A family favorite, this 14-day sweet pickle recipe is definitely worth the wait. These old-fashioned sweet pickles are preserved in a thick sugar syrup seasoned with cloves, allspice and other spices. Be sure to grab the free printable jar labels if you’re planning on giving these pickles away as gifts.
The best recipes often have a lineage and evoke fond memories of people and times past.
They’ve been passed down, one generation to the next, notes scribbled in the margins to share tips and tricks and updates for modern kitchens and ingredients. They remind us of our grandmas, aunts, other relatives or special friends.
That’s certainly the case with this 14-day sweet pickle recipe. Since first publishing this recipe in 2017, I’ve had lots of readers tell me these pickles remind them of the ones their mom and grandmas used to make. (These watermelon rind pickles and homemade hot pepper jelly are other nostalgic favorites.)
If you’re looking for old fashioned, southern style sweet pickles, this recipe will not disappoint you!
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Many years ago, a neighbor’s grandmother shared this sweet pickle recipe with my mom. After that, Mom would pull out the recipe at the end of every summer, and get to work “putting up” a batch of the most delicious sweet pickles you’ll ever taste.
While these pickles do take a bit of a time commitment and a fair amount of ingedients, they’re actually pretty easy to make. There’s no processing required, and the hands on work is minimal.
If you want a quicker pickle fix, try these overnight refrigerator pickles or these lime-mint freezer pickles.
While there is some hands-on work required on days 1-4 and again on days 13 and 14, most of the two weeks is just spent waiting, letting the cucumbers soak in various solutions of vinegar, spices, water and sugar.
The most time-consuming steps are on Day 13 and 14, when you slice the cucumbers and pack them into jars. I always try to time those steps to fall on a weekend, when I have more time.
These pickles are worth every bit of time, effort and money you will spend on them. They’re much sweeter than a traditional bread and butter pickle. Some people call these candied pickles because of the sweet flavor and thick syrup.
You can scroll to the end of this post for a printable version of the sweet pickle recipe, but I recommend reading through the step-by-step instructions before starting to make sure you have all the ingredients, equipment and supplies you’ll need.
I’ve also included some photographs of the pickling process from separate batches my mom and I made.
We usually double or triple this 14-day sweet pickle recipe, so the number of cucumbers shown in these photographs is not representative of the what you’ll need to make a single batch. Also, my mom used a weird filter on her phone on some of her photos, so the color is not accurate, FYI.
Ingredients
- pickling cucumbers (2 gallons, or approximately 10-11 pounds)
- pickling salt
- water
- alum – this ingredient gives the pickles their crispness
- Mrs. Wages Mixed Pickling Spice
- white vinegar (5 percent acidity)
- white, granulated sugar
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment & Supplies
- 10-12 pint jars, lids and rings
- colander or strainer
- large non-reactive container, such as a large glass jar with lid , food-safe plastic bucket or a pickle crock
- large stock pot
- knife and cutting board
- plate (optional)
- cheese cloth and cooking twine to make a spice bundle
Want to see a brief overview of the process before diving into the recipe? Watch my web story on how to make 14-day sweet pickles.
How to Make 14-Day Sweet Pickles
Day 1
Wash the cucumbers thoroughly.
Leave them whole and place them into a large glass jar, food-safe plastic container or a pickle crock. DO NOT use an aluminum pan or other reactive container.
Add 3 cups of pickling salt to 1 gallon of boiling water and pour over the cucumbers.
If necessary, use a plate or bowl to hold the cucumbers down to make sure they’re completely submerged in the salty water.
Cover and allow the cucumbers to sit in the salted water for 24 hours.
Day 2
Drain the cucumbers well. You will notice that they have been reduced in size, as the pickling salt has drawn the liquid out of them.
Return the cucumbers to the container you used to soak them.
Add 4 ounces of powdered alum to 1 gallon of boiling water. Pour the water over the cucumbers.
Cover, making sure the cucumbers are submerged in liquid. Allow to sit for 24 hours.
Day 3
Drain the cucumbers. You may notice they have plumped up after soaking in the water and alum.
Return the cucumbers to container and cover with clear boiling water. Allow to sit for 24 hours.
Days 4-12
Drain the cucumbers well and return to the glass jar or soaking containers.
Prepare a spice bag by tying 1.75 ounces of Mrs. Wages Mixed Pickling Spice into cheesecloth.
Add the spice bag and 1 gallon of vinegar to a stockpot and bring to a simmer.
Pour the simmering vinegar solution, along with the spice bag, over the cucumbers. Cover.
If necessary, use a weighted plate or bowl to hold the cucumbers down to make sure they’re completely submerged in the vinegar.
After two or three days, remove the pickling spice bag and discard.
Allow the cucmbers to soak in vinegar for a total of nine days.
Day 13
Drain the cucumbers well. Slice off the ends of the cucumbers and discard. Cut cucumbers into round slices, about ¼-inch thick.
Next, place a layer of sliced cucumbers in the bottom of the large jar or container you’ve been using. Cover with a layer of sugar. Continue layering sugar and cucumbers until the jar is full.
The sugar will dissolve and form a syrup. Eventually, you want to add 10 pounds of sugar to the two gallons of cucumbers.
Tip: I don’t recommend adding all the sugar at once as some of the bottom layers may not completely dissolve.
Instead, add the sugar in batches as the previous amount dissolves.
Once the syrup has begun to form, it helps to stir the mixture gently. It usually takes a day or two for the sugar to dissolve completely and form a syrup. Stirring the mixture will help the syrup form.
Keep the pickles covered in the glass jar or pickling crock while waiting for the sugar to dissolve into a syrup.
Day 14
One the sugar has dissolved completely, it’s time to pack the sweet pickles into jars.
Sterilize jars, lids and rings. I usually use the dishwasher for this.
