Sweet Yellow Squash Pickles
This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure PolicySay hello to your newest obsession: pickled squash. If you haven’t made or tasted squash pickles before, you are in for a treat! Learn how to make this delicious and simple snack with ease.
In fact, I’ll go as far as to say these sweet yellow squash pickles are downright addictive. Whether you’re adding this mouth-watering summer snack to a sandwich, serving them on a cheese board, or eating them right out of the jar, you’ll love this pickled yellow squash.
Every time I think about pickling something, that skit from Portlandia comes to mind. “We can pickle that!” Anyone else? (You can watch it here if you have no idea what I’m talking about.)
Anywho, several years ago, I came across a recipe for Sweet Yellow Squash Pickles in one of my magazines. I tore it out and have hung onto it since then. Last week when I spotted a basket of yellow squash at the local farmers market, I decided it was finally time to give that recipe a try.
The whole idea of pickling squash was new to me, so I was curious how the pickles would taste. I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. They are delicious!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s a simple and healthy snack that comes together with about 20 minutes of hands-on time.
- This is a fantastic way to use your bounty of summer squash from the garden, or you can purchase squash relatively cheap at a farmer’s market or grocery store.
- I also love the red onions in this recipe. They are as wonderful as the squash. Pickling dulls the overly pungent taste of the onion, which might be why pickled onions have become sort of trendy these days. (They seem to be served on tacos a lot.)
- As with their regular pickle cousins, these yellow squash pickles would be great served with a sandwich or included with other seasonal snacks on an appetizer board or jarcuterie. They would be perfect on my Summer Cheese Board!
Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this yummy pickle recipe.
- Yellow squash – you’ll want to cut them into about 1/4″ thick slices.
- Red onion – slice it up thinly. The onion adds the perfect balance of flavor to the sweetness of the brine.
- Sugar – yup, sugar. This is a sweet pickled recipe…trust me on this one. It’s delicious! If you prefer to have less sweet pickles, you can cut the amount down.
- White vinegar – I recommend using white vinegar as it’s the most neutral-tasting variety. There are some recipes where you can swap out one vinegar for another, but unfortunately, this isn’t one.
- Mustard seed – this is what gives pickles that zing that makes them so delicious!
- Celery seeds – this small but mighty seed adds some lovely distinct flavor that can’t be replicated with anything else.
- Dry mustard – again, mustard gives you the zing. Since this is a quick pickles recipe, I recommend using both the seeds and the powder.
How to Make
Making these pickles with squash could not be easier!
- First, grab a large metal bowl and add your squash and onions. Sprinkle salt over the veggies, and stir once more. Then, stick the bowl in the fridge for an hour.
- Next, drain the liquid from the bowl, and set it aside.
- Grab a medium saucepan, and within it add the remaining ingredients: sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and dry mustard.
- Bring the brine mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
- Next, add the squash and onions to the pan and boil again.
- Remove the pan from heat and ladle the hot veggies and liquid into clean, sterilized canning jars.
Storage
You have 2 options for storing pickled squash.
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Firstly, you could opt to store the jar in the fridge. It’ll last for about 30 days. However, you’ll need to chill the pickles at least 24 hours before serving.
Secondly, you can can the pickles according to the jar manufacturer’s instructions. This works well if you want to make a large batch and store it away in your pantry for later.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does pickled squash taste like?
Pickled squash is delicious!
This version tastes a lot like bread and butter pickles: sweet and vinegary, and oh-so good!
Squash pickles honestly taste very similar to traditional sweet pickles. If you closed your eyes and took a bite, I doubt you could tell they are made from squash.
How can I make my pickles less sweet?
If you prefer a more zesty pickle, you can simply reduce the amount of sugar you add to this recipe.
Additionally, you can add a little spice by adding some tobacco sauce, peppercorns, crushed red pepper flakes, or even Thai chili peppers.
