Crispy, spicy, and super easy to make, spicy pickled radishes come together in under 10 minutes of hands-on time. Put them in tacos, toast, sandwiches, or wraps, these give a zingy bite to them.
Here are some more radish recipes that you can try – Mooli Ki Sabzi, Mooli Raita, and Radish Sambar.
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About This Recipe
Looking for something that will add an instant twist to your recipes? Then you must give these spicy pickled radishes a try. Tangy, sweet, and spicy, this quick radish pickle is very easy to make and you can use it pretty much everywhere you would use pickled onions.
In fact, I like it better than pickled onions as it does not overpower the flavors of other ingredients. This quick pickle is also a great way to make use of your leftover radishes.
Pickled Radish is an instant pickle and you can start using it as soon as you make it, there is no need to ferment it.
I have met people who hate raw radish but still love pickled radish. It is because radish loses its bitter bite and mellow down to sweet, salty, and sour pickle flavors once mixed with red wine vinegar, salt, and honey. So if you are one of those people, then try pickling the radishes once, I am sure you will become a convert too.
Ingredients
Radish – I used red globe radishes, but you can use any variety of radish available. Black radish, Daikon radish, Red radish, all works well.
For Pickling – To pickle these radishes, we will use a combination of red wine vinegar, water, salt, honey, red pepper flakes, whole peppercorns, and whole garlic.
You can replace red wine vinegar with white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Red pepper flakes and whole peppercorns give a lovely heat to the pickle. Add little honey for a hint of sweetness. You can use maple syrup instead of honey for a vegan version.
Whole garlic adds a nice flavor too. Make sure to add whole garlic cloves and not chopped or crushed ones.
Some people add mustard seeds to get that hint of mustard in the radish. Try adding ½ teaspoon mustard seeds for flavor change.
Try adding some sliced onions and carrots along with radish for an interesting pickle combination.
You can also add chopped Jalapeno if you like your pickle spicier.
How To Make Spicy Pickled Radishes
Preparation
Wash ½ pound (250 g) of radishes and remove any dirt on their surface. Discard the leaves and chop off ½-inch of the top and bottom. You can peel the radish using a vegetable peeler if you wish to. I like to keep the peel as gives a nice vibrant color to the pickle.
Slice the radishes into thin slices (1 mm) using a mandolin slicer or a knife. I like thin slices as they soak up the flavors really well.
Peel 5-6 garlic cloves and gather the remaining ingredients.
Make The Pickle
Pack the radish slices in a clean glass jar. Set aside.
In a measuring cup, combine ½ cup red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 and ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 7-8 whole peppercorns, 5-6 peeled garlic cloves, and 1 cup of warm water.
Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.
Pour this pickling mixture over your sliced radishes and let them sit for an hour.
After an hour, cover the jar with a lid and store it in the fridge for up to a month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, once you have finished all the pickled radish slices, you can use the leftover vinegar mixture up to 2 times to pickle more radish. You can also add this mixture to your marinades, salad dressings, soups, stews, etc for a nice tang.
Once you make this instant pickled radish, you can use it immediately or refrigerate it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month. Just bring them out and use them whenever you need to add them to recipes.
Yes, you can freeze the radish pickle. Transfer it to an airtight container, cover tightly with a lid, and freeze until completely solid. It will stay good for about a year. Thaw the pickle in the fridge for 24 hours before serving.
Serving Suggestions
You can add pickled red radish to everything from your Tacos, Burgers, Wraps, Salads, Toast, Sandwiches, Vegetable Stir-Fries, and more.
They are a great addition to cheese boards and also make for nice food gifts.
You can also use it to top cold summer soups. It is also used as a condiment in popular Korean, Chinese, and Japanese recipes.
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Recipe Card
Spicy Pickled Radishes Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ pound radish (250 g)
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1-½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 7-8 whole peppercorns
- 5-6 whole garlic cloves (peeled)
- 1 cup warm water
Instructions
- Wash radishes well with water and remove any dirt on their surface. Discard the leaves and chop off ½-inch of the top and bottom. You can peel the radish using a vegetable peeler if you wish to. I like to keep the peel as gives a nice vibrant color to the pickle.
- Slice the radishes into thin slices (1 mm) using a mandolin slicer or a knife. I like thin slices as they soak up the flavors really well.
- Pack the radish slices in a clean glass jar. Set aside.
- In a measuring cup, combine red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, red pepper flakes, peppercorns, garlic cloves, and warm water.
- Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.
- Pour this pickling mixture over your sliced radishes and let them sit for an hour.
- After an hour, cover the jar with a lid and store it in the fridge for up to a month.
Thalia @ butter and brioche
I love making pickles! Never made a radish based pickle before so this recipe is ideal for me to try. I imagine these would be delicious tossed into a salad – or topped on some toast in the morning!
msnehamathur
This one turned out awesome Thalia. I layered in my burger.
Sudhesna
It turned out really well, used for sandwiches and burgers. I had one doubt, after using the pickled veggies, can we reuse the vinegar mix or throw it to prepare fresh?
Neha Mathur
You can use it for 2 more times.