Horseradish and pickles may sound like an unlikely combination…but these beauties ROCK!
This recipe came from our daughter in law Sara. Her grandpa LOVED them…so they hold a special place in her heart. And I’m grateful that she shared the special recipe with me.
These spicy cukes are VERY popular at our tailgate parties, and they are super easy to make since they start out as simple dill pickles you buy at the store. So when I saw this GIANT size jar I knew I just had to make up a hug batch of these spicy yet sweet little beauties…especially since football season is just beginning. (They’re really popular at our tailgate parties!)
That 80 ounce was jar so big I had to nearly TRIPLE the original recipe!
And speaking of tailgating…stay tuned for a BIG announcement from me! I’m working on a “top secret” project that I think it will explain why my blog posts have been rather sparse lately. There are simply not enough hours in the day for this old Meemaw to get everything done!
But for now…
Simply drain and discard the juice from a 32 oz. jar of whole dill pickles (32 oz. is the size of the jar that is called for in the original recipe) and cut them into big chunks before stuffing back into the empty jar. Here are the ingredients you’ll need…
In a saucepan mix the sugar with the water and vinegar and bring to a boil. (Allow the liquid mixture to cool slightly to avoid the risk of breaking the glass jar when you pour it in.)
Add the horseradish to the jar. Then pour the slightly cooled sugar and vinegar mixture slowly back into the jar.
Put the lid back on the jar and shake well to combine. Store in the refrigerator and shake several times over the next few days to make sure all the ingredients are equally drenched in that spicy sweet liquid.
Yes…these litle gems are worth the effort, and I can see why Sara’s grandpa loved them.
And I bet you will too!
Horseradish Pickles
Ingredients
- 1 32 oz. jar Kosher Dill Whole Pickles
- 1/4 Cup Prepared Horseradish
- 1/4 Cup Vinegar
- 3/4 Cup White Sugar or Honey (I use sugar)
- 2 1/2 Tblsps Water
Instructions
-
Drain and discard the juice from the jar of pickles and cut them into chunks. Put them back in the jar. Add the horseradish to the jar and set aside. In a saucepan combine the Vinegar, Sugar and Water and bring to a boil while stirring to completely blend the ingredients. Set aside and allow to cool slightly, then pour over the pickles and horseradish in the jar. Screw on the cap tightly and invert several times to combine. Shake the jar and invert several times over the next few days to mix the horseradish completely. ENJOY!
Yup! Gonna make these today. My hubby is a pickles man!!
Thanks for your comment Cindy! Please let me know how your “Pickles Man” likes them! 🙂
XOXO
Meemaw
Sounds good! Have to find someone to eat them with me!
LOL! Don’t worry Laura…Once anyone tastes them I don’t think you’ll have a problem finding willing participants! 🙂
XOXO
Meemaw
These look great! I don’t usually like horseradish directly but I think in a pickle it would be much better to handle. I definitely want to try making this at home!
Thanks for your comment Billy! I think you’ll like these. And if you like things less spicy just back off on the amount of horseradish you add to the jar. You can adjust the “heat” so easily. And let me know how you like them!
XOXO
Meemaw
I can’t seem to find a recipe using fresh cucumbers. Can this recipe be used with cukes from the garden and if so how would I alter it if at all?
Thank you!
Hi Shannon! That’s a great question. Since store bought pickles in jars are already processed I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for how you could use fresh cucumbers for this recipe. 🙁 If any of my Readers have a suggestion I would welcome their input. Best of luck on your search for an answer…and good luck with your bountiful garden produce. You’re lucky to have such a delicious problem! 🙂
XOXO
Meemaw
Absolutely can, and should use fresh pickling cukes from the garden or farmers market. Dozens of good recipes online for horseradish pickles. The benefit of using the prepared are self explanatory but in my opinion for an additional 20 minutes the benefits of starting from scratch are the different flavors that you can put together and create one of a kind pickles.
Hi John…The reason for using jarred pickles in this recipe is that they are already DILL pickles. If using fresh cucumbers I would start with a completely different recipe. Happy Pickles to you!! 🙂
XOXO
Meemaw
yes you can..never use those waxed ones in the grocery stores. your garden fresh ones are great to use
Thanks for your comment Carol, but I don;t suggest using FRESH cucumbers for this recipe. The original recipe uses store bought DILL pickles in a jar. They are already processed DILL pickles so the flavor wouldn’t be the same if you start with fresh cucumbers. This would require some serious experimentation and I am NOT a canning pro. I am very concerned with bacteria growth and fear of deadly botulism, etc. SO my suggestion is to stick with store bought dill pickles of this recipe and search for a canning website to experiment with any fresh canning ideas. Happy Cooking!!!
XOXO
Meemaw
I make all sorts of pickles and you can use your dill pickles that you made, just follow the recipe using your homemade dill pickles.
