Nanny's 7 Day Sweet Pickles are super crispy and sweet! This easy to make, old fashioned recipe was always a favorite of mine. There is no heat required and is an excellent way to preserve summer's harvest!
These Crisp Sweet Pickles are a crunchy dark green pickle with a sweet and tangy vinegar bite. While it does take a full 7 days to make these pickles, it involves very little work. And, they are super simple to make!
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🥒 Pickling Cucumbers
My family has always processed their fruits and vegetables from their gardens. I remember my mom making my Aunt Bonnie’s Garlic Dill Pickle Recipe and how lovely the house smelled with all the vinegar, dill, and garlic in the air.
Mom didn’t make the Crisp Sweet Pickle recipe as my dad didn't care for sweet pickles. But, my Grandmother would make them, and I'm happy she did! I remember being at Nanny’s house when she had her pickles in process in a ceramic crock. The pickling process was always very interesting to me!
🥘 Ingredients
Cucumbers, the best cucumber is one grown specifically for pickling. The seed packet will indicate they are specifically for pickling. I like this brand.
Pickling Salt, this is a specific kind of salt used to make pickles. I buy this brand.
Pickling Spices, this is a blend of spices that is wrapped in a cheesecloth and added to the pickles with the vinegar (on day 4). You can buy them here.
Powdered Alum, is to help keep the pickles crisp and if it is skipped, your pickles will not be as crispy as they would be with it. Pickle Crisp can also be used in place of the Alum.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Sugar
🍽 Equipment
I highly recommend a pickling crock (Ceramic like this one). I recently bought one because it is what my Nanny used and I am loving it. It comes in 1, 3, and 5 gallon sizes. I bought the 3 gallon crock and recommend this due to several comments that the gallon was not big enough for some readers.
Hot Water Bath Canner, if you plan to process. I also use this to sterilize the jars and lids.
A sharp knife and cutting board for slicing the cucumbers.
Canning jars and lids. I recommend these small mouth 16 ounce jars, especially if doing a hot pack only.
Clean cotton dish towels and paper towels.
Canning tools(funnel, gripper, spatula, etc.)
FAQs
How are Crisp Sweet Pickles different from Bread and Butter Pickles?
The biggest difference between these two sweet pickle recipes is the method used to pickle them. Crisp Sweet Pickles are not cooked on the stove top, whereas Bread and Butter Pickles are brought to a simmer then sealed, without the 7 day fermentation process.
Why do you soak cucumbers in water before processing your crisp sweet pickle recipe?
Soaking your cucumbers in water helps to ensure their freshness and helps to improve their texture and flavor.
Do you have to refrigerate crisp sweet pickles in the refrigerator once they have been packed in jars?
There is no need to refrigerate them once they have been jarred. You can place a jar in the refrigerator to make them cold before consumption and once opened I always store the jar in the refrigerator until that jar is emptied.
What do I do with the syrup on day 7 after packing pickles in the jars?
The syrup needs to go into the jars with the pickles, or the pickles will not be sweet. You can do this one of two ways. Drain the syrup and add it to the vinegar solution, or, add the syrup with the pickles while you are packing.
Do I need to rinse the pickles every day before adding fresh water?
No. Fermented pickles should not be rinsed.
What is the foamy stuff on top of my cucumbers, have they gone bad?
No, this is the fermentation you are seeing. This is a good thing.
Should I process these sweet crisp pickles in a hot water bath canner?
If you are doing a hot pack (as the recipe instructs) you should not have to process in a canner. However, you can do so for 15 minutes if you wish. If the pickles do not seal with hot pack, you will need to process in the canner anyway. All pickles that have not sealed should be refrigerated.
🔪 Instructions
Please note that the following is a walk through instruction ONLY. Many people are emailing me following the brief instruction in this section. The recipe card is printable without ads, so please, I encourage you to go to the recipe card to print the recipe and follow those instructions. Tips and recommendations are added to the recipe card.
Day 1:
- Wash the cucumbers, removing any dirt and debris they may have once removed from the garden. Once washed, trim and slice the cucumbers.
- Use gallon sized (or larger if needed), food safe jar for fermenting the pickles.
