Today, I’m here to show you photographic evidence of whiteness and cloudiness in brine. The most important thing to know is that, yes, pickles with cloudy stuff in the brine and whitish sediment at the bottom are perfectly fine and safe to eat. Both of those things are natural by-products of the fermentation process.
There are a few different ways this can appear. I’m not talking about surface whiteness. That’s generally kahm yeast, and you can read about it here. I’m talking about flaked fluffy things that sometimes float around in hot peppers. I’m talking about the brine that goes from clear to cloudy in the matter of a few days. I’m talking about the sediment of snow that sits at the bottom of a jar, like a snow globe waiting to be shaken.
Having used every kind of salt I can get my hands on to make pickled vegetables, I can tell you that salt type makes no difference in cloudiness in fermented pickles. Your ferment will be cloudy whether you use a gorgeous, pricey flake salt or the cheapest, iodized stuff you can get your hands on. Some salts make cloudy brine even before fermentation starts (most of the better salts do, due to their colorful minerals) but even with the whitest, most processed salt, your brine will end up cloudy because fermentation creates byproducts that have some visual oomph.
What exactly is it? There’s some lactic acid in there and the larger, floatier pieces are usually excess yeast. Both are natural, safe, normal parts of the fermentation process and absolutely no cause for concern. Sometimes this stuff will settle out, and if you mess with the bottom of the jar you’ll stir it back up again. No cause for alarm.
So no worries on the whiteness. It’s supposed to be there!
Rachel says
Loving the information I’m finding here. Thanks for laying it out so clearly and calmly (kahmly?).
Amanda says
Hahahahahahaha! You have no idea how much I love puns, Rachel! Thanks so much!
Tracy West says
So it’s Kahm whether it’s on top or bottom?
Amanda says
Yeast overgrowth is a surface phenomenon, so it wouldn’t grow anywhere but the surface. It could be stirred in, as Sandor Katz reported in one of his books, is traditional in some ferments. At that point, though, this post wouldn’t help with identification, as it would disappear into the ferment itself. I hope that helps, but I’m not totally clear on the meaning of the question.
Sharon says
Thank you for posting this. I made your peppers this weekend as the first step in making hot pepper sauce and sure enough, this morning, I noticed how cloudy it was getting and started worrying. I thought for sure I must have done something wrong and I was about to toss them and then opened your post – thank you, you saved my hot pepper sauce! I am new to fermentation and I’m so happy I found your blog. You explain everything so clearly.
Amanda says
Thanks for letting me know, Sharon! So glad it helped! Can’t wait to hear how you like the sauce. I’ve been slowly food milling the batches I’ve got going around here and we are a very happy, spice filled family at the moment.
Sharon says
Hi Amanda, I just bottled my hot pepper sauce and it is beautiful and great flavor. Is there any way to cut the heat? I love it and just say “use less”, but my husband insists there must be a way to tame it. Thanks Amanda.
Eli says
From my understanding, the best way to ‘tame’ a hot sauce would be to include some bell peppers in the mix!
Joey says
I have actually used flame roasted corn and it comes out awesome!
Brian says
I’m relatively new to fermenting. (I have a jar of your pickled chard stems going right now.) How can I tell the difference between good white stuff such as you’ve written about here and mold?
Thanks.
Amanda says
What you see in the brine of your pickle is extremely unlikely to be mold. Mold can send tendrils downward into food, but it will form on the surface first, if anywhere. There’s a link in this post to another post about Kahm yeast. That is usually a bigger challenge to differentiate, but anything white in your brine is just the stuff I’ve described here, so no worries!
Kevin says
Hey, there! I’m new to fermenting, but wouldn’t the white “snow” looking stuff be lacto-bacteria (the microorganisms that do the pickling for us) that goes dormant when you chill your brine and falls to the bottom of the jar? Lactobacillus…
Amy (Savory Moments) says
Thanks for this post – it is really helpful and I do sometimes get a little nervous that I messed something up when I see these things in my ferments.
Diane says
Oh, now I’m soooooo sorry I threw out that wonderful smelling jar of fermented green beans!!! Wish I had read this FIRST!!! Thanks for posting, and for the awesome photos
Alida says
Hi Amanda the white sediment in my pickled vegetables is rather unsightly. and I find it difficult to sell my pickles with the sediment. if I change my pickling liquid will the sediment re occur?
Amanda says
Hi Alida,
I’m sorry to say that I don’t know! I’ve never fully changed out the brine. I can tell you that you’ll be denying your customers a richly probiotic brine, and you’ll probably have some trouble readjusting the salt content, which could be an issue for the Safety Inspector in your area and also impact the flavor and longevity of your pickles.
