15 Canning Recipes for Cucumbers (Homemade Pickles!)

It’s that time of year! Do you have bunches of cucumbers from your garden and no clue what to do with them? Then you’ve come to the right place. These 15 Canning Recipes for Cucumbers are all you’ll need this season!

The Best Canning Recipes for Cucumbers All in One Place!

Today we are going to discuss one of the best ways to not let those fresh cucumbers go to waste…canning! Home food preservation is so neat, and it’s the perfect way to avoid food waste.

Here are some favorite recipes for turning cucumbers into the ever-so-tasty pickle. 

What can I do with my abundance of cucumbers?

The best option is canning! The following canning recipes for cucumbers are super straightforward and easy to make.

Crunchy dill pickles are such a yummy snack. There are so many ways to enjoy pickles, whether that’s in a recipe or own their own.

A good pickle means something different for everyone, so there are endless options! These 15 recipes are a great start for your journey of creating the best pickles for your taste.

Gherkin vs. Pickle

Before we get started on these canning recipes for cucumbers, let me tell you a fun fact. When I was recently traveling and exploring London, England, I happened upon a shocking realization. Pickles are not pickles in the United Kingdom!

They’re actually called…drumroll, please…gherkins! Yes, you read that correctly. Pickled English cucumbers are referred to as gherkins.

It may sound silly but there is a background to the word and its usage. The word gherkin comes from early modern Dutch, gurken or augurken for “small pickled cucumber.”

The term pickle is widely used in America, but “pickle” really refers to any vegetable that is pickled. Pickled cucumbers in America are colloquially called “pickles!”

And, for my favorite fun fact, there’s even a skyscraper in London called The Gherkin that looks like a giant pickle!

Ingredients for These Canning Recipes for Cucumbers

Now that we’ve discussed gherkins and pickles, let’s get to those canning recipes for cucumbers! Here are some common ingredients these recipes call for:

• Mustard seeds
• Dill seed or fresh dill (or both!)
• Garlic cloves
• Canning jars (quart jars or mason jars will work!)
• Celery seed
• White vinegar, white wine vinegar, or rice vinegar
• Black peppercorns
• Red pepper flakes
• Dill weed
• Apple cider vinegar
• Canning salt
• Bay leaf, grape leaf
• Large pot (or canning pot) & large bowl

Some people even start out by pickling green beans their first time pickling. Green beans always keep their crunch during the pickling process, so experimenting with them can help you prepare to can crunchy pickles!

What can I make to preserve cucumbers? Pickles!

Below are some canning recipes for cucumbers, along with a description of the article, and type of pickle you would be making. If you’re struck by an author’s page, check out their social media for some more fantastic recipes!

1. Easy Dill Pickles (Plus Everything To Know For Canning!) – Lexi’s Clean Kitchen

Lexi’s article from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen breaks down the process of canning cucumbers and adds a straightforward dill pickle recipe to this list. I love how detailed the steps are!

Lexi emphasizes that a hot water bath is essential for sterilizing your jars prior to canning.

She also notes that the jars need to at least be at a medium heat, warmed up so that when you pour the hot pickling brine into the jars they don’t break on you.

What a useful piece of advice!

2. How to Make Pickles (Pickled Cucumber Recipe & Best Canning Method) – Homesteading Family

Carolyn and Josh over at Homesteading Family really have pickles figured out. They have experimented with many different recipes in search of the crunchiest pickle.

I think it’s safe to say that no one particularly enjoys mushy pickles. My favorite part of this article would have to be the “Common Crunchy Pickle Tips.” I for one never would have thought that grape leaves could add to a pickle’s crunch!

Canning pickles to get that maximum flavor and crunch definitely takes a long time, but that little bit of processing time is well worth it in the end! See this article for their tips and tricks of turning regular cucumbers into delicious jars of pickles.

3. Dill Pickles Canning Tutorial + Grandma’s Secret Recipe – Simplify Live Love

What really drew me to this article was how this recipe was handed down from Michelle from Simplify Live Love’s grandmother! Family recipes are so special, and it’s lovely that I am able to share it further.

Here, Michelle writes that cutting the blossom end tip off the cucumbers helps them stay crunchy after canning.

Common advice from each article is to pack cucumbers very tightly into the hot jars. The cucumbers will always rise to the top of the jar during canning!

Another useful tip is to leave a 1/4 inch headspace in your jars when you’re pouring the hot brine into the bottom of the jar.

After that, Michelle notes that you’ll want to make sure to use a jar lifter like a pot holder to put the pint jars into a water bath canner since they’ll be at such a high heat!

Water bath canning at the end of the pickling recipe is actually super important because it locks in the flavors. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly learning a lot from these recipes.

4. How To Make Perfectly Crunchy Homemade Dill Pickles – Little Yellow Wheelbarrow

No soggy pickles here! The secret ingredient Laura gives her readers here is Pickle Crisp, made by Ball to help keep that crunch in your pickles. Thanks Laura!

