Quick, easy, and slightly-spicy Green Bean Refrigerator Pickles are perfect on salads, sandwiches, or as a garnish for your next bloody Mary.
If you’re new to pickling — especially if the idea intimidates you — refrigerator pickles are a great place to start. You don’t need to sterilize your equipment, be careful about acidity, or do a hot water bath.
Unlike proper pickles, refrigerator pickles have to live in the fridge. They’re not preserved like hot water bath canned pickles, but they will last one to three weeks in the fridge. If you’ve been wanting to make your own pickles, these Green Bean Refrigerator Pickles are a great starting point!
Green Bean Refrigerator Pickles
Like most refrigerator pickles, this recipe has a three-step process.
Ready to Go Pickle-Wild? Get my basic refrigerator pickle recipe for pickling almost any fruit or veggie!
The first step is to prepare your veggies. Snap the ends off of your green beans and slice your onions and jalapenos. Divide the veggies between two pint jars, and set them aside while you make your brine.
To make the brine, just combine vinegar, water, garlic, and salt in a small pan. Bring it to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat as soon as that boil starts rolling.
Now, you are ready to pour the hot brine into your jars. The hot liquid will soften the veggies some but still leave the green beans with a nice crunch.
Waiting is Not Easy
Once your jars cool down, you have a decision to make: Can you wait?
These pickles really start hitting their stride the day after you make them. If you can wait, I highly recommend sticking them in the fridge to marinate for a day before you serve them.
If you absolutely can’t wait, though, I totally get it. Feel free to dive into those pickles day-of! Just know that they’ll get more flavorful with time.
Easy Green Bean Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients
The Veggies
- 3 cups green beans – ends snapped off
- 1 cup sliced Vidalia onions
- 1 jalapeno – sliced thinly
The Brine
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic – minced
Instructions
Prepare the Veggies
- Divide the green beans, onion slices, and jalapeno slices between two pine-sized mason jars. Try to get an even mix of jalapeno and onions in both jars.
Make the Brine
- In a small saucepan, combine the brine ingredients. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
- Ladle the hot brine over the green beans mixture in the jars. When they're cool enough to handle, refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
Becky
Yes!!!! Once Fall show craziness is over, I want to make that happen again! Can we?
Annie
Thanks so much for this post! I’ve been thinking of pickling my green beans when they came in and I had no clue were to start.
Also, I loved your recent aprons and lunch kits! They all came out wonderful, just like everything else you touch. 😉
Jes
Awesome pickles! I’ve never tried to pickle before but those green beans look so tasty!
Becky
Awesome! I meant to update the post, but Liz was saying last night that she has now tried making them blanching and without, and she prefers the unblanched version. Laziness for the win!
jessica dodd
matt sent me this link, i’ve been searching far and wide for pickled green beans after having them in my bloody mary in new orleans. i’m excited to try this recipe, thanks guys 🙂