I’m sure you’ve considered this, so forgive my suggestion, but have you considered sticking a label on the jar that says something like, “Cloudy brine is probiotic brine,” or something like that? It could be an opportunity for consumer education and a little dialogue about the massive differences between canned and fermented pickles. Just a thought! Best of luck!
sonia says
It will not re occur.
Jack says
Thank you so much for this article! I just ate half of my first ever fermentation attempt (dilly beans) and was giving the white sludge in my jar side-eye the whole time. Good to know it’s A-OK! The beans were delicious. 🙂
Chris says
Thank you for sharing this information. I’ve been drinking the brine from fermented jalepenos and garlic because it relieves chronic congestion from a broken nose I never had repaired. I was hoping the cloudiness meant it would have more bugs in it. Does drinking the cloudy brine offer health benefits? Thanks.
Amanda says
The brine will have the same good stuff in it that the pickled vegetables themselves have, so it’s definitely a tonic I enjoy for pleasure and health!
Cornay says
I just made bread and butter pickles and after processing and cooling it, it formed a white grainy substance on the top of the pickles. can you please help me, I don’t know if it is safe to eat.
Amanda says
Hi Cornay,
This sounds like a canning issue, not a fermented one. I don’t have enough expertise in canning to tell you what’s going on there, but I wouldn’t take any chances with canned pickles. Although rare, there is the possibility of serious issues (impossible in ferments) occurring in canned products. You may want to check out Marisa McClellan’s blog, Food in Jars, for a diagnosis.
If I misread and you weren’t canning these, let me know and I’ll try to weigh in.
Alex says
I love the website; it has been a great resource for diagnosing what’s going on with my ferments. I recently made two batches of your ginger carrots, and after a week both have developed a floating island of mold on top of the brine. The same thing happened to some beet stalks I tried earlier! Are they still safe to eat? How do I prevent this from happening? All veggies are weighted well below the brine. It’s almost enough to make me look into air locks. Looking forward to reading your book!
Amanda says
Hey Alex,
Thank you!
The key questions are: is it definitely mold (fuzzy?) and if it is mold, what color is it and how thick is it? A thin layer of white or beige mold, no worries. A thick layer of mold, or red/orange/black molds are of concern, and those batches are best to toss. If it’s flat and brain-like, it’s just Kahm yeast and it’s not dangerous, other than the off smells it imparts.
If it is yeast, unfortunately the culprits are probably the veggies themselves. The extra sugar content in beets and carrots and can sometimes feed the yeast. I’d be interested to hear if the texture of your brine in those batches is also a little thick?
In either case, wash those jars and your weights well, since that stuff can survive the wash and impact future batches. If you have a dishwasher, it would be a good idea to put them on heated dry or sanitize. I wouldn’t worry too much about this happening again. Sometimes you just get a strange batch, especially when the weather is changing (excessive heat can be an issue, for instance). If it happens again, you may want to consider airlocks, but I bet you’ll be fine in the next round! Best of luck!
Natasha M says
Great and so helpful site, I have made fermented rainbow carrots and liquid has gone cloudy-thanks for letting me know that is perfectly normal and still has all the goodness in there! Thanks!
Amanda says
Thanks so much, Natasha!
Pam Fries says
Oh boy so glad I ran across your post!! You just saved me from throwing out a jar of fermenting brussel sprouts because I have been watching it go cloudy all week. Thank you!!
Mark Howard says
Thank’s Amanda ,Have Olives in Brine ;wasn’t to shure about yeast on top ,whether it was Kahm
Yeast or mould, But you have convinced me its k/yeast ,does it also float
around like snow flakes & accumulate at the bottom , Mark
SHANTAY JUUL says
Thank you so much for this post! It’s my first time pickling veggies and I was getting worried about the cloudiness, I’m so glad I found your post ????
Amanda says
Thanks for reading!
Kip says
Just got your book and love it. Have 2 jars of hot peppers fermenting for about a week and a half. Noticed what I think is yeast floating on the top of the liquid in the jars. Should I stop fermenting and make the hot sauce or can they ferment longer?
Theresa says
Thank you so much for the information. I was worried when I saw it was cloudy this morning.
Vi Vrbanac says
On the inside bottom of my jars of pickled beets, there is white stuff. When I shake the it goes away. What is it and what causes this to happen?
Rhonda Payne says
Thank you so much for the clarification. You have no idea how many of my homemade dill pickles I tossed because I thought they were spoiled. Sure wish I had googled my question months ago!
