Chow Chow Recipe (Southern Relish)
Transform any meal with a spoonful of this chow chow recipe, a classic Southern relish that’s a flavorful combination of tart, sweet, crunchy, and spicy.
If you have never heard about chow chow relish before, you’re in for a treat! This is a classic Southern condiment that people often called the end-of-season relish. Did your granny make this? If yes she would likely get all the leftover vegetables from her garden, like green tomatoes, under-developed bell peppers, onions, and cabbage, and make a big batch of chow chow relish. It made sure nothing was ever wasted, which was so important back in those days.
Using four main veggies: onions, cabbage, green tomatoes, and green and red bell peppers. But just like they did back then, you can use whatever veggies you want that you don’t want to waste. Our veggies are pickled in a tart, sweet, and flavorful combination of white vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric.
The instructions are thankfully pretty simple. All we have to do is finely chop up our vegetables, let them soak in salt overnight, and then bring the remaining ingredients to a boil the following day. Then it’s just a matter of canning the relish. This is such an easy chow chow relish recipe to follow and I just know you’re gonna love how tasty it is! The combination of flavors is irresistible.
Now let’s get to this recipe so I can enjoy a big bowl of red beans with chow chow and cornbread.
Recipe Ingredients
- Onion
- Cabbage
- Green tomatoes
- Red and green bell pepper
- Coarse salt
- Granulated sugar
- Mustard seed
- Celery seed
- Turmeric
- White vinegar
- Water
How to Make Chow Chow Relish
Chop vegetables finely using a food processor or grinder.
Place the chopped vegetables in a porcelain or glass container and sprinkle with the salt.
Cover and let them stand overnight.
Place the vegetables in a large colander and rinse very well under cold running water. Divide into smaller batches if necessary.
Drain thoroughly and place in a large stockpot.
Combine the remaining ingredients…
Then pour over chopped vegetables. Heat to boiling and then boil for 4 minutes.
Ladle into clean pint jars that have been sterilized in boiling water.
Seal with sterilized lids according to manufacturer instructions.
Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Here’s my canning tutorial for more info.
Now enjoy your homemade chow chow relish with some beans and cornbread. YUM!
Storage
When canned properly and stored in a cool, dry place, the green tomato chow chow will last up to one year.
Recipe Notes
- If you like, substitute the white vinegar for apple cider vinegar.
- For extra heat, add a sliced cayenne pepper or jalapeno pepper to the veggies (remember to wash your hands thoroughly afterward).
- Other pickling spices you might like to add to this recipe for chow chow relish (a teaspoon each) include ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground allspice, a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, and dry mustard (or yellow mustard powder).
- If you don’t have access to green tomatoes, normal tomatoes will work in a pinch.
- You want to use pickling salt or kosher salt, not iodized table salt.
Recipe FAQs
What is chow chow?
Chow chow is a pickled relish condiment made from a variety of vegetables. Its origins are traced back to the South as a way to use up ingredients in the pantry. There’s no traditional chow chow recipe and it can vary from region to region, but the main ingredient is typically green cabbage. You can eat it by itself or add it as a main dish topping for extra flavor.
Chow chow is also a common recipe in the Pennslyvania Dutch area and in Britain where they call it Piccalilli. Amish chow chow recipe ingredients are very similar, but they often use different vegetables like green beans, lima beans, cauliflower, and corn kernels.
What does chow chow taste like?
Chow Chow tastes like a pickled relish, so it’s both sweet and sour thanks to the combination of sugar and vinegar.
How do you serve chow chow?
Southern chow chow goes well with so many Southern dishes. Here are some serving suggestions:
- Serve it as a Southern side dish with cornbread and a main dish like Southern fried catfish or Southern fried chicken.
- As I mentioned, it’s so good with red beans and cornbread or pinto beans and ham.
- Add it as a topping to sandwiches like pulled pork sandwiches, burgers, and hot dogs.
- Pour it over cream cheese and serve alongside crackers.
- Add it to your next charcuterie board.
- Stir the chow chow into deviled eggs or potato salad.
Check out these other Southern specialties:
Hush Puppies Recipe, Southern-Style
Southern-Style Fried Okra Recipe
Southern Biscuit Recipe (3 Ingredients Only)
Oven-Baked Mac and Cheese (Southern Plate Favorite)
Ingredients
- 12 medium onions 4 cups
- 1 medium head cabbage 4 cups
- 10 green tomatoes 4 cups
- 12 green bell peppers
- 6 sweet red bell peppers
- ½ cup coarse salt
- 6 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp mustard seed
- 1 tbsp celery seed
- 1 ½ tsp turmeric
- 4 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Chop vegetables finely using a food processor or grinder. Place the chopped vegetables in a porcelain or glass container and sprinkle with the salt. Cover and let them stand overnight.12 medium onions, 1 medium head cabbage, 10 green tomatoes, 12 green bell peppers, 6 sweet red bell peppers, ½ cup coarse salt
- Place the vegetables in a large colander and rinse very well under cold running water. Divide into smaller batches if necessary.
- Drain thoroughly and place in a large stockpot. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chopped vegetables. Heat to boiling and then boil for 4 minutes.6 cups granulated sugar, 2 tbsp mustard seed, 1 tbsp celery seed, 1 ½ tsp turmeric, 4 cups white vinegar, 2 cups water
- Ladle into clean pint jars that have been sterilized in boiling water. Seal with sterilized lids according to manufacturer instructions. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Nutrition
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I was born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia and I’ve seen many a Mason jar of chow chow on the table. Sure is good with pintos, fried taters and cornbread. I thought that was pretty much just a West Virginia thing like our hot dogs (http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/01/the-west-virginia-hot-dogs-slaw-mapping-project/ ) pizza bread and pepperoni rolls. One thing is for certain Joyce, I’m glad you shared the recipe with your story and Christy, thank you for posting it…I can add it to collection.
My father made chow chow when we were little but he called it Cha Cha so we did too! It was hot and spicy and we ate it on greens. I love it. Unfortunately I never got the recipe before he passed away. A couple of years ago we went to Alabama and I bought some pretty good hot chow chow in a supermarket there. Seeing this recipe tells me to make a note to look for more hot chow chow the next time I go shopping. Thanks for this recipe. I may try this and add some hot peppers!
My Nona made Chow Chow from her garden. My mouth still waters when I think of the vinegar/sugar/ mustard boiling around the freshly chopped vegetables. The grinder attached to her table, and we would fight to get to turn the crank. My Nona was from Italy, but she spent most of her life in northern Illinois. This is not just a “Southern” recipe.
My husband and I are both native Atlantans. He grew up eating Chow Chow but I did not. His family always served it on top of their black eyed peas. I think black eyed peas are the southern version of pinto beans. I used to be able to find red or green chow chow in the grocery store but I can’t find it any more. I excited about trying this recipe and making it myself!
This sounds like the same chowchow that my both Grandma’s and my mom made every summer….it was so good. Used to eat it with beans and corn bread. Thanks for the recipe Joyce and Christy.
Thank You so much for your chow-chow recipe, it is just like my Grandmama made for us growing up. Now I am the “Grandme”, and cannot wait to make this recipe for my family, (I know this is the same chow-chow recipe that was used when it was made for us 60 years ago in Texas!)
I’m from Summersville, WV. We have chow chow all the time with a big ole pot of pinto beans and a skillet of cornbread. My mother-in-law also named Joyce used to make this every summer. This recipe sounds wonderful!
My momma always has, and still does, make chow-chow in VA (I now live in southern AL, and no one knows about chow-chow here). But we always put it on green – turnip, kale, etc. I bring back jars when I make trips home!