Quick Pickled Vegetables

Quick Pickled Vegetables, also known as refrigerator pickles, are endlessly versatile and an easy way to extend the life of fresh produce. Create a fun mixture using the vegetables you have on hand, or pickle individual vegetable varieties in their own jars. Try cauliflower, peppers, green beans, asparagus, radishes, and so much more.

The tangy, crisp, slightly sweet morsels are guaranteed to elevate your salads, sandwiches, snack boards, and stir fries!

I've been a bit obsessed with quick pickling this summer. From sandwiches to grain bowls to lettuce wraps, it's difficult to think of a dish that doesn't benefit from their exciting burst of zippy flavor!

Not only are quick pickles delicious, they're also an easy way to preserve fresh produce when you find yourself with extra from the garden or the grocery store.

Our jalapeño plants have grown especially well this year and created far more peppers than we could use or give away. On top of having an abundance of them, these peppers are HOT. Like, really, really spicy.

Having made quick pickled jalapeños before, I thought I'd be clever and use loads of them that way.

Jump to:

• What You'll Need
• How To Make Quick Pickled Vegetables
• Do I have to use sugar in quick pickle brine?
• Storage
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

But it took just one batch for me to learn my lesson. Way too hot!

I realized that most, if not all, of the seeds in the jalapeños would have to be removed and that combining the peppers with other veggies was the way to go.

Mixing vegetables create a more interesting combination of deliciously tangy, spicy, and crunchy vegetables for snacking and topping our meals. See the photo above? Seedless jalapenos for the win (and only 3 of them).

See the photo below? No bueno! Waaaaaaay too hot. We love spicy foods, but the jalapeños in that batch were pretty much inedible.

We ended up picking out the onion and carrots, which were very spicy but tasty when mixed with other foods. I share all of this so you can learn from my mistakes!

Now, if you're a SUPER fan of all things spicy, and your jalapenos don't seem to be extraordinarily hot, you may find success with a batch of quick pickles comprised of mostly peppers (and their seeds). The spiciness of jalapenos can vary quite a bit, so that's a major factor.

The blend of cauliflower, carrots, red onion, cucumber, and jalapenos pictured below was SO GOOD we devoured half the jar in one day.

Of course, only using 3 or 4 jalapeños per jar wasn't going to use up the massive pile of jalapenos I had on my hands, but it was a start.

Quick pickled vegetables will keep in the fridge for several weeks, so I plan to make a jar or two each week until our jalapenos are gone (and share some jars, too). Roasting the jalapenos has been another delicious way to them. They can also be frozen.

Check out this Roasted Lime and Jalapeño Hummus!

What You'll Need

As I mentioned, the recipe is very versatile, so don't be afraid to try different vegetables and spices. You can also use any combination of the vinegars listed below. Here are the ingredients you'll need:

For the brine:

• 1 cup white distilled vinegar
• ¼ cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1 ¼ cups water
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar

The vegetables:

Amounts will vary depending on the vegetables you use (due to negative space while measuring) but aim for about 3 to 4 cups of chopped/sliced vegetables.

Some of our favorites are red onion, cauliflower, carrots, jalapenos, cucumber, radishes and beets. Green beans and asparagus are also fun but benefit from blanching first. The other veggies can go into the jar raw.

I used the following:

• about ¼ small head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
• 1 medium carrot, peeled, cut into coins
• 1 pickling cucumber, peeled and cut into coins (peeling optional)
• ½ large red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 jalapeños, sliced lengthwise, seeded, then sliced again
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced

The garlic is really more of a flavoring, but since it falls into the produce category I wanted to list it here with the other veggies.

Flavorings:

• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds

You can get very creative with flavorings! Try different herbs and spices:

• fresh or dried herbs like cilantro, dill, or rosemary
• dried spices like red pepper flakes, paprika, and turmeric
• fresh ginger root

For my next batch of quick pickles I plan to do a ginger-turmeric combo with mostly rice vinegar. Doesn't that sound delicious?

How To Make Quick Pickled Vegetables

The process for making quick pickles is very simple. Some recipes call for briefly heating the vegetables in the brine, but I like to put the raw vegetables directly into the jar.

1. Fill a wide-mouth 32 ounce glass jar (or 2 pint jars) with the prepared veggies and seasonings (peppercorns, mustard seeds, etc).
2. Combine the brine ingredients in a small sauce pan and cook over medium-high heat until it reaches a low boil. Stir and cook for a few seconds to dissolve the sugar. Pour the hot brine into the jar so that all of the veggies are covered and liquid almost reaches the top. (In the photo above I was a bit eager to take the shot and hadn't really finished filling the jar. The photo below shows it topped off with more brine.)
3. Allow the jar to cool for a few minutes before covering it. Then let it rest on the counter until it has cooled to room temperature. Transfer the jar to the refrigerator.

Your quick pickles will be cold, crisp, delicious, and ready to eat the next day.... if you can wait that long. I can never resist sneaking a few test bites later that same day.

Quick pickles taste best after at least 2 days in the fridge.

Side note: did you know you can also quick pickle fruit? You absolutely can and the results are amazing!

Try berries, peaches, apples, mango, pears, plums, and grapes. Keep the liquids for the brine the same as this recipe, but increase the sugar to 4 tablespoons and decrease the salt to just a pinch.

I hope you enjoy these super easy Quick Pickled Vegetables and the extra burst of flavor they add to your meals! If you try the recipe I would love to hear from you.

Comment below, rate the recipe, and be sure to let us know what flavor combinations you try!

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📖 Recipe