A tested pickle relish canning recipe is a hot-pack mix of finely chopped cucumbers, peppers, and onion cooked in 5% vinegar, then processed in a boiling-water canner. That acid and heat combination is what makes the jars shelf-stable. If you want a sweet, hot-dog-style relish, start with the Ball-style recipe below. If you want a larger, more old-fashioned batch, use the USDA relish. For a tangy, not-sweet version, use the National Center for Home Food Preservation dill relish.
The vinegar amount is not a flavor suggestion. Reducing it, swapping in homemade vinegar, or packing extra vegetables into the same brine can leave the finished relish above a safe pH. Use a laboratory-tested formula, then adjust only what those formulas allow: spices, a little sugar, and optional calcium chloride for firmness.
Which Relish Recipe You Should Use
Most searchers mean sweet pickle relish—the yellow-green condiment for hot dogs, burgers, tuna salad, and potato salad. That is not the same product as USDA “pickle relish,” which is larger-batch, more vinegary, and soaked overnight. Dill relish is a third product: sharp, garlicky, and closer to chopped dill pickles.
| Recipe | Best for | Time commitment | Sweetness | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet pickle relish | Small batches that taste like store-bought sweet relish | About 2.5 hours, plus cooling | High | Ball Blue Book style |
| USDA pickle relish | Garden overflow; classic picnic relish | Two days (soaks + overnight rest) | Moderate | USDA / NCHFP |
| Dill pickle relish | Burgers, potato salad, anyone who dislikes sweet relish | About 1–2.5 hours | Very low | NCHFP |
Do not mix and match vinegar volumes, vegetable weights, and processing times across those three formulas.
What Makes Canned Relish Safe
Relish is a quick pickle, not a fermented pickle. Safety comes from acetic acid in bottled vinegar at 5% acidity, plus a boiling-water process that kills spoilage organisms and creates a vacuum seal. Cucumbers sit at a pH well above 4.6 on their own. Without enough vinegar, Clostridium botulinum can grow in a sealed jar.
Follow these rules on every batch:
- Use only vinegar labeled 5% acidity. White distilled vinegar keeps the color brighter; cider vinegar adds a rounder flavor and a slightly darker brine. Do not use homemade vinegar.
- Do not reduce vinegar or add extra water. If the relish tastes too sharp, add a little sugar rather than watering the brine down.
- Use canning or pickling salt. Iodized table salt can cloud the brine. Flake kosher salt varies in density, so it throws off the measured amount unless you weigh it.
- Process filled jars in a boiling-water or atmospheric steam canner. Refrigerator storage is fine for unprocessed relish; pantry storage is not.
- Adjust processing time for altitude. A 10-minute process at sea level is not enough at 4,000 feet.
- Leave ½-inch headspace, remove air bubbles, and wipe rims before applying lids.
Calcium chloride (sold as Pickle Crisp) is optional. It firms texture. It does not replace vinegar or processing time.
Ingredients That Actually Matter
Cucumbers. Pickling cucumbers give the best texture. Field or slicing cucumbers work if you seed them and chop them fine; large seed cavities make watery relish. Odd-shaped or slightly overgrown cucumbers are better in relish than in whole pickles. Use cucumbers within a day of harvest when you can. Slice 1/16 inch off the blossom end—enzymes there soften pickles.
Peppers and onion. Bell peppers add color and a little sweetness. Red plus green is the usual mix. Do not swap in a large amount of hot peppers unless you are following a tested hot-relish formula; extra low-acid vegetables change the ratio.
Sugar. In sweet relish, sugar is mostly flavor and body. In tested quick-pickle formulas, sugar can often be reduced without making the jar unsafe, but the texture and shelf quality will change. Do not replace it with an untested sugar substitute unless the recipe was written for that sweetener.
Spices. Whole mustard seed, celery seed, dill seed, turmeric, allspice, and cloves are the usual set. Ground spices can cloud and darken the relish. Turmeric is what turns many commercial relishes yellow.
Equipment You Need
You do not need special relish gear. You do need standard water-bath canning tools:
- Water-bath or steam canner
- Half-pint or pint canning jars with new lids
- Large nonreactive bowl and pot (stainless steel or enameled; not copper, brass, or uncoated aluminum)
- Colander
- Food processor or sharp knife
- Jar lifter, funnel, bubble remover, and clean towels
A food processor saves time. Pulse in short bursts so you get ⅛- to ¼-inch pieces, not cucumber puree. Pureed relish turns mushy after processing.
