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You’ll love my simple and easy recipe for canning homemade sweet pickle relish. This cucumber sweet relish recipe is perfect for anyone new to canning. You and your family will love it on burgers, hot dogs, and in potato or chicken salad.
Here’s how you know I’m being honest with you and that I love you. I do NOT LIKE SWEET RELISH. Not in the least. Never, ever.
But I still made and tested multiple batches for you because, for years, I have received requests for a sweet version of our very popular dill pickle relish.
So, here you go – enjoy your candy relish on some hot dogs or air fryer turkey burgers. Or whatever it is that you people like to do with sugar and cucumbers.
This recipe calls for 2.5 cups of sugar. You’ll see that the sugar gets added in step 10 in our printable recipe card below. After the sugar has dissolved, taste the mixture and see if it is to YOUR taste. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar, 1/4 cup at a time until it’s perfect for YOU.
Let’s Make Some Sweet Pickle Relish!
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Unlike most of our canning recipes, the canning prep for sweet relish happens after the recipe is made. That’s because this recipe has a lot of “hurry up and wait” time attached to it.
You gotta let the mixture sit to draw out the moisture. Then you have everything sit with the brine overnight. Take a careful look at the times listed in the recipe so that you can plan for a good day to make this.
Canning Prep Time!
About 30 minutes before you’re ready to can your sweet relish, it’s time to get everything prepped.
Prepare your water bath canner by filling it with water and setting it on the stove. Turn the burner to high. Once it reaches a boil, reduce it to a simmer. You want to keep the water hot so that everything is ready when the relish is.
Wash and sanitize your jars. You’ll want to keep them warm to avoid having them crack when placed in the canner. You can fill them with hot water or place them on a tray in the oven at 170˚F.
Wash your lids and set them aside in a clean place. You no longer need to simmer lids in water to keep them sterile. Woot!
Canning Your Sweet Relish
For this part of the recipe, you’ll want a funnel (this is my favorite) and canning tongs. In a pinch, I’ve used generic silicone cooking tongs, but your life is going to be much easier with actual canning tongs.
Add your jars to the boiling water, and put the canner lid on. Pro tip: you must have at least 1 inch of water over the tops of the jars for safe canning. Processing times will vary based on altitude. See the chart below.
Processing Times for Sweet Pickle Relish
| Processing Times for Sweet Pickle Relish | ||||
| Processing Times at Altitudes of | ||||
| Style of Pack | Jar Size | 0-1,000 ft | 1,001-6,000 ft | 6,000 ft and above |
| Hot | half-pint or pint | 10 min | 15 min | 20 min |
| *Source: National Center For Home Food Preservation | ||||
Once the processing time is up, remove the canner from the heat, remove the lid of the canner, and let the canner sit for 5 minutes. Use canning tongs to remove the jars and place them on towels on the counter. Make sure you put them where they can be undisturbed for 12-24 hours.
The lids will likely start to pop within 20-30 minutes of being removed from the water. That popping sound is music to your ears, as it tells you that everything has been sealed. It’s a reward for all your work!
After the jars have rested for about 12 hours, press down in the middle of each lid. If it “gives” at all, the jar didn’t seal. Either enjoy it that day, put it in the fridge, or reprocess it using a brand new lid.
Sweet Pickle Relish For Canning
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 cups pickling cucumbers, chopped
- 1.5 cups diced white onion
- 1 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped {fresh}
- 1 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
- 2/3 cup pickling salt
- 2 cups ice
- 4 cups water
- 3 1/2 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice {or 2 tsp whole}
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1 tbsp mustard seed
Instructions
Making Dill Relish
- Wash cucumbers using a vegetable scrub brush.8 cups pickling cucumbers, chopped
- Cut the ends of the cucumber off, slice into 4 sections.
- Cut the seeds out of each section (if they are large. Otherwise, you can leave them in), and then cut the sections into 1-2 inch chunks.
- In a food processor, pulse the cucumber chunks in batches.
- Put the chopped cucumber in a large bowl, and add diced onions and peppers.1.5 cups diced white onion, 1 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped, 1 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
- Sprinkle the cucumbers, onions, and peppers with salt, add the ice, and then pour the water over them. Cover the bowl, and let stand at room temperature for 3 hours.2 cups ice, 4 cups water, 2/3 cup pickling salt
- After 3 hours, put the chopped cucumber in a colander, and rinse thoroughly.
- Let drain, and then squeeze the cucumbers, onion, and peppers to release excess water.
- In a saucepan, combine the white and apple cider vinegar, sugar, turmeric, allspice, cloves, and mustard seed. Bring to a boil and heat until the sugar has dissolved.3 1/2 cups white vinegar, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 1/2 cups sugar, 2 tsp turmeric , 1/2 tsp ground allspice, 1 tsp whole cloves, 1 tbsp mustard seed
- Skim or strain the whole spices out of the brine, and then place the pot in the fridge for at least 5 hours or up to 12.
Canning Sweet Relish
- Prepare water bath canner by filling it with water, so that there will be at least 1 inch of water over the tops of the jars.
- Wash and clean your jars. Fill with hot water or keep them warm in a clean dishwasher or oven.
- Wash your lids and set aside in clean place.
- Place a lid on the canner and set it on the stove with the burner set to high.
- Transfer the pot with the relish mixture from the fridge to the stove. Cook over medium heat, bring the mixture to a near boil, stirring occasionally.
- Ladle the hot relish into your jars. Top with the hot brine (excess liquid from the saucepan). Leave 1/2 inch of headspace (the amount of space between the top of the food in the jar and the top of the jar).
- Using a wet clean rag, wipe the rim to make sure there isn't any residue on the jars.
- Place a NEW clean lid on the jar and then a ring. Tighten the ring to fingertip tight.
- Using canning tongs, add jars to the boiling water and put the canner lid on.
- Process pints and half-pints based on the elevation guide below:*0-1,000 ft = 10 minutes*1,001-6,000 ft = 15 minutes*6,000 ft+ = 20 minutes
- AFter the jars have been processed, remove the canner from heat, and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Remove the jars using canning tongs and place them on towels on the counter undisturbed for 12-24 hours.
- After everything has cooled, check the seal by pushing down on the middle of the lid. If it doesn't give way, it's sealed. If the lid bows a little bit, put that in the fridge and use it within 3 weeks.
- Wait one week after canning before enjoying the relish. It will give the flavors time to meld.
- Label the sealed jars, and store in a cool dark place for up to a year.
Notes
- Turmeric is mainly used for color and a bit of flavor. It is optional to add.
- Upon opening, store the jar in the fridge for up to four weeks.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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