How to Make Mustard Pickles - Great-Grandma's Recipe (2024)

Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Regardless, I only link to products we use on our homestead or believe in.

You need to know how to make mustard pickles. I have a few different variations of pickles I make likefermented pickles,garlic dill pickles, and bread and butter pickles, but this is one of the BEST condiments we’ve ever had. This recipe came from my husband’s Great Grandma and I’ve updated it to make sure it follows safe canning but still has the amazing flavor from her original recipe.

How to Make Mustard Pickles - Great-Grandma's Recipe (1)

When my father-in-law found out I was a canner, he started talking about how much he loved Great-Grandma’s mustard pickles and hadn’t had them in years (sadly, she passed from the family long before I met and married my husband). I’d never heard of mustard pickle relish before and thought the recipe was long lost as no one had made it in years. It was one of those family recipes that were the stuff of legends it seemed.

Until my husband’s grandma was going through her recipe books and found a copy of it from decades past. She no longer canned but passed it along to me. Honestly, as I scanned the ingredients for the mustard pickles I wasn’t sure what to expect by the finished product, but man, one spoonful and I was hooked.

It quickly became a yearly staple and makes the best (and easiest) potato salad. All you have to do is add it to eggs, homemade mayo and your potatoes and you’re done. No chopping up pickles or onions, score! Wondering what to eat with mustard pickles beside potato salad, a few of our favorites are on hamburgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches… or by the spoonful.

How to Make Mustard Pickles - Great-Grandma's Recipe (2)

A few important notes, I used the Ball mustard pickle recipe to calculate the vinegar and amount of ClearJel to update this recipe for canning safety. The original recipe called flour but flour, cornstarch, tapioca, or any other thickener aside from ClearJel are no longer approved or considered safe canning ingredients. Because I don’t have a way of testing safe viscosity when canning a recipe at home, I always use a tested source for acidity and viscosity (aka thickener) ratios.

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Great Grandma’s Mustard Pickles Recipes
  • Want ALL of my best-preserving recipes+
    • Pre-Order now for $29 USD!
  • More great pickling and preserving recipes
  • How to Make Mustard Pickles – Great-Grandma’s Recipe

Great Grandma’s Mustard Pickles Recipes

Plan ahead as you’ll need to soak the cucumbers and onions in a saltwater bath for a minimum of a few hours or overnight in the fridge. This helps keep the cucumbers crunchy (click here for 7 tips for Crunchy Pickles Every Time)

  1. Place cucumbers and onions in a large stainless steel or glass bowl.
  2. Mix 1 cup of pickling/canning salt with 8 cups of cold water (double this as needed if doing a larger batch of pickles). Pour over top of cucumbers and onions, add more cold water if necessary to cover the tops of the cucumbers. Use a clean plate and place on top of the cucumbers to keep them under the surface of the ice salt water.
  3. Fill a pint-sized Mason jar with water (use a lid) and set it on top of the plate to act as a weight. Let soak for 1 to 2 hours on the counter or put the bowl in the fridge overnight or for 12 hours.
  4. After soaking cucumbers and onions, pour out saltwater and rinse thoroughly with cold water and allow cucumbers to drain.
  5. Prepare a water bath canner and begin warming the water.
  6. In a large stainless steel pot, combine sugar, dry mustard and turmeric, celery salt, and ClearJel®, then pour in a ½ cup of water, whisking until combined and smooth. Pour in vinegar and bring to a full boil while stirring.
  7. Once it’s reached a full boil, lower heat to a simmer and stir until it thickens up, then add the cucumbers and the onions and bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil with the vegetables added, keep at a low boil and cook for 15 minutes, stirring as needed.
  8. In jars just washed in hot soapy water and rinsed, pack the relish/pickle mixture to a ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and add more product if needed to keep the ½ inch headspace. Clean the rim, put on lid and bands, and screw down to fingertip tight. Place the filled jar into your water bath canner. Make sure at least 1 inch of water covers the top of the jars.
  9. Bring water to a full boil, once water is boiling, process pints for 10 minutes.
  10. Turn off heat, remove the lid, and let jars sit in canner for 5 minutes. Then remove from canner and let cool and seal on a folded towel.

Mustard Pickle Recipe Notes/Adaptations:

You may safely sub in zucchini in place of cucumbers in this recipe per Ball Book of Complete Home Canning.

You can use either apple cider or white vinegar, just make sure it says 5% acidity (no homemade apple cider vinegar for canning recipes)

If you don’t have ClearJel (you can click here to order it) you can omit it (but don’t add any other type of thickener), the relish will be a little bit runnier, but the flavor will still be fantastic.