Amanda says
You’re very welcome! Thanks for reading!
Clayton says
Thanks for the great site! 13 days into cabbage ferment and pulled out a small blob firm but not hard (looks like really thick mucous) same color as cabbage from under the brine, what could it be? Ferment smells like vinegar sometimes and rotten at other times. Color is of cabbage is still good. Keep or toss?
Amanda says
Did you add sugar to your cabbage at the start of fermentation? It sounds like you may have accidentally made cabbage vinegar instead of kraut. Can’t be sure without seeing/smelling, though, so I can’t tell you if eating it is a good idea. I do say the nose always knows, though, so I would err on the side of a cautious nose.
Bev says
My one jar of fermented cucumbers is forming a glob of white thick smooth jelly type appearance on the top – reminds me of a scoby! Is this normal?
Amanda says
Hi Bev,
No! It sounds like you may have had some cross contamination from vinegar or kombucha? If that’s not possible, then did you add sugar? You may have made spontaneous cucumber vinegar. I can’t say for sure without seeing/smelling it, though!
Brenda says
I made some hot peppers with veniger. Should I have put it in the refrigerator
Amanda says
Hi Brenda,
I’m not an expert on vinegar pickling, but yes, generally vinegar pickles do call for refrigeration if you’re not hot water canning them (and that’s a whole other story that needs lots of care and attention paid for safety!).
Good luck!
tami says
wow thanks for the info. I have done some fermenting over the years. successfully too. I decided to attempt some asparagus seeing how I had 40lbs of the stuff. To a quart jar with the asparagus, I added some garlic cloves, dill and black peppercorns. 1 tablespoon of sea salt, 1/2 cup of kefir whey then topped off with water. I have these glass disc that I use for weights. (they are antique jar covers). glad I placed into bowls because they over flowed during the night. I added more water. and on one I changed to an airlock. This all started Sunday evening, and today is Thursday. I have had to keep topping the one off a bit each day. Today I actually pulled it down off the shelf and saw this crazy looking white stuff. I carefully removed it and re-topped with water. Then I came to the internet. I found this page and found it to be of great info. I never thought about the asparagus being whole. Or loosing salt concentration. I choose the sprinkle salt on top method. Hope it works. I also realized after someone mentioned kavass, that I had something similar on it. I just tossed out because I don’t even like beets. Husband does. There does seem to be something in the air. My kefir grains are growing faster then usual. I almost lost a scoby. And yesterday I left some strawberry kombucha in a bottle and it is already trying to form a scoby. And it has been cold and wet around here, not warm. Well I am glad I found this page. I think I will go explore it some more. Thanks for the wealth of info and experience.
Emilie says
After finishing jars of storebought pickles and tomatoes, I thought I’d reuse the juice by refilling the jars with carrot pieces and vinegar. I let the first batch sit 2 weeks, and they were great. The second batch sat for 1 week because I got impatient, and they weren’t nearly pickly enough! But admittedly with my third batch I’ve waited almost 2 months and am now nervous. The juice started bubbling ages ago and the juice is a bit murky with white sediment at the bottom. (Glad to know the sediment at least is OK!) I opened the jars and they smell very fermented. The juice is kinda slimy too. Could they still be safe? I’m leaning toward throwing them out, but I’d hate to waste a good thing.
Amanda says
Hi Emilie,
I’m not sure exactly how to answer this, because I’m not sure if you’re using fermented pickles or vinegar pickles at the start of this process.
When it comes to vinegar pickling, I’m not the most knowledgable. Generally speaking when fermenting vegetables it’s not a good idea to include vinegar in your process (it messes up the starting pH and could result in an “incomplete fermentation” or even preclude fermentation from happening).
If you’re reusing brine from fermented pickles (aka not the kind on the shelf that includes vinegar), you can ferment for a much shorter time than you would ferment if just using salt and water. They’re already inoculated with late-stage fermentation bacteria, so they will sour much more quickly.
Becky says
I’ve been canning cucumbers for years. I’ve had maybe 2 or 3 jars over the years turn cloudy after a few days. This year so far I’ve put up 72 quarts and I just now looked in the cabinet and several jars ate cloudy. I’m so upset. What did I do wrong? Are they ok to eat?
Amanda says
Hi Becky,
Unfortunately I don’t have very much knowledge about canned pickles. I only specialize in fermentation (which is the opposite of canning). From my limited knowledge, I know that in canning, the type of salt you use can result in cloudy pickles, but I don’t have any information on whether that was the cause of your issue or whether or not those particular canned pickles are safe to eat.