- Place the cucumber slices in the jar and cover in boiling water and let sit undisturbed for 24 hours. The jar can be covered but does not have to be sealed. This is mainly to protect anything from getting in the jar.
Day 2:
- Drain the water on the cucumbers and cover them with salt and fresh boiling water.
Day 3:
- Add the powdered alum to the cucumbers before adding the boiling water.
Day 4:
- Drain the pickles and add the pickling spice packet to the jar.
- Bring the cider vinegar to a boil and pour it over the cucumbers.
Day 5 and Day 6: Do nothing
Day 7:
- Drain the pickles and remove the pickling spices.
- Reserve the pickling vinegar to cover the pickles in the jar at the end of the process.
- Transfer the pickles to a large non-reactive (non metal) mixing bowl and stir in the sugar.
- Allow to sit undisturbed for 2 hours. The sugar will dissolve and there will be a little syrup in the bowl with the pickles.
Storing Pickles
- Add the pickles with some of the syrup to the hot sterilized jars and cover them with vinegar solution.
- Cover with a hot sterilized seal and cap.
- Set the hot jars on a thick towel and cover with another towel to prevent drafts.
- As the pickles cool down, they will make a pop noise which means it has sealed.
- Test to see if the jar is sealed by touching the center of the seal. If it pops in and out, it is not sealed.
Handling Unsealed Jars
If your jar does not seal, you can store it in the refrigerator or process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Some may feel safer processing them for 10 minutes in a hot water bath in a canner.
💭 TOP TIPS
- Use cucumbers that are about 5 inches long. A thick cucumber is not a good choice.
- Use freshly picked cucumbers and avoid using supermarket produce. Many times cucumbers bought in the supermarket have had a wax coating put on them.
- Remove the flower end of the cucumber. That part of the cucumber contains an enzyme that can cause your pickles to soften.
- There is no need to rinse the cucumbers daily. These are fermented pickles and it is natural for there to be foam.
- Always use pickling salt for making pickles. Pickling Salt does not have the anti-caking ingredient table salt has in it. And, it has fine granules that make it break down and dissolve easier.
- Do not discard the syrup that settles to the bottom of the pickles, this is drained and brought to a boil with the vinegar and poured over the pickles after packing into the jar.
- Do not skip the sterilization of jars. Boil the washed jars and sealing lids in hot water to sterilize.
- Process any unsealed jars in a hot water bath canner for 15 minutes.
- Any unsealed jars must be stored in the refrigerator.
*If you made this recipe, please give it a star rating*
📖 Recipe
Nanny's 7 Day Sweet Pickles
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Ingredients
- 10 pounds small cucumbers
- ¼ cup salt
- 3 tablespoons alum
- 6 cups apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup pickling spice
- 4 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
Day 1:
- Clean the cucumbers and soak in ice cold water bath for 30 minutes.
- Drain the cucumbers and trim the ends. Cut into ¼ inch thick chunks.
- Transfer the cucumbers in a large food safe container. Cover with boiling water. Let sit 24 hours.
Day 2:
- Drain the water from cucumber slices.
- Add the salt and pour boiling water over top of the cucumbers and salt. Cover and let sit 24 hours.
Day 3:
- Drain the cucumbers.
- Add the alum and pour boiling water over the cucumbers to cover. Let sit 24 hours
Day 4:
- Drain the cucumbers. Place the pickling spice in a cheesecloth tied with string to form a purse.
- Place the spice packet in the jar with the cucumbers.
- Bring the cider vinegar to a boil. Pour over cucumbers. If there isn't enough vinegar to cover the cucumbers, boil more and add to the cucumbers.
Day 5 and Day 6:
- Do nothing.
Day 7
- Drain the cucumbers reserving the liquid. Remove the cheesecloth with the pickling spices and discard.
- Place the cucumbers in large mixing bowl. Pour the sugar over top of the cucumbers and toss to coat. Let sit for 2 hours.
To Preserve:
- Heat the reserved cucumber liquid and any juices from the the sugar soaked cucumbers until scalding.
- Pack the pickles into hot sterilized jars. Pour hot cucumber liquid over top of the pickles. Wipe any moisture from the lip of the jar. Cover with hot sterilized lids and tighten with screw caps.
