24 Southern Pickle Recipes to Relish
Canning pickles is a time-honored Southern tradition. When summer's bounty is in full swing, there's nothing quite as tasty as pickling your produce to make sure you can savor summertime flavors for months to come.
Whether you're on the hunt for simple ways to brighten up salads, cocktails, sandwiches, or cheese boards, these tangy, crisp, and totally delicious pickle recipes are proven winners. Some feature bright veggies like radishes, carrots, green beans, or okra, while others will prove that fruit can get into the pickling fun too. We even show you that collard green toppers don't have to be tossed when you've got the right brine. Some are fit for your pantry and others are meant to be refrigerated. But the one thing they all have in common? They're so tasty, that once you pop off the jar lid, they just might not last as long as you thought.
Bread-and-Butter Pickles
Recipe: Bread-and-Butter Pickles
Try these sweet-and-sour pickles on sandwiches, in deviled eggs, or straight out of the jar.
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Pickled Okra
Recipe: Pickled Okra
This easy pickling recipe is very forgiving; you'd have to work to mess it up. If you've got very small okra, then use half-pint jars instead.
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Pickled Green Tomatoes
Recipe: Pickled Green Tomatoes
Summer's bounty of beautiful green tomatoes can be enjoyed long after the temperature starts to drop. All it takes is an easy brine.
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Quick Pickled Radishes with Lemon, Ginger, and Maple
Recipe: Quick Pickled Radishes with Lemon, Ginger, and Maple
Flavored with lemon, maple syrup, and grated fresh ginger, these pretty pickled radishes make a bright addition to any sandwich or party platter.
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Kosher Dill Pickles
Recipe: Kosher Dill Pickles
These classic pickles are crisp, sour, and a sandwich's best friend. Like most pickles, they'll reach their best flavor and texture after three weeks in the jars.
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Spicy Pickled Carrots Recipe
Recipe: Spicy Pickled Carrots
From the family recipe box of a Test Kitchen professional, this recipe is kicked up with crushed red pepper, onion powder, and mustard seeds.
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Quick Pickled Onions Recipe
Recipe: Quick Picked Onions
A salt rub helps break down and tenderize the raw onions to make the perfect accompaniment to a sandwich or an appetizer tray.
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Pickled Beets
Recipe: Pickled Beets
Remove skins from roasted beets while they're still warm by gently wiping with a paper towel.
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Sweet-Spicy Refrigerator Pickles
Recipe: Sweet-Spicy Refrigerator Pickles
This colorful mix of sweet peppers, red onion, and jalapeño is good enough to eat straight from the jar. Use them to top off a burger or sandwich for an any day lunch upgrade.
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Master Pickle Brine
Recipe: Master Pickle Brine
Four ingredients are all you need to transform cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and zucchini, okra, red onions...you name it.
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Turmeric-Dill Cucumbers
Recipe: Turmeric-Dill Cucumbers
Take to canning this summer with this classic recipe for cucumbers, though you can pickle any of your favorite seasonal produce.
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Quick Pickled Slaw
Recipe: Quick Pickled Slaw
The ultimate way to add color and texture to any meal, the veggies in this slaw will soften just a bit but retain a satisfying crunch.
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Pickled Cherry Tomatoes
Recipes: Pickled Cherry Tomatoes
These red and yellow cherry tomatoes are refrigerator pickles that don't require water bath canning, they are so easy to pull off.
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Hot Dogs with Pickle and Parsley Relish
Recipes: Hot Dogs with Pickle and Parsley Relish
Recreate (and upgrade) your favorite ballpark dog with a homemade pickle relish that will be the hit of your next cookout.
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Pickled Strawberries
Recipe: Pickled Strawberries
Don't let your veggies have all the fun. While this recipe calls for fresh strawberries, you can use any berry variety you'd like.
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Pickled Collard Green Stems
Recipe: Pickled Collard Green Stems
Don't let your collard stems hit the trash can. Instead, turn them into a great pickled topping.
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Triple Pickle Deviled Eggs
Recipe: Triple Pickle Deviled Eggs
Capers, bread-and-butter pickles, and pickled okra can take your traditional deviled egg recipe up a notch.
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Poached Salmon Salad with Pickled Snap Peas
Recipe: Poached Salmon Salad with Pickled Snap Peas
Snap peas so flavorful, they'll make you say, "Oh, snap!"
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Pickled Tiny Tomatoes
Recipe: Pickled Tiny Tomatoes
Use a mixture of baby tomatoes such as 'Sweet 100,' 'Yellow Pear,' or 'Sun Gold'—all are available at farmers' markets in summer months. This dish uses 3 pints of tomatoes, but feel free to halve the recipe.
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Candied Jalapeños
Recipe: Candied Jalapeños
This is our new go-to summer condiment. Chill at least 48 hours ahead so the jalapeños have time to take on a fiery-sweet crunch.
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Bourbon-Brined Pickled Peppered Okra
Recipe: Bourbon-Brined Pickled Peppered Okra
Two Southern staples—bourbon and okra—are a natural fit in this new way to pickle.
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Deviled Eggs with Pickled Okra
Recipe: Deviled Eggs with Pickled Okra
A tray of deviled eggs is always a welcome sight at any Southern gathering. Show up with this recipe, and you'll be the party favorite.
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Pickled Watermelon Rind Slaw
Recipe: Pickled Watermelon Rind Slaw
We love this summery side with our Fried Catfish Sandwich.
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Grilled Chicken Salad with Blueberries, Goat Cheese, and Pickled Onion
Recipe: Grilled Chicken Salad with Blueberries, Goat Cheese, and Pickled Onion
For a light summer dinner, it doesn't get more delicious than a grilled chicken salad with fresh berries and homemade quick-pickled onions.