Nutmeg Free Sweet Pickle Relish
Tangy, sweet, and packed with crunch, this homemade pickle relish is the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste better — hot dogs, burgers, potato salad, you name it. Many store-bought relishes sneak in unexpected spices, and for anyone avoiding nutmeg, scanning labels can feel like a full-time job. This recipe keeps things clean and straightforward, relying on mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric to build that classic, bright flavor without any warm baking spices in sight. The double-vinegar base — white distilled and apple cider — gives it a beautifully balanced tang that's a little more complex than anything you'd pull off a grocery shelf. Salting the cucumbers, onion, and bell pepper first draws out excess moisture, which means the finished relish has real texture and doesn't turn watery in the jar. It comes together in one saucepan and stores easily in the fridge, making it a genuinely satisfying DIY project with a big payoff.
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Learn more →Ingredients
32 servings
- 1 ½ lbs cucumbers (about 3 medium), finely diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- ¾ cup white distilled vinegar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp celery seeds
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
Instructions
- 1
Combine the diced cucumbers, onion, and green bell pepper in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the kosher salt over the vegetables and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, until the vegetables have released a significant amount of liquid.
- 2
Transfer the salted vegetables to a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Press firmly with your hands or the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible — the vegetables should feel noticeably drier.
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