My homemade Pickle Relish is the easy upgrade that takes hot dogs, brats, and burgers to the next level! It’s fabulously flavorful, tangy, and fresh-tasting, and my quick-pickle recipe method makes it a cinch.
A really spectacular Pickle Relish is one of my favorite embellishments during grilling season, and all throughout the year for that matter. Spread it over hot dogs and brats, dollop it onto burgers, and surprise most any other grilled protein with its gloriously fresh and tangy flavor. This quick pickles recipe fits right in with all my other refrigerator pickles recipes – have you tried my Dill Pickles, spicy Pickled Jalapenos, or this tender Pickled Squashe yet?!
Why I ❤️ This Homemade Relish
I’ve always loved the flavor of my Mom’s canned pickle relish recipe, so I made it a little more accessible (faster and easier, with no special equipment needed) for everyone, including myself, and transformed it into a quick pickle recipe. I’m in love! I do think you’ll love it, too!
- So much better than grocery store relish. If your idea of relish is neon green and cloying in flavor, this pickle relish is going to be your game-changer. The flavor is clean, bright, and tangy, and there’s no unnatural green hues in sight.
- BIG texture. And that grocery store relish? The texture is… well, it’s kind of non-existent. This homemade pickle relish has some substance to it.
- No fuss. Skipping the full-on canning method means this relish recipe comes together lickety-split. And while you can’t store it in your pantry to use months down the road, this refrigerator relish still keeps very well for at least 10 days in the fridge.
What You’ll Need
This is an awesome recipe for using up your summer harvest! Scroll down to the printable recipe card to find the exact ingredient quantities and full recipe instructions.
- Cucumber – You’ll need English, Persian, or another variety of cucumber that has thin skin.
- Carrot – Shred your own carrot rather than buying a bag of shredded or matchstick carrots at the grocery store. The flavor is much better and you can match the shredded size of the other ingredients.
- Green bell pepper – While I’m usually partial to red bell peppers, in this recipe, I appreciate the sharper flavor of green.
- Onion – I prefer to use a yellow sweet onion. Know that red onions will give your pickle relish a pinkish tint, just like Pickled Red Onions.
- Vinegar – I like to use white distilled vinegar, for its clean flavor.
- Sugar – Everyday white sugar.
- Salt – I use Morton kosher salt.
- Mustard – Mustard seeds and dry mustard add depth to the flavor. I add mustard seeds to many of my pickles recipes.
- Pimentos – This adds a pop of color and a unique tangy flavor. This is a signature ingredient for my mom’s relish!
How to Make Pickle Relish
As a quick pickle relish, this recipe is, as promised, quick! Here’s what you’ll need to do.
- Simmer. Stir the cucumber, carrot, green pepper, and onion with ½ cup of vinegar in a pan set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking for 5 minutes; reduce the heat if it starts to boil. Drain and discard the liquid.
- Add flavorings and simmer again. Add the remaining vinegar to the pan, along with the sugar, salt, mustard seeds, and dry mustard. Stir and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Add pimentos. Remove the pan from the heat and add the pimentos.
- Let cool. Stir together and let cool to room temperature.
- Store. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the relish to a jar, screw on the lid, and refrigerate for up to 10 days.
Tips & Variations
I’ve got a few pointers and some variation ideas to help you make this the best pickle relish you’ve ever had.
- Use the large holes of your box grater. The small ones will shred the veggies so finely, they won’t have any texture. If you have a food processor with a grating disc, that will work too.
- Remove the seeds of the cucumber. Slice the cucumbers lengthwise, then scrape a spoon down the middle to remove the seeds. Don’t skip this step, as the softer cucumber centers, where the seeds are, do not shred well – they just turn to mush.
- Make it spicy. Add a jalapeño (or two) to the recipe for some heat, or add red pepper flakes.
- Add some garlic. Minced garlic will add another layer of flavor to your pickle relish.
- Add black pepper. I’m a big fan of black pepper, so I often add some generous grinds of fresh-ground black pepper.
My Favorite Ways to Use This Homemade Relish
Grilled hot dogs are always better when topped with a generous helping of pickle relish! We also serve it over brats and other grilled sausages, and use it instead of pickles on Cheeseburger Sliders, Ground Turkey Burgers, and grilled burgers.
And I very much recommend offering a jar of pickle relish when serving Grilled Beer Can Chicken and this simple Grilled Salmon.
You can also stir it into recipes like Ham Salad, my mom’s Macaroni Salad with Ham, and Curry Chicken Salad!
How to Store
Store your relish in the refrigerator, always with a tight-fitting lid. It will keep very well for at least 10 days. The flavor will continue to develop over time.
More Homemade Pickles
Pickle Relish
Ingredients
- 1½ cups shredded, seeded English, Persian, or other thin-skinned cucumber variety See Notes for how to prep and shred.
- ¾ cup shredded carrot See Notes for how to shred.
- ¾ cup shredded green bell pepper See Notes for how to shred.
- ½ cup shredded sweet yellow onion See Notes for how to shred.
- 1 cup white distilled vinegar, divided
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 jar (4 ounces) diced pimentos, drained
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine cucumber, carrot, green pepper, and onion. Stir in ½ cup of the white vinegar. Turn heat to medium and bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, turning heat down a bit if needed. Drain and discard liquid (just use a saucepan lid to drain as well as you can, no need to dirty a strainer).
- Add remaining ½ cup white vinegar to the veggies in the saucepan, followed by the sugar, salt, mustard seeds, and dry mustard. Stir to combine, then gently simmer 5 minutes more.
- Remove saucepan from the heat, stir in pimentos, and let relish cool to room temperature.
- Use a large slotted spoon to transfer cooled relish to a 1-pint jar (for less mess, use a canning funnel). Add a tight-fitting lid to the jar and refrigerate for up to 10 days. Makes about 2 cups of relish.
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