Easy Quick Pickles with Vinegar

Pickled vegetables are a fast and flavorful way to brighten up meals. Whether you're working with leftover produce or planning ahead for grain bowls and sandwiches, these quick pickles are endlessly versatile. With no special equipment or long fermentation time needed, this is a great recipe for beginners and seasoned home cooks alike.

If you've never made homemade pickles before, this recipe is a great place to start. It's a no-fuss method using vinegar, salt, and a little sweetness to create crispy, tangy vegetables in just minutes. Unlike fermented pickles, quick pickles (also called refrigerator pickles) don't rely on time or beneficial bacteria for preservation. Instead, they're stored in the fridge and enjoyed within a few weeks, though they rarely last that long!

You can use quick-pickled veggies to add crunch and acidity to just about anything. Try them on tacos, rice bowls, salads, sandwiches, or savory oatmeal. They're especially tasty alongside rich or creamy foods, like peanut noodles or burgers. This method works with all kinds of vegetables, so it's a great way to reduce food waste and bring life to what's in your fridge.

Looking for more quick pickling ideas? Try my Quick Pickled Radishes with Garlic, Pickled Watermelon Rind, or Spicy Pickled Carrots with Jalapeño.

Ingredients

To make these quick pickles, you'll need sliced vegetables (like cucumbers, carrots, radishes, or red onions) and a simple brine. The brine is made with distilled white vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. You can also add flavorings like garlic, peppercorns, or mustard seeds if you'd like. The hot brine is poured over the vegetables, and after a few minutes of rest, they're ready to serve.

Substitutions

• Vinegar: Distilled white vinegar gives the sharpest flavor, but you can substitute rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar for a milder, fruitier taste.
• Sweetener: Sugar, maple syrup, or agave nectar all work.
• Salt: Use kosher or sea salt; avoid iodized salt as it can affect the flavor and clarity.
• Vegetables: Try this recipe with thinly sliced cucumbers, onions, carrots, radishes, cabbage, or even green beans and jalapeños.
• Flavorings: Customize with garlic cloves, chili flakes, dill, bay leaves, coriander seeds, or whole mustard seeds for extra aroma and flavor.

Quick Pickling Tips:

• Cut vegetables into thin slices, spears, or halves, depending on how you'd like to use them. Just keep in mind that bigger pieces may need to soak a little bit longer in the fridge. 
• If you're pickling green vegetables, you can blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes before you add them to the jar. This helps preserve their color after pickling.
• I prefer white distilled vinegar in my pickling brine, but any variety works. Try rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar for a fruity note. 
• Pickle different types of vegetables separately. Each takes a different amount of time to pickle. Natural sugars also vary, so you can adjust the amount of sweetener you use. 
• Once you're satisfied with the flavor and texture of your refrigerator pickles, use them on sandwiches, tacos, bowls, and salads.
• Store quick pickles in covered jars in the fridge for up to four months.

FAQ

📖 Recipe

Easy Quick Pickles with Vinegar

Stephanie McKercher, RDN

These easy quick pickles are crunchy, tangy, and endlessly adaptable. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand and enjoy them as a topping, snack, or side dish. No canning required! Just a quick brine, a few minutes of rest, and you've got a bright, punchy condiment ready to enjoy.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Resting Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 26 minutes mins

Course condiment, side, Vegetables

Cuisine gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian

Servings 1 pint-sized jar each

Equipment

• mason jars with lids

Ingredients

  

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Quick-Pickled Cucumbers

• 1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced or cut into spears
• 1 tablespoon salt or to taste
• 2 teaspoons sugar or another sweetener to taste; optional
• 1 head garlic, halved horizontally (cloves should be halved and exposed)
• 4 sprigs fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 dry bay leaf
• 1 dry chile pepper (optional)
• ½ cup filtered water or as needed; see note
• ½ cup rice vinegar or white distilled vinegar or as needed; see note

Quick-Pickled Red Onions

• 1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon salt or to taste
• 1 tablespoon sugar or another sweetener to taste; optional
• 1 jalapeño pepper, quartered lengthwise
• 12 sprigs fresh cilantro
• 10 fresh chives
• ½ cup filtered water or as needed; see note
• ½ cup rice vinegar or white distilled vinegar or as needed; see note

Quick-Pickled Radishes

• 1 pound radishes, halved
• 1 tablespoon salt or to taste
• 1 tablespoon sugar or another sweetener to taste; optional
• 12 fresh chives
• 3 sprigs fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon tricolor peppercorns
• ½ cup filtered water or as needed; see note
• ½ cup rice vinegar or white distilled vinegar or as needed; see note

Instructions

 

To make Quick-Pickled Cucumbers:

• Fill a jar with cucumbers, salt, sugar (if using), garlic, dill, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, bay leaf, and dry chile pepper (if using).
• Pour water to fill half of the jar, and then pour in vinegar until the jar is full. Cover and shake until the brine is mixed. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes, or until desired flavor and texture is reached.

To make Quick-Pickled Red Onions:

• Fill a jar with red onion, salt, sugar (if using), jalapeño pepper, cilantro, and chives.
• Pour water to fill half of the jar, and then pour in vinegar until the jar is full. Cover and shake until the brine is mixed. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes, or until desired flavor and texture is reached.

To make Quick-Pickled Radishes

• Fill a jar with radishes, salt, sugar (if using), chives, dill, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and peppercorns.
• Pour water to fill half of the jar, and then pour in vinegar until the jar is full. Cover and shake until the brine is mixed. Refrigerate at least one hour, or until desired flavor and texture is reached.

Video

Notes

Use as much water and vinegar as needed (in a 1:1 ratio) to fill the jar you're using.

 

Vegan variation: Omit sweetener or use organic/non-bone char sugar, agave nectar, or maple syrup.

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