The best way to preserve green tomatoes? As pickles! These pickled green tomatoes are the perfect condiment: tangy, salty, and 100% delicious.

Pickled green tomatoes

Got green tomatoes? We’ve got an idea. How about…making pickles? Alex and I came up short in the tomato department this season. We were left with a huge bush of green tomatoes, which made us brainstorm what to do with them. And this idea: well, let just say it was a favorite! It’s hard to describe just how next level these pickled green tomatoes are. They’re tangy, salty, a little sweet, and the absolute perfect condiment. If you’re a pickle lover like Alex and I are, you’ll adore these. Ready to make them?

Want more green tomato recipes? This Green Tomato Toast is quick and easy, and this Green Tomato Salsa tastes just like salsa verde.

What are quick pickles?

This green tomato recipe is for quick pickles! What’s a quick pickle? Quick pickles are any blend of vegetables that have been pickled in a mixture of vinegar, salt, sugar, and water, and are stored in the refrigerator. The great part about them? There’s no canning required! No special canning equipment is needed, which makes the entire process quick and simple.

How long do quick pickles last? These pickled green tomatoes last for 1 month in the refrigerator. They are not shelf stable like traditional canned pickles.

As a note, quick pickles can include vegetables that don’t even make it into a jar. You might make Quick Pickled Red Onions to go on a pizza or tacos. This Korean ramen recipe is served with quick pickled cucumbers. Even our cucumber salad with vinegar is essentially a quick pickles recipe that’s served as a side salad!

Green tomatoes

What green tomatoes to use?

Now, what do we mean when we say green tomatoes? Can you use any tomato that is green in color? Well, yes and no. This recipe is meant for unripe red tomatoes that are the color green. These are the ones that are left in your garden after the summer temperatures have cooled down.

However, there are actually varieties of tomatoes that are bred to be green when ripe! The green zebra tomato is a good example of a green-when-ripe tomato. This type of tomato tastes juicy and sweet, just like a red tomato. You can grow these or find them at your local farmer’s market. You’ll see them featured in this Mozzarella Tomato Basil Salad to bring in a contrasting color.

This pickled green tomatoes recipe is intended for red tomatoes that haven’t yet ripened, leaving them green and hard. Why? They have tart, zingy flavor and a robust texture that makes for perfect pickles.

Pickled green tomatoes

How to make pickled green tomatoes

These pickled green tomatoes are very easy to make. They require only 15 to 20 minutes of hands on time, which is absolutely worth it for the flavor you’ll achieve. Here’s how to make them!

Step 1: Wash the jar.

Wash a wide-mouth 1-quart mason jar and and its lid in hot soapy water. Rinse and let it air dry. This step is important to make sure that there’s no bacteria in the jar.

Step 2: Slice the green tomatoes.

Slice those green tomatoes into wedges (here’s a video on How to Cut Tomatoes). Pack them tightly into the jar. If you’re using have very large tomatoes, you may want to slice them into smaller wedges. While you’re at it, peel those garlic cloves.

Step 3: Make the brine.

In a small saucepan, combine garlic, vinegar, water, dill, peppercorns, turmeric, sugar, and kosher salt. Bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and salt.

Step 4: Pour in the brine and refrigerate 24 hours.

Once the sugar and salt are dissolved, pour the brine into the jar. Tap the jar on the counter to release any air bubbles, then screw on the lid tightly and allow to cool to room temperature. Store in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before eating.

Pickled green tomatoes

How to serve pickled green tomatoes

After we made these pickled green tomatoes and waited the 24 hours (so hard to wait!), Alex took the jar out of the refrigerator and handed it to me. I cautiously took one out and took a bite. YUM! I shouted. Yes, they were that good. Alex and I are huge pickle fanatics, so this pickle recipe was exactly what we needed to turn a garden full of green tomatoes into something extra special.

How to use pickled green tomatoes? Let us count the ways:

Pickled green tomatoes

This pickled green tomatoes recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, and vegan.

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Pickled green tomatoes

Quick Pickled Green Tomatoes


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 1 quart 1x

Description

The best way to preserve green tomatoes? As pickles! These pickled green tomatoes are the perfect condiment: tangy, salty, and 100% delicious.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 cups green tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill
  • ½ tablespoon black peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Wash a wide-mouth 1-quart mason jar and and its lid in hot soapy water, then rinse and let air dry.
  2. Slice the tomatoes into wedges and pack them tightly into the jar. (If you have very large tomatoes, you may want to slice them into smaller wedges.)
  3. Peel the garlic. In a small saucepan, combine the garlic, vinegar, water, dill, peppercorns, turmeric, sugar, and kosher salt. Bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and salt.
  4. Once dissolved, pour the brine mixture into the jar, allowing the garlic to settle on top of the vegetables. Tap the jar on the counter to release any air bubbles. Discard any remaining brine, or top off the jar with extra water if any tomatoes are exposed at the top. Screw on the lid tightly and allow to cool to room temperature, then store in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before eating. If desired, discard the garlic after 24 hours. Keeps up to 1 month refrigerated.
  • Category: Essentials
  • Method: Pickling
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: Pickled green tomatoes, What to do with green tomatoes, Green tomato recipes

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About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Meet Sonja and Alex Overhiser: Husband and wife. Expert home cooks. Authors of recipes you'll want to make again and again.

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88 Comments

  1. I was doubtful that this recipe would be as good as I wanted. I’ve been trying to find good pickled green tomatoes recipe for years! Literally, over 10 years searching for the tangy sour pickles I loved as a child. Well, I FOUND IT HERE! I plan on sharing this recipe with all my brothers and sisters, and challenging them to beat the ease, and the flavor! To make sure I got all the air out, I vacuum sealed the jars, and when I ate them a day later, well the first jar just vanished! Thank you for the best recipe!

  2. Tom B. Is absolutely right! These.tomatoes are so delicious! I’ll never throw another green tomato away. I love these. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Looking forward to more deliciousness from your recipes.

  3. I have a bunch of green cherry tomatoes (red and yellow varieties, if they ripened). Can I do this recipe with them? Any nuances to consider?

  4. Honestly, this is one of the best recipes I’ve followed. So delicious! I’ve made two batches so far and am about to make more. I’ve also fermented a batch (for 3 days) and even better. Thank you for the great recipe. G

  5. I was very disappointed with this recipe. I used the little green tomatoes I bought in the market. I followed the recipe exactly and they were too sour to eat. We threw them out ( I was brought up to never throw out food )

    1. You are probably a sweet pickle person like me. You should look for recipes that are “bread and butter” pickles.

    1. Just add a sliced jalapeno or serrano to the jar for spicy. I’m not sure about the exact mix for sweet, sorry!

        1. I will say I wondered what they would taste like they are amazing going to make more lots more….

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