Looking for a delicious way to preserve your extra fresh veggies? Try out these quick and easy pickled veggie recipes that are sure to satisfy your cravings!
Another great way to preserve fresh veggies is by freezing them. Check out our Expert Tips for Freezing Fruits and Vegetables: A Comprehensive Guide.
One of my favorite little bites on the dishes I get when I go to my fave restaurants are the pickled onions, radishes, or other veggies. My favorite salads have pickled beets or pickled red onions. There is a turkey burger I love that features pickled radishes. And my daughter…she adores refrigerator pickles that my mother-in-law makes.
Pickled onions and other veggies are really easy to make. I made these jars in under an hour. No really! And don’t say it’s because I am fast and know what I’m doing. Truth be told, many of you could do it in less time. Especially if you utilize a mandolin or other slicer. I did the slicing by hand which, of course, is much slower.
But works just as well…
Key Ingredients for Quick Pickled Veggies:
- Water.
- Vinegar. Rice vinegar, white vinegar, and apple cider vinegar all work great. Choose which you prefer or have on hand.
- Salt. Fine-grain canning salt is usually recommended to keep the liquid very clear but honestly, kosher salt works just fine!
- Sliced Veggies. Red onion, radishes, carrots, and even asparagus…the options are endless! Heck, have you ever tried Pickled Rhubarb?
- Herbs. I prefer to use Fennel and thyme but feel free to try out other herbs.
Instructions for Pickling Veggies
- Bring water, vinegar, salt, and honey to a boil.
- Stuff a mason jar with sliced veggies, shaved fennel, and fresh thyme up to about an inch from the top of the jar.
The worst part of slicing onions is, of course, getting the towels full of onion smell. I have to have a cloth nearby to wipe my hands off repeatedly. And then…the towel smells, of course.
But look at those pretty jars all ready to be filled with brine! I cannot WAIT for pickled onions. On burgers, on salads, just because. Sooo excited!
- Fill with brine almost to the top.
You totally can just stick with the simple vinegar brine and it would taste great! However, adding a bit of fresh herb and garlic is a quick and easy way to change up and deepen the flavor. I added fresh thyme sprigs, smashed garlic (another smelly hands one…gross!), and fennel seeds to my onion. - Let cool, cover, and store.
Tips for Easy Pickled Veggies:
- Try to smoosh in as many veggies as possible up until about 1 inch from the rim. (I ended up adding more onions into the jars after this photo)
- Rice vinegar, white vinegar, and apple cider vinegar all work great.
- Some veggies will need to be blanched or cooked before pickling. Green Beans, Asparagus, and Beets would be some. Do a quick Google search before starting. Traditionally, the veggies that we often eat raw are the best candidates for quick pickling without cooking first.
- The salt & sugar measurements can be altered to your own tastes.
- Veggies will “last” for months in the fridge but will continue to lose texture the longer they sit. Eating them within a few weeks of making them will have the best flavor and texture.
- While you need to wash and trim the veggies, peeling them is completely up to your tastes.
The radishes have just a bit of fennel seed in the brine mixture. I find radishes to already be so flavorful that they don’t need anything else to brighten their flavor.
Aren’t those just the cutest!
And the quick pickles Levi loves! Peeled and sliced cucumbers. A bit of garlic. If I had it I would have added fresh dill. But I don’t and am not at all worried about these making their way to his belly. I give them a day before they are gone. Good thing they are crazy easy to make!
How to Store Pickled Veggies:
These jars will keep in the fridge for between 2-4 months. Veggies will “last” for months in the fridge but will continue to lose texture the longer they sit. Eating them within a few weeks of making them will have the best flavor and texture.
If you want to make pickled veggies shelf stable:
If you are looking to can your pickled veggies in a traditional sense I suggest you check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation and particularly this article on Canning Pickled Veggies.
I will be making up a bunch more with pretty little lids and labels and gifting them for Christmas. Everyone likes pickled veggies in pretty jars, right?!?
Tell me, what are YOUR favorite pickled veggies?
quick pickled red onions
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup vinegar white or apple cider
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon honey
- shaved fennel
- fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 jar (about 2 cups) sliced onions, beets, radishes, etc
Instructions
- Bring water, vinegar, salt, and honey to a boil.
- Stuff a mason jar with sliced veggies, shaved fennel, and fresh thyme up to about an inch from the top of the jar.
- Fill with brine almost to the top.
- Let cool, cover, and store.
It doesn’t sweeten them too much, in my opinion. However if you are concerned cut that in half and add the additional after it boils (after cooling and tasting).
Will the 2 tbsp of honey make these sweet? I’m interested in a type of pickled onion for street tacos?
I let it cool a couple of beats and then pour it over the veggies. Cool it in the jar for a bit and then stick it in the fridge. And thanks!!! Appreciate it ;)
Janel………..after bringing the brine to a boil, do you pour it immediately over the veggies in the jar, or do you let it cool first? I hope things work out for your office!