Want ALL of my best-preserving recipes

This recipe is one of many in my new book, Everything Worth Preserving,

Discover the 9 home food preservation methods tosafelystore delicious food for year-round eating with Melissa’s step-by-step tutorials, recipes, and easy-to-use charts. Get ready to learn everything you need to know about cold storage (aka freezer), water bath/steam canning, pressure canning, dehydrating, fermenting, freeze-drying, root cellar, infusion, and salt/curing!

Pre-Order now for $29 USD!

How to Make Mustard Pickles - Great-Grandma's Recipe (4)

More great pickling and preserving recipes

  • Old-fashioned Saltwater Brined Fermented Pickles
  • Best Pickled Asparagus Recipe
  • How to Preserve Zucchini

How to Make Mustard Pickles - Great-Grandma's Recipe (5)

How to Make Mustard Pickles – Great-Grandma’s Recipe

Melissa Norris

This old-fashioned mustard pickle recipe is straight from Great-Grandma’s kitchen and is delicious on sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers and in salads. A must make when the summer bounty is on!

3.93 from 197 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 12 hours hrs

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Condiment

Cuisine America

Servings 4 pints (8 cups)

Ingredients

  • 6 cups washed and diced pickling cucumbers
  • 2 cups diced onion
  • 1 cup canning/pickling salt
  • 8 cups water or enough to cover the cucumbers and onions for the salt water soak
  • 4 cups vinegar you can use apple cider or white vinegar but make sure it’s 5% acidity
  • 4 Tablespoons sugar You can increase to 1 cup sugar if you prefer a sweeter flavor
  • 2 Tablespoons ClearJel® optional, but produces a thicker relish
  • 6 Tablespoons dry mustard
  • 2 Tablespoons dry turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons celery salt you can use regular salt, but the celery salt adds to the flavor
  • ½ cup water

Instructions

  • Place cucumbers and onions in a large stainless steel or glass bowl.

  • Mix 1 cup of pickling/canning salt with 8 cups of cold water (double this as needed if doing a larger batch of pickles). Pour over top of cucumbers and onions, add more cold water if necessary to cover the tops of the cucumbers. Use a clean plate and place on top of the cucumbers to keep them under the surface of the ice salt water.

  • Fill a pint sized Mason jar with water (use a lid) and set it on top of the plate to act as a weight. Let soak for 1 to 2 hours on the counter or put the bowl in the fridge overnight or for 12 hours.

  • After soaking cucumbers and onions, pour out salt water and rinse thoroughly with cold water and allow cucumbers to drain.

  • Prepare water bath canner and begin warming the water.

  • In a large stainless steel pot, combine sugar, dry mustard and turmeric, celery salt, and ClearJel®, then pour in a ½ cup of water, whisking until combined and smooth. Pour in vinegar and bring to a full boil while stirring.

  • Once it’s reached a full boil, lower heat to a simmer and stir until it thickens up, then add the cucumbers and the onions and bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil with the vegetables added, keep at a low boil and cook for 5 minutes, stir as needed.

  • In jars just washed in hot soapy water and rinsed, pack the relish/pickle mixture to a ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and add more product if needed to keep the ½ inch headspace. Clean the rim, put on lid and bands, and screw down to finger tip tight. Place filled jar into your water bath canner. Make sure at least 1 inch of water covers the top of the jars.

  • Bring water to a full boil, once water is boiling, process pints for 10 minutes.

  • Turn off heat, remove lid, and let jars sit in canner for 5 minutes. Then remove from canner and let cool and seal on a folded towel.

Video

Notes

You may safely sub in zucchini in place of cucumbers in this recipe per Ball Book of Complete Home Canning.

You can use either apple cider or white vinegar, just make sure it says 5% acidity (no homemade apple cider vinegar for canning recipes)

You may increase the sugar to taste, Great-grandma’s recipe only called for 4 Tablespoons sugar but if you prefer it sweeter you can add more sugar.

Keyword grandma’s mustard pickles, how to make mustard pickles, mustard pickles

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Now you know how to make mustard pickles with Great-Grandma’s recipe. Have you ever made these before or had them?

How to Make Mustard Pickles - Great-Grandma's Recipe (6)
How to Make Mustard Pickles - Great-Grandma's Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to Make Mustard Pickles - Great-Grandma's Recipe? ›

Cucumbers, Sugar/Glucose-Fructose, White Vinegar, Cauliflower, Water, Mustard Seeds, Salt, Onions, Spices And Seasonings, Turmeric, Garlic Powder, Xanthan Gum, Calcium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Tartrazine, Polysorbate 80, Sulphites.

