Spicy Dill Pickles (Volcano Pickles) Recipe
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If you love hot and spicy dill pickles, you have to try this easy canning recipe. These bold and flavorful pickles are perfect for adding some heat to burgers, sandwiches, or snack plates. Plus, they can be made as refrigerator pickles if you don’t want to can them.
Years ago, I was making dill pickles like I did every summer. At the time, I was a brand-new mom with my first little one, so my dear hubby offered to help out in the kitchen, making pickles with me.
A few weeks later, I excitedly opened a jar of those pickles and had a BIG surprise. They were spicy! Hubby couldn’t believe it until he tried one himself. From that moment, they became his absolute favorite pickle ever.
This is pretty impressive for a guy who didn’t even like pickles before. Now he won’t eat any other kind.
I still don’t know how he managed to add so much dried red pepper, but it turned out to be the best mistake made in our kitchen.
Why You’ll Love These Spicy Dill Pickles
Easy to Make: A simple, straightforward canning recipe perfect for beginners or experienced canners.
Old-Fashioned Flavor: Classic dill taste with a spicy twist.
Versatile: Enjoy them as a refrigerator pickle or process them for long-term storage.
Customizable Heat: Add more dried red pepper for extra spicy pickles or reduce it for a milder flavor.
Ingredients
- 7 heads of dill
- 14 cloves of garlic, chopped or whole
- 7 tablespoons pickling salt
- 7 teaspoons pickling spice
- 7 tablespoons of dried red hot pepper (chilli flakes)
- 8 pounds of pickling cucumbers
- 8 cups Vinegar
- 8 cups of Water
How To Make Spicy Dill Pickles
1. Prepare Your Jars
Place a dill head or sprig of dill weed, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon pickling spice, 1 tablespoon dried red pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt into each clean jar.
2. Make The Brine
Pour the pickling vinegar and water into a large stockpot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Keep it hot until ready to use.
3. Prep the Cucumbers
Slice a thin piece off the blossom end of each cucumber. This helps keep them crisp. You can leave cucumbers whole or cut them into quarters, spears, or slices, whatever you prefer.
4. Pack the Jars
Pack the cucumbers tightly into the jars, leaving an inch of headspace at the top.
5. Add the Hot Brine
Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers, covering them completely but leaving 1 inch of head space.
If you want to keep these as spicy refrigerator pickles, put the lids on and let the jars cool, then place them in the fridge. If you want to can the pickles for longer storage, continue with the canning steps.
Canning Spicy Pickles
Using a plastic debubbler or a chopstick, remove any air bubbles from inside the jars. Then wipe the rims of the jars clean with a damp paper towel or kitchen towel.
Place the lids on and tighten the rings finger tight.
Transfer the jars to your water bath canner, and process for 15 minutes.
Tips For Success
Adjust the Heat: If you love spicy foods, keep the dried red pepper amount as written. For a milder pickle, cut the amount in half.
Crispy Pickles: Always trim the blossom end of the cucumbers and use fresh, firm cucumbers for the crunchiest pickles.
Refrigerator Pickle Shortcut: Skip the canning step and refrigerate the jars. The pickles will be extra crispy and ready to enjoy in a few days.
More Pickle Recipes
Spicy Dill PIckles (Volcano Pickles)
Ingredients
- 7 heads of dill
- 14 cloves of garlic chopped or whole
- 7 tablespoons pickling salt
- 7 teaspoons pickling spice
- 7 tablespoons dried red hot pepper flakes (chilli flakes)
- 8 pounds pickling cucumbers
- 8 cups pickling vinegar
- 8 cups water
Instructions
- Fill each jar with 1 head of dill, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of pickling salt, 1 teaspoon of pickling spice, and 1 tablespoon of dried red hot pepper.
- Pour the pickling vinegar and water into a large stockpot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Keep it hot until ready to use.
- Wash your cucumbers and slice 1/16th off the blossom end. Leave whole or cut into slices or spears. Pack into clean quart jars leaving an inch of headspace.
- Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers, covering them completely but leaving 1 inch of headspace. If you want to keep these as spicy refrigerator pickles, put the lids on and let the jars cool, then place them in the fridge. If you want to can the pickles for longer storage, continue with the canning steps.
Canning
- Using a plastic debubbler or a chopstick, remove any air bubbles from inside the jars. Then wipe the rims of the jars clean with a damp paper towel or kitchen towel. Place the lids on and tighten the rings finger tight.
- Transfer the jars to your water bath canner, and process for 15 minutes.
Notes
These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.
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Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.
Did you use regular or pickling cucumbers??
Don’t I don’t have a canner so what’s the water bath consist of?
Hi, how many cucumbers do you use?