These quick-pickled carrots require no cooking or extended fermenting time. Tangy, crunchy, and sweetened with monk fruit instead of refined sugar, they’re the perfect accompaniment to spicy salmon tikka bowls, in breakfast salads, or even eaten on their own. They marinate in just 24 hours, and you can enjoy them even sooner.
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What Are Quick Pickles?
Quick pickles are vegetables pickled in a solution of vinegar, water, sugar, and salt, plus any other seasonings. They are not fermented and do need to be refrigerated. That is why they are sometimes called refrigerator pickles. They don’t last as long as canned pickles, and the brine (the vinegar-water solution) doesn’t necessarily have to be boiled.
Pickling has been in my family for as long as I can remember. In fact, it was somewhat of an event at my grandmother’s home. All the women in the family would gather and help. We would form an assembly line, and each of us had a job. We gently rubbed the vegetables to remove the moisture. We meticulously cleaned and sanitized the canning jars before bringing everything together and bottling it. Some were made with oil, such as aam ka achaar (Mango Pickle), and some were made with vinegar. The Aam ka Achaar took longer to ferment. But the vinegar-based one or the quick pickles didn’t need fermenting time. These are so much more suitable for my lifestyle and likely yours too. So let’s make them!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
⏲️Ready in: 24 hours.
👪Yield: 20.
🍽 Calories and Carbs: 8kcal, 2g.
📋 Main Ingredients: Carrots, green chili pepper, vinegar, mustard seeds.
📖 Dietary Notes: Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free.
⭐ Why You’ll Love It:
- Quick: These are ready to eat in no time.
- Meal-prep friendly: The perfect recipe to prep ahead on meal prep Sunday.
- Use in multiple recipes and dishes: I’ve even used these pickled carrots in my cauliflower fried rice when I’ve run out of diced carrots, my Thai Salad, tacos, and this tandoori salmon bowl, too.
- No nasty preservatives or sweeteners: Store-bought pickles can have preservatives, excessive sodium, and sugar. Making yours at home is so much healthier.
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“This pickle is so versatile and so easy to make. And an excellent addition to any meal.” Zeeshan
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Quick Pickled Carrots Ingredient Notes
Carrots: I like to julienne, shred, or cut the carrots into matchsticks. I prefer this to making coins because they are easier to prep and a quick addition to many other dishes. Lately, I’ve been loving my julienne peeler, so I julienne everything I can. You can even get matchsticks or shredded carrots at the grocery store in a pinch.
Green chili pepper: Serrano, jalapeño, Thai, or any other type would work here. Slice horizontally or julienne by hand.
Vinegar: I prefer distilled white vinegar, but you can use apple cider or rice vinegar. Just adjust the seasonings, since white vinegar is the tartest of them all.
Monk fruit sweetener: To balance the tartness of the vinegar. Monk fruit keeps it low-carb, but you can use maple syrup or honey as well.
Salt: I use Himalayan pink salt, but table salt would work.
Mustard seeds: Crushed.
Variations
- You can switch it up and add any veggies you like. Small pearl onions, sliced red onions, cauliflower, red or green cabbage, and radish are all great options.
- Add crushed red pepper flakes for more heat.
How to Quick Pickle Carrots
Just 3 easy steps and 5 minutes of prep. Here’s what you’ll do:
- Prepare the carrots and green chilies, and add them to a clean jar.
- Make the brine and grind the mustard seeds.
- Add both to the jar of veggies and enjoy!
How to Make Quick Pickled Carrots
Step 1: Prepare the vegetables. Start by julienning the carrots and slicing the jalapeno pepper. Put them in a jar and set aside.
Step 2: Make the brine. In a bowl or jar, add the vinegar, water, salt, and sweetener. Mix till everything dissolves.
Grind the mustard seeds in a coffee grinder till ground fine.
Step 3: Mix the veggies and the mustard seeds. Add the ground mustard seeds to the jar of carrots and jalapeño.
Step 4: Bring everything together. Finally, add the brine to the jar. Press the vegetables down until everything is submerged in the vinegar, then let it marinate for at least 24 hours before enjoying.
Pro Tips
- Shredding/julienning the carrots makes it easier for the brine to absorb, and I use them in quick salads and stir-fries when I’m in a hurry.
- Make sure the veggies are submerged in the brine at all times to prevent molding.
Pickled Carrots FAQs
Store these quick-pickled carrots in an airtight jar in the fridge and eat them within 2 weeks. After that, they are still safe to eat for about 3 months, but lose their crunch.
Distilled white vinegar is best for pickling carrots because it has a neutral flavor and retains the carrot’s color.
While the ingredients in these pickled carrots are not explicitly Asian, they are very similar to those in Asian and South Asian cuisines, which share a similar flavor profile. Adding rice vinegar will make it more Asian-inspired.
Yes, absolutely. These quick pickled carrots go really well with tacos and dinner bowls.
If you tried this pickled carrots recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get more deliciousness straight to your inbox.
Quick Pickled Carrots
Ingredients
- 5 carrots julienned
- 1 jalapeno pepper julienned
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon monk fruit sweetener
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds crushed
Instructions
- Wash and dry the vegetables, making sure all the moisture has been dried off. Then julienne them.
- Toss everything together and add to a clean and dry 16 ounce mason jar or any large jar.
- Crush the mustard seeds in a coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle and add to the jar with the vegetables.
- Lastly stir together the vinegar, water and the seasonings till dissolved. Add this mixture to the jar and press down on the veggies so that everything is submerged in the liquid.
- Refrigerate and use as needed. The vegetables will continue to marinate in the liquid and ferment. For best results, wait 24 hours before consuming.
Zeeshan Shah says
This pickle is so versatile and so easy to make. And an excellent addition to any meal.