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You are here: Home / Recipes / Recipes by Course / Easy Jam, Jelly & Preserve Recipes / Quick Pickled Vegetables

Quick Pickled Vegetables

Published on May 7, 2021 by Helen Best-Shaw 8 Comments
Last Updated on May 13, 2021

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Quick pickles are the perfect way of adding crunch and spice to any meal. These fresh and light pickled cucumbers and radishes are addictively good, and the easiest fridge pickles you will ever make. Ready to eat on the day they’re made.  

Everything You Need To Know

  • What are quick pickles, and why make them?
  • Why you will love these pickles
  • Quick pickles ingredients
  • How to prepare vegetables for quick pickles
  • Aromatics for quick pickles
    • Spices for quick pickles
    • Herbs for quick pickles
  • How to make quick pickles
  • What do I serve quick pickles with? 
  • FAQs, hints & tips
    • What other vegetables can I use? 
    • How long do quick pickles last? 
  • Quick pickles
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions

What are quick pickles, and why make them?

Also known as fridge pickles, these quick and easy pickles are the go-to recipe for when you want a pickle in a hurry. Crunchy, spicy, sweet, sharp and moreish, my quick pickled cucumber and radish slices are a must-have all year round.

They are also an especially good way to perk up boring watery supermarket cucumber and radishes (my favourite vegetables to pickle).

I get a bit addicted to them and especially in the summer, when I make a HUGE jar every couple of days. Unlike traditional pickles, these are fresh and light with no need to mature. They make the perfect accompaniment to salads, cheese and cold meats.

Whether you eat them on open sandwiches, Scandinavian style, or with a mezze spread, they are perfect to lift a simple summer meal or to remind you of sunnier days in winter. They also make a very pretty edible garnish when you want to impress!

You really can’t go wrong with this easy pickle recipe. Because your pickles are kept in the fridge and eaten within 48 hours, you don’t need to worry about many of the issues that come with traditional preserving. Heat the vinegar with the flavourings, pour it over the vegetables and you’re done! 

Why you will love these pickles

  • Super quick and easy to make 
  • Crunchy, light and spicy with just the right amount of sweetness 
  • They are addictively good!
  • Endlessly variable and adaptable, perfect for using up a garden glut
  • Ready to eat the day you make them 

Quick pickles ingredients

An annotated top down picture of the ingredients for quick pickles: Vegetables, sugar, vinegar, herbs, spices

The vegetables need to be fresh and in the best condition. Quick pickling is not the time to use up tired fridge bottom vegetables that are going limp. You want some crunch in your pickle.   

How to prepare vegetables for quick pickles

The vegetables have to be sliced thinly, so that the vinegar can penetrate quickly. The best way to do this is with a mandolin slicer, which can very quickly render any vegetable into a pile of paper thin slices. But do take care to keep your fingers away from the blade! 

Aromatics for quick pickles

I used cardamom and coriander seeds with some fresh dill, but you can mix and match:

Spices for quick pickles

  • chilli
  • all spice 
  • juniper berries 
  • mustard seeds
  • nigella seeds 
  • coriander seeds
  • cardamom
  • caraway 

Herbs for quick pickles

  • dill
  • coriander (cilantro) 
  • mint 
  • chives or finely sliced spring onions (scallions)

How to make quick pickles

the ingredients for quick pickles set out on a work top

Step one – Gather the ingredients. 

Sliced cucumber and radish on a marble board

Step two – Prepare the vegetables by slicing them thinly. The best way to do this is with a mandolin, but take care; it’s very easy to slice your fingers. Be sure to use the finger guard that comes with your mandolin. 

Pickling vinegar in a saucepan, with spices and herbs. before and after heating.

Step three – Put the vinegar, herbs, sugar and spices into a saucepan along with a teaspoon of sea salt. Heat so that the vinegar is hot but not boiling, and the sugar and salt have dissolved. 

