What Is Quick Pickling? & How To Do It

Quick pickling is a fantastic way to preserve extra vegetables from your garden and makes for a great way to add extra flavour to any dish. This helps bring new life to your vegetables and lets you play around with new flavours by trying different herbs, spices, vinegar and sweetener combinations. Best of all, it is much less time-consuming than regular pickling and convenient for people looking to enjoy their pickled vegetables over a few days to weeks.

What is quick pickling? Quick pickling is a method of vinegar pickling that does not require the full canning process. It is a quick and easy way to pickle vegetables and is not meant as a long-term storage method. Vegetables are pickled in a combination of water, vinegar, salt and sweetener (though sometimes this is skipped). The pickling process takes only a few hours to complete, and they can be eaten immediately after being cooled.

In this article, we will take a closer look at what quick pickling is, how to quick pickle vegetables, additional ingredients you can use, what foods can be quick pickled and more.

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Table Of Contents

• What Is Quick Pickling?
• How To Quick Pickle Vegetables
• Additional Ingredients To Add To Brine
• Preparing Vegetables For Pickling
• What Foods Can Be Quick Pickled
• How Long Do Quick Pickled Foods Last?

What Is Quick Pickling?

Quick pickling is a method of vinegar pickling that does not require canning. They often are referred to as refrigerator pickles, as they need to be refrigerated in order to stay fresh. The entire process only takes a few hours, and you can enjoy the quick pickled vegetables immediately or store them in a fridge.

Since quick pickles do not involve full canning, they do not last as long, nor can they be stored in the cupboard. They tend to be made in small batches and make for great additions to salads, burgers, tacos, pizza and snacks.

How To Quick Pickle Vegetables

Quick pickling is quite simple and does not take as much time or work as regular pickling. The brine consists of water, vinegar, sweetener and salt. Then, you can add additional spices and herbs to add and enhance the flavour.

Here is our go-to base quick pickling recipe.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup vinegar (apple cider or white vinegar)
• ¾ cup water
• 3 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
• 2 tsp salt
• Additional spices of your choice

Instructions

1. First, prepare your canning jar with your choice of vegetables and add any additional spices you like.
2. Next, prepare the brine. In a saucepan, combine water, vinegar, honey (or another sweetener) and salt. Stir occasionally until the mixture comes to a boil.
3. Carefully pour the brine into the canning jar until it reaches the top.
4. Allow the mixture to sit and cool to room temperature (around 1 to 2 hours) before covering and placing it in the refrigerator or enjoy immediately.

We personally opt for natural sweeteners when it comes to quick pickling as it adds extra flavour, and we prefer it to plain sugar. However, if you want to use sugar instead, simply substitute the three tablespoons of honey for 1-2 tablespoons of sugar.

Additional Ingredients To Add To Brine

Adding additional ingredients to your pickling brine is a great way to spice things up and play with different flavours. The secret to amazing pickled vegetables is the species. While most pickling spices and herbs are dry, you can also use fresh ingredients from your garden.

Our favourite additions to pickled foods are garlic and ginger. They are perfect if you are looking for an extra kick of flavour. With that being said, here are a few common herbs and spices that complement pickled vegetables.

• Garlic
• Ginger
• Red pepper Flakes
• Mustard seeds
• Dill
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Basil
• Sage
• Mint
• Fennel
• Cardamom
• Cinnamon
• Clove
• Bay leaves
• Peppercorns
• Coriander seed
• Chilli

If buying spices and putting together flavour combinations is not for you, you can also pick up a pickling spice at almost every grocery store. The Marshalls Creek Pickling Spice is a great option that provides amazing flavour to most pickled vegetables. It includes spices such as mustard seed, bay leaves, coriander seed, allspice, peppercorns, dill and chilli.

Preparing Vegetables For Pickling

There are a few different steps you can take to prepare vegetables for pickling.

Cutting

The first is to cut the vegetables into either thin coins or spears (matchsticks). However, if you are pickling tomatoes, beans or cucumbers, you may choose to pickle them whole.

Peeling

Peel vegetables such as carrots and potatoes. While this step is optional, it can help reduce the chances of bacteria.

Blanching

Another optional step is to blanch green vegetables such as green beans and asparagus. While this is not needed in order to pickle greens, it does help them preserve their nice colour.

What Foods Can Be Quick Pickled

Almost every vegetable, fruit and even eggs can be pickled. But the best foods for pickling are fresh ones. Popular quick pickled foods include cucumber, radish, red onion, beets, beans, jalapeno and carrots.

You can pickle foods of any size. Whether you want to pickle whole vegetables or cut them into spears (matchsticks) or coins, the choice is entirely yours. However, tougher vegetables such as radishes, carrots and beets tend to do better when sliced as thinly as possible. This helps eliminate the need to cook them prior to pickling and allows them to absorb the brine better.

If you are looking to cut your vegetables thin or uniform, a mandoline slicer would be a great asset, though not needed. Most mandolines also have a thickness adjuster, ensuring your vegetables are the perfect size and thickness. If you choose to use a Mandoline, be careful of the sharp blades. To be safe, we recommend investing in cut-resistant gloves and a food safety holder. For those without a mandoline already, look at options that already include both of these safety items, such as the Gramercy Kitchen Company Mandoline Slicer.

How Long Do Quick Pickled Foods Last?

While the answer can vary, typically, quick pickled vegetables can last several weeks as long as they are refrigerated. However, many vegetables tend to lose their texture and crunch between 5 days to a week and are therefore better eaten fresh. For this reason, quick pickling is best done in smaller batches. If you want your pickled foods to last longer, consider regular pickling and canning, which can extend the life of your food for months.