If you love pickles and you love garlic, this pickled garlic recipe is super simple to make and keeps in the refrigerator for a few months! Not suitable for canning.
Several years ago, I was discussing Dilly Beans with my mother-in-law. She made them for a church fundraiser, and she was planning to set aside a jar for me as a Christmas gift. Would I like a clove of garlic in my jar of Dilly Beans?
My response? “Could I please have a whole jar of Dilly Garlic?” I’m so grateful she agreed!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- WARNING: This recipe is not suitable for shelf-stable canning. Obviously people (or companies) sell shelf-stable pickled garlic, but I am not an expert in this area and garlic has a propensity to develop botulism. So, if you make this recipe, you MUST store it in the refrigerator. Even if you seal the jars with a water bath. Refrigerate! “Canning of garlic is not recommended. Garlic is a low-acid vegetable that requires a pressure canner to be properly processed. Garlic loses most of its flavor when heated in this way. For this reason, adequate processing times have not been determined for canning garlic.”
Step-by-step instructions
- Combine canning salt and vinegar in a large saucepan. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes (180 degrees). Meanwhile, pack garlic into 4 sterilized pint jars (about 8 ounces per jar) leaving 1/2-inch of headspace. Add ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1 head of dill to each jar. (If using fresh dill, add ½ cup to each jar.)
- Using a ladle, divide hot pickling liquid between the 4 jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles, clean jar rims, center lids on jars, and adjust band to fingertip-tight.
- Chill in the refrigerator until pickled as desired (I recommend at least 3 weeks in the refrigerator). Store in refrigerator for up to 4 months (see notes) or seal jars following the instructions below (the pickled garlic must still be refrigerated; it will not be shelf-stable).
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 pints (8 cups), enough for 32 servings, ¼ cup each.
- Storage: The National Center for Home Food Preservation states that the garlic and vinegar mixture may be refrigerated for up to 4 months. It’s safe to use the flavored liquid for other things. Discard if you see any signs of mold or yeast growth.
- Blue garlic: Sometimes pickled garlic turns blue or turquoise when you pickle it. It’s completely normal and still safe to eat and you don’t need to worry. You can read all about the chemistry of garlic (and exactly why it may or may not turn blue). To prevent the bluish color:
- User kosher salt or sea salt to avoid iodine
- Use stainless steel or enamel cookware and utensils (avoid copper, aluminum, cast iron, and tin cookware and utensils)
- Reduce chlorophyll production by avoiding sunlight
- Use distilled water to avoid the trace minerals found in tap water
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Pickled Garlic
This recipe is not suitable for shelf-stable canning. If you make this recipe, you MUST store it in the refrigerator. Even if you seal the jars with a water bath. Refrigerate!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup canning salt
- 5 cups white vinegar
- 2 pounds fresh garlic peeled
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 heads fresh dill or 2 cups fresh dill, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Combine canning salt and vinegar in a large saucepan. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes (180 degrees).
- Meanwhile, pack garlic into 4 sterilized pint jars (about 8 ounces per jar) leaving 1/2-inch of headspace. Add ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1 head of dill to each jar. (If using fresh dill, add ½ cup to each jar.)
- Using a ladle, divide hot pickling liquid between the 4 jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles, clean jar rims, center lids on jars, and adjust band to fingertip-tight.
- Chill in the refrigerator until pickled as desired (I recommend at least 3 weeks in the refrigerator). Store in refrigerator for up to 4 months (see notes) or seal jars following the instructions below (the pickled garlic must still be refrigerated; it will not be shelf-stable).
To seal jars (MUST BE REFRIGERATED, NOT SHELF-STABLE):
- Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. The jars must be covered by at least 1 inch of water. Turn off heat and remove cover. Let jars cool 5 minutes. Cool 12 hours. Check seals. Chill in the refrigerator until pickled as desired (I recommend at least 3 weeks in the refrigerator). Store in refrigerator for up to 4 months (see notes).
Recipe Video
Notes
- WARNING: This recipe is not suitable for shelf-stable canning. Obviously people (or companies) sell shelf-stable pickled garlic, but I am not an expert in this area and garlic has a propensity to develop botulism. So, if you make this recipe, you MUST store it in the refrigerator. Even if you seal the jars with a water bath. Refrigerate! “Canning of garlic is not recommended. Garlic is a low-acid vegetable that requires a pressure canner to be properly processed. Garlic loses most of its flavor when heated in this way. For this reason, adequate processing times have not been determined for canning garlic.”
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 pints (8 cups), enough for 32 servings, ¼ cup each.
- Storage: The National Center for Home Food Preservation states that the garlic and vinegar mixture may be refrigerated for up to 4 months. It’s safe to use the flavored liquid for other things. Discard if you see any signs of mold or yeast growth.
- Blue garlic: Sometimes pickled garlic turns blue or turquoise when you pickle it. It’s completely normal and still safe to eat and you don’t need to worry. You can read all about the chemistry of garlic (and exactly why it may or may not turn blue). To prevent the bluish color:
- User kosher salt or sea salt to avoid iodine
- Use stainless steel or enamel cookware and utensils (avoid copper, aluminum, cast iron, and tin cookware and utensils)
- Reduce chlorophyll production by avoiding sunlight
- Use distilled water to avoid the trace minerals found in tap water.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25cupCalories: 52kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 7mgPotassium: 124mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 35IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 1mg
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Love it. Fantastic and simple.
Thank you Robert! – Meggan
Can you pickle garlic w/o dill? Perhaps add extra red pepper? Anything other than dill?
Hi Dorothy, yes! Sounds great! The dill is a component for flavor, it is the brine that does the pickling. Enjoy! – Meggan
It is true you should not can low acid vegetables and garlic, is low acid. However, when you add the vinegar to the brine the acid from the brine makes the vegetable high acid and therefore safe to process into pickles. I have processed cucumbers, carrots, beans, onions, zucchini……pretty much everything in garden into pickles. Proper water bath processing is totally safe making vinegar brined pickles and even fermented pickles. Every jar of pickles I have ever made includes garlic.
My pickled garlics are more than 15 years old now. The starter essence of it came from Iran from my uncle’s batch dating back to 35 years. I keep adding to it as needed, and never refrigerate it as long as you keep things clean. It is a delight!
Just be careful as to how close you get to people the next day. In humid climates the odor is much milder.
PS: I use balsamic vinegar.
Loved it!
Can I use Apple Cider Vinegar rather than White Vinegar?
Hi Sandra, yes you can! It will just have a slightly different taste. Hope you enjoy! – Meggan
So I’m trying pickling garlic for the first time I’ve got a recipe that I use for my other pickles how do I avoid the developing of botulism bacteria
Hi Riley, thanks for the question! Since you’re using your own recipe, I would like to share that the canning of garlic is not recommended since it is a low-acid vegetable, so you must refrigerate pickled garlic. Take care – Meggan
Can I use any jar or does it have to be a jar only used for Pickling such as Mason jars? I only have the kind of jars used for storing legumes,etc that doesn’t have a tight seal.
Hey there, you can use any kind of jar you want. The pickled garlic has to be refrigerated (it cannot be canned to be shelf-stable) so you could use literally any glass container at all (that has a lid). Thanks! -Meggan
Hi there!
I love this recipes! Can you do it with elephant garlic as well?
Thanks!
Jenna
Hi Jenna, I haven’t tried it personally, but I don’t see why not. :) – Meggan