Mixed Pickled Vegetables
If you’ve never pickled vegetables before, this is your chance! Making mixed pickled vegetables is a cinch and perfect for beginners. This easy and versatile method allows you to transform your favorite vegetables into crisp, crunchy delights with a tangy twist. Whether you’re a pickling pro or trying it for the first time, this recipe is sure to impress with its simplicity and delicious results.
Pickling is a fantastic way to preserve vegetables while enhancing their flavors. With just a few basic ingredients like vinegar, salt, sugar, and your favorite veggies, you can create a jar of pickles that will elevate any meal. Plus, the beauty of this recipe is its flexibility—you can customize the vegetables and spices to suit your taste.
Get ready to enjoy the vibrant colors, crisp textures, and mouthwatering flavors of homemade mixed vegetable refrigerator pickles!
Why You’ll Love These Pickled Vegetables
Are you ready to fall in love with pickled mixed vegetables? These pickles are not only easy to make but also bursting with flavor. Here’s why these homemade delights are a tasty and healthy addition to any meal!
- Easy to Make: With simple ingredients and no canning required, anyone can make these pickles at home. It’s also a great late summer activity to do with children.
- Incredibly Customizable: You can mix and match vegetables and spices to create your own unique flavor combinations. There’s no limit to the types of veggies you can use!
- Savory Healthy Snack: Pickled vegetables are low in calories and fat, making them a healthy vegan snack option.
- Fantastically Flavorful: The pickling process enhances the natural flavors of the vegetables, creating a delicious tangy taste.
- Long Shelf Life: When stored in the fridge, these pickles can last for weeks, allowing you to enjoy them over time. They might not last that long, though!
- Very Versatile: Pickled vegetables can be enjoyed on their own, as a side dish, or as a topping for sandwiches and salads.
- Budget-Friendly: Making your own pickles at home is cost-effective, especially if you have an abundance of vegetables to use up. Excess garden produce is perfect for this!
Key Ingredients
Unlock the secrets to perfect mixed pickled veggies with these key ingredients. From vinegar to spices, each component plays a crucial role in creating flavorful pickled vegetables. Learn how to combine these ingredients for mouthwatering results!
- Vegetables: The star of the show! Choose firm, fresh vegetables that can stand up to pickling. Almost any vegetable can be pickled, so feel free to mix and match based on your preferences. Think about including unconventional veggies like asparagus, cauliflower, chickpeas, or green beans for a creative twist.
- Vinegar: Provides the acidic base for pickling, preserving the vegetables and adding tanginess. Substitute with apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar for a slightly different flavor. You can also experiment with flavored vinegars like balsamic or champagne vinegar for a unique twist.
- Salt: Helps to draw out moisture from the vegetables, preserving their crunch and enhancing flavor. Use kosher salt or sea salt, but avoid iodized table salt as it can make the brine cloudy.
- Sugar: Balances the acidity of the vinegar, providing a more mellow flavor. Swap for vegan honey or maple syrup if you’d like to use a natural sweetener. But is generic sugar vegan? Yes—we consider sugar vegan.
- Spices: Try adding herbs like dill or thyme, or spices like cinnamon or cloves, to infuse the brine with different flavors. Also consider including extra spices like mustard seeds, peppercorns, or red pepper flakes for extra spice.
By experimenting with different vinegars, salts, sugars, and vegetable combinations, you can create a wide variety of unique and flavorful mixed vegetable refrigerator pickles to enjoy.
Best Vegetables for Pickling
Explore the top vegetables that are perfect for pickling. These veggies not only hold up well to pickling but also absorb flavors beautifully. Experiment with a variety of veggies and discover which ones are the tastiest and most appealing to your palate:
- Asparagus
- Beets
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Cucumbers
- Green Beans
- Peppers
- Radishes
- Red Onion
How to Make Quick Mixed Vegetable Pickles
This simple refrigerator pickle process allows you to enjoy crisp, crunchy, and vinegary veggies in no time. Follow these easy steps to create your own delicious pickled vegetables at home! This technique will become a new favorite kitchen ritual, especially when you have extra vegetables from the garden.