Thanks so much for your input Janice! I wish I had watched more closely when my Mom made her crispy bright green sweet pickles! I remember it was quite a process from start to finish. I can still see those tall crocks sitting in our kitchen. She always covered them with a small dinner plate as we waited for them to “pickle” just right! Such wonderful memories…
Thanks again!
XOXO
Meemaw
This brine makes the best chicken in the world
Thanks for your comment Robert! I would never think to use this sweet and spicy brine on chicken! I guess I’ll be giving that a try the next time I whip up a batch of these pickles. Enjoy!
XOXO
Meemaw
After having store-bought sweet horseradish pickles but being unable to purchase them where I live, I went in search of a recipe and tried this one! Better than the brand-name my friend shared, easy to make and much less expensive! I added 1 tbsp pickling spice to the liquid mixture before boiling and then strained them out before pouring over the pickles – unbelievable!!! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for your feedback Pat! I’m so glad you like them as much as we do! ENJOY!
XOXO
Meemaw
Hi, just wondering if the liquid measurements are right. just over a 1/4 c after boiling not much left. pickles are always covered in liquid. Just asking thanks.
Thanks for your question John! I went back to look at my original handwritten recipe card and it turns out I’ve changed the recipe since then. The original recipe card says use a 32 oz. jar of pickles. 1/4 cup horseradish in the jar over the drained dill pickles. In a saucepan combine 1/2 cup cider vinegar. 1 1/2 cups sugar. 1/3 cup water. Just bring the mixture TO a boil. YOu don’t want to reduce the liquid…just bring to a boil. Either way there is not as much liquid as was originally on the dill pickles. Just invert the jar several times per day for a few days and the pickles will all be penetrated by the juice mixture. I hope that helps! Let me know how you like them!
XOXO
Meemaw
do i discard the juice in pan or sink?this is where im confused
Thanks for your question Edward. Open the pickle jar and DISCARD that juice. Then make the sugar and vinegar syrup as directed. When that mixture has cooled you will fill the pickle jar with the cut pickles and the sugar mixture you just made. I hope that clears up the confusion! And please let me know how you like them!
XOXO
Meemaw
Are we to follow the posted recipe or the original recipe as they are drastically different! I’m tripling everything for the big jar and have no idea if I’m using 3/4 cup cider vinegar or 1 1/2 cups! The recipes are not even close. Tablespoons of water vs cups of sugar! I’m lost here
HI Mike! Sorry about the confusion. If you are using an 80 oz. jar of pickles you will need to trip the recipe for the other recipe ingredients. (And you may want to save the dill pickle juice from the original dill pickle jar instead of throwing it away since my son swears by marinating chicken in dill pickle juice before grilling.) If you haven’t already bought an 80 oz. jar of dill pickles I say start by buying a 32 oz. jar and make one batch per the original recipe measurements. That way you’ll know exactly how they should taste when finished. Thanks again, and let me know how you like them!
XOXO
Meemaw
Would these be good in bloody Marys ?
I wouldn’t think so Judy. These are quite SWEET pickles as well as being spicy. I don’t think they would be a good match in that case. But they are DELICIOUS to be eaten as pickles! Thanks for asking…and Happy Holidays!!
XOXO
Meemaw
Can I use a sugar substitute like Splenda?
Hi Kay! Great question! Unfortunately I’ve never tried a sugar substitute. You can sweeten with honey, but I’m not sure if a sugar substitute would change the flavor of the pickles. If you decide to try it please let me know the results. I can tell you sugar works very well in this recipe! Good luck!
XOXO
Meemaw
I make homemade pickles and I got a request for Horseradish and Garlic pickles, so I will use this recipe and add some minced garlic to it as well.
Sounds GREAT Deborah! Let me know how they turned out!
XOXO
Meemaw
Do you know how long these will last in the refrigerator?
Thanks for your question Christine! They last a long time…at least they have for me. Remember…they started out as dill pickles and those always last a long time. And these pickles taste so good they are eaten very quickly around our house!
XOXO
Meemaw
My daughter found horseradish pickles at a local home show. Brought them home and we devoured them. I started looking for a good recipe to make them. I had made garlic pickles before using a similar recipe. When I saw this recipe I was so excited to try it. I made them today so we’ll see how they turn out. It’s gonna be hard to wait three days to try them.
Thanks Patt! That’s awesome! Please let me know how you like them!
XOXO
Meemaw
I used white vinegar instead of apple cider. Does that make a difference? Also is the recipe that you posted to John the correct one to use? I have a 46oz jar of whole pickles.
I don’t recommend using fresh cucumbers for this recipe. The recipe calls for DILL pickles and that’s what I use. Your choice of vinegar should be fine. The recipe I wrote is the one to follow for the best results. It calls for a 32 oz. jar of DILL pickles.
Enjoy!
XOXO
Meemaw
Save the pickle juice! lol just had a break down . Many uses for the juice.
Very True! 🙂 Thank you for your comment.
XOXO
Meemaw