This dill pickle recipe for canning was handed down by my grandmother {who gave it to me in the form of a newspaper clipping} and has ruined store-bought pickles for me forever. If you like a crunchy, salty, slightly spicy, delicious dill pickle and like to can, this post is for you! 

I’m sharing this recipe with you because I love you. But you better not tell anyone else because these pickles are my key to fame and fortune! 😉

Grandma’s Secret Dill Pickle Recipe for Canning

These pickles are such a family favorite. When I was a kid in Germany, we used to take boxes of them home with us on the airplane after our summer visits. The customs agents thought we were insane every time they inspected our pickles. I guess we’re really lucky they never broke! 

You won’t regret making this dill pickle recipe if you like salty, spicy, sour pickles! Here’s how to get started canning pickles – especially if you’re a beginner.

Best Pickling Cucumbers

You need a lot of cucumbers to make pickles. They should be straight and small (4-5 inches or so). I like to grow my own, but for some reason, I have not been successful growing cucumbers the last few years.

These beautiful cucumbers in the pictures were given to me by a friend. This is the first time I have been able to can pickles in several years. If you have any small, extra cucumbers, please send them my way!

There are many varieties of cucumbers out there. As a beginning canner, it’s important to understand what will give you the best jars of pickles. A lot of people use their large, overgrown pickles to make pickles but these will end up being floppy and not as tasty.

I generally use these cucumbers in my garden:

• National Pickling Cucumbers
• Beit Alpha
• Boston Pickling Cucumbers

Pickling cucumbers are often firmer than other varieties and have thinner skin. The flesh and seeds are usually equal.

If you don’t have your own supply of cukes, buy them in bulk at the grocery store. Just make sure to wash them thoroughly to remove the waxy coating or buy them directly from other farmers. The key to a crispy pickle is quality ingredients and following the correct process.

Processing Pickles

There are two main methods to making pickles. Quick pickling is the technical term for refrigerator pickles. This method uses cucumbers, a brine, and pickling spices. Pickles are stored in the refrigerator, but they become softer the longer they are in the fridge.

The other method is what I’m teaching you here – processing pickles with a water bath and heat. The heat kills bacteria and gives you shelf-stable jars of pickles.

Steps to Canning Pickles for Beginners

First, prepare your water bath canner and get your pickling brine ready {recipe below}. Next, wash cucumbers well and cut off any bad spots. Also cut off just the blossom end tip to help the pickles stay crunchy after canning.

Pack cucumbers very tightly into quart size jars. Squeeze in as many as you can. Once they are canned, they will all float to the top and make it look like you could have fit at least 50% more in! It never fails.

Add garlic, dill seeds, dill, hot pepper, mustard seed, and alum. Don’t skimp on the alum ~ it’s one secret of crispy pickles. Add more peppers to this dill pickle recipe if you want – up to two hot peppers for a super spicy pickle.

Ladle prepared, boiling pickle solution (water, pickling salt, apple cider vinegar) into your jars. Leave 1/4 inch head space.

Add one washed grape leaf per jar. The tannins in grape leaves also help keep these pickles crispy. If you can’t find any, I have read you can substitute an oak leaf or loose black tea, but I have never tried that myself.

Put the lids on and tighten. Use pot holders because the jar will be really hot.

Put the cans into boiling water in a water bath canner and can for  ~10 minutes, just long enough to help the jars seal. Remove jars from canner, make sure they seal, then let them sit for 24 hours to cool. After they’ve cooled completely, store them for at least three weeks before eating.

Dill Pickle Recipe Ingredients

• 1 Peck cucumbers, straight, skinny, and small, cut off the very tip of the blossom end. (about 10 – 14 pounds of cucumbers)
• 3 pints apple cider vinegar (6 cups)
• 1  1/4 cups pickling salt
• 4 1/2 quarts water (18 cups)
• Fresh dill (one spring + a few fronds per jar)
• grape leaves (1 per jar)
• 7 large cloves of garlic (1 clove per jar)
• Alum ( 1/2 tsp per jar)
• Hot peppers (1/2 – 1 per jar)

Dill Pickle Recipe for Canning

1. Prepare water bath canner and bring water to a boil.
2. Sterilize quart size canning jars. (I wash mine in dishwasher or boil them in the canner).
3. Heat up lids and rings.
4. Combine water, salt, vinegar in a large pot and bring to a boil.
5. Wash cucumbers and cut off any bad spots.
6. Pack cucumbers extremely tightly into canning jars. Wide mouth jars are easier to pack.
7. Add hot pepper, alum, dill, garlic to the jars.
8. Ladle pickling solution into jars leaving 1/4 inch head space.
9. Wipe off mouth of jars.
10. Tighten lids on jars.
11. Place jars in water bath canner and boil for 10 minutes.
12. Remove jars from canner.
13. Let sit to cool for 24 hours.
14. Store pickles for 3 weeks before eating.
15. Enjoy!

For more ways to preserve your summer garden bounty:

Homemade Strawberry Syrup and Canning Instructions

Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce

The Quick and Easy Guide to Canning Crushed Tomatoes

Homemade Gourmet Vinegar with Garden Fresh Herbs

Pineapple Jalapeno Relish 

There’s something uniquely satisfying in the snap of homemade pickles. Not only are they delicious, they also hold our memories of summer, hopes for our garden, and pride of trying canning for the first time. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll have jars of pickles in your pantry year round.

Do you have a favorite pickle? Share it in the comments.