I spotted this recipe in an old church cookbook from 1974 and had to give it a try: Million dollar pickles. With that name, they must be excellent, right? (Spoiler alert: They are, and you should definitely give them a try!)
I am a sucker for old church cookbooks. I pick them up at garage sales and thrift shops and vow to try some of the old recipes I find in them.
Sometimes I make the recipes. Sometimes I just read them.
My latest church cookbook find was Potpourri of Recipes, published by Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Brainerd, Minnesota, in 1974.
The first recipe that caught my eye was million dollar pickles, submitted by Mable Young. I made a few adjustments and am sharing it here today. This is an old, vintage recipe that is definitely worth making today.
What Are Million Dollar Pickles?
Million dollar pickles are a sweet, tangy cousin of the classic bread-and-butter pickle; thin-sliced cucumbers cured in a golden, spiced brine of sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, turmeric, and pickling spices. The name supposedly comes from the idea that they taste like a million bucks, and one bite and you won’t argue. Some trace the name back to the Depression era, when home canners felt a jar was worth its weight in gold; a fitting story for a recipe found tucked inside a decades-old church cookbook. They’re a staple in Amish and country kitchens, often studded with slivers of onion and red bell pepper for extra color and crunch.
What You’ll Need
Here are the food ingredients you’ll need to make homemade million dollar pickles:
- Pickling cucumbers: Find these at farmers’ markets or ask a gardener friend if they have any. These pickles are about 5″ to 6″ long.
- Onion: White or yellow onion (or conversely, shallots) work well
- Red bell pepper
- Pickling salt: This canning ingredient contains no additives and helps keep the pickling brine clear and not cloudy
- Vinegar: You can use apple cider vinegar, white distilled vinegar or a combination of both, which is what I did. Make sure the vinegar you use is 5% acidity. The vinegar helps flavor these tangy pickles.
- White granulated sugar
- Turmeric: Makes for a slightly golden pickle and brine.
- Pickling spices
- Mustard seed
The Process: A Simple Canning Recipe
This sweet pickle recipe isn’t difficult to make – especially if you’re familiar with canning.
As always, scroll down for detailed home canning recipe. But here’s the process, in a nutshell:
1: Prep Vegetables
You’ll cut the cucumbers into thin slices (about 1/4″ thick). The onions will be sliced thinner (about 1/8″ thick) and the red bell peppers a little bit thicker.
2: Soak Overnight
Place vegetables in a non-reactive bowl or crock, cover, and soak in salt water overnight.
This step matters – it draws out excess moisture, which is what keeps your pickles crunchy instead of soft
3: Drain
After the vegetables have soaked in salt water, drain them and set aside.
4: Make Brine
Place vinegars, sugar, and spices in a large pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
5: Cook Pickles
Add the prepared vegetables to the sweet pickle brine and cook for 20 minutes.
6: Can The Pickles
Add pickles to hot sterilized jars, add brine and leave 1/2″ headspace. Cover with lids, secure with a canning jar lid. Place in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Here’s a helpful YouTube video that explains the water bath canning process.
7: Rest
Remove pickles from hot water using a canning jar lifter, place on counter and let rest for 24 hours. Store in pantry until open, then store in fridge.
Serving Suggestions
These million dollar pickles are the perfect accompaniment for salty meats (like these BBQ country-style ribs), hamburgers, sloppy joes, and pulled pork sandwiches.
They taste great layered on a simple ham or tuna fish sandwich.
You can also chop them up and use as a sweet pickle relish or to add flavor to chicken salad or ham salad. And don’t forget to bring a jar to your next potluck! These also make a great gift around the holidays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How long do canned million dollar pickles last in the pantry?
A: Properly sealed and stored in a cool, dark spot, these will keep for about a year in the pantry, making them a great pantry staple that you can pull out deep into the winter months. Once you open a jar, move it to the fridge and eat within a few weeks.
Q: Do I need a canner, or does a regular pot work for the water bath?
A: You don’t need a fancy canner. Any large, deep pot works, as long as it’s tall enough to fully submerge the jars with a couple inches of water to spare. A canning rack or even a folded kitchen towel on the bottom helps keep jars from clanking directly against the pot.
Q: Can I reuse pickling brine?
A: I don’t recommend it for canning. Once brine has been used, it’s diluted and no longer at the right acidity to safely preserve a new batch. Save leftover brine for a quick refrigerator pickle instead. Cucumber slices, hard-boiled eggs, or even red onion all take well to a soak in leftover brine
Q: Can this recipe be made as a quick refrigerator pickle instead of canned?
A: Yes. Skip the water bath step entirely, pack the vegetables and hot brine into a jar, let it cool, and refrigerate. Skipping the canning process means these won’t be shelf-stable, so keep them in the fridge and eat within a couple of weeks
Ingredients
- 4 quarts pickling cucumbers, (about 15 pickling cucumbers, 5″ to 6″ each)
- 2 white onions
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup pickling salt
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar, (5% acidity)
- 1 cup white distilled vinegar, (5% acidity)
- 4 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon pickling spices
Instructions
- Wash cucumbers and red bell pepper. Slice cucumbers into thin slices, about 1/4″ thick. Slice onions into very thin slices, about 1/8″ thick. Cut red bell pepper (discarding stem and seeds) into 1/3″ pieces.
- Fill a large stainless steel bowl or crock partway with water. Add salt and stir until salt dissolves. Add sliced vegetables, cover, and let sit overnight.
- Drain the vegetables and set aside.
- Make brine: In a large Dutch oven, combine vinegars, sugar, turmeric, mustard seed, and pickling spices. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- To can: Sterilize canning jars in boiling water for 10 minutes.. Take jar out of water, add pickles to within 1 inch of the top of the jar, and add bring, allowing for 1/2″ headspace. Use a damp paper towel to remove any syrup that has dripped onto the rim of the jar. Place clean lids on top and screw shut with rings. Place jars in a hot water bath and process for 10 minutes.
- Using a jar lifter or tongs, carefully remove jars from simmering water. Place on countertop, undisturbed, for 24 hours.