Sweet Pickle Relish Canning Recipe (Ball-Style)
This is the recipe most people want when they search for pickle relish. It is a small batch, ready the same day, and close to commercial sweet relish. Source: Ball Blue Book style, widely republished by extension-aligned canning sites. Yield is about 8 half-pint jars.
Ingredients
- 1 quart finely chopped cucumbers (about 4 medium; do not peel)
- 2 cups finely chopped onion (about 2 medium)
- 1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- ¼ cup canning or pickling salt
- Cold water, to cover
- 3½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon celery seed
- 1 tablespoon mustard seed
- 2 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)
- Optional: ⅛ teaspoon Pickle Crisp per pint (or a pinch per half-pint)
Step-by-step
- Prep the vegetables. Wash cucumbers and peppers under running water. Trim the blossom end of each cucumber. Seed large cucumbers if the seeds are tough. Chop everything to a small, even dice.
- Salt-soak for 2 hours. Combine cucumbers, onion, and peppers in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the pickling salt and cover with cold water. Let stand 2 hours. This pulls out water that would otherwise dilute the vinegar and leave the relish soupy.
- Drain hard. Pour into a colander, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Squeeze handfuls or press with a clean towel until the vegetables feel damp, not wet. Skipping this step is the main reason homemade relish looks like pickle soup.
- Heat the canner. Wash jars. Keep them hot. Prepare lids according to the manufacturer. Fill the canner so jars will sit under 1 to 2 inches of boiling water.
- Cook the relish. In a large pot, combine sugar, celery seed, mustard seed, and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Add the drained vegetables and simmer 10 minutes, stirring so the mixture does not scorch.
- Fill jars. Ladle hot relish into hot half-pint or pint jars. Leave ½-inch headspace. Add Pickle Crisp if using. Remove air bubbles. Adjust headspace so liquid still covers the vegetables. Wipe rims, apply lids, and screw bands fingertip-tight.
- Process. Process in a boiling-water canner:
| Jar size | 0–1,000 ft | 1,001–3,000 ft | 3,001–6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half-pints or pints | 10 minutes | 15 minutes | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
Start the timer only after the water returns to a full rolling boil. When time is up, turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes, then lift the jars out. Cool 12–24 hours. Check seals, remove bands, label, and store in a cool, dark place.
Flavor improves after 3 to 4 weeks in the jar. Opened jars belong in the refrigerator.
USDA Pickle Relish (Larger Garden Batch)
Use this when you have a pile of cucumbers and want a classic, less candy-sweet relish. It takes two days because of the ice-water soaks and the 24-hour rest. Yield is about 9 pints. Source: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, via NCHFP.
Ingredients
- 3 quarts chopped cucumbers
- 3 cups chopped sweet green peppers
- 3 cups chopped sweet red peppers
- 1 cup chopped onions
- ¾ cup canning or pickling salt
- 4 cups ice
- 8 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 teaspoons each mustard seed, turmeric, whole allspice, and whole cloves
- 6 cups white vinegar (5%)
Method
- Combine cucumbers, peppers, onions, salt, ice, and water. Stand 4 hours.
- Drain. Cover with fresh ice water for 1 hour. Drain again.
- Tie spices in a cheesecloth bag. Add the bag to the sugar and vinegar; bring to a boil. Pour over the vegetables.
- Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.
- Heat the mixture to a boil. Remove the spice bag. Fill hot jars, ½-inch headspace.
- Process half-pints or pints: 10 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 15 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft, 20 minutes above 6,000 ft.
This batch is wetter and more vinegary than the Ball-style sweet relish. That is normal. The overnight rest is what develops the spice flavor; do not skip it to “save time” if you chose this formula.
Dill Pickle Relish Canning Recipe
This NCHFP formula is the tested path to a relish that tastes like chopped dill pickles, not sweet relish. Yield is about 7 pints. Processing time is longer than the sweet recipes.
Ingredients
- 14 cups chopped pickling cucumbers (about 5 pounds as purchased)
- 2 cups chopped red bell pepper
- 5½ cups cider vinegar (5%)
- 3 teaspoons dill seed
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 tablespoons pickling or canning salt
Method
- Wash produce. Trim stem and blossom ends. Pulse cucumbers and peppers to about ¼-inch pieces. Measure after chopping.
- Stir vinegar, dill seed, garlic, and salt in a large pot until the salt dissolves. Add vegetables. Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes.
- Fill hot pint jars, ½-inch headspace. Liquid must cover the vegetables.
