Name: Quick Pickled Green Tomatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 cups green tomatoes, cut into wedges; 3 garlic cloves; 1 cup white vinegar; 1 cup water; 1 teaspoon dried dill; 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; 1 tablespoon sugar; 2 tablespoons kosher salt

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

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!

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.

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.

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:

Straight out of the jar. Duh!
On toast. Make this Green Tomato Toast, but use pickled tomatoes instead.
On burgers and dogs. Try our Best Veggie Burger Recipe.
In a bowl meal. Try them with Go Green Bowls, Roasted Vegetable Bowls, Raw Falafel Buddha Bowls or Broccoli & Turmeric Rice Bowls. Or even Homemade Dolsot Bibimbap.
In potato salad. Chop them up and put them in Classic Creamy Vegan Potato Salad.
In salad dressing. Mince them for classic Thousand Island Dressing.
On sandwiches. Chop them for the Russian Dressing in this Vegetarian Reuben Sandwich or Coleslaw & Swiss Melt Sandwich.
Fold them into hummus. Chop them and stir into this Homemade Hummus Recipe.

This pickled green tomatoes recipe is…

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