Old Pickle Jars Aren't Trash: 13 Genius Ways To Turn Them Into Home Treasures

Regardless of where you stand on the sweet vs. dill pickle debate, it's worth holding onto their glass jars once you've eaten them all. Buying new glass containers is expensive, and the jars that pickles come in can be surprisingly cute with some minor changes. Upcycling old food jars is an eco-friendly craft idea. As a bonus, the juice in those jars is the forgotten kitchen liquid that doubles as a natural de-icer, so you can use everything that's left once the pickles are gone.

We've curated 13 creative pickle jar projects that range from photo keepsake displays and floral lanterns to apothecary-style storage jars and candle holders. Some of these projects involve minimal upcycling on the clear glass jars. Others entail a full makeover, potentially leading you to decoupage, paint, or apply clay over the glass. If you're a crafty person, you'll likely have most of the materials you need on hand. You'll also want to wash the jars well and remove the labels before you get started.

While all of these pickle jar projects come with a suggested style or theme, they're so easy to adjust to fit your style. Feel free to swap out design elements, choose different colors, and embellish the pieces the way you see fit. All of the jars are pretty enough to act as decor, but many of them can also double as storage or pieces that display other items. If you don't use the lids, you can repurpose them for unique and artsy DIYs, too.

The creator behind Sustain My Craft Habit uses a pickle jar as a beach-themed photo display, complete with sand collected on a beach trip. Add quotes or the date of your trip on the jar with vinyl cutouts or paint. Position faux greenery stems toward the back and arrange a beach photo inside, along with shells, driftwood, and other treasures. Twine or rope around the rim finishes off the project, which you can also embellish with additional shells, metal anchor charms, and other theme-appropriate pieces.

Creator Sibia Torres Padilla tucked dried flowers inside a pickle jar to create a whimsical lantern. Using a mix of flower types and colors creates contrast. Add other embellishments to personalize the look — seed pods, moss, or twigs fit the nature aesthetic. Punch two holes in the lid to hold a twine hanger. From there, paint the lid to change its look and hide any print, and either attach a small puck light on its underside or weave battery-powered fairy lights in among the dried flowers.

Another take on turning pickle jars into stunning patio lanterns comes from Cassandra Evans. She decoupages pressed flowers to the outside of a clean pickle jar as the main decoration. This would pair well with a frosted glass spray over the container, or a layer of spray glitter. To make it glow, add a battery-powered candle, a puck light, or a string of fairy lights inside the jar. While it works as a tabletop lantern, you can also use wire or twine to create a hanger around the jar rim.

Transform old pickle jars into chic countertop decor with thrifted lace and candle beads with a project from Foton Pearled Candle. You won't need the lid for this craft; just glue a piece of lacy ribbon (or another material, like leather strips, twine, or gemstone-studded ribbon) around the top edge of the jar. The original creator leaves the jar plain, but you can also paint or embellish the jar. Once that's done, pour candle beads inside and slide a wick in place for an instant candle.

The YouTube channel Luxury Living with Enn shows off a glamorous pickle jar makeover that creates hidden storage for a shelf, countertop, or table. Paint the jar black for a classic glam background. To create the textured look, drizzle hot glue around the top and cover it with gold leaf (or use metallic gold paint or glitter). The lid gets the same gold leaf treatment along with a finial topper, which you can create with a crystal-style drawer knob.

Transform a pickle jar into a chic flower vase with cement in this DIY from TikTok creator EveBProjects. Make rings of cement to cover the top and bottom of the jar with a rounded bowl-like mold. Once it hardens, remove the jar from the mold. You can leave the concrete plain for a minimalist look, or paint it to incorporate more color. Or you can skip the top cement ring entirely, instead creating a lone cement base for the container.

For a vintage apothecary look, transform pickle jars into chic countertop storage with thrifted knobs. Leave the jars clear or add paint or frosted glass spray to create hidden storage. Paint the lid in a color that works with the decor in the room where you'll use it for storage. Drill a hole in the center of the lid, which will allow you to add your decorative knob. You can also make thin circles of wood with holes drilled through them for extra height on the handle.

This DIY is similar to the apothecary jar, but it's more decorative because of the designs. It starts with a base coat of paint (white in Our Upcycled Life's case, but you can use any color) on the jar. Then, cut out images from decorative paper or napkins, and decoupage them onto the jar. You can also add a quote or name on the jar using vinyl letters or paint. You can leave the jar as-is without the lid, or paint the lid and add a knob for a closed jar.

A little rope or twine creates a nautical look for a pickle jar. You can recreate this project with clear glass, or you can tint it with Mod Podge and food coloring. For a simple design, glue vertical and horizontal sections of twine onto the jar and around the rim. Another option is to use a macrame-style tying technique for a net-like look. Or, wrap the jar in this Patioland Decorative Finishing Net or something similar. From there, add a candle or fairy lights inside to create the lantern effect.

Want to hold onto the pickle theme? Take inspiration from a pickle-shaped candle created in a pickle jar on The Ellion Show's YouTube channel. The creator shaped pickles out of green and mustard yellow soy wax mixed together, positioning them inside of a Mt. Olive pickle jar. The "pickle juice" is melted mustard yellow wax. Once the jar was filled, she added a few more shaped pickle ends sticking up from the top of the wax.

Our Upcycled Life turned a giant pickle jar into a pottery-style container. Air-dried clay is rolled to cover the jar; decoupage glue is used to attach it. After smoothing the clay, it's rolled on parchment paper for a textured pottery look. The original creator adds handles and a frame, but you can add clay balls, lines from rolled clay, or other accents. Since air-dried clay shrinks and cracks, decoupaging white paper over the cracks helps create a smooth finish. Once it's all set, you can paint the jar to fit your preferred style.

Gluing a circle of floral foam to the lid of an old pickle jar is an easy way to transform it into beautiful home decor. Press faux floral stems and decorations into the foam to create a balanced arrangement on top of the jar, which you can paint and decorate to fit the theme. Our Upcycled Life went with a fall theme, but you can choose other holidays or go with a more general design using neutral flowers.

Creator Tracey Campbell used a pickle jar as the base for a lamp. She decoupaged an image over the jar, but you can also paint it or throw in some filler material. Add fairy lights inside and top the lid with a small plug-in candle-style lamp or a tap light. The original is a rustic-style lamp with a tin punch lamp shade, but you can create a more modern look and use a fabric shade instead.