Make your own crisp and crunchy quick pickled carrots right at home in less than 20 minutes, no canning equipment needed!
Want to make pickles at home but without the worry or effort of canning? Quick pickles are your answer!
While store-bought options can be rather limited when it comes to pickles, you can make your own homemade pickles from a wide variety of vegetables. One of my favorite vegetables to pickle are carrots. Pickled carrots are crisp and crunchy and make a great snack, best of all you don’t need any special canning equipment. In fact you may already have everything you need at home now.
What is a Quick Pickle?
Quick pickles (also known as refrigerator pickles) like all pickles are simply vegetables that are stored in brine (a solution of vinegar, water and salt) flavored with herbs and spices. The main difference being that quick pickles are not shelf stable and require refrigeration.
Creating shelf stable pickles requires processing and can be a bit of an endeavor requiring the right equipment and know-how, a quick pickle on the other hand takes virtually no effort and produces tangy, crisp vegetables that keep for weeks in the fridge.
Having a couple jars of pickled carrots in the fridge means you’ll always have something to serve as a snack, alongside a sandwich or as an appetizer (just add a few slices of cheese, some crackers, a handful of olives and you have yourself a nice cheese board). Here’s how to do it…
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
You only need a handful of basic ingredients and a few minutes to create your own quick pickled carrots.
- Vinegar – You’ll want to use vinegar with at least 5% acidity. The most common pickling vinegar is plain distilled white vinegar as its neutral flavor provides a clean, crisp pickle but I particularly like the flavor of white wine vinegar with carrots and so call for it here. Stay away from dark or aged vinegars like balsamic.
- Water – A basic brine is equal parts water to vinegar. Use filtered water if possible for the best flavor.
- Salt – Use an unrefined salt without any additives like sea salt or pickling salt.
- Sweetener – A bit of sweetener takes the bite out of the vinegar and creates a more pleasant pickle so don’t skip it. You can use regular cane sugar (we are only using a small amount) or honey.
- Carrots – You can use any color of carrot you’d like. The thinner you slice them the faster they’ll absorb the flavors of the brine. I like to slice mine on the diagonal into coins but you can also cut them into sticks if you prefer.
- Herbs – A few sprigs of fresh herbs tucked into your pickle jars make a big impact. My favorite with carrots is tarragon but you could also use dill or thyme.
- Spices – Coriander, black peppercorn and mustard seeds all taste great with carrots.
- Shallots – The delicate flavor of shallots is a natural with white wine vinegar and tarragon and gives the carrots a French inspired flavor but you could also substitute garlic.
How to Make Quick Pickled Carrots:
(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe. Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
While the pickled carrots are easy to make, they do require some time in the fridge to develop flavor so I recommend you start at least 24 hours ahead of time.
- The first step is to make the brine by combining the vinegar, water, salt and sweetener in a saucepan and bringing it to a boil. You’ll want to ensure that the sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
- While that is heating you can peel and slice your carrots and arrange the tarragon, shallots and spices evenly into your jars. I like to use 16 ounce wide mouth mason jars because they are easy to fill.
- One the brine is ready simply pour it over the carrots, seal the jars and let them cool before placing them in the fridge. 24 hours later and your pickles are ready to eat but the flavors will continue to develop as they sit in the brine over the next few days and weeks. Refrigerator pickles will stay good for at least a month.
Enjoy!
Variations:
Want to mix things up? Try these variations.
- Vinegar – Use distilled white vinegar instead of white wine vinegar.
- Sugar - Use honey instead of sugar to sweeten the brine.
- Carrots – Use a mixture of different colored carrots.
- Flavorings – Use dill and garlic instead of tarragon and shallots for dilly carrots, add fresh or dried peppers for spicy carrots.
Like This Recipe? Try:
Quick Pickled Carrots
Make your own crisp and crunchy quick pickled carrots right at home in less than 20 minutes, no canning equipment needed!
Ingredients
- Two 16 ounce glass jars with lids
- 1 cup/240ml filtered water
- 1 cup/240ml white wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon/15g cane sugar or honey
- 1 Tablespoon sea salt
- 4 sprigs of fresh tarragon
- 2 small or 1 large shallot, sliced in halves or quarters
- ¼ teaspoon peppercorn seeds
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1lb/454g carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal, into coins or into sticks that will fit your jars
Instructions
- Clean the glass jars by boiling in water, or running through the sanitize cycle of the dishwasher.
- Combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Evenly distribute the tarragon sprigs, sliced shallots and spices between the two jars.
- Pack the carrots tightly into the jars leaving about ½ inch of space at the top of the jar. Pour warm pickling brine over the carrots. Wipe rims with a clean towel and screw on lids.
- Let cool on counter until cool to the touch. Place in refrigerator and allow flavors to develop for at least 24 hours before opening (preferably longer). Quick pickled carrots will stay fresh for 1 month in the fridge.
Notes
Variations
Use distilled white vinegar instead of white wine vinegar.
Use honey instead of sugar to sweeten the brine.
Use a mixture of different colored carrots.
Use dill and garlic instead of tarragon and shallots for dilly carrots, add fresh or dried peppers for spicy carrots.
Storage
Store carrots in fridge for up to a month.
Dietary info
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Paleo
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 23Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 414mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 0g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Sam says
I have totally caught the pickling bug and recently pickled butternut. I've tasted store bought pickled asparagus, which might be my favourite. Fabulous recipe.
Jeanne @ Cooksister says
Quick pickling - now there's a thing. Much as hubby loves pickles, the whole enchilada of pickling has always seemed to be hard work, but this sounds eminently doable. I'm particularly intrigued by the pickled radishes as hubby is growing those on our allotment at the moment and they will need to get used up somehow...!
Russell van Kraayenburg says
Gorgeous shots! And I keep forgetting you can pickle all these different things. Yum!
Russell van Kraayenburg says
Gorgeous shots! And I keep forgetting you can pickle all these different things. Yum!
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious says
I also went through a pickling phase and love it, I do prefer pickled eggs though, they are amazing!
Nutmeg Nanny says
These photos are beautiful, everything looks fresh and delicious!
kulsum@journeykitchen says
oh i love quick pickles and carrot is my favorite!