How to Make Amazing Refrigerator Dilly Beans
Learn the secrets of how to make amazing Refrigerator Dilly Beans. This easy recipe for pickled beans involves zero canning and will help you “put up” the summer bounty in a delicious and snackable way.
Over Thanksgiving break in 2008, Troy and I were visiting from Los Angeles and staying with his parents. I was pregnant and had been puking my guts out for months at this point (I’m convinced the more you puke, the cuter the kid!), and had pretty much only eaten 2 Jamba Juices and some tator tots since July.
His mom randomly busted out a jar of homemade dilly beans that someone had given her. I took one bite of the dilly bean and realized that “hey, this is good and it is staying down”!
I greedily ate pretty much the entire jar, not even giving my in-laws or Troy much of a chance. Producing the first grandchild gave me some leeway to be a rude dilly bean pig.
What Are Dilly Beans?
Dilly beans are pickled green beans. So picture a pickle (got it in your mind?), but with a green bean. They’re super crisp and delicious and pretty much everything you want in life. Or should want. Aim high and you’ll miss most of the time. Aim for learning to make amazing dilly beans and you’re going to rock your time here on earth.
What Kind of Beans Should I Use in a Dilly Bean?
Use bush or pole beans that are fairly uniform in size. I like to pick beans no fatter than a pencil. The beans inside haven’t yet developed and become tough, and you’re going to get an amazing crunchy pickled product as a result.
You can use any color of bean – green, purple, or the white wax beans. If you happen to grown beans yourself, I love planting purple “green” beans because they’re so easy to find in the vines! They turn green when cooked, but there are no sneaky ninja beans hiding and making harvesting a challenge.
Do not use beans labeled “petite haricot verts”, which is French for “makes crappy dilly beans”. I think. I don’t know, I took ASL in school.
How Do You Use Dilly Beans?
Fresh eating (obvs), on burgers, in a salad, a crudites platter, or a cheese and meat tray are all wonderful ways to use up this awesome pickled garden bounty.
Can I Make These Whole30/Paleo?
Yes! Just leave out the sugar. They will still be amazing.
So Can I Can These? Can I?
Just to make it crystal clear before we get started, this recipe is for refrigerator dilly beans. These beans are NOT shelf stable and must be stored in the fridge. They should not be canned as the recipe is written.
If you would like a safe method for canning/preserving dilly beans, the Ball Blue Book of Canning is my favorite trusted canning resource. Marissa over at Food in Jars has a great online recipe as well.
Here’s How to Make Them:
- Make your brine: in a saucepan, bring water, vinegar, salt, sugar, and garlic to a boil. Once it has boiled and the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat, set aside and allow it to come to room temperature.
- Wash and trim the beans. Make sure they all fit length-wise in the jar that you’re using.
- Blanch the beans: boil green beans for 1 minute, and then drain and immediately put in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes. Drain the beans and set aside.
- In your clean jars, place onion, peppercorns, and red pepper flakes in the bottom.
- Add your beans to the jars. Tuck some of the dill amongst the beans.
- Pour the brine over the beans, put a lid on them and keep them on the counter for 12 hours. Transfer to the fridge.
How Long Do You Have to Wait To Eat Dilly Beans?
Allow the jars to sit in the fridge for two days before consuming. But um, if you’re anything like me you may need to do a few test bites before those two days are up!
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes:
- Need to make more or less of the recipe? Click and slide the “servings” number on the recipe card and the ingredients will adjust as needed. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
- Use the freshest beans you can find; farmer’s markets are a great source for just-picked beans. The fresher the beans, the crispier the finished product.
- On average, one pound of beans = one quart of dilly beans.
- Use regular mouth jars if possible. The shoulders/neck of the jars keep the beans in place. And lean those jars on the side when stuffing the beans in. It helps you pack them in better. TWSS.
- The dilly beans will keep in the fridge for 3-6 months.
