Quick Look at The Best Quick Pickled Vegetables Recipe
- Ready In: 45 minutes
- Main Ingredients: Bell peppers, carrot, onion, vinegars, water, and seasonings.
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, dairy-free, and plant-based.
- Best for: Have these easy quick pickled vegetables on hand to serve with your next rice bowl or burrito or to just add a pop of color and flavor to your scrambled eggs in the morning. It’s a low effort, high reward recipe that you’ll come back to again and again.
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Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, & estimated nutritional information.
- fresh vegetables – we used bell peppers, carrots, and red onion but feel free to use any of your favorites, like green beans, radishes, cabbage, etc. Only have onions? Make our quick pickled red onion instead.
- vinegars – highly recommend using all 3 vinegars listed in the recipe card for that depth of flavor, but if you don’t have one simply increase another.
- garlic cloves – absolutely love the added flavor with 1 garlic clove, but if you prefer a little more spice add 2 cloves.
How To Make Quick Pickled Vegetables
Step 1 – Heat vinegars, water, garlic, salt, bay leaf, and peppercorn in a sauce pan.
Step 2 – Pour heated vinegar mixture over sliced veggies.
Step 3 – Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.
Flavors & Variations
The flavors here are amazing, but there are so many different variations that can be made:
- Coconut Sugar: if you like a little sweetness, feel free to add 1-2 tablespoons of coconut sugar to the vinegar solution (doing so would no longer make them Whole30 compliant).
- Fresh Herbs or Aromatics: option to add a variety of fresh herbs (i.e. dill, parsley, thyme, sage, etc.) and/or aromatics (ginger, turmeric root, lemon zest, etc.) to the jar for some added flavor.
- Seasonal Variations: depending on the time of year, use the vegetables that are in season for the spring, summer, fall, or winter.
- Spicy: adding a thinly sliced jalapeño would be a great way to add some spice to the mix!
Best Ways To Enjoy Pickled Vegetables
These quick and easy pickled veggies would make a great addition to a Bánh Mì Rice Bowl, Gyro Bowls, or our epic Bánh Mì Smash Burger Tacos! Or enjoy a few on our Pork Belly Sandwich for the most amazing dinner tonight!
Recipe FAQs and Tips
Quick pickling is a simple process of soaking food in a spiced vinegar and water solution for the purpose of enjoying immediately or soon after being placed in the jar. They are typically stored in the fridge and are not shelf-stable like canned or fermented vegetables.
For this recipe we used red bell peppers, green bell peppers, carrots and red onions. We also have an amazing recipe for refrigerator dill pickles, but if you are looking for other options, we also recommend trying – asparagus, beets, cauliflower, ginger, green beans, mushrooms, parsnips, radishes, or turnips.
The vegetables should sit in the pickling liquid for a minimum of 30 minutes, but we highly recommend giving them 24 hours to get the best flavor.
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Ingredients
- 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced 3 inch strips
- 1/4 purple onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1-2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 5-7 whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 small bay leaf
Instructions
- Prep Vegetables: Place thinly sliced vegetables in a mason jar.
- Make Pickling Liquid: Add 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1-2 smashed garlic cloves, 5-7 black peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and bay leaf to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer.
- Pickle Vegetables: Pour the pickling liquid into the same jar as the vegetables while still hot (make sure the peppercorns, garlic and bay leaf make it into the jar as well). Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes (careful it will be hot).
- Serve: Use immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator for later use.
Notes
- Sweetness: if you want to add a touch of sweetness, you can easily add in about 1-2 tablespoons of coconut sugar (don’t add if Whole30) or honey.
- Serving Suggestions: these are great on gyro bowls!
- Storage: store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
- Different Vinegars: why so many different vinegars – after testing, we found an increased depth of flavor resulted from using different types of vinegars!
Liz says
These are my favorite thing to add to rice bowls. My 7-year-old loves them too!