Pickles are easily one of my top five favorite foods. These quick mixed pickles (sometimes called quickles) take any vegetable that you have on hand and turn them into bright, acidic, slightly sweet pickles in just a few minutes!
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Do you know those jars of giant pickles you sometimes see on deli counters? I buy those pickles. That, to me, is an appropriate amount of pickle.
Unlike old-fashioned mixed pickles, quickly brined pickles such as these are also known as refrigerator pickles because they don’t require any special techniques, canning equipment, or sterilization.
This easy pickle recipe can also be used for a single vegetable! Try making quick pickled cucumbers, quick pickled carrots, or a full jar of pickled radishes.
What You'll Need
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- Mixed vegetables Any mix of relatively hard vegetables such as cucumber, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, spicy or sweet peppers, radish, cauliflower… really, I haven’t tried anything yet that does not pass the test.
- Rice Vinegar I recommend using unseasoned rice vinegar so that you can dictate the amount of salt and sugar in the recipe.
- Sugar This cane sugar works well.
- Kosher Salt such as Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Jar or other nonreactive container, 32 ounces. If using a 16 ounce container, make half of the brine in this recipe.
How to Make
Step One Chop the veggies
Step Two Place them in the jar or nonreactive container
Step Three Bring the other ingredients to a boil, stir and pour over.
Step Four Cover and chill. Enjoy over the next 2-4 weeks.
Variations
- For a spicy mixed pickle, you can add sliced hot peppers, like serrano or jalapeño peppers, or red pepper flake to the brine.
- For a saltier mixed pickles, play with the level of salt to find the right balance for you. Try adding 1 teaspoon at a time to the brine and tasting as you go.
How to Store
Store mixed pickles in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
You can make these pickles several days in advance. I would recommend 2 to 3 days for the strongest flavor.
The pickles can change in color if you add vegetables with a redder pigment such as red onion, purple carrots or radishes. This is normal and safe.
FAQ
If your batch contains onions or garlic, 2 weeks. Batches without these ingredients can be enjoyed for a month.
Yes! You can use seasoned rice vinegar in place of the vinegar, salt, and sugar recommended in the recipe or add extra sugar to the existing recipe.
No. These pickles do not have the proper ingredients to be shelf stable. They are meant to be made and enjoyed quickly!
Try using a different nonreactive container, such as a ceramic baking dish.
Expert Tips
- I like making batches of these mixed pickles, but I also like making a full batch of one vegetable for specific uses. See "How to Serve" below for some ideas!
- If you can't find a 32-ounce jar, use half of the brine in a 16-ounce jar.
- Batches of pickles with onions or garlic can be stored for up to 2 weeks safely in the fridge. If you remove the onions or garlic, the batch should last for an additional 2 weeks.
How to Serve
Snack I like eating these pickles straight as a snack or as part of an appetizer spread with things like little toasts with Almond Pesto or Stuffed Banana Peppers.
Sandwiches These are perfect added to a cold cut sandwich.
Salads Try adding some quick pickled vegetables to your next salad.
Meat Dishes Pickles with a meat dish like this Ranchera Meat balances the richness.
Burgers These turkey smash burgers are the best I've ever tasted!
Hot Wings Pickled celery alongside hot wings with crumbled bleu cheese is a hit.
Tuna Salad Quick pickled jalapeños are super tasty chopped and mixed into a tuna salad.
Tartine Pickled onions are fantastic on open-faced sandwiches and tartines such as the gravlax tartine below.
Other Recipes You'll Love
If you like this recipe, check out my Gravlax Tartine with pickled onions and preserved lemon.
Try adding these mixed pickles to a charcuterie board with Almond Pesto and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes on the Vine.
Looking for more pickle recipes? Try this fantastic pickled cabbage.
📖 Recipe
Quick Mixed Pickles
Ingredients
- 2 cups mixed sliced or chopped vegetables more or less, to fill ⅔ of glass jar or other nonreactive container
- 2 cups unseasoned rice vinegar
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 6 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- First, add vinegar to a small pot over medium high heat.
- Add the salt and sugar and let the mixture come to a simmer. Stir to combine.
- Add the chopped vegetables to a glass jar or other nonreactive container, such as a ceramic dish.
- Pour the vinegar, salt and sugar mixture over the vegetables, being sure not to burn yourself or overfill the container.
- The jar will be hot. Carefully secure the lid of the container and move to the refrigerator to cool.
Notes
- You can use any mix of relatively hard vegetables such as cucumber, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, spicy or sweet peppers, radish, and cauliflower.
- Each serving is approximately ¼ cup.
- I would not recommend using softer vegetables like lettuces.
- Use caution when handling hot liquid. The jar will also become hot once the liquid is poured in.
- The flavor of these pickles will intensify over time. They are delicious right away but try them again in 2 to 3 days!
- Be sure to use any pickles with onion or garlic within 2 weeks for food safety. Batches with no onion or garlic can be safely consumed up to 4 weeks later.
MacKenzie says
Love the idea of pickling a variety of vegetables in one jar. This makes the perfect healthy snack.
Genevieve says
Thanks MacKenzie!
laura says
So delicious! And so easy to make. Thanks!
Genevieve says
Thanks Laura!
Journa Liz Ramirez says
I want my pickles to be spicy, so I added some hot peppers, it is so good! It enhances the acidic and slightly sweet pickles. YUM!
Genevieve says
Thank you!
Allyssa says
This mixed pickles is really delicious and very flavorful, will surely have this again! It's easy to make and follow! Highly recommended! Great recipe!
Genevieve says
Thank you!
Nicole J says
I am so obsessed with these!! Perfect crunch and the brine is SO good!
Genevieve says
Yay! Thank you Nicole!
Jenn says
I want to make these and give them away as holiday gifts - they're just so gosh darn good! Pretty in the jar, too!
Genevieve says
What a lovely compliment - thank you Jenn!
Glenda says
YES!!!! I love these pickles! It's so easy to do and they have so much flavor. Best recipe ever!
Genevieve says
Pickles are the beeest. Thank you, Glenda! I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Mandy Applegate says
We're a big fan of pickles around here, so we were excited to try this recipe for mixed pickles. We were not disappointed! The pickles came out crunchy and full of flavor. We will definitely be making this recipe again.
Genevieve says
Thank you so much, Mandy! I'm so glad they turned out well for you.
Addison says
These pickles were so fresh and flavorful! I loved adding them to my sandwiches this week.
Genevieve says
Yay! I love these on sandwiches, too. Thanks Addison!
Jere Cassidy says
I make refrigerator pickles but have never thought of pickling veggies. Your recipe is super simple, and my jar of veggies came out perfectly. I love the color and the stacking of the veggies. Making another jar to give as an edible gift.
Genevieve says
What a wonderful idea! I may have to gift a few jars myself. Thanks, Jere!
Greta says
I love pickles but never had carrots or celery pickles, which was a nice experience. Delicious. Highly Recommend.
Genevieve says
Thanks so much, Greta!
Sharina says
I added this mixed pickles to my salad (for my lunch), it turned out so well! It tasted so delicious and love the texture! Definitely a keeper!
Genevieve says
Wonderful idea! I love some pickles in my salads. Thanks Sharina!
Rose says
This mixed pickles was a hit! My boys were fighting over the last veggie. So easy to make too!
Genevieve says
That's always a good sign! Thank you, Rose.
Dee Br5 says
can I par boil the veggies before pickling, we need them to be a little softer for older people without a.l their teeth.
Genevieve says
Thanks for the question, Dee! I haven't personally tried parboiling the veggies, but I'm sure it would turn out great. I'll be sure to give it a try.