Crunchy, tangy, and oh-so-delicious! Learn how to make refrigerator pickled green beans in minutes. Perfect for snacking or adding a zing to your salads. This recipe makes approximately 3 pint jars.
Bring water, vinegar, and salt to a boil and stir until salt is dissolved.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool.
Trim green beans to fit jars.
Fill a bowl with ice water.
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Gently drop the beans in and boil for 2 minutes. Be careful - the hot water can splash and burn you.
Pour into a colander to drain immediately at the 2-minute mark.
Pour the drained beans in the ice water. This will stop them from cooking and give them a gorgeous bright green color.
Leave in the cold water for 2 minutes then drain.
Add one clove of garlic and one spring of dill to each pint jar.
Fill tightly with the green beans.
Add peppercorns and red pepper flakes.
Pour the vinegar solution over green beans. Be sure to completely cover.
Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least two or three days.
Notes
Storage:Refrigerator pickles like these need to be stored in the fridge at all times. This "quick canning" recipe doesn't go through the strict methods of water bath canning, so they're not safe to store at room temperature.Tips:
Choose fresh green beans that are brightly colored and firm.
For perfectly crunchy green beans, prepare the ice water bath before you boil the beans. This cooking process is called blanching and, though it's easy, does require some timing precision.
Be sure to submerge the green beans completely in the salt brine. If you need to trim them down, do so—nothing should be exposed to air.
I recommend using Kosher salt because it won't make the pickling solution cloudy like table salt (with iodine) will. You can also use pure sea salt or, if you have it, canning salt.
Quick pickling is a faster process than canning, but you should still let the green beans sit in the fridge for three days. This way, they can soak up all of the delicious flavors!