Name: Sweet Pickled Green Tomatoes
Prep time: 360 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 400 min
Ingredients: 5 pounds green tomatoes; 1 cups onions (sliced); 2 Tbsp canning or pickling salt; 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (packed); 2 cups vinegar (5 percent acidity); 1/2 tablespoon mustard seed; 1/2 tablespoon whole allspice; 1/2 tablespoon celery seed; 1/2 tablespoon whole cloves

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Sweet pickled green tomatoes are a cross between an old fashioned green tomato chow chow and bread and butter pickles, with slices of green tomato and onion in a warmly spiced, sweet-tart brine.

Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
Ingredients for Sweet Pickled Green Tomatoes
How to Make Sweet Pickled Green Tomatoes
Canning Sweet Pickled Green Tomatoes
Altitude Adjustments
Creative Canning Variations
Green Tomato Canning Recipes
Sweet Pickled Green Tomatoes Recipe
Altitude Adjustments

Green tomatoes are an end-of-season reality in my garden. Once the weather turns chilly, those last fruits on the vine just don’t have time to ripen, and I inevitably find myself with bowls of firm, underripe tomatoes on the counter. Classic Green Tomato Chow Chow Recipes usually my first stop, and green tomato jam is pretty darn good too, but this year I decided to try out old fashioned sweet pickled green tomatoes for the pantry too.

This recipe is one of the oldest green tomato pickling recipes still in common use today, and many people still remember grandma’s sweet pickled green tomatoes lining the pantry shelves. These days, spicy pickled green tomatoes and dill pickled green tomatoes might get a bit more attention, but this old fashioned recipe is definitely worth preserving.

Three types of pickled green tomatoes served on my holiday cheese board.

Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!

This recipe comes from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP), which means it’s both tested and safe for home canning as written. It has plenty of vinegar, a generous amount of brown sugar, and a whole spice blend that tastes like the bread and butter pickles you might remember from your grandmother’s table, just made with green tomatoes instead of cucumbers. The tomatoes simmer with onions until they’re tender and translucent, then everything goes into jars with that sweet, tangy, spice-infused syrup.

These sweet pickled green tomatoes are especially good alongside rich meats, added to sandwiches, or spooned over beans and rice. They bring a little warmth and sweetness to cold-weather meals, and they’re a clever way to make sure none of your green tomatoes go to waste.

A Quick Look at the Recipe

Recipe Name: Sweet Pickled Green Tomatoes
Recipe Type: Green Tomato Canning Recipe
Canning Method: Waterbath Canning
Prep/Cook Time: 4-6 hours soak, 30 minute simmer
Canning Time: 10 Minutes for pints, 15 for quarts
Yield: 4 to 5 pints, or 2 to 3 quarts
Jar Sizes: Quarter Pint, Half Pint, Pint or Quart
Headspace: 1/2 inch
Ingredients Overview: Green Tomatoes, Onion, Vinegar, Sugar and Spices.
Safe Canning Recipe Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Difficulty: Moderate. The hot pack and pre-soak make this recipe a bit more involved than a quick raw pack pickling recipe.
Similar Recipes: The process is very similar to making other sweet and spiced vegetable pickling recipes, like Watermelon Rind Pickles, Classic Pickled Beets, Pickled Pumpkin, and Old Fashioned Vermont Maple Pickles. It has the same prep and cook as making pickled figs, which are another old fashioned treat.

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Ingredients for Sweet Pickled Green Tomatoes

This NCHFP recipe is bushel sized, and I’ve cut it down a bit to yield 4 to 5 pints, assuming you pack the jars reasonably full. The exact yield will depend on how you slice the tomatoes and how tightly everything fits into the jars, but plan on roughly a pint of pickles for every pound to pound and a quarter of fresh tomatoes.

