Before my mother-in-law moved to the coast to care for her mom, she loves to garden in the community garden at her church. I’d bring Molly out there and she’d help her pick veggies and wash them.
Every summer and fall she always brings us lots of veggies – squash, beets, eggplant, and more. I just love when I can make a meal out of all she has given us.

This year she’s had okra coming out her ears — both green and purple okra. Have you ever seen purple okra? I had not. But, we’ve been the lucky recipients! Over the last couple months, she’s brought us several pounds. We love okra — fried, in stew, and my kids absolutely inhale pickled okra.

I don’t ever have any fancy spices lying around, so I like to make it based on what I have in the kitchen. And, we don’t own any canning equipment. It’s just stored in the fridge and lasts 2-3 months.

Table of Contents
What do you need to make Easy Pickled Okra?
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds okra, rinsed
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3-4 heaping spoonfuls of minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- a few pinches of red pepper flakes
- jars for canning
How do you make Easy Pickled Okra?
1. Wash jars on hot with hot start and hot dry in the dishwasher.
2. Allow to dry upside down on clean towels.
3. Place the lids in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Then, let air dry on clean towels.

4. Wash okra. Pack as much okra as you can into jars lengthwise. (We got 3 pint-sized jars total)
5. Add vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt and water to pot and bring to a boil. Then, immediately turn off the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.
6. Next, pour the liquid over over the okra in the jars.

7. Put a pinch or two of red pepper flakes in each jar.
8. Tighten lids and give a few shakes.
9. Allow the jars to reach room temperature before placing in the fridge. Give them a week of pickling before eating. My kids think they taste best after they’ve pickled for a month or so.

If you love okra as much as we do, click HERE to enjoy our Buttermilk Southern Fried Okra recipe.

More Canning Recipes
- How to make Canned Apricot Pie Filling
- Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce You can Freeze
- Apricot Butter
- Homemade Fresh Strawberry Syrup

Easy Pickled Okra
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds okra, rinsed
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3-4 heaping spoonfuls of minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- a few pinches of red pepper flakes
- jars for canning
Instructions
- Wash jars on hot with hot start and hot dry in the dishwasher.
- Allow to dry upside down on clean towels.
- Place the lids in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Then, let air dry on clean towels.
- Wash okra. Pack as much okra as you can into jars lengthwise. (We got 3 pint-sized jars total)
- Add vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt and water to pot and bring to a boil. Then, immediately turn off the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Next, pour the liquid over over the okra in the jars.
- Put a pinch or two of red pepper flakes in each jar.
- Tighten lids and give a few shakes.
- Allow the jars to reach room temperature before placing in the fridge. Give them a week of pickling before eating. My kids think they taste best after they've pickled for a month or so.
4 comments
Easy and delicious. I did add some fresh dill to each jar and they turned out great!
HI, I must have missed something because I followed your recipe and let them sit for about 3 weeks and they are fiberus and woody. Was I suppose to cook them first?
I had not heard of okra described as woody before, so I did some research. From what I found that is what happens when okra is overripe. Apparently, if it’s grown in very hot and dry conditions, it can become tough and woody. Also, it can become woody and tough if it’s allowed to grow too long, like longer than 7 inches or so. I had no idea! Apparently, pickling will not help it when it’s gotten to the point of being tough and woody. Everything I’ve read says that all that can be done is to use it for seeds to plant again. Sorry about that!
Use okra pods that are no longer than 4” and they should do very well.