- Allow pickles to cool completely on the counter top. Refrigerate any jars that have not sealed.
Colette says
Do you put any picking spice in the jars.I noticed that you discard all the soices from the cheesecloth.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
I discard the pickling spices and do not add any to the jars. If you wanted to add some, you probably could, but I normally do not do it with this recipe (only my mustard pickles).
Pam says
I am about to start these seven day pickles but have a question about the alum. The recipe calls for 3 Tbsp of alum and the alum I picked up (Club House brand) says to not use more than 1/4 tsp per quart or litre and to rinse vegetables thoroughly. Have I picked up the wrong alum?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
As long as the alum you purchased is
safe to use for pickling
you can follow the instructions and on Day for, after draining the pickles go ahead and rinse them thoroughly before proceeding.
Michele says
Do you have a 7 day dill pickle recipe?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Michele, yes, I do but I'm confused because you left the comment on the 7 day pickle recipe. Was this not the one you were looking for?
Jenny says
What is "pickling spice?"
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Jenny, Pickling spice is a blend of sweet spices. I updated this post this morning and have included more info for questions I have been asked including a link to the pickling spice I use to make these pickles. Thank you for stopping by! Shelby
Mary Lyndell Hobbs says
Tried this recipe and they are very good. My husband however had to add extra vinegar which make them too tangy for me. Any suggestions how to redo so they will be sweeter.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
I would say the only way to make them less tangy would to be to not increase the vinegar. They will still have tang but should be sweet.
Pat Rose says
I'm on my 3 day of sweet pickles, I'm so excited! I used to make my own years ago but then I moved to Arizona! Its hard growing anything there! But now I'm back in Michigan, grew my garden and I'm back to canning! My husband has leukemia, every thing I cook is organic, all fresh veggies and fruits, Its true what people say! You are what you eat, His immune system is doing great since I started this plan! The food tastes better and its healthier! Thanks for this recipe! I'll watch for more! I'll repost when I'm finished so others can benefit from this site!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Thank's Pat! I hope it all turns out well for you!
Debra Belisle says
Receipt says to use salt, it that regular table salt or pickling salt?
I was told if use regular table salt it changes color of pickles.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
This is a sweet pickle recipe so the salt is not a concern as it would be for dill pickles. I use regular salt in this recipe. However, you can use pickling salt if you wish.
Debra Belisle says
Thank you, I did use the pickling salt and they came out great. This recipe is the closest to the pickles a lady used to make for me and they are my favorite. She passed away and I was not able to get her recipe. My husband said he couldn’t tell the difference. My cucumbers in garden are going crazy, so I am on my second batch. Very easy recipe to follow. Thank you much.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Thank you Debra! So happy that you and your husband enjoyed the recipe! Shelby
Adrienne says
Love your site (the popups not so much) Making Nanny's 7 Day Sweets. Just put vinegar in last night Whem you sY hot pack, you simply mean heat the jars? Not the syrup or reserved vinegar? And the hot jars and lids are enough to seal them? Thanks 😊
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Adrienne, thanks. When it comes time to pack them this is what I did last night as I made them myself: syrup from the cukes (there should be some from the sugar dissolving), add it to the vinegar solution and bring it to a boil. I also added the spice packet to the vinegar. I washed the jars and put them in a pan of hot water and kept them at a low simmer after the water boiled. I added the sealing lid also. When the vinegar was hot, I removed a jar from the hot water, filled it with as many pickles as I could and then poured the boiling vinegar over top. Place a hot sealing lid on the jar rim (after wiping the rim clean) and secure the screw cap. Then set them on a towel on your counter and cover with another towel. They should seal by the time they are cold. If not, I would process in a canner for 10 minutes or store any unsealed in the fridge. I hope this helps. I know I need to update this post which is why I was making the recipe myself this week. Feel free to reach out if you need more assistance. ˜Shelby (ps you shouldn't be getting the pop ups anymore, I had them removed from the site, if you do, please send me a screenshot via email of what you see and I will get my tech team on it. Thanks!)
Tandy Willingham says
I made these last week. I didn't have enough cucumbers from my garden & it's just my hubby & me so I cut the recipe in half. These are really good! My husband is not fond of sweet pickles but he likes these because they are not real sweet snd very crisp. Had enough to share with friends too. Thanks.
