Quick Pickled Vegetables are easy to make with almost any vegetable. The tangy, crisp bites are great for snacking and will elevate salads, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, burgers, burrito-type bowls, stir fries, and more.

Quick Pickled Vegetables are easy to make with almost any vegetable and are a practical way to use the odds and ends in your crisper drawer. The tangy, crisp bites are great for snacking and will elevate salads, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, burgers, burrito-type bowls, stir fries, and more. 

 

Pickling can be a very simple process. There’s no need for special equipment or hot water bath canning, and you can make as little as one jar – or many.

You start with a simple brine: equal parts vinegar and water, and a small amount of salt and sugar. The brine is brought to a simmer, just long enough for the salt and sugar to dissolve.

As for the vegetables, perennial favorite cucumbers work well, as do a rainbow of other veggies, like cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, red onions, bell peppers, green beans, and radishes.  

The vegetables are packed in the jar and flavorings of choice are added – peppercorns, garlic, dill, a hot pepper or red pepper flakes if you like a little spice – and then the hot brine is poured over top.

Let the jar cool, put on the lid, and then refrigerate and enjoy. The pickled vegetables will be ready to eat after 24 hours, but the flavor will continue to improve over several days.

The quick pickles are great for general snacking and add a crisp, tangy bite to a variety of salads, from green- and grain-based salads to pasta salads and burrito bowls.

The pickled onions and cabbage are especially delicious on burgers and sandwiches. Conveniently, the recipe also offers a practical way to use up odds and ends in your crisper drawer.

Quick Pickled Vegetables are easy to make with almost any vegetable. The tangy, crisp bites are great for snacking and will elevate salads, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, burgers, burrito-type bowls, stir fries, and more.

Is it better to mix the vegetables or use separate jars?

This comes down to personal preference. I enjoy them both ways but tend to keep red onions and cabbage separate because we use them more frequently as a condiment (on burgers, sandwiches, salads, burrito-type bowls, etc.) than for general snacking as with the others.

I also really like carrots with lots of dill, so I will make jars of those frequently. My husband loves radishes. The boys love cucumbers. This small batch method is also the ideal way to make use of a small amount of unused cauliflower or baby carrots.

A note on color that may also inform your choice of which vegetables to pair (or not pair) together: After a day or so, vinegar’s low pH will draw out the pigment in some veggies (most notably red onions, radishes, and red cabbage), making the brine a gorgeous shade of pinkish-red. Keep this in mind if you’d like to retain the natural color of vegetables like cucumbers or cauliflower.  

Herb and spice variations:

This recipe is meant to be quick, easy, and no fuss. Under “optional ingredients,” I include a few of my favorite extras, like a chili pepper and fresh dill. Additionally, basil, oregano, thyme, mint, sage, dill, rosemary, and chives all lend themselves beautifully to pickle recipes. Seeds to experiment with include mustard, coriander, and fennel. And for another dimension of familiar pickle flavor, you could incorporate dried pickling spices, as I do in this recipe for pickled red onions

Quick Pickled Vegetables are easy to make with almost any vegetable. The tangy, crisp bites are great for snacking and will elevate salads, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, burgers, burrito-type bowls, stir fries, and more.
I like to thinly slice onions. Vegetables like cucumbers and carrots may be cut into spears or rounds. For most efficient packing of the jars when using spears, cut them to a length just under the height of the jar.
A mandolin makes for quick work and consistently even slices, although a sharp knife works well too.
A mandolin makes for quick work and consistently even slices, although a sharp knife works well too.
A variety of vegetables may be used for quick pickling. When pickling carrots, I love the addition of fresh dill. Hot peppers are great for heat.
This no fuss, small batch, quick pickle recipe is endlessly flexible. The method is also referred to as refrigerator pickles, as there is no processing in a canner or hot water bath. 
Quick Pickled Vegetables are easy to make with almost any vegetable. The tangy, crisp bites are great for snacking and will elevate salads, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, burgers, burrito-type bowls, stir fries, and more.
All varieties of pickled vegetables add a lovely balance to spicy meals, while adding tangy interest to meals that may otherwise seem bland. The crisp zing is similarly welcoming to barbecue and burgers, whether served in the burger or on the side. They’re great as a pre-dinner nibble too!

I’d love to know if you try this recipe. Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @fountainavenuekitchen on Instagram and Facebook. Your feedback is always appreciated.

Quick Pickled Vegetables are easy to make with almost any vegetable. The tangy, crisp bites are great for snacking and will elevate salads, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, burgers, burrito-type bowls, stir fries, and more.

Small Batch Pickled Vegetables

Quick Pickled Vegetables are easy to make with almost any vegetable, and the tangy, crisp bites will elevate salads, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, burgers, carnitas, tacos, burrito-type bowls, stir fries, and more. Great for everyday snacking too!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 1 pint/2 cups (may easily double, triple, or more)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vegetables like carrots, radishes, pickling cucumbers, red onion, cauliflower, bell peppers, green beans, asparagus, beets, and/or red cabbage
  • ½ cup (120ml) water
  • ½ cup (120ml) white vinegar*
  • 1 teaspoon (5g) kosher or sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon (4g) granulated sugar (could substitute honey)
  • ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 to 2 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
  • Optional: 1 red chili pepper, split lengthwise (or jalapeño or serrano), a few sprigs of fresh dill, a bay leaf

Instructions

  1. Prepare the vegetables: Make sure they are clean and mostly dry. Slice radishes into coins and carrots into sticks or coins (for sticks make sure they are slightly shorter than the height of the jar; same with green beans and asparagus). Cucumbers can be cut into rounds or spears, cauliflower into bite-size florets, and thinly slice red onion and cabbage.
  2. In a non-reactive small pot or saucepan, bring the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat as soon as the sugar and salt are dissolved.
  3. Meanwhile, add the peppercorns, garlic, chile pepper, and herbs, if using, to a clean, pint-size jar—or divide among two 8-ounce jars. Add the raw vegetables, packing them close together, and then pour the hot liquid over to cover. (If you are short on brine, top off with a little water or a 50-50 mix of water and vinegar.)
  4. Let cool to room temperature, and then cover and refrigerate.
  5. Storage: The vegetables will be ready to eat after 24 hours, but the flavor will continue to improve over several days. They will keep in the refrigerator for at least one month.

Notes

*For a somewhat different flavor profile, you may substitute another white vinegar like white wine, rice, or white balsamic vinegar (or a mix). Apple cider and red wine vinegar will work as well; they will simply add additional color to the brine.
One batch of brine is enough for 2 (8-ounce) or 1 pint-size jar or similar container if the vegetables are packed fairly tightly. Double the recipe to fill a quart-size canning jar.
About how much per 8-ounce jar? Keep in mind that “one carrot,” for example, can vary greatly in size, but as a good estimate: 1 small bunch radishes, 2 carrots, 1 small or half a large red onion, 2-3 small pickling cucumbers, 1 cup cauliflower florets, etc.
When pickling firmer veggies like carrots, you may simmer them in the pickling liquid for a minute or so if you prefer a slightly softer vegetable. Just be sure not to soften them too much.
To mix or not? You can mix vegetables in the same jar or keep them separate. Keep in mind that vegetables like red onion, radishes, and red cabbage will turn the liquid a pretty shade of red or pink, although you may not want pink cauliflower. (Or maybe you do!)
Add herbs and spices as desired. I love the addition of dill to carrots for example, and a bay leaf adds little something to virtually any pickled vegetable. If you enjoy heat, a fresh chile pepper is the way to go. If you don’t have one, a pinch or three of red pepper flakes may be used instead.
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