5. Kosher-Style Dill Pickles Canning Recipe – Grow a Good Life

These homemade dill pickles sound delicious! I love to eat kosher-style dill pickles as a snack or a side to meals. Rachel at Grow a Good Life has found the perfect balance to make your own.

Something I didn’t realize before reading this article is that the kind of cucumbers, flavoring, and even the type of water you use in the filled jars really make a difference.

If this is your first time canning cucumbers, I would suggest reading through the tips these authors suggest! I know it will result in crisp pickles with the best flavor.

6. Our Family’s Favorite Kosher Dill Pickles – Lana’s Cooking

Here’s another great recipe for kosher dill pickles. There are so many key parts to pickling that Lana and the other authors of these recipes touch on that I would never have thought of.

Making salt dissolve in cold water is normally an unsuccessful feat, but removing any air bubbles from the jars before you tightly seal them is a really helpful tip for dissolution!

Removing air bubbles also helps develop a good seal on the jar, key for a crunchy pickle!

7. THE BEST Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles Recipe – Foodie Crush

YUM! What a unique way to spice up your pickle (literally). The pickle brine in this recipe is what creates so much of that spicy garlic dill flavor.

Making sure you have enough water to create your brine is very important! The cups water used in the pickling process allow the cucumbers to soak up the added flavors as well as develop into pickles over time.

8. Easy Bread and Butter Pickles – A Farmgirl’s Kitchen

I LOVE bread and butter pickles. They are such a classic, so I had to include some recipes for them.

You can, of course, prepare your cucumbers in any way you like. Some are thinly sliced, some are the whole pickle, some are cut in a shape like hot dogs, and some in circular slices.

There is no right way to prepare your cucumber, but bread and butter pickles have a classic circular shape. A helpful tip in this article is the importance of the number of pickles in the recipe and the water level in those cucumbers. It all adds to the end result!

9. Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe Homemade Sweet Pickles Recipe – White on Rice Couple

Another tasty bread and butter pickle recipe! These. sound. amazing.

The bread and butter pickles from this recipe can be stored at room temperature as long as they’re in a cool place. However, Todd and Diane suggest that keeping the pickles in the fridge actually maintains both the freshness of the pickles as well as the crunch.

To get that bread and butter sweetness, 1 cup sugar does the trick. Combine sugar with the rest of your brine and you’re good to go. And don’t forget to cut cucumber slices for those bread and butter pickles!

10. Best Homemade Refrigerator Pickles – A Spicy Perspective

Canning pickles for a long period of time isn’t the only way! Refrigerator pickles are easy to make and it allow you to eat your homemade pickles without the wait time – even the next day!

Sommer at A Spicy Perspective shares a recipe that skips the large pots of boiling water and instead uses warm brine in the sealable jar. She also uses small pickling cucumbers, also known as kirby cucumbers, with the thick bumpy skin since they are the best for preserving both freshness and crunch.

11. https://natashaskitchen.com/canned-dill-pickle-recipe/

12. https://practicalselfreliance.com/dill-pickle-recipe-home-canning/

13. https://iwashyoudry.com/homemade-canned-dill-pickles/

14. https://www.wholekitchensink.com/homemade-dill-pickles/

15. https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/homemade-claussen-knock-off-pickles/

So Many Great Canning Recipes for Cucumbers!

I know one thing for sure. These pickles take the ones from the grocery store to a whole new level!

Since I don’t have my own garden cucumbers, it looks like I’m off to my local farmers market to pick up some small batch cucumbers.

If these canning recipes for cucumbers aren’t enough and you would like another reference for canning, check out the Ball Blue Book of Preserving. It’s the classic American guide to canning.

Another resource is the National Center for Home Food Preservation, which has some research-based recommendations. It’s time to get pickling!

How long can pickles last unrefrigerated?

A sealed jar of canned pickles can last for years unrefrigerated. However, once opened, they should be refrigerated and consumed within a few months.

An open jar of pickles can last unrefrigerated for about 4 hours. After that it should be discarded.

Are pickles keto friendly?

Yes! Most pickles are keto friendly! Just check the ingredients to make sure that the pickles you choose aren’t made with sugar. Most dill pickles don’t include sugar, so that’s usually a safe bet for keto and low carb diets.

Bread and butter pickles are not recommended for a keto diet because they are usually made with sugar. However, some are made with zero calorie sweeteners and could then be appropriate for a keto diet.

Looking for more cucumber recipes? Check out some of Kit’s yummy recipes below!

• CUCUMBER DILL SALAD (Kit’s favorite summer side dish)
• CUCUMBER MANGO SALAD (fan favorite!)
• SKINNY CUCUMBER MARGARITAS (only 150 CALORIES!)
• EASY SUSHI BAKE RECIPE (WITH SALMON AND SHRIMP)
• KETO FRUIT SALAD
• LOADED SUSHI BOWLS WITH GINGER WASABI DRESSING
• WHOLE30 SHRIMP SUSHI BOWLS (super easy dinner idea!)
• COCONUT LIME SALMON
• BLACK RICE SUSHI

Canning Recipes for Cucumbers – Make sure to check out Kit’s Pinterest and Instagram @itskitskitchen!