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Th Tandy, so glad you made them and enjoyed them!! Thanks for stopping by to let me know.
Becky says
Hi!! I was thinking of adding a hot pepper to these. If I did, where should I add it? I was thinking the end would be fine? What are your thoughts?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Yes, I would add the hot pepper at the end. Let me know how it goes, I think that would be an awesome sweet heat flavor!
Pat Rose says
I did the same! I didn't have enough cucumbers for a whole batch and I cut it in half! Mostly it's just hubby and I unless we have company! I'm on day 4 now! 👍🏻😉
Wendyrhea says
Thank you for this recipe. It is the same one my momma and nanny used. I always called them nanny pickles. Lol at thanksgiving my nanny would promise me whatever was left in the pickle bowl if I ate a spoon of her dressing. I hated dressing! But I swallowed it so I could have my pickles. The sweet thing is nanny would always fill the bowl back up to the top with pickles for me. They were my special dessert. So far I have made 3 gallon jars. Wonder how long they will last me. Haha!
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Wendy! Thank you for sharing this with me 🙂 It's heartwarming to hear someone else who had a Nanny as sweet as mine, and one who made the same pickles! I hope you enjoy them for a long time!! ˜Shelby
kay kendrick says
I made these pickles, but had to adjust the vinegar when I got ready to can them. It was so much is tom my breath... Out more sugar in them. Also do I have to use alum?? Will they be crisps if I don't? It tends to make my stomach hurt... Thanks
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Kay, I don't quite understand all of your comment. It's ok to adjust the vinegar if you need to, but I would not add more sugar (if this is what you are asking?). Alum is used to help preserve the pickle and make it crisp. I have never made these without alum so I can't say how crisp they would be without it. I recommend trying calcium chloride in place of the alum if that works for you. Calcium Chloride reacts with the pectin in the cucumber and will aid in crispness as well. I haven't tried this myself, but research tells me that would be a good substitute. Best of luck! Shelby
Caro thompkins says
I have made nanny’s seven day pickles and it is timeto put in jars. How do I seal the jars for these pickles
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Carol, these are hot packed into jars then stored in the refrigerator. If you want to store them on a shelf, I would sterilize the jars and lids, and hot pack. As the jars cool, the lid should seal (you will hear a pop). No need to process them in a canner.
Jennifer says
I cannot stand the taste of vinegar, how long do these need to sit before the sugar over takes most of the vinegar flavor?
Shelby says
Hi Jennifer, there will still be a vinegar bite to the pickle, but it is a sweet bite.
Kim says
Do you refrigerate these at all prior to them being placed in their jars for storage?
Shelby says
No, I don't refrigerate them until after you have an unsealed jar (if you hot pack to seal as instructed). So, once the jar is sealed, you can store these on your shelf until it is ready to open. If a jar did not seal, then you should refrigerate the unsealed jar. I hope this answered your question!
kathy Pressley Dills says
Have you ever added onions to these? Like bread and butter pickles?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
I have not. I love bread and butter pickles, but these 7 Day pickles have a distinctly different flavor to me. I'm not sure I would like onions in these pickles.
Andrea says
I’m currently making this recipe and I’m to the vinegar step. The vinegar doesn’t cover the pickles. Do you stir them frequently or add additional water to cover ?
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Andrea, You can add more vinegar to cover the pickles. Thanks! Shelby
Dana Stone says
HELP
I didn't see where you hot packed for shelf storage. PLEASE tell me how cause I'm making these now (day1).
Thanks
Dana
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Dana, I updated this post so it was a little easier to understand. I added several tips as well. The instructions for hot packing is step 7 on the recipe card. Thanks! Shelby
Cindys Recipes and Writings says
I could eat a jar of these!
Beckie Bergeron says
I have never made sweet pickles before. I will have to give these a try!
Renee @ReneesKitchenAdventures says
I adore sweet pickles. I know I'd love these!! I've never used alum when I make pickles. I'll have to try that.
Liz says
These look just like what my mom used to make! My favorite kind of pickles!!
Constance Smith | Cosmopolitan Cornbread says
Homemade pickles are the best!