What are mustard pickles made of? ›

Cucumbers, Sugar/Glucose-Fructose, White Vinegar, Cauliflower, Water, Mustard Seeds, Salt, Onions, Spices And Seasonings, Turmeric, Garlic Powder, Xanthan Gum, Calcium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Tartrazine, Polysorbate 80, Sulphites.

How long do homemade mustard pickles last? ›

How long do homemade mustard pickles last? As mentioned above, when properly canned, cooled, and stored, homemade mustard pickles can last up to 8 months if kept in a cool dark pantry. If only refrigerated, mustard pickles will easily last up to 4 weeks in a non reactive, food safe container.

What is the trick to crispy pickles? ›

Soak Cucumbers In Ice Water Beforehand

If you're not canning your cucumbers immediately, leave them in an ice bath or in your refrigerator overnight to maintain firmness. Doing this before you start canning them will give you the crunchiest pickles you've ever had!

What is the difference between mustard pickle and piccalilli? ›

Piccalilli, or mustard pickle, is a British take on South Asian pickles. References from the 18th century describe Piccalilli as Paco-Lilla or India Pickle, a tangy and slightly spicy relish typically made from a combination of chopped and pickled vegetables and spices.

What is the best mustard oil for pickles? ›

In conclusion, Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil is the undisputed king of pickle making. It's not just about the incredible flavor it imparts, but also about its health benefits, its preserving properties, and the magical touch it adds to every pickle jar.

Can I use ground mustard instead of mustard seed in pickles? ›

There are a number of mustard seed substitutes you can use whenever you're in a pinch, including: Ground Mustard. Ground mustard has a hotter flavor than mustard seed but can easily be used as a replacement.

What additive keeps pickles crisp? ›

Calcium chloride (CaCl2), sometimes known as “pickle crisp”, is a type of salt that helps preserve the crunchiness of food. It is used in the food industry to help preserve the texture of canned fruit and vegetables.

What makes pickles crunchy vs soft? ›

Salt hardens the pectins in vegetables and this is what makes them crisp. Without enough salt, your vegetables, and especially pickles, will be soft and mushy. Pickles need more salt than my other cultured vegetables to keep them crisper.

What powder keeps pickles crisp? ›

Ball Pickle Crisp Granules are easy to use for crispier homemade pickles. Just measure and add to the jar, replacing pickling lime and the need for time-consuming pre-soak.

Which is the tastiest pickle in the world? ›

List of the best pickles available online
Top-rated PicklesAmazon RatingAmazon Price
Pravin Suhana Pickles Mango Pickle4.4 / 5Explore Now
Soul Garlic Pickle in Olive Oil4.1 / 5Explore Now
Mother's Recipe Mixed Pickle4.1 / 5Explore Now
Tops Gold Mixed Pickle3.9 / 5Explore Now
6 more rows
Feb 15, 2024

Why mustard is used in pickles? ›

The use of mustard oil in mango pickles is not just a matter of flavour preference. It also has health and preservation benefits. But these are tangible and less important reasons why pure mustard oil is a crucial ingredient in making mango pickles.

What is the best pickle for pickling? ›

Q: How do I choose the best cucumbers for brine fermenting? A: We want small pickling varieties, about the size of your thumb: Kirby, Gherkin, Mini-English (a new hydroponic variety found year round in larger supermarkets and big-box clubs).

Where did mustard pickles originate? ›

So, while mustard pickles are rooted in Newfoundland and Labrador food culture, there are plenty of other opportunities to get a taste of what makes the flavor profile so delicious. Read the original article on Daily Meal.

What is mustard made of? ›

Mustard is made primarily from mustard seeds, liquid, and a spice blend. The seeds, which come from the mustard plant, can be used whole, ground into mustard powder, or partially crushed to create different textures. Water, vinegar, wine, and lemon juice are common liquids used in mustard recipes.

Is sweet mustard pickles a relish? ›

Description. MasterFoods Sweet Mustard Pickle Relish features a sweet and chunky mustard pickle containing wholegrain mustard combined with freshly chopped gherkins, fresh cauliflower and capsicum for a taste your diners won't forget.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Francesca Jacobs Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 5895

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (48 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Francesca Jacobs Ret

Birthday: 1996-12-09

Address: Apt. 141 1406 Mitch Summit, New Teganshire, UT 82655-0699

Phone: +2296092334654

Job: Technology Architect

Hobby: Snowboarding, Scouting, Foreign language learning, Dowsing, Baton twirling, Sculpting, Cabaret

Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.