I would reach out to your local state extension for canning help. They generally aren’t very well versed in fermentation science but they know everything about canning!
Good luck! I hope it works out.
Candi Brown says
I just made. Y first ever fermented item, and it is pickles. I feel like I have done all the steps correctly. Since it is my first time, I am a little nervous so, reading this was very helpful. I know you have only been asked this question 100 times but, here goes….My pickles look good after a couple weeks fermenting. The brine is not cloudy but, there is definitely a “snowy” looking substance that has settled at the bottom of the jar. There seems to be a little bit of the substance floating throughout the jar, in the brine but, none on top. From what I have read, it seems like this is “normal”..? I just want to double check. My husband does NOT want to try them but, I do! His exact words, “I’m terrified of that stuff!” Lol!! I just want to get your opinion… I don’t want to cause myself to get sicker than I already am. I have been dealing with UC for 2 1/2 years now. I want to start getting a really good dose of probiotics in every day!!! Thank you for your article!
Amanda says
Hi Candi,
That’s awesome! Welcome to the club.
The snowy stuff definitely sounds normal (although I can’t confirm without seeing, of course)! I get that your husband is less than excited. Sometimes ferments don’t look appealing, even when they taste THE BEST. You can tell him, though, that there has never been a case of food-borne illness associated with fermented vegetables. We know they’ve been made for at least 4,000 years, so that’s a pretty good track record! (Also, that can’t be said of raw vegetables, cooked vegetables or canned vegetables).
Sometimes if I’m looking to convert someone to fermentation, I’ll plate the ferments up nicely and not show them in the jar. :-). But you should be good!
Mary Ann says
Hi there, lots of great info….thanks. I was brought up with boiling the brine before pouring if over the pickles. I believe the reason was so that the jars would seal properly. ..so am wondering….will they seal without boiling it?
Thanks
Amanda says
Hi Mary Ann,
Boiling is a necessary step for safety in canning, but a bad practice in fermentation (where sealed jars would also be a big problem). I know that’s confusing, especially because so many internet “experts” confuse all pickling for canning and fermentation for canning or pickling. The definition of “pickle” gets a little dicey, but I think it’s a good thing to understand. I wrote a post about the difference between canning and fermenting vegetables a while ago (in case you think that would be helpful!).
If you know the difference already and just come from a tradition of boiling (this isn’t rare in some parts of the southeast), here’s the thing: in a tradtion that includes boiling, people are often then putting the soon-to-be pickles into a crock that is used for this purpose over and over and over again without being sanitized, so the vessel itself inoculates the pickles. Ideally, the vegetables themselves will provide the bacteria, and boiling deters (and frequently prevents) that. So especially if you aren’t fermenting in an unwashed crock, skip the boiling step.
Rebecca Maxwell says
I have a question. I recently made kool aide pickles with a brand new jar of pickles and followed the recipe and video online. I let them sit in the fridge and it’s been more than the suggested weeek..I’ve noticed white sediment in the bottom of the jar. Idk if it’s from the sugar I added for the koolaide mix or if it’s a yeast reaction or something harmful. Everything was done with utmost cleanliness but I’m still afraid to eat them. We haven’t took any out or cut them yet.
Amanda says
Hi Rebecca,
I’m so sorry I can’t help you! My knowledge is centered squarely on fermentation. If this were about fermented pickles, I would do my best to answer your question, but I have no expertise in other types of pickling!
Corey says
Hello, Amanda. I’m in the process of making my first jar of pickles (half-sour) and the juice was clear for the first 2 days then turned a brown color. Any idea what it could be? I used a pickling spice mixture from the store and also a small amount of black tea for the tannin. Could these things just have discolored the pickle juice? It smells good and is still translucent.
Amanda says
Yes, the tea will definitely add color, and some spices (including juniper berries) will often color your brine. The brine should become cloudy during fermentation. Good luck!
Deborah says
I just pickled beets without salt and all of my jars have a very small amount of sediment. What would have caused this. I have never had it happen with all my jars and it only happened once, a long time ago with only a couple of jars
Amanda says
Generally speaking sediment is normal, so my more pressing question would be why you’ve never had it before. Unfortunately without seeing your jars, it’s hard to know what the cause could be. Keep in mind when fermenting without salt that testing pH is imperative!
Sorry I can’t be of help on this!
