pickled Green Tomatoes?
These quick pickles are meant to be refrigerator pickles, which means they're not shelf stable. Processing the pickles for 20 minutes in a canner will make the tomatoes texture softer, even mushy. For this reason, I personally don't process the tomatoes in a canner. I place some in the fridge and give the rest away to family and friends.
There is another problem that can arise from pouring hot brine into the jar and processing the tomatoes in a canner. Can you guess what that is?
If you've got any experience in processing tomatoes, you're probably aware that the hot water will cause the tomato skins to come off. This means you may have loose tomato skins floating in your jars. Nobody wants that!
However, if you would still like to can your pickled tomatoes, follow the canning instructions below.
🥫Canning Instructions
Once the sterilized jars are filled and capped, slowly lower the jars into a boiling water bath and process for 20 minutes.
Remove jars and place on the counter until the jars seal. Make sure the lids are sealed, before labelling and storing the jars in the pantry. Consume within 6 months.
⛰ Adjust Processing Time For Altitude
If you live 1000 feet or higher above sea level, you need to adjust the processing time for higher altitude. Follow the times listed below.
| Altitude | Additional Processing Time |
| 1,001 — 3,000 3,001 — 6,000 6,001 — 8,000 8,001 — 10,000 | 5 minutes 10 minutes 15 minutes 20 minutes |
🌭 Ways to Use Pickled Green Tomatoes
You can add tomato pickles to hot dogs, burgers, or your favorite sandwiches. Or use them as a garnish for your cocktail, especially a dirty bloody mary!
Pickled tomatoes can also be added to a charcuterie board, and chopped and mixed into a dill potato salad. But my favorite way to enjoy pickled tomatoes is straight out of the jar!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Green tomatoes can be frozen, freeze dried, or dehydrated. They can also be used to make relish or
Pickled green tomatoes will get mushy if you cover them with hot pickling solution and process them in boiling water. Instead, consider adding cooled or warm pickling solution to the jars then storing them in the fridge instead of processing them in hot water.
Green tomatoes can be used to make green tomato salsa, which is similar in taste to salsa verde. They can also be used to make chili verde, green tomato pie, green tomato relish, and pickled green tomatoes!
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Choose small, firm green tomatoes to ensure a crunchy texture.
- Alum can be added to enhance the texture.
- Plum tomatoes and Roma tomatoes are excellent pickling options. Firm green cherry tomatoes can also be used.
- Pickled green tomatoes can be safely stored in a refrigerator for up to one month.
🥒 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Pickled Green Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs green tomatoes
- 8 cloves garlic
- 4 serrano peppers (optional)
- 1½ cups white distilled vinegar
- 2¼ cups water
- 2 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- fresh dill
Instructions
Sterilize Jars
- Wash jar lids and collars in hot soapy water, then sterilize jars in boiling water for ten minutes
Prepare Vegetables
- Wash tomatoes, core, and slice into quarters. Peel and slice garlic cloves in half. Slice peppers into slices or slice in half, down the middle. Finally, wash fresh dill.
Pack Jars
- Divide tomatoes, garlic, dill, and peppers tightly inside the sterilized jars, taking time to layer all the ingredients.
- Add water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a small saucepan. Whisk to dissolve the salt and sugar, as you bring the solutions to a boil over medium high heat. Cool brine.
- Pour pickling liquid into the packed jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe the rims and seal the jars. Refrigerate for 3 days to allow the flavors to come together.
Notes
- Choose small, firm green tomatoes to ensure a crunchy texture.
- Alum can be added to enhance the texture.
- If you're using garden-grown dill, make sure you inspect it closely for aphids before adding it to the pickles! Aphids seem to love dill.
- Plum tomatoes and Roma tomatoes are excellent pickling options. Firm green cherry tomatoes can also be used.
- Pickled green tomatoes can be safely stored in a refrigerator for up to one month.
Comments
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