More Unique Snacks You May Enjoy
Ready to give this pickled squash a try? If you do, please leave a comment and a 5-star rating below.
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Sweet Yellow Squash Pickles
Ingredients
- 4 small yellow squash cut in1/4-inch thick slices (about 3 cups)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
Instructions
- In a large non-metal bowl, combine the squash and onion. Sprinkle salt over the vegetables and stir to combine. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Then, drain the liquid from the vegetables.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and dry mustard. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the squash and onion mixture and then return to boiling.
- Remove from heat. Ladle the hot vegetables and liquid into sterilized canning jars.
- At this point, the jars can be processed for long-term canning or covered and stored as-is in the refrigerator for up to one month.
- Chill at least 24 hours before serving.
These are fantastic@!!!
Getting ready to try first batch…do I need to rinse the salt off after sitting for the hour as per instructions.
Hi, this sounds delicious! My squash is almost ready and I want to try this. I’m new to canning. What size jars do you recommend for these? Any other first timer tips? Thanks!
Ive made this multiple times with the addition of about a teaspoon of pickling spice per jar.fantastic every time! Everyone who tries them is addicted.
I made these and they turned out so delicious! I canned them as we have had a bumper crop of yellow squash. People are asking for the recipe too.
These sound great, but any idea on how to make them sugar free? Thank you!
Hmmm. I’m not really sure. Maybe honey or a sugar substitute. I haven’t tried these.
xo Michael
I want to try these this weekend. Looks so refreshing! Thank you!!
Most people today do not know what a water bath is so they need to look up cold water bath canning process. Make sure if using a water bath process your jars are covered by at least 1 or 2 inches of water and start timing when the water starts boiling and process for about 10 to 20 minutes.
Awesome! Thanks for the tip! I’m excited to can this recipe!!
Is there enough liquid to fill the jars. It doesn’t seem like enough.
How long in water bath canner?
I added some allspice seeds as well. So good.
What do you mean by “processed for long-term canning” – how do you do this? My partner and I just made this for the first time and we’ve put them in the fridge. Thank you!
Canning is the process of heating up the jars (in a canner or hot water bath) in order to make contents shelf stable. There are a couple ways to do this. You can research the techniques online. However, I believe it needs to be done right after adding the ingredients to the jars.
xo Michael
I have made two batches of these Pickle’s and the juice keep coming out cloudy. I even used pickling salt in the second batch. They taste wonderful they are just cloudy.
My juice is a little cloudy too. It’s just part of the process. 🙂
xo Michael
I just did this recipe two days ago and it is absolutely delicious! My first time at canning anything!! Recently retired and started a garden! Did a small batch to see if we liked it and will be canning more for winter! Can you reuse the pickled juice? Seems like such a waste once the veggies are gone!
Do you think I could regular pickling spice instead of the celery seed?
USE regular pickling spice-SORRY! 🙂
If you process them is it water bath or pressure cooker????
I do a water bath.
xo Michael
Thanks :;) gunna give it a try today. I’ve always canned at sea level.. I moved to West Texas 2 years ago and my altitude is 3202 ft …. Needless to say I didn’t account for that last year so it was a total failure!!! I think I have my adjustments right this year … add 10 min extra to processing time … fingers crossed lol
Hi, I was wondering if you rinse the salt from the squash and onions after letting them sit together in the salt or do you just drain them and move on to the next step?
I did not rinse. Just drained and moved on. 🙂
xo Michael
I ended up making these before I saw your reply. I rinsed them and they turned out wonderful!!! Hubby and I LOVE them!!!! I’ll be making many more batches with my loads of squash. And this time I will try NOT rinsing! Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Have you tried making them with apple cider vinegar? I might try a batch using ACV. I’ll let you know how they turn out!
They taste just like pickles! I’m obsessed.
Michael,
Do you think that you could substitute zucchini in this recipe? And I love the jars. Where did you find them?
Maureen
Yes! The Ball Canning Book has a very similar recipe using zucchini