Pickled green tomatoes are a super tasty way to use up your end-of-season green tomatoes. Made quick pickle style, this green tomato recipe is easy to throw together and is ready in no time!
Pickled Green Tomatoes
Often as fall creeps its way in with cool nights and shorter days, we are left with tons of green tomatoes on the vine. If you’re wondering what to do with your green tomatoes, these pickled green tomatoes are here for you!
For this recipe, you can use unripe tomatoes and even green cherry tomatoes. Refrigerator pickles are great because they can be made in small batches, with as many jars as you want in your fridge.
If you are completely knee-deep in green tomatoes, you can also make other green tomato recipes like fermented green tomatoes, and this green tomato salsa verde.
Want more refrigerator pickle recipes? Here are 16 Quick Pickle Recipes to try!
Or try this yummy green tomato relish called chow chow. Don’t forget about fried green tomatoes too!
If you have a lot of slightly under ripe cherry tomatoes in the garden, try my fermented cherry tomatoes recipe.
All of these are great ways to use the harvest and preserve green tomatoes so they don’t go to waste or sit forever on your counter while you wait for them to ripen.
Green Tomato Pickles
Refrigerator pickled green tomatoes are one of my favorite ways to preserve green tomatoes, so let’s get to it! They’re easy, quick, and delicious.
Ingredients
Green tomatoes: Use either large or cherry green tomatoes. When referring to green tomatoes in this recipe, it means unripe tomatoes rather than green variety tomatoes which stay green when they are ripe.
White vinegar: Gotta have that vinegary pickle flavor! I like this white vinegar.
Pickling salt: I recommend this pickling salt, but you can use whichever one you prefer.
Sugar: I prefer organic sugar, but it’s okay to use whatever you have on hand.
Garlic cloves: Use fresh whole garlic cloves for quick pickled green tomatoes to get the best flavor!
Whole mustard seeds: Sometimes these can be a little harder to find, but you definitely want the whole spice! I’ve had luck in the bulk section of health food stores, but mostly buy them online.
Black peppercorns: Usually you can find these in the bulk section or in the spice aisle of a local store, or buy them online.
Fresh dill flower heads or sprigs: If you don’t have access to fresh dill flowers, substitute with dill seeds.
Pickled Green Tomatoes Recipe
First, cut each large green tomato into wedges.
If you are using green cherry tomatoes, they can be left whole, but poke a hole through the skin using a skewer or toothpick. This way the tasty brine can get into the tomato!
Now bring the vinegar, water, pickling salt, and sugar to a boil and stir it occasionally until it’s combined.
Put the garlic cloves, mustard seeds, and peppercorns into a quart-size jar. If you are using dill seeds instead of fresh flower heads, add them now.
Next, pack the jar full of the prepared green tomatoes. If you are using fresh dill flowers or sprigs, add them now with the tomatoes.
Pour the hot vinegar brine mixture over the green tomatoes, covering them completely. You can top off the jar with more white vinegar if necessary to make sure the tomatoes are covered.
Cap the jar and let it rest until it comes to room temperature.
Then, stick it in the refrigerator to finish pickling!
Wait 2-3 days before eating so that the pickle flavor can develop fully, then enjoy these tasty green tomato pickles!
How to Eat and Store Pickled Green Tomatoes
These green tomato pickles turn out tangy, salty, and with amazing pickle flavor! You’ll be so glad you used up your unripe tomatoes with this recipe.
Super yummy for snacking right out of the jar, adding to a hummus plate or charcuterie board, and are also really good on burgers and sandwiches.
Once ready, quick pickled green tomatoes will last in the refrigerator for several months. Make a few jars so you can keep eating them!
More Quick Pickle Recipes
- Quick Pickled Cranberries
- Quick Pickled Garlic
- Quick Pickled Jalapeno Peppers
- Quick Pickled Dill Pickles
- Quick Pickled Pepperoncini
- Quick Pickled Pumpkin
- Quick Pickled Onions
- Quick Pickled Radishes
- Quick Pickled Asparagus
Refrigerator Pickled Green Tomatoes
Equipment
- Quart Mason Jar with a cap
Ingredients
- 1 quart green tomatoes about 4 cups
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons pickling salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2-3 fresh dill flower heads or sprigs or ½ teaspoon dill seeds
Instructions
- Cut each green tomato into wedges. Green cherry tomatoes can be left whole but it’s best to poke a hole through the skin using a skewer or toothpick so that the brine can get into the tomato.
- Meanwhile, bring the vinegar, water, pickling salt, and sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally to combine.
- Put the garlic cloves, mustard seeds, and peppercorns into a quart jar. Pack the jar full of the prepared green tomatoes, then add the dill flowers or sprigs (if you are using dill seeds they can be added with the garlic).
- Pour the hot vinegar brine mixture over the green tomatoes, covering them completely. You can top off the jar with more white vinegar if necessary.
- Cap the jar and let it come to room temperature, then refrigerate. It’s best to wait 2-3 days before eating so that the flavors can develop. The pickles will last in the refrigerator for several months.
Notes
- When referring to green tomatoes in this recipe, it means unripe tomatoes rather than green variety tomatoes which stay green when they are ripe.
Hi Colleen
I’m a pickle lover so I appreciate this unusual pickle recipe. Now I just have to hope my local grocery stocks green tomatos this Fall.