How to Make Pickled Cauliflower or Brussel Sprouts - Easily! With Step-by-step Directions, Photos, Ingredients, Recipe and Costs
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And we have home canning, preserving, drying and freezing directions. You can access recipes and other resources from the drop down menus at the top of the page or the site search. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to write me! Also make your own ice cream; see How to make ice cream and ice cream making equipment and manuals. Have fun, eat healthier and better tasting, and save money by picking your own locally grown fruit and vegetables, and then using our easy directions

Yield: 8 to 10 pint jars
Click here for a PDF print version
Making and canning your own pickled Brussels sprouts or pickled cauliflower is pretty easy with the directions below!
But do note that the vinegar (pickling) is important. There are no recipes or directions for canning Brussels Sprouts from any of the canning authorities (USDA, Ball Blue Book, university food science departments, etc.). One, Michigan State University's extension, provided this explanation: Brussels sprouts are "Not recommended for canning because the processing intensifies strong flavors and discolors the vegetable. Brussels sprouts are much better frozen or pickled. "
If you'd rather freeze the cauliflower or Brussels Sprouts, see this page.
Ingredients
- 12 cups of 1- to 2-inch cauliflower flowerets or small Brussels sprouts
- 4 cups white vinegar (5 percent)
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups thinly sliced onions
- 1 cup diced sweet red peppers
- 2 tbsp mustard seed
- 1 tbsp celery seed
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp hot red pepper flakes
Equipment
- 1 Water Bath Canner (a huge pot with a lifting rack to sanitize the jars of applesauce after filling (about $30 to $35 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates) You CAN use a large pot instead, but the canners are deeper, and have a rack top make lifting the jars out easier. If you plan on canning every year, they're worth the investment.
- Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)
- Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sanitize them. ($2 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)
- Jar funnel ($2 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)
- At least 1 large pot (at least 8-quart size or larger)
- Large spoons and ladles
- Ball jars (Publix, Kroger, other grocery stores and some "big box" stores carry them - about $8 per dozen quart jars including the lids and rings)
Directions - Step by Step
Step 1 - Wash the Brussels Sprouts or Cauliflower
Wash the cauliflower flowerets or brussel sprouts (removing stems and blemished outer leaves)
Step 2 - Get the jars and lids sanitizing
The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sanitize" cycle.
I get that going while I'm preparing everything else, so it's done by the
time I'm ready to fill the jars. If you don't have a
dishwasher, submerge the jars in a large pot (the canner itself) of
water and bring it to a boil.
Be sure to let it go through the rinse cycle to get rid of any soap!
Get the canner heating up
Fill the canner about 1/2 full of water and start it heating (with the lid on).
Start the water for the lids
Put the lids into
the small pot of boiling water for at least
several minutes. Note: everything gets
sanitized in the water
bath (step 7)
anyway, so this just helps to ensure
there is no spoilage later!)

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Step 3 - Blanch (boil)
Boil the veggies in salt water (4 tsp canning salt per gallon of water) for 3 minutes for cauliflower and 4 minutes for brussel sprouts. This is called blanching; it stops the enzymes and kills bacteria, both of which can degrade flavor during storage.
Step 4 - Drain and cool.
Just drain them and cool them in ice water for about 10 minutes.
Step 5 - Mix the pickling solution
Combine the vinegar, sugar, onion, diced red pepper, and spices in large saucepan.
Step 6 - Heat the pickling solution
Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 7 - Fill the jars
Distribute the Brussels sprouts (or cauliflower) onion and diced pepper among jars. Fill jars with pieces and pickling solution, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
Step 8 - Process (boil the jars in the water bath canner)
Put the jars in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water. Keep the water boiling. Boil them for 10 minutes (or as directed by the table below if your altitude is greater than 1,000 ft).
Adjust lids and process according to the table below:
Recommended process time for Pickled Cauliflower or Brussel Sprouts in a boiling-water canner. | |||
Process Time at Altitudes of | |||
Allowed Jar Sizes | 0 - 1,000 ft | 1,001 - 6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
Half-pints or Pints | 10 minutes | 15 minutes | 20 minutes |
Step 9 - Done
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosen them quite a bit, so they don't rust in place due to trapped moisture. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.
When can you start eating the pickles? Well, it takes some time
for the seasonings to be absorbed into the pickles. That's at
least 24 hours, but for best flavor wait 2 weeks! Ah... the wait...
This document was adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning,"
Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA, revised 2009.
Reviewed November 2009.
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