Olive Brine Calculator

Salt by weight for curing olives in brine or dry salt, with the University of California's tested brine strengths.

Salt as % of the water. UC's brines are given per gallon of water — tap one to use it exactly.

Salt % of

10% = 100 g salt per litre of water.

%

≈ 120 g per L of water

%

If olives turn mouldy, soft or bad-smelling, don't eat or taste them.

Canning cured olives? Olives are a low-acid food: use a pressure canner only — never a boiling-water bath — because of the risk of botulism. — UC ANR 8267

The University of California's olive brines, by weight

UC's tested home olive methods give salt by weight — “8 ounces”, “10 ounces” or “1 pound” of pickling salt per gallon of water — which converts exactly to a percentage of the water:

Greek-style black olives start in medium brine for a week, then move to strong brine for at least two months. Sicilian-style green olives use medium-strong brine for large varieties that shrivel easily, or strong brine for small ones, with vinegar added to the brine. Salt is one of the preservatives, so UC advises against weakening the tested brines.

Dry-salt cured olives

Fully ripe olives are mixed with about 1 lb of salt for every 2 lb of olives — 50% of their weight — and re-mixed weekly for about a month. Once cured and sifted, they're stored with 1 lb of salt per 10 lb of olives (10%).

% of water or % of total brine?

UC states brine strength per gallon of water. Some recipes instead give it as a percentage of the finished brine (salt ÷ water + salt), so UC's strong brine would be written as 10.7% there. Use the “Total brine” option to match such a recipe — at olive-brine strengths the two differ by about 10%.

Why weigh the salt?

UC's amounts are based on fine pickling salt. Coarse and kosher salts vary greatly in how much a cup weighs, so UC recommends weighing them to get the equivalent amount — which is exactly what this calculator does.

Source: University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Publication 8267, “Olives: Safe Methods for Home Pickling” (Yada & Harris, 2007). Informational only — not professional advice; follow current tested guidelines.