Other Recipes Like This:
- Encurtido – Honduran Pickled Vegetables
- Nana’s Cucumber and Onion Salad
- Five Minute Sesame Snow Peas
- Addicting Feta Stuffed Grilled Tomatoes
Making this recipe or others?
Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #sustainablecooks. I can't wait to see your take on it!
Learn the secrets of how to make addicting refrigerator dilly beans. This easy recipe for pickled beans involves zero canning.
- 2 pounds green beans
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 cloves garlic halved
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup onion minced
- 4 sprigs fresh dill
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes dried
- 2 small chilies optional
Make your brine: in a saucepan, bring water, vinegar, salt, sugar, and garlic to a boil. Once it has boiled and the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat, set aside and allow it to come to room temperature.
Wash and trim the beans. Make sure they all fit length-wise in the jar that you're using.
Blanch the beans: boil green beans for 1 minute, and then drain and immediately put in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes. Drain the beans and set aside.
In your clean jars, place onion, peppercorns, and red pepper flakes in the bottom.
Add your beans to the jars. Tuck some of the dill amongst the beans.
Pour the brine over the beans, put a lid on them and keep them on the counter for 12 hours. Transfer to the fridge. Allow them to sit in the fridge for 2 days before consuming.
Use the freshest beans you can find; farmer's markets are a great source for just-picked beans. The fresher the beans, the crispier the finished product.
On average, one pound of beans = one quart of dilly beans.
Use regular mouth jars if possible. The shoulders/neck of the jars keep the beans in place.
This post contains affiliate links and we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you if you click through and make a purchase. This allows me to continue to provide free content, and I only share products that I use and love myself.
This recipe was originally published in August 2011. It has been retested and updated with reader feedback. New photos have been added and the recipe has been made printable. For reference, this is one of the photos from the original post:
That looks delicious. Your so funny. But organic evaporated cane juice? Just saying.
^leAnn, it’s a more pure form of sugar that I get at Costco. 10 lbs for $8.69 (comes in a huge green bag). I use it in baked goods and other stuff exactly like sugar, it’s just not refined.
You are a young woman after my own heart. I am a great grandmother but have always loved to cook and experiment with out of the ordinary recipes. (Plus, I love a good sense of humor) I love your recipes but especially your down to earth comments. Please keep it up.
Nanny
Nanny, thanks for the comment! Glad you’re not (too) bothered by my 12 year old boy humor. ;-D
Love, Love, Love this website! Need all the help I can get on practical recipes with good quality ingredients (like organic evaporated cane juice) and frugality. I love the Jello recipe and will be trying it soon! Jello is one of the things I miss now that we don’t eat that white stuff! Except for in Chocolate of course!
Costco is an awesome source for organic ingredients (like the evaporated cane juice)!
Cheers!
Oh did I mention the pictures! They really help me! Guess I’m a visual learner, ay! Next best thing to being there!
okay. you’re freaking hilarious. i love your page of “hippy shit.” it’s so refreshing to come to a DIY blog that is written by a sailor-swearin’ girl after my own heart and not a susie homemaker. they have good tips, too! don’t get me wrong. but you have some amazing tricks up your sleeve and you’re making me laugh as i read along!! 😀 o0ip <that would be a hello from the cat. keep doing what you’re doing! excited to try this easy dilly bean recipe!
It’s so fun to see how much your skills have evolved! Your photos are gorgeous!
I was thinking the same thing! Not too much interested in the repeat of the recipe, but your pictures have 1000% improved! 🙂
Aww, thanks Amanda! The recipe was 7 years old and not even printable, so it was time to update.
I’m trying to get as good as Emma!
These look delicious! I love pickled green beans, but have never tried making them myself for fear of botulism. Never even considered I could make a refrigerator pickle! My mom grows beans (among other things) so I’m totally going to make them this summer! One they’re done approx how long will they last in the fridge?
Canning veggies with vinegar is safe as long as you are following a trusted source. But, yeah fridge dilly beans are so much easier.
They’ll keep in the fridge for 3-6 months. I’ve updated the recipe to reflect this. Thanks for asking!