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Home » Blog » Recipes » Appetizers

Sweet Heat Pickles

by Donya Mullins 26 Comments This post may contain affiliate links.

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Hot, sweet pickles that are amazing on top of burgers or BBQ but are also perfect for nibbling. Their surprising flavor will have you wondering just why you’ve never made them before!

Sweet heat pickles made with dill, herbs and hot peppers are great for snacking, on burgers, dogs and perfect for game day.

 

Since everyone has their favorite dishes in mind for game day for the football playoffs, I decided to add a little something unexpected to liven things up.
fire and ice pickles

Some dishes on my menu are obvious like, pulled pork, homemade dips, a couple of great desserts but something was missing and I wanted to try a new “accessory” that would work with one of the main dishes. When I saw this recipe from another blogger friend, Mary at Deep South Dish, I knew I had to make my own version of these “re-pickled” pickles. The recipe ingredients might sound a little strange, but once you bite into one of these pickles…you’ll know why they are the star on any menu!

hot pickles in jar

So, take a chance, throw the “Hail Mary” pass and try these pickles – they’ll score big on game day! I might have to make more tomorrow cause I’m not sure I’ll have enough left for the party!hot pickles

5 from 2 votes

Sweet Heat Pickles

Author: Donya Mullins
Course: Extras
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Print Pin Rate
Sweet Heat Pickles will leave you wondering why you haven't made them before.

Ingredients

  • 1 large jar (about 46 oz) plain Dill pickles , about 6 cups sliced (not kosher dill - they do not work with this recipe - this is important)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 6 cloves garlic - minced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh jalapeño - chopped less depending on how much heat you like
  • 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons parsley - chopped

Instructions

  • Drain pickles and discard juice. Save the jar to store pickles in later. Slice pickles into ¼ to ½ inch.
  • Begin layering into a larger jar: 1-½ cup of pickles per layer. Top the pickles with ½ cup sugar, 2 cloves of garlic sliced or chopped, ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon of chopped jalapeño.
  • Repeat layers until all pickles are used. Pour any remaining sugar on top.
  • Cover jar and store on the counter for about an hour, or until the sugar begins to liquify.
  • Stir or simply shake to mix the pickles well, and pull any undissolved sugar up from the bottom.
  • Cover and leave on the counter for several more hours, or overnight. Stir and refrigerate 1 to 2 additional days.
Did you make my Sweet Heat Pickles?I'd love to see! Share on Instagram, tag @asouthernsoul, and use the hashtag #asouthernsoul!
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Sweet heat pickles made with dill, herbs and hot peppers are great for snacking, on burgers, dogs and perfect for game day.

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Donya with A Southern Soul

Meet A Southern Soul

Hey, there! I’m Donya and welcome to A Southern Soul. I love to cook and entertain with easy to make recipes and simple ideas that make people feel special. Read More

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  1. Shannon

    July 21, 2022 at 11:49 am

    Do you know if you can use a sugar substitute….Do you think it will work

    Reply
    • Donya

      July 21, 2022 at 12:35 pm

      Hey there Shannon!
      Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, I think you’re really going to love it! I’ve never personally tried using a sugar substitute in this recipe, but it’s definitely worth a try, Splenda would probably be a good option since it’s so finely granulated. I hope this helps, let me know how it turns out, I’d love to hear what you think!
      ~Donya

      Reply
  2. Tillman Hughes

    June 5, 2022 at 9:12 pm

    I have a problem in that the pickles shrivel up. What did I do wrong?

    Reply
    • Donya

      June 6, 2022 at 8:05 am

      Hey there Tillman!
      I’ve honestly never run into that problem with this recipe, so I’m not quite sure how to solve it. If I had to guess, they might be shriveling up because the sugar isn’t liquifying properly and there isn’t enough moisture in the jar. I would recommend reserving about 1 to 2 tablespoons of pickle juice and leaving that at the bottom of the jar to help the sugar dissolve, though you may have to experiment to find the perfect amount of pickle juice to add. I hope this is helpful, let me know if you have better luck the second go round. I really appreciate your support, if you have any other questions about a recipe I’d be more than happy to help!
      ~Donya

      Reply
  3. Taylor

    June 1, 2022 at 1:37 pm

    Hi! I’d love to make these but curious what pickles you’d recommend?
    I am having a hard time finding pickles that aren’t kosher.

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Donya

      June 2, 2022 at 8:17 am

      Hey there Taylor!
      Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, that’s a terrific question! There are a couple different pickle brands that have a non-kosher dill pickle, I usually use either the Mt. Olive Hamburger Dill Pickle Chips or the Heinz Brand Hamburger Pickles, both work well in this recipe. I really hope this helps, let me know how everything turns out, I’d love to hear what you think!
      ~Donya

      Reply
      • Taylor

        June 2, 2022 at 12:47 pm

        Thank you so much!!
        I can’t wait to try these!

        Reply
  4. Carolyn

    December 11, 2021 at 7:16 am

    I’ve made these but added a jar of hot pickled peppers to the mix instead of fresh. They are wonderful. Thankyou for such an easy recipe.