- Process pints: 15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft, 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
There is no sugar in this formula. Adding a tablespoon or two for taste is a flavor choice; cutting the vinegar is not.
How Fine to Chop, and How Wet Is Too Wet
Relish should look like a coarse mince, not slaw and not sauce.
- Too coarse: big cucumber chunks float, leave empty pockets, and stay raw-tasting after a 10-minute simmer.
- Too fine: the batch turns into yellow puree after processing.
- Too wet: the jar looks like vegetables sitting in a lake of brine. Drain, rinse, and squeeze after the salt soak until a handful holds together.
If a finished cooked batch still looks flooded, you can simmer a few extra minutes to evaporate liquid. Do not pour vinegar off to “thicken” it. That removes the acid that keeps the jar safe.
Common Mistakes That Ruin Relish
Soft, slippery relish. Weak vinegar, skipped blossom-end trim, overripe cucumbers, or no water-bath process. Soft, slippery pickles with signs of spoilage should be discarded, not recooked.
Watery jars. Vegetables were not salted and drained well, or large slicing cucumbers were used with seeds intact.
Cloudy brine. Table salt, ground spices, hard water, or starch from over-processed cucumbers. Cloudiness alone is not always spoilage. Bulging lids, spurting liquid, off smells, or visible mold are.
Shriveled pieces. The sugar-vinegar solution hit raw vegetables at full strength without a soak, or the batch was overcooked.
Dull flavor on day one. Relish needs jar time. Plan on 3–5 weeks before you judge it. USDA pickled products are often held four to five weeks for flavor to develop.
Unsealed jars. Wipe rims, use new lids, keep headspace at ½ inch, and do not tighten bands with a wrench. An unsealed jar goes in the refrigerator and should be eaten within a few weeks.
What You Can and Cannot Change
Safe to change in these recipes:
- Swap cider vinegar for white vinegar, or the reverse, as long as both are 5%
- Change the mix of red and green bell peppers
- Add Pickle Crisp
- Reduce sugar in the sweet recipes for a tarter relish
- Use a food processor instead of a knife
Not safe for shelf-stable canning unless you have another tested recipe:
- Cutting the vinegar
- Adding water to “mellow” the brine
- Increasing cucumbers, zucchini, or cabbage without increasing the tested acid
- Using quart jars when the recipe lists only half-pints or pints
- Replacing vinegar with lemon juice in these formulas
- Canning a refrigerator-only internet recipe
If you want a small experimental batch with extra garlic, jalapeño, or less sugar than you are comfortable canning, make it, cool it, and keep it in the refrigerator.
How to Store and Use the Jars
Store sealed jars in a cool, dark cupboard. Quality is best within 12 months. The relish remains safe longer if the seal holds and there is no spoilage, but color and crunch fade.
After opening, refrigerate and use within about a month.
Uses that justify a 9-pint batch:
- Hot dogs, brats, and burgers
- Tuna, egg, chicken, or potato salad
- Deviled eggs
- Tartar sauce (relish + mayonnaise + lemon)
- Folded into meatloaf or burger mix
- Spooned over grilled sausages or baked beans
A half-pint is the practical jar size for most households. Pints make sense if you cook for a crowd.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use English or garden cucumbers? Yes, if you seed them and chop them small. Pickling cucumbers still give a firmer bite.
Do I have to peel the cucumbers? No. The peel helps the pieces hold together. Wash well, especially if the cucumbers were waxed.
Can I can this without a water-bath canner? You can refrigerate unprocessed relish. You cannot treat an open-kettle or “upside-down jar” method as shelf-stable.
Why did my relish turn brown? Cider vinegar, old spices, iodized salt, or reactive cookware. It can still be safe if the seal is good and there is no spoilage. White vinegar and fresh whole spices keep the color brighter.
Can I double the sweet relish recipe? Yes, if your pot is large enough to simmer without scorching and you keep the same ingredient ratios. Processing time per jar does not change.
Is zucchini a safe swap for cucumber? Not in these three formulas. Use a tested zucchini relish recipe instead.
How do I know a jar failed? The lid flexes after 24 hours, the contents smell off, liquid spurts, or you see mold. Do not taste questionable jars.
If you only make one batch this season, make the sweet pickle relish in half-pints. It uses a modest amount of cucumbers, follows a short same-day method, and is the condiment most people actually finish. Keep the USDA and dill formulas for the year you have extra peppers, extra cucumbers, and an extra afternoon.