Canned Dill Pickle Slices

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/8/22
Dill pickle slices in a pint canning jar

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Marinate and Rest: 36 hrs
Total: 36 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 24 servings

Pickle slices are a great pantry staple. A versatile ingredient, they can be added to burgers, sandwiches, and wraps, chopped into deviled egg filling, or included in potato salads or sauces like ​​Remoulade. If you're a fan of the combination of sweet and salty flavors, this recipe for dill pickle slices has that in spades, plus the perfect balance of vinegar and herby dill. Enjoyed as a snack, they're simply delicious.

Although the recipe takes a little time, it's not hands-on. The brine will do the work on its own, providing the cucumber with the flavor you'd expect in pickle slices. Take advantage of your garden's overabundance of cucumber, a sale at the store or farmers' market, or just make this recipe to have pickles on hand all year round. Choose smaller cucumbers that are thin-skinned, and always go for organic produce, as it is less likely to have a waxed exterior. Kirby, English, and of course the pickling cucumber variety are the best choices.

Before you start, be sure to have appropriate canning jars and tongs to safely remove the finished jars from the hot bath. Also, use pickling salt or kosher salt, because regular table salt is filled with anti-caking agents and additives and won't yield the same results, making your brine cloudy and giving the cucumber a funny color. When canned properly, the slices can keep in your pantry for many months.

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds pickling cucumbers

  • 13 cups water; divided

  • 5 tablespoons pickling salt, or kosher salt; divided

  • 3 cups apple cider vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 6 teaspoons dill seeds; divided

  • 3 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds; divided

  • 6 medium bay leaves; divided

  • 18 to 24 black peppercorns; divided

  • 1 teaspoon garlic, chopped; divided

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for dill pickle slices recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Chop off the ends of the cucumbers and slice them in 1/4-inch rounds.

    Pickling cucumbers sliced on a cutting board, ends removed

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Place the cucumber slices in a large nonreactive bowl or pot and cover them with 10 cups of water. Add 3 tablespoons of the salt and stir until it is dissolved. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate for 12 hours.

    Cucumber slices immersed in water in a large pot and covered with plastic wrap

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Drain the cucumber slices.

    Cucumber slices in a colander

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Prepare six 1-pint jars and lids for canning. Fill a boiling water canner half-full with water; add jars and bring to a boil.

    Mason jars in a large pot with water

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Cover and reduce the heat to low to keep the jars hot.

    Mason jars in a large pot with water covered with a lid

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  7. In a nonreactive stainless steel or enamel-lined pot, combine the vinegar and the remaining 3 cups of water. Stir in the sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons of salt until all is well dissolved. Bring to a boil.

    Pickling brine being stirred with a wooden spoon in a Dutch oven

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  8. Carefully remove the hot jars and divide the dill seeds, mustard seeds, bay leaves, peppercorns, and chopped garlic equally into each of the jars. Pack with the cucumber slices.

    Canning jars filled with cucumber slices

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  9. Add the hot vinegar mixture into each jar, leaving at least 1/2-inch of headspace. Wipe spills off of the rims and threads of the jars with a damp paper towel. Fit with the lids and screw the jar rings on tightly.

    Jars filled with cucumbers and pickling brine and closed with canning lids and bands

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  10. Add more water to the pot and bring to a slow boil. Place the jars on a rack and lower them carefully into the hot water. If necessary, add more boiling or near-boiling water so the water level is at least 1 to 2 inches above the jars. Bring the water to a boil. Cover and boil gently for 10 minutes.

    Canning jars in water in a large pot covered with a lid

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  11. Carefully remove the jars to a rack to cool completely. Allow them to rest for a full 24 hours undisturbed on your kitchen counter.

    Jars with pickles on a wire rack next to a jar lifter

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  12. Check all of the jars for proper sealing. (The top should not spring up when pressed down in the center.) If you have a jar that didn't seal properly, refrigerate it and use it right away.

    Jar with pickles being tilted for inspection

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  13. Enjoy as a snack or in your favorite recipes.

How to Store

For the best flavor, store the finished pickles in a cool, dark place for a few weeks before using them. After opening, refrigerate the pickles and consume them within 2 months.

What's the Difference Between Dill Seed and Dill Weed?

As with many pickle recipes, this one calls for dill seeds, which are the fruit of the plant. Compared to the herby flavor of dill weed (the feathery green leaf and stem of the plant), the seeds have a spice-like quality. You can add dill weed to your pickles if you like; if you replace the seed with the dill weed keep in mind the resulting pickles will have less of a kick.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
23 Calories
0g Fat
4g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories 23
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1330mg 58%
Total Carbohydrate 4g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 2mg 11%
Calcium 20mg 2%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 136mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)