Spoon pickles into jars. Be sure to leave ½ inch of headspace and make sure the pickle slices are covered with syrup.
Wipe the jars clean before adding the lids and rings.
Now the pickles are ready to eat. They are so good on a burger or a sandwich or all on their own.
How to Store Sweet Pickles
The original recipe for these 14-day pickles did not require any further processing once the pickles and syrup are ladled into jars. My mom always stored her unopened jars in the pantry, for up to a year.
Even though we have had no issues with these pickles, our knoweldge about food safety and food-borne illnesses has changed over the decades. So I recommend storing the finished jars of pickles in the refrigerator. They will keep for months.
If you have concerns about this method of pickling, I recommend you read the Q&A on a similar recipe from What’s Cooking America. This USDA home canning guide has information about how to process 14-day pickles using the water bath canning method.
Printable Jar Labels
Along with the recipe, I’m sharing some pretty printable labels to add to the tops of the jars.
Just enter your information below to have the labels emailed to you. They’re designed to be printed on Avery #22807 2-inch round labels.
Frequently Asked Questions
While both types of pickles are sweet, they are not the same.
These 14-day sweet pickles are packed in a thick syrup. and their sweetness is their definining characteristic.
Bread and butter pickles are packed in brine, and they are tangy-sweet. Most bread and butter pickle recipes also include onions. Many fast food restaurants use bread and butter pickles on their burgers or chicken sandwiches.
I love adding these pickles to burgers and sandwiches. They’re also great on salads or as a snack all their own.
If you don’t have sweet pickle relish, you can chop some these up and use them in my easy chicken salad recipe. So yummy!
More Related Recipes
You may also enjoy these other canning and preserving recipes.
- Watermelon Rind Pickles
- Overnight Refrigerator Pickles
- Lime-Mint Freezer Pickles
- Preserved Lemon
- Strawberry Jam
- Pepper Jelly
- Lemon Curd
Pin This! 14-Day Sweet Pickles Recipe
Printable Recipe Card
Southern 14-Day Sweet Pickles
Equipment
- 10-12 pint canning jars, lids & rings
- colander or strainer
- large non-reactive container, such as a large glass jar with lid, food-safe plastic buckle or a pickle crock
- non-reactive stock pot
- cheesecloth
- cooking twine
- plate optional
Ingredients
- 2 gallons pickling cucumbers approximately 10-11 pounds
- 3 cups pickling salt
- water
- 4 ounces alum
- 1¾ ounces Mrs. Wages Mixed Pickling Spice
- 1 gallon white vinegar
- 10 pounds sugar
Instructions
Day 1
- Wash the cucumbers thoroughly. Leave them whole and place them into a large glass jar, food-safe plastic container or a pickling crock. DO NOT use an aluminum pan or other reactive container.
- Add 3 cups of pickling salt to 1 gallon of boiling water and pour over the cucumbers. Cover. If necessary, use a plate or bowl to hold the cucumbers down to make sure they’re completely submerged in the salty water. Allow to sit for 24 hours.
Day 2
- Drain the cucumbers well. You will notice that they have been reduced in size, as the pickling salt has drawn the liquid out of them.
- Return the cucumbers to the container you used to soak them. Add 4 ounces of powdered alum to 1 gallon of boiling water. Pour the water over the cucumbers.
- Cover, making sure the cucumbers are submerged in liquid. Allow to sit for 24 hours.
Day 3
- Drain the cucumbers. You may notice they have plumped up after soaking in the water and alum. Return the cucumbers to container and cover with clear boiling water. Allow to sit for 24 hours.
Days 4-12
- Drain the cucumbers well and return to the glass jar or other container.
- Prepare spice bag by tying 1.75 ounces of Mrs. Wages Mixed Pickling Spice into cheesecloth.
- Add spice bag to 1 gallon of white vinegar and bring to a simmer on the stovetop.
- Pour the simmering vinegar, along with the spice bag, over the cucumbers. Cover. If necessary, use a weighted plate or bowl to hold the cucumbers down to make sure they're completely submerged in the vinegar. Allow to soak in the vinegar for nine days.
- After two or three days, remove the pickling spice bag and discard it. Continue to soak cucumbers in the vinegar mixture.
Day 13
- Drain the cucumbers well. Slice off the ends and discard. Cut the remaining cucumbers into round slices.
- Place a layer of sliced cucumbers in the bottom of the large jar or container you’ve been using. Cover with a layer of sugar. Continue layering sugar and cucumbers.
- The sugar will dissolve and form a syrup. Eventually, you want to add 10 pounds of sugar to the two gallons of cucumbers.
- Don’t add all the sugar at once as some of the bottom layers may not completely dissolve. Instead, add the sugar in batches as the previous amount dissolves.
- Once the syrup has begun to form, it helps to stir the mixture gently. It usually takes a day or two for the sugar to dissolve completely and form a syrup. Stirring the mixture will help the syrup form.
- Keep the pickles covered while the syrup forms.
Day 14
- One the sugar has dissolved completely, you can pack the sweet pickles into jars.
- Sterilize jars, lids and rings. Spoon pickles into pint-sized jars. Be sure to leave ½ inch of headspace and make sure the pickle slices are covered with syrup.
- Wipe the jars clean before adding the lids and rings.
- Store filled jars in the refrigerator.
Nannie B
I thought surely this recipe can’t be right………but I followed the instructions. BEST PICKLES ever!
Heidi
My family loves sweet pickles so I had to give this recipe a try! Not only was the recipe easy but my entire family (myself included) loved the pickles.
Cheryl Davis-West
Can you leave them whole?
Atta Girl Amy
I haven’t tried leaving the pickles whole, but I do know similar 7-day and 8-day picke recipes that are whole. I think they just might not be as sweet.