Quick Pickled Radishes Recipe

Quick pickled radishes are an overnight sensation! Marinate thinly sliced radishes in the fridge in a brine of vinegar, sugar, and pickling spices for 8 hours or longer to yield a crunchy salty, sweet, and tart homemade condiment of your very own.

Quick pickles are part of my DNA. My grandmother always had a jar of sliced cucumbers in her refrigerator and pulled them out to add to a plate of interesting tidbits or to spread on top of a liverwurst sandwich (!) Like grandmother, daughter, and now granddaughter (me), quick pickles are always on hand to pull out for a snack or hors d’oeuvres.

My grandmother and mom just put sugar, vinegar, and a little water in a jar and shook it until the sugar dissolved. Then they added sliced cucumbers and onions, and voila! It’s that easy. Who knew?

Tip Box

We’re focusing on radishes here, but the idea translates to other sliced vegetables (think beets, cucumbers, carrots, onions as well as blanched green beans and asparagus).

Quick Pickled Radishes in a Jar Next to a Bowl of Radishes — Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

The Quick Pickle Brine

Quick pickles are designed to be stored in the refrigerator for shorter periods of time than canned pickles. The brine is usually half sugar and half vinegar, but you can adjust the ratio of sugar to vinegar and add your own spin with a choice of vinegars like apple cider, white wine, or rice vinegar. I like to embellish them just a tiny bit with pickling spice and dill, but they’re still so easy to make.

Balsamic and aged vinegars are not great choices; they’re dark in color, which is not appealing for a quick pickle, and their strong flavor may overpower the vegetables.

Tip Box

To dissolve the sugar and hasten the process, heat the vinegar, sugar, and other additions together on top of the stove and stir until the sugar dissolves. Then stir in the ice water (along with the ice cubes) and the brine cools just enough so it doesn’t wilt the radishes.

How I’m Flavoring My Brining Liquid

Though grandmother’s pickles were the essence of simplicity, a little embellishment doesn’t hurt. Whole spices like this pickling spice and fresh herbs such as dill, fennel fronds, rosemary, or thyme also contribute flavor.

Quick Pickled Radishes with Dill on Toast Served on a Tray with Bowls of Seasoning and Salt — Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

Cut Your Radishes As You Wish!

Slice the radishes as you wish! I thinly sliced the radishes here with a mandoline. Trim the root ends of the radishes first and cut the stems so there is just a little tail to grasp as you slice them.

For a little more crunch, slice them slightly thicker by hand, or halve or quarter them for tasty little bites.

What to Do With Pickled Radishes

Probably my favorite way to eat these radishes is on a thin slice of dense, buttered rye bread with fresh cucumber slices, topped with the pickled radishes. They make easy, crunchy nibbles to serve alongside glasses of wine.

Add them to tuna or egg salad sandwiches for some zing
Top tacos or nachos with them
Put them on top of your avocado toast with sliced hard-boiled eggs
Use them to top burgers
Add them to grain bowls
Of course, you should put them in your salads, too!

Quick Pickled Radishes

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 2 mins

Total Time 17 mins

Servings 16 servings

Yield 2 pint jars

1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons pickling spice
4 small sprigs fresh dill, divided
4 bunches (about 2 pounds with leaves) radishes

2 pint jars

Prepare 2/3 cup ice water:

Place 3 to 4 ice cubes in a 1-cup liquid measuring cup. Add enough cold water to measure 2/3 cup.

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
Heat the brine ingredients:

In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, bay leaves, pickling spice, and 2 sprigs of dill. Bring to a boil and stir for about 1 minute, or until the sugar dissolves.

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
Cool the brine:

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the ice water and ice cubes. Let cool until lukewarm.

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
Slice the radishes:

Use a mandoline or a thin, sharp paring knife to thinly slice the radishes. Pack them into 2 (1-pint) jars.

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
Add the brine:

Remove the wilted dill from the brine with tongs. Pour the brine and pickling spices over the radishes so that they are completely covered. Add the remaining fresh sprig of dill to each jar.

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
Refrigerate:

Seal the jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours before eating them.
Store:

Refrigerate the pickled radishes for up to 2 weeks.

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Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
37	Calories
0g	Fat
8g	Carbs
0g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories	37
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 101mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate 8g	3%
Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 9mg	43%
Calcium 21mg	2%
Iron 0mg	2%
Potassium 138mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.