Our best Quick-pickling tips and recipes

What is quick-pickling?

Quick-picking is a method of jarring fresh food in a brine solution to extend its shelf life. Unlike traditional pickling, or canned pickles, quick pickles need to be stored in the refrigerator where they will last up to 2 months.

What's in a brine?

A basic brine solution is equal parts vinegar and water, plus salt and sugar depending on your taste preference.

Basic Brine Recipe:

1 Cup Water
1 Cup White Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Non-iodized Salt (Kosher, Sea Salt, Pickling Salt)
1 Teaspoon Sugar

⚠️HOT TIP⚠️

Use white vinegar, apple cider, white wine, and rice vinegar instead of malt or balsamic vinegar for the best pickle flavor.

'Bread and Butter' pickles by Bayou Creek Farmstead // Quick pickled radishes by Felice

Let's get pickling!

1: Prepare your vegetables - using fresh vegetables, clean and slice them into spears or round slices. You can also leave smaller vegetables whole if they fit in the jar.

You can pickle raw vegetables, but some prefer to blanch, steam, or dry roast them before pickling to help maintain their color and texture.

2: Stuff vegetables in a clean jar - leave about 1 inch of space at the top.

3: Add spices and aromatics - Try fresh or dried herbs, garlic cloves, pieces of ginger, whole or ground spices... the taste is up to you!

4: Make your brine - add vinegar, water, salt and sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Pour into the jar of vegetables, leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top.

5: Tap and seal - tap your jars on the counter to release any trapped air bubbles and put the lids on the jars, sealing them tightly.

6: Cool and refrigerate - leave the jars to cool at room temperature before storing them in the fridge. Let your vegetables pickle for at least 24 hours (48 hours is best) before cracking them open and enjoying! The flavor improves the longer you leave them.

7: Enjoy for up to 2 months!

Pickles not quick enough?

If you can't wait a day or two to eat your pickles, you can slice your vegetables super thinly and have them ready in less than an hour! This works best for onions, cucumbers, and carrots. Check out these recipes for the method:

Pickled Red Onion Recipe by ZU

Great recipe for Pickled Red Onion.

CookpadZU

Pickled Cucumber - Asian Cucumber Salad Recipe by Julie - Mrs. Lin’s Kitchen

I’m sharing another pickled cucumber recipe, which is also easy and quick to make. As long as you have all the ingredients at home, you can prepare this dish in half an hour. You can serve this dish after marinating it for 30 minutes, but the longer you marinate it, the more flavorful it’ll get. Mak…

CookpadJulie - Mrs. Lin’s Kitchen

What will you pickle?

Here are some more recipes to get you inspired!

Pickled Green beans and Cucumbers Recipe by Maninder Kaur Bawa.

#greenveg #goldenapron #post20 This recipe is a refrigerator pickle . It can be eaten not only with lunch or dinner but with snacks as well. Chilled crunchy green beans and a little soft cucumbers are super yummy.

CookpadManinder Kaur Bawa.

Quick Pickle (Cucumber) Recipe by pomdoro

Latest picking adventure, came out great!

Cookpadpomdoro

Lemon chilli quick pickle Recipe by Passi Vikshali

Great recipe for Lemon chilli quick pickle.

CookpadPassi Vikshali

Quick pickled jalapeño rings - i hear this are great on nachos Recipe by 🌈NinjaMommaKitchen🌈

I had some leftover jalapeño peppers after making my pepper jelly , and I didn’t want to waste them, so this is what i did. Think i had 5 jalapeño when i made this.

Cookpad🌈NinjaMommaKitchen🌈

Pickled Red Beet Eggs (PA Dutch) Recipe by Erin

I always have these in my fridge. They make a great after school snack for the kids!

CookpadErin

Happy pickling! 🧡

Share your unique creations and Cooksnaps with us on Cookpad - you might even be featured in our weekly Newsletter or on our Instagram page!