Pickled Yellow Squash Relish

I’ve been making this yellow squash relish for years, and it’s honestly one of the best ways to use up all that summer squash from the garden. The combination of fresh squash, sweet onions, and tangy cider vinegar creates a sweet-and-sour condiment that I find myself putting on everything from hot dogs to scrambled eggs. Trust me, once you make a batch of this, you’ll understand why I always keep a few jars stashed in my pantry!

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1500-1700
• Protein: 10-14 g
• Fat: 1-3 g
• Carbohydrates: 370-400 g

Ingredients

For the vegetables:

• 7 medium yellow squash (diced into 1/4-inch pieces)
• 4 medium onions (finely chopped to match the squash size)
• 1 green bell pepper (finely diced)
• 1 red bell pepper (finely diced)
• 1/4 cup Morton coarse Kosher salt

For the brine:

• 3 cups sugar
• 2 1/4 cups Heinz cider vinegar
• 2 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Step 1: Prepare and Salt the Vegetables

• 7 medium yellow squash
• 4 medium onions
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup Morton coarse Kosher salt
• cold water

Dice the yellow squash into 1/4-inch pieces, finely chop the onions to match the squash size, and finely dice both the green and red bell peppers.

Place all prepared vegetables in a large bowl and toss with the kosher salt, ensuring even distribution.

Add enough cold water to cover the vegetables completely.

This salting process draws out excess moisture from the vegetables, which prevents a watery relish and concentrates the flavors.

Let this mixture sit for 1 hour at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Step 2: Drain and Rinse the Vegetables

• salted vegetable mixture from Step 1

Pour the salted vegetables into a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water, pressing gently with your hands to remove excess liquid and salt.

Make sure to rinse well so the relish isn't overly salty.

Drain completely and set aside.

I like to let the colander sit for a minute or two after draining to ensure as much liquid as possible has been released—this keeps the final relish from being too thin.

Step 3: Build the Pickling Liquid

• 3 cups sugar
• 2 1/4 cups Heinz cider vinegar
• 2 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

In a large pot, combine the sugar, cider vinegar, celery seed, turmeric, mustard seeds, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar completely.

Once it reaches a boil, let it continue boiling for 3 minutes to allow the spices to fully infuse into the liquid and develop their flavors.

This brief boiling ensures the pickling brine is properly seasoned and the spices' essential oils are released into the liquid.

Step 4: Combine and Simmer the Relish

• drained vegetables from Step 2
• pickling liquid from Step 3

Add the drained vegetables from Step 2 to the hot pickling liquid from Step 3, stirring gently but thoroughly to coat all the vegetables.

Return the mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

The quick boil softens the vegetables just slightly while maintaining some texture, and the spiced vinegar penetrates the vegetables to create that classic relish flavor.

I prefer to simmer just toward the lower end of that range—around 4 minutes—to keep the vegetables crisp rather than too soft.

Step 5: Cool and Jar the Relish

• finished relish from Step 4

Remove the pot from heat and allow the relish to cool to room temperature, which will take about 30-45 minutes.

You can speed this up slightly by spreading it into a shallow pan if desired.

Once cooled, transfer the relish to clean jars or storage containers.

The relish will continue to develop flavor as it sits, so it actually tastes better after a day or two.

Store covered in the refrigerator for up to several weeks.

Pickled Yellow Squash Relish

Delicious Pickled Yellow Squash Relish recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 42 minutes mins

Servings: 8 cups of relish

Calories: 1600

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the vegetables

• 7 medium yellow squash (diced into 1/4-inch pieces)
• 4 medium onions (finely chopped to match the squash size)
• 1 green bell pepper (finely diced)
• 1 red bell pepper (finely diced)
• 1/4 cup Morton coarse Kosher salt

For the brine

• 3 cups sugar
• 2 1/4 cups Heinz cider vinegar
• 2 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Method

 

1. Dice the yellow squash into 1/4-inch pieces, finely chop the onions to match the squash size, and finely dice both the green and red bell peppers. Place all prepared vegetables in a large bowl and toss with the kosher salt, ensuring even distribution. Add enough cold water to cover the vegetables completely. This salting process draws out excess moisture from the vegetables, which prevents a watery relish and concentrates the flavors. Let this mixture sit for 1 hour at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
2. Pour the salted vegetables into a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water, pressing gently with your hands to remove excess liquid and salt. Make sure to rinse well so the relish isn't overly salty. Drain completely and set aside. I like to let the colander sit for a minute or two after draining to ensure as much liquid as possible has been released—this keeps the final relish from being too thin.
3. In a large pot, combine the sugar, cider vinegar, celery seed, turmeric, mustard seeds, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar completely. Once it reaches a boil, let it continue boiling for 3 minutes to allow the spices to fully infuse into the liquid and develop their flavors. This brief boiling ensures the pickling brine is properly seasoned and the spices' essential oils are released into the liquid.
4. Add the drained vegetables from Step 2 to the hot pickling liquid from Step 3, stirring gently but thoroughly to coat all the vegetables. Return the mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer for 4-5 minutes. The quick boil softens the vegetables just slightly while maintaining some texture, and the spiced vinegar penetrates the vegetables to create that classic relish flavor. I prefer to simmer just toward the lower end of that range—around 4 minutes—to keep the vegetables crisp rather than too soft.
5. Remove the pot from heat and allow the relish to cool to room temperature, which will take about 30-45 minutes. You can speed this up slightly by spreading it into a shallow pan if desired. Once cooled, transfer the relish to clean jars or storage containers. The relish will continue to develop flavor as it sits, so it actually tastes better after a day or two. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to several weeks.