Pro Tip

Lots of recipe for quick pickles skip this stage, but I find if you heat up the vinegar the flavours of the spices and herbs are much stronger

View from above of a Kilner jar with pickles, before and after adding vinegar.

Step four – Pack the sliced vegetables into a jar and then pour the vinegar mixture over, making sure the vegetables are covered. Seal, cool and put in the fridge to infuse for about an hour until chilled before serving.

What do I serve quick pickles with? 

I love these pickles straight from the jar, but they are great in a sandwich, in a burger, with oily fish or with a salad.

FAQs, hints & tips

What other vegetables can I use? 

As well as the standards of quick pickled radish and cucumber, why not experiment with any of these:

  • rhubarb
  • beetroot
  • celery
  • carrots
  • turnip
  • apples
  • kohlrabi 
  • onion
  • cauliflower 

How long do quick pickles last? 

Keep in the fridge and eat within two days. I usually make a second batch with the leftover picking vinegar and eat the next day. Do not try to use it a third time, as it will be too diluted by then. 

A top down picture of a small kilner jar of sliced pickles, surrounded

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Close up of a jar of quick pickles, with some dill leaves on top.
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4.88 from 8 votes

Quick pickles

Quick pickles are the perfect way of adding crunch and spice to any meal. These fresh and light pickled cucumbers and radishes are addictively good, and the easiest fridge pickles you will ever make. Ready to eat on the day they're made.  
Servings: 4
Author: Helen Best-Shaw
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time35 mins
Total Time45 mins
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Ingredients

  • 4 radishes (thinly sliced)
  • ¼ cucumber (thinly sliced)
  • 60 ml white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
  • 30 g white sugar
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 3 pods cardamom
  • ½ tsp coriander seed
  • 1 sprig dill

Instructions

  • Place the vinegar, sugar, salt, coriander and cardamom pods into a pan and gently heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
  • Add all the other ingredients and allow to cook before transferring to a jar in the fridge.
  • Leave to mature in the fridge for at least a couple of hours. Use within two days.
• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.
Nutrition Facts
Quick pickles
Amount Per Serving
Calories 319 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 65mg22%
Sodium 113mg5%
Potassium 747mg21%
Carbohydrates 31g10%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 690IU14%
Vitamin C 20.7mg25%
Calcium 174mg17%
Iron 5.3mg29%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Filed Under: Easy Jam, Jelly & Preserve Recipes, Easy Ways to Extra Veg (and Fruit), Quick & Easy, Recipes, Vegetables Ingredients: Cucumber, Radishes, Spices, Vinegar

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Fee

    5 stars
    These are delicious and crisp, and perfect with many meals. My Mother used to make these with cauliflower added. Really good, and yes, very addictive.

    Reply
  2. Tanya Stevens

    5 stars
    What a brilliant idea, Helen. So easy and just the thing for making radish that little bit more interesting.

    Reply
  3. Yasmine Kirkwood

    5 stars
    These really do make a tasty crisp addition to salads. Lovely to have handy in the fridge.

    Reply
  4. Robert Joy

    4 stars
    I’m not keen on strong pickles, but these are very palatable and lovely and fresh.

    Reply
  5. Becca

    5 stars
    A lovely addition to summer meals. Tasty and crispy and a good way to use veggies.

    Reply
  6. Catherine

    5 stars
    I enjoy pickling vegetables and they add a certain extra to salads. These are particularly nicer with the fresher taste.

    Reply
  7. Gemma

    5 stars
    Really fresh and tangy, they make a great addition to summer meals.

    Reply
  8. Lisa Dodds

    5 stars
    These delicious pickled veggies have been lovely to enjoy. I often make them now. The kids love them too.

    Reply

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Headshot of Helen Best-Shaw, Food Blogger at Fuss Free Flavours I'm Helen, full time freelance food writer, photographer and blogger. On this site you will find my fuss-free recipes, travel and reviews. Learn more here
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