Step 1: Prepare Your Vegetables
Slice or cut your favorite veggies into desired shapes. Make them big enough to remove easily with a fork and small enough to fit into the jar.
Step 2: Make the Brine
Mix water, vinegar, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan.
Step 3: Combine Veggies and Brine
Add the mixed veggies to the jar, along with your choice of herbs and spices. Pour the brine over the vegetables.
Step 4: Refrigerate and Enjoy
Seal the jar and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. The longer the better!
Helpful Tips and Serving Suggestions for Quick Pickled Veggies
Enhance your pickling skills with these tried-and-true tips and fun suggestions. From selecting the freshest veggies to creative serving ideas, these tips will elevate your pickled vegetable game. Get ready to enjoy delicious, homemade pickles that will impress your friends and family!
- Choose Fresh Veggies: Select vegetables that are fresh and firm to ensure a crunchy texture in your pickles.
- Slice Uniformly: Cutting your vegetables into uniform slices ensures that they pickle evenly and look appealing in the jar.
- Experiment with Flavors: Don’t be afraid to get creative with your flavors! Try adding spices like dill, garlic, or mustard seeds for a unique twist.
- Use the Right Vinegar: Stick to white or apple cider vinegar for that classic pickled taste that pairs perfectly with your veggies.
- Add Sugar Carefully: While a bit of sugar can help balance the tartness of the vinegar, be careful not to add too much and overpower the flavors.
- Wait Patiently: Allow your pickled vegetables to marinate in the fridge for at least 24 hours to develop their full flavor.
- Serve Creatively: Serve your pickled vegetables as a side dish, on sandwiches, or in salads (especially with this classic vegan potato salad) to add a delightful tangy kick to your meals. It’s an excellent addition to a vegan charcuterie board, too!
Common Homemade Pickle FAQs
Homemade pickled vegetables can last in the fridge for about one to two months. It’s important to store them in airtight containers to maintain their freshness.
In pickling, a brine is a mixture of water, vinegar, salt, and sometimes sugar, herbs, or spices. It’s like a flavorful bath that preserves and adds a tangy taste to vegetables. The brine penetrates the veggies, giving them their delicious pickled flavor.
You can pickle many types of vegetables like cucumbers, carrots, onions, and radishes in the fridge. However, vegetables with high water content, like lettuce or cabbage, may not pickle well. These veggies might become too soft or mushy.
Enjoy the crisp, tangy flavors of your homemade mixed pickled vegetables! Experiment with different veggies and spices to create your own unique blends. Store them in the fridge and savor them for up to two months!
Mixed Pickled Vegetables
Equipment
Ingredients
Brine:
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- ¼ cup sugar
Pickling Veggie Options:
- Carrots, sliced into sticks
- Cucumbers, sliced into spears
- Green Beans, trimmed to fit your jar
- Red Onions, thinly sliced
- Cauliflower, cut into florets
- Chickpeas, rinsed
Spices and Mix-Ins:
- Peppercorns
- Coriander Seeds
- Fresh Dill
- Garlic Cloves
- Peppers, jalapeno, habanero, etc.
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Beet Chunks, for the pink color
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan add the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar, mix, and bring to a boil. Once salt has dissolved, remove from heat while you assemble your jars.
- Fill wide-mouth mason jars with your choice of vegetables to pickle.
- Add any desired spices and mix-ins.
- Pour the hot liquid over the veggies until each jar is full. Close the jars and store in the fridge.
Notes
- The longer you let the veggies sit in the brine, the better they’ll taste. They can be eaten right away, but at least give them 3 days to marinate for maximum flavor.
- Feel free to use any type of mason jar, but the wide mouthed version gives you the most space for adding vegetables easily and quickly.
- There are two ways to arrange the veggies: Mix a few of each type of veggie into one mason jar or, if this is more appealing, make each mason jar a different veggie.
Nutrition
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I cannot possibly stress enough how DELICIOUS these are. So easy and perfect to make a salad go from good to amazing!
These mixed pickled vegetables are tangy, crunchy, and SO delicious!
this veggie dish is the best! so tasty and full of flavor!
Your delicious and fun recipe makes it super easy to prep a few jars of pickled veggies every week. I’m totally hooked!