    Reply
    • Donya

      December 11, 2021 at 9:35 am

      Hey there Carolyn!
      Thank you so much for your kind words, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! I bet adding hot pickled peppers was delicious, I’ll have to try that! Thank you for your support, if you ever have any questions about a recipe feel free to reach out!
      ~Donya

      Reply
  5. Sharon

    October 9, 2021 at 10:14 pm

    Looking forward to tasting these. Just made them but have to wait a couple day 😩 No mention of when to add the parsley so just added it with the other spices. They sound delicious 😋😋

    Reply
    • Donya

      October 10, 2021 at 10:18 am

      Hey there Sharon!
      Thank you so much for your kind words! I add the parsley at the same time as the other spices, you were absolutely correct. You’ll have to tell me what you think once you try them, and if you have any questions feel free to reach out! Thanks so much for your support!
      ~Donya

      Reply
  6. Paula

    September 28, 2021 at 1:26 pm

    Loved these but the sugar did not completely desolve. I used granulated Stiva which is suppose to be a 1 to 1 substitute. I will try again with less sugar. Have you heard about anyone else having this problem?

    Reply
    • Donya

      September 28, 2021 at 2:05 pm

      Hey there Paula!
      Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe as well as this fantastic rating! I haven’t personally experienced this issue, but I think that using less sugar should work better, I would recommend about 1.5 cups instead of 2. If that doesn’t work you can also try blending your sugar, in either a Cuisinart or a blender, to try to break it up into even smaller granules. Let me know how your second batch turns out, I hope you enjoy!
      ~Donya

      Reply
  7. Judi T. Howell

    August 14, 2021 at 2:31 pm

    I just discovered your recipe. It sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try it. I was wondering how long you can keep these in the refrigerator. You mentioned putting them on the refrigerator for one or two days, so I wasn’t sure if you meant that two days is the limit.
    Thanks,
    Judi T. Howell

    Reply
    • Donya

      August 15, 2021 at 10:11 am

      Hey there Judi!
      Thanks for this sweet comment, I appreciate your interest in this recipe! These pickles will keep in the refrigerator for about 3-4 weeks, although they never tend to last longer than a few days sitting in my fridge. I hope you enjoy this recipe, if you end up making it let me know how it turns out!
      ~Donya

      Reply
  8. Juli Green

    June 22, 2021 at 10:38 pm

    Why can’t you use kosher dill?

    Reply
    • Donya

      June 26, 2021 at 2:09 pm

      Hey there Juli!
      That’s a fantastic question! I don’t recommend using kosher dill pickles for this recipe because the flavor of the brine they’re already soaking in doesn’t mix as well with the flavors of the brine we make in the recipe. You can absolutely use Kosher Dill pickles, it’s just going change the flavor a little bit. I hope you try this recipe, let me know how you like it!
      ~Donya

      Reply
      • McKenzie pierce

        July 18, 2022 at 12:45 pm

        Hi! What kind of other pickles should I use? I can’t seem to find non kosher dill pickles

        Reply
        • Donya

          July 18, 2022 at 3:38 pm

          Hey there McKenzie!
          Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, I think you’re really going to like it! If you can’t find non-kosher dill pickles anywhere then you can use kosher dill pickles, the flavor will just be slightly different then the original recipe. I hope this helps, let me know how everything turns out if you give it a try, I’d love to hear what you think!
          ~Donya

          Reply
  9. centuryfoods

    May 5, 2021 at 4:12 am

    Hi, Just found your article when I was looking at making pickle at home. Very well written and worth reading this article. I am planning to make this with my sister.
    Wish to see more in coming days

    Reply
    • Donya

      May 5, 2021 at 7:34 am

      Hey there!
      Thank you so much, this was such a sweet comment to read this morning! I’m so glad you enjoyed this article, it’s a fun recipe to make. Thank you for your support and your fantastic rating! I hope you enjoy, let me know how it goes!
      ~Donya

      Reply
  10. Wayne carter

    January 26, 2018 at 12:03 am

    I’m sure I’d love these. I buy something similar at our local Piggly Wiggly and made by Wickle’s. Maybe, I’ll get around to your recipe during 2018.

    Reply
  11. Billy

    January 23, 2018 at 8:38 pm

    These look delicious! I love pickles with a little bit of heat on them. Really great for hamburgers! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Donya

      February 17, 2018 at 4:06 pm

      You are so welcome, Billy. I agree on hamburgers.
      XO,
      ~Donya

      Reply
    • Jennie Brown

      August 8, 2021 at 11:08 am

      I don’t have a gallon glass jar can I use a plastic gallon jar .

      Reply
      • Donya

        August 8, 2021 at 12:38 pm

        Hey there!
        That’s a great question! You don’t need to use a glass jar, I would just make sure that you have a jar large enough to layer all your pickles in. I really hope you enjoy the recipe, let me know how it turns out!
        ~Donya

        Reply

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Hey, there! I’m Donya and welcome to A Southern Soul. I love to cook and entertain with easy to make recipes and simple ideas that make people feel special. Read More

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