James S says
Thanks for the info, I was wondering if something had went wrong with my pickle ferment. As a noob to fermenting (my second attempt as first one grew mold more than ferment)I did a lot of research and even bought some airlocks and started seeing a milky white substance in the brine. It worried me that something had gone wrong again, but thanks to this I know it has gone right 🙂
James S says
After fermenting for almost 6 weeks, I decided to try one and they taste really awesome… Yet they are are a little soft, still have a bit of crunch, but not enough to say they are really good pickles. As the flavor is there is there a way to add something to them to make them crispier? Is there a spice I can add or would “pickle crisp” do something bad with the ferment?
RAYMOND BALL says
In the last year I dove in to the world of fermenting peppers, actually pepper mash, for making hot sauce. This year I am attempting to ferment a mix of larger, nearly whole, Carolina Reaper and ghost peppers before turning them into the sauce in my mill. I have been following the instructions I’ve seen but want to be sure that the “snow” in my brine is OK. I have a picture but cannot figure out how to post it for you. My peppers, garlic and pepper corns are being held to the bottom of the jar by glass beads in a plastic mesh bag. There is a bit of white gathering there on the bottom which I trust is what you have shown on the site. The peppers are retaining their lovely red color and are producing the bubbles I’d hoped to see. The brine around them is pretty clear. Just above the peppers is a layer of brine that seems to have a whitish, light, fine, flaky substance as a solute. Above that the brine is relatively clear again. It is the whitish layer which has me a bit concerned. Will the clouds settle to a layer? I’m guessing they are separating based on density. Would that be correct? Before you do, I’d like to say thanks in advance for all the advice and help you have given here. You are really helping me through the beginnings of my new hobby.
Hope says
Thank you so much! This was extremely helpful as I just made my first attempt three days ago, for the second time in several years, to do lacto-fermentation. I was excited that I had gas escaping, but the cloudiness concerned me. Your matter-of-fact post clarified it precisely!
Amanda says
So happy to hear that! Here’s hoping this is the first of many successful fermenty adventures for you!
Dionicia Raines says
I made sauerkraut in a liter jar and I added a couple of carrots and some garlic.. It is now 5 days later and the liquid on top has an orange sediment floating around… Is that something to be concerned about? Also a little bit of white foam is spilling out.
Amanda says
Hi Dionica,
I can’t say without seeing, but since orange isn’t a color associated with kraut, I’m going to assume that’s from the carrots? White foam is normal. Just make sure to keep the cabbage submerged and you’ll be alright!
Dionicia Raines says
Thank you — I was getting ready to throw it out since this is my first
venture in fermenting. My husband says that he is going to let ME eat some first ! LOL
Paul says
I’ve been making pickles for a few weeks now, mostly with persian cukes—organic, which were on sale at TJs, then, as the kirbys started to show up, the last batch of them went hollow so I switched over—one website said the hollowing out was possibly due to the time between harvest and pickling. I have two jars of kirbys—the oldest is going on its second week and was refrigerated after two days in the closet, when bubbles started to form around the top—bubbles are still there but fermentation has dramatically slowed, as expected. Clarity improved dramatically. The second batch from this past thurs evening will not be refrigerated—cloudy after a day or so, some bubbles—it should be ready by next wed although will improve over a week or two when I put it in the fridge, then. These two batches are also the first I used bay leaves—no leaves of any sort in previous batches.
My problem is that most of them have had some degree of zing that I don’t really want in a pickle. Cousin’s with pickling experience say this is an alcohol forming in the process but aren’t sure why. My first batches weren’t covered for light, but sat out of sunlight on the floor, more recent batches were either covered, on floor, or put in a closet away from light. I’ve used fermenting airlocks, which seem redundant (compared to sauerkraut) and regular lids. Always glass jars. No sediment at bottom, no flakes. I use diamond kosher salt and bottled “spring’ water. My recipe is from Chow Hound “Honest To Hashem…” with a 2T of salt to 16oz of water.
Amanda says
I have an old post on cucumber pickles that might help you and definitely addresses many of these issues.
They are definitely the trickiest vegetable to ferment!
Riky says
Ive been fermenting for awhile now with great success. Kraut,Kimchi,sprouts,califlower,beets and a gallon of garlic dill pickles going right now. It has been my experience that some sediment and cloudiness is perfectly normal and desired. If something goes wrong with your ferment you will know it right away, off color,bad odor or multicolored mold are telltale signs that something has gone wrong.
Lori Robinson says
Thanks for posting this!I was so worried that my pickles were spoiled..
Amanda says
No worries! I’m glad a pickle life was saved today 🙂
Mark says
What a great site! Thanks for all the great info. I too have white gathering around my peppers (below the 4% brine). It hasn’t settled at the bottom but I assume that’s due to the way i packed the peppers and garlic.