Sweet Pickle Relish
Sweet Pickle Relish is much easier to make than you might think! Slightly tangy and slightly sweet, this is one condiment you need to try from scratch! It is so versatile and you may never want store-bought again!
EASY HOMEMADE RELISH
Sweet Pickle Relish is truly the perfect side or condiment. It has soooo many uses. Perfect in your deviled eggs, egg salad, ham salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, tartar sauce and even Thousand Island Dressing. It’s an easy homemade relish to make and the hardest part is waiting for it to chill in the fridge overnight. Otherwise, it’s just about an hour of prepping and cooking total. That’s it. Super simple, not overbearingly sweet, just enough to balance out the tangy vinegar flavor! It just takes everything to a whole new level of deliciousness!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Look at the pictures, look at the ingredient list, you can clearly see this recipe is more than just chopped up pickles. It has so much flavor, not just from the pickles, but from the red bell pepper, white onion, apple cider vinegar and spices.
Sweet pickles and sweet relish both start with cucumbers but are transformed into different condiments. Sweet pickles are cucumbers that are preserved in a sweet brine, often with sugar, vinegar, and spices. On the other hand, sweet relish is made from finely chopped cucumbers that are pickled with the same sweet brine but also include other ingredients and spices. When it comes to usage, sweet pickles are great for snacking or as a side dish, while sweet relish is commonly used as a topping for things like hot dogs, can be used on sandwiches, or mixed into salads for even more flavor.
A regular garden cucumber would need to be peeled. Basically any cucumber with a thick peel. Thinner skinned cucumbers don’t (like an English cucumber or pickling cucumbers.) But having said that, it is a personal preference. Some people don’t want any peel at all no matter what type of cucumber so please go by what you prefer and what texture you like or don’t like.
I really suggest letting it chill in the fridge overnight, I think it is best served very cold and that way the flavors can mingle.
No. This recipe is not overly sweet, if you like more sweetness, you can increase the sugar up to 1½ cups.
I used pickling cucumbers, but sometimes they are hard to find. You can use Persian, English, or regular cucumbers if needed. With the Persian and English varieties, you don’t need to peel them but I would with the regular cucumbers. Also, if the English or regular is very big with large seeds, I would remove the seeds first, but make sure you end up with 2 pounds.
This relish is good in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can can them if you wish, and you can do the process after step 9.
Otherwise, keep leftover relish in the covered jar in the fridge.
Freeze for up to 3 months. However, it may effect the texture.
It makes 3 and ¼ 11-ounce jars. This makes about 20-21 servings per jar, so around 65-68 servings total.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- pickling cucumbers – you can use regular garden variety cucumbers but I would peel them first. The main difference between pickling and regular cucumbers is the thin is much thinner on pickling cucumbers so they are easily edible and do not need to be peeled. But this is totally a personal preference, some people don’t like any peel no matter the type of cucumber so I will leave that up to you and your tastes.
- white onion and red bell pepper – if you don’t like bell pepper or the onion, just leave it out. No need to replace with something else or adjust any other ingredients.
- pickling salt– Kosher salt can be used in place of pickling salt.
- cold water
- apple cider vinegar – you can use white vinegar but the apple cider vinegar is more mellow and I think overall works better.
- granulated sugar– you can adjust this to your liking. If you want it more sweet, see how in the FAQ.
- celery seeds – don’t skip this. It really adds amazing flavor!
- mustard seeds – don’t use mustard powder. It will make your liquid cloudy and just doesn’t look very appealing.
HOW TO MAKE SWEET PICKLE RELISH:
Chop all the vegetables very finely and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle it with the salt.
Add enough water so the vegetables are submerged. Allow to sit for 1 hour at room temperature. Drain very well with a fine mesh sieve, or in a colander lined with cheesecloth. Take a spoon and gently press down on the vegetables until most of the liquid drains off, set aside.
Add the apple cider vinegar, sugar, celery seeds, and mustard seeds to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved, and then bring to a boil. Add the drained vegetables and stir them into the mixture.
Bring back to a boil, stirring often, and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the heat and add the vegetables to the jars with a slotted spoon. Pour the remaining liquid on top.
Allow the jars to sit at room temperature until completely cooled, then add the tops and place in the fridge overnight so the flavors can blend together. Serve immediately.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Chow Chow Relish
- Homemade Sauerkraut
- Refrigerator Pickles
- Quick Sauerkraut
- Pickled Red Onions
- Easy Pickled Banana Peppers
- Homemade Sauerkraut
- Pickles in a Blanket
- Bread and Butter Pickles
Sweet Pickle Relish
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pickling cucumbers, finely chopped
- 1 cup finely chopped white onion
- 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- 2 Tablespoons pickling salt
- 2 quarts cold water
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
Instructions
- Add 2 pounds pickling cucumbers, finely chopped, 1 cup finely chopped white onion and 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper and place in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle it with 2 Tablespoons pickling salt.
- Add enough water (about 2 quarts cold water) so the vegetables are submerged. Allow to sit for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Drain very well with a fine mesh sieve, or in a colander lined with cheesecloth.
- Take a spoon and gently press down on the vegetables until most of the liquid drains off, set aside.
- Add 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon celery seeds and 1 teaspoon mustard seeds to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved, and then bring to a boil.
- Add the drained vegetables and stir them into the mixture.
- Bring back to a boil, stirring often, and boil for 10 minutes.
- Remove the heat and add the vegetables to the jars with a slotted spoon. Pour the remaining liquid on top.
- Allow the jars to sit at room temperature until completely cooled, then add the tops and place in the fridge overnight so the flavors can blend together. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- Finely chopping the vegetables is essential.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Don’t tell my MeeMaw but this is even better than hers. Wow this was absolutely delicious – thank you!
Can this be canned/water bath sealed and stored for future?
Yep!
I just made this and love it
looks delicious! any instructions on canning the leftovers to make them shelf stable at home?
Just can as you normally would with sterilized jars. Ball canning has a great tutorial: https://www.ballmasonjars.com/water-bath-canning.html