To make about 4 to 5 pints of sweet pickled green tomatoes, you’ll need:

5 pounds green tomatoes (about 8 cups sliced)
1 cups sliced onions
2 Tbsp canning or pickling salt
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 cups vinegar (5 percent acidity)
1/2 tablespoon mustard seed
1/2 tablespoon whole allspice
1/2 tablespoon celery seed
1/2 tablespoon whole cloves

This is a hot pack recipe, so the tomatoes and onions are simmered right in the brine before going into jars. That really helps everything pack down into the jars better and helps the flavors meld before canning. It also cuts down on the canning time slightly, as everything is evenly hot when it goes into the jars.

The vinegar must be at least 5 percent acidity, as that’s what keeps this recipe safely in the high-acid category for water bath canning. You can use either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, as long as it’s 5 percent. White vinegar will give you a brighter, sharper flavor, while cider vinegar contributes a bit of apple complexity and warmth that pairs nicely with the brown sugar and spices.

The pickling salt (or canning salt) keeps things simple and free of additives that can cloud the brine. The salt in this recipe is mainly for flavor and texture rather than safety, so modest reductions are generally acceptable if you prefer a less salty pickle, but I’d make the recipe as written the first time to see how you like it.

Brown sugar is where the “sweet” in sweet pickled green tomatoes comes from. It softens the sharpness of the vinegar and helps the tomatoes take on an almost chutney-style flavor. The spices include mustard seed, allspice, celery seed, and whole cloves, and are tied in a spice bag so they can infuse the syrup without leaving a mouthful of whole spices in every bite. You get all the flavor, but the finished pickles are pleasant to eat without the grittiness of dried spices.

How to Make Sweet Pickled Green Tomatoes

This recipe starts with a long salt soak, which helps draw out excess liquid from the tomatoes and onions and improves the texture in the finished jars. Because of that step, it works well as a day project: mix everything in the morning, and come back later to finish the cooking and canning.

Begin by washing the green tomatoes in cool running water and draining them well. Trim off any blemishes, then slice the tomatoes into even slices. You can cut them into rounds, wedges, or thick half-moons, depending on the size and shape of your tomatoes. Aim for pieces that will sit nicely on a fork or in a sandwich.

Peel and slice the onions, and add them to the prepared green tomatoes.

Place the sliced tomatoes and onions together in a large nonreactive bowl or crock. Sprinkle the 2 Tbsp of canning or pickling salt over the vegetables and toss gently to distribute it evenly. Cover the bowl and let the mixture stand for 4 to 6 hours. During this time, the salt will draw out some of the tomato juice and soften the onions slightly.

After the soaking period, drain the tomatoes and onions well.

When you’re ready to move on to the cooking step, prepare your canning setup (if canning). Wash your jars, lids, and rings, and set up a water bath canner with a rack. Keep the jars hot until you’re ready to fill them.

In a large nonreactive pot, combine the brown sugar and vinegar. Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved. While that’s heating, tie the mustard seed, allspice, celery seed, and whole cloves into a spice bag or a square of cheesecloth, securing it tightly with kitchen string so the spices can’t escape. Add the spice bag to the vinegar and sugar mixture.

Add the drained tomatoes and onions to the pot with the spiced vinegar syrup. If the slices are not quite covered by the liquid, add just enough water to barely cover the pieces. You don’t want to dilute the vinegar more than necessary, so be conservative here. Bring the pot to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring as needed to keep the mixture from sticking. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

As the tomatoes cook, they’ll become tender (but not soggy, thanks to the sugar), and turn somewhat transparent. That’s exactly what you’re looking for. When the tomatoes are tender and translucent and the onions are soft, remove the spice bag from the pot and get ready to fill your jars.

Three different pickled green tomato recipes, from left to right: Sweet, Spicy and Dill.

Canning Sweet Pickled Green Tomatoes

Because this is a hot pack recipe, the tomatoes, onions, and syrup all go into the jars piping hot. Have your hot jars ready and your water bath canner gently simmering.

Working one jar at a time, use a slotted spoon to fill hot pint or quart jars with the cooked tomato and onion mixture, leaving ½ inch headspace at the top. Try to distribute the tomatoes and onions evenly among the jars so each one has a nice mix. Once the solids are in, ladle the hot pickling liquid over them, still maintaining ½ inch headspace. Use a bubble remover or a clean utensil to release any trapped air bubbles, then add more hot liquid if needed to bring the level back up.

Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp cloth to remove any syrup or bits of food. Center the lids on the jars and screw on the bands until fingertip-tight.

Carefully place the jars on the rack in the water bath canner, making sure they are covered by at least 1 to 2 inches of water. Put the lid on the canner and bring the water to a full rolling boil. Once the water is boiling hard, start your timer and process pint jars for 10 minutes and quart jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see below).

When the processing time is up, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Let the jars rest in the hot water for about 5 minutes to help prevent siphoning. Then, using a jar lifter, transfer the jars to a towel-lined counter or cooling rack, leaving space between them so air can circulate. Let them cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.

After the jars are completely cool, check the seals. Any jars that haven’t sealed should go into the refrigerator and be used first. Wipe down the sealed jars, remove the bands if you like, label them, and store them in a cool, dark place. As with most pickles, the flavor improves if you give the jars at least a couple of weeks to mature before opening.

Altitude Adjustments

For safe water bath canning, you’ll need to adjust the processing times based on your elevation. The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends the following times for hot pack sweet pickled green tomatoes (hot pack):

0 to 1,000 feet: 10 minutes for pints and 15 minutes for quarts
1,001 to 6,000 feet: 15 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts
Above 6,000 feet: 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts

Always start timing once the canner has returned to a full rolling boil, and keep the boil steady for the entire processing time.

Creative Canning Variations

Like most tested pickle recipes, the safest way to customize this one is by changing the spices, not the vinegar or vegetable ratios. The base recipe already has a fairly bold spice profile, but you can tilt it in different directions while keeping the same total amount of spice in your bag.

For a more “bread and butter” style flavor, you can emphasize mustard seed and celery seed, and go a little lighter on the cloves and allspice. If you prefer a less clove-forward pickle, try using fewer whole cloves and adding a small piece of cinnamon stick to the spice bag for a gentler warmth. Just keep the overall quantity of spices similar so the flavor stays balanced.

You can also play with the vinegar choice. Using all white vinegar will give you a brighter, sharper pickle, while all cider vinegar leans into cozy, autumn flavors that pair especially well with roasted meats and root vegetables. As long as the vinegar is 5 percent acidity, you can adjust the blend to suit your taste.

If you’re already slicing, it’s easy to turn part of the batch into a mixed pickle by adding a few strips of sweet bell peppers or hot peppers to some of the jars. Keep the total volume of vegetables roughly the same and think of the extras as accents rather than major ingredients. That way you stay within the tested parameters of the NCHFP recipe but still get a bit of variety on the shelf.

You can also try out my other pickled green tomato recipes, including Dill Pickled Green Tomatoes and Spicy Pickled Green Tomatoes (coming soon).

Closeup of Sweet Pickled Green Tomatoes served on a cheese board. — Sweet Pickled Green Tomatoes served on a cheese board.

Serving Sweet Pickled Green Tomatoes

Once the jars have had time to cure, these sweet pickled green tomatoes are ready to earn their keep in your pantry. They’re especially good with rich or savory foods: tucked next to roast pork, piled onto a pulled pork sandwich, served alongside grilled sausages, or spooned over a pot of beans. The sweet-tart flavor also works beautifully on a cheese board, where they can stand in for chutney or fruit preserves.

I added them to my holiday charcuterie board this year alongside other homemade preserves (shown below). My spread had my own canned pickled carrots, pickled hot peppers, green tomato marmalade, pickled pears, cranberry orange marmalade, italian green tomato preserves, and three types of pickled green tomatoes.

Holiday Charcuterie Platter with homemade preserves

Because the tomatoes are thoroughly cooked before canning, these have more of a tender, preserve-like texture compared to crisp dill pickled green tomatoes, but that’s exactly